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Track Bar Help

C

codeman8118

NAXJA Forum User
Location
OReGoN
Alright so heres my deal...I am a college student who has no family in town at all and my mechanic is back home. My jeep is up about 4.5 inches and recently has been experiencing some problems i feel that has to do with my track bar. My car pulls right and cannot keep my steering wheel centered without the car jerking right. So i have to keep my wheel facing left to get my jeep to go straight. I get a popping or a clunking sound occasionally when i turn the wheel. I'm quite nervous everytime i drive. I need my car to get to class. I want to get this fixed but have no access to tools or anything. Any places that would do a good job diagnosing and fixing a problem like this. I live in Oregon at U of O. Any help would be amazing. Thanks
 
if it is the trackbar, it could be the axle mount nut/bolt is loose. only need 2 wrenches to tighen up. dont you carry some tools with you? just a basic tool box for emergencies with a 4.5" lift?

is this an adjustable trackbar? TRE or double shear mount?
 
sounds like the lower axle mount bolt is loose or the bolt may even be slightly too small allowing for the track bar to shift slightly when you apply force to turn. That will make a slight clunk noise. Just tighten it up and you should be fine. As for the pulling to the right, go take it to have an alignment and that should fix that.
 
Thats the thing...I got an alignment like a month ago. The problem still exists. It still pulls hard right. I hope i don't have a wallowed out hole on the upper mount. Would something like that cause my car to pull right?
 
i would first check to see if you axle is centered. maybe the trackbar needs to be adjusted.

also, not as likely, but you could check your front brakes, see if maybe the right one is not releasing all the way, so it's tugging on that wheel. Caliper issues are common with them seizing up, but they usually seize up pretty well and cause the brakes to smoke.
 
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12654018@N06/3363789094/" title="DSCN2347 by codeman8118, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3545/3363789094_fb628fea7e.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="DSCN2347" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12654018@N06/3363788932/" title="DSCN2353 by codeman8118, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3541/3363788932_c1c0b0f01b.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="DSCN2353" /></a>


Here is photos of the upper mount....let me know if anything looks weird
 
jeepster_259 said:
i would first check to see if you axle is centered. maybe the trackbar needs to be adjusted.
Click to expand...
X2,then center your steering wheel!
And check all your steering components,then check your alignment yourself.A lot of shops only go "by the book".That doesnt always work out with a lifted vehicle.
 
Sound like a dangerous situation. Try posting on the Northwest (or whater it is) forum to find a good local repair shop. This could be brakes, bearings, u-joints, control arms or trackbar. Have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth while you lie underneath and see what is moving. Might be something you can fix with a $2 adjustable wrench. You need a couple of adjustable wrenches, vise grips, multi-tipped screwdriver and multimeter to stow in your jeep. Total $20.
 
IMHO, drastic pulling to the right is not wheel alignment. If your track bar is adjustable, maybe something came loose on that. Measure from the axle to the body at some common point for symetry.
 
i had a similar issue, but i had the rusty's "HD" one, and both the uppper and lower bushings were toast. i fixed it with at RE, and it made a huge difference in handling. i would suspect your lower bracket holes may be wallowed out or the bushing is toast, or bolt is loose. a easy way of diagnosing this is to have a buddy sit in the driver seat and turn the steering wheel back and forth while you look at your front end linkage and try to find anything with play in it. no joint should have side to side or up and down movement. obviously your steering linkage will have turning movement to it.
 
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