crunchy steering

mmm crunchy...

about a week and a half ago i put my RE1600 track bar in. and now just the other day my steering starts making a nasty noise.

kind of a 6 grinding click noises, only when i turn the wheel to the right.

started exploring and found a sloppy tie rod end at the pitman, and replaced that today. but noise still exists.

all the other ends seem solid, the track bar doesnt move, and the steering responds well. maybe the frame around the steering box? maybe the steering box itself?

ideas are helpful

You have to get that track bar as tight as you can imagine. I had to get a torque wrench and put about a 2 foot pipe over it on all the bolts that attach to the frame. It is tough, but get them all as tight as possible, and problem should be solved

Also make sure that the axle end is as tight as can be, and that the hole in the mount is not elongated from wear.

Matthew Currie said:

Also make sure that the axle end is as tight as can be, and that the hole in the mount is not elongated from wear.

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i never removed the upper mount from the frame, so its still tight.

honestly the track bar does not move at all, I don't think it has to do with that.

Jason-RJR said:

i never removed the upper mount from the frame, so its still tight.

honestly the track bar does not move at all, I don't think it has to do with that.

Click to expand...

I've been fighting this with a new trackbar on mine. You won't see it move. I keep tightening it and it is clunk free for a day or two, then back to the clunk. I'm going to have to fix the hole, I think, before I shear the bolt from retightening. The difference between quiet and clunking, and between tight enough and not tight enough, seems to be very small.

Matthew Currie said:

I've been fighting this with a new trackbar on mine. You won't see it move. I keep tightening it and it is clunk free for a day or two, then back to the clunk. I'm going to have to fix the hole, I think, before I shear the bolt from retightening. The difference between quiet and clunking, and between tight enough and not tight enough, seems to be very small.

Click to expand...

x2 I have the same bar and the same problem the loud pops sometimes come from the actual mount flexing while turning. Try parking the heep with the wheels tight against a curb and turn the wheel back and forth letting the curb stop it from turning if you hear the pops have someone else turn the wheel get underneath and watch that stock mount flex. This can happen no matter how tight everything is

Damn you bastards for being right, lol.

Tightened up the Rubicon Track bars upper bolt at the joint, and the noise went away...go figure