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new track bar steering rub

dellstopjeep

dellstopjeep

NAXJA Forum User
Location
KUNA, ID
just installed my re track bar and drop bracket today and now draglink rubs sway bar end link. please ignore the homemade swar bar drop brackets they will be gone later. Either way though that part doesnt matter as it would still rub regardless. its going underneath the end link and rubbing against it. i think the axle isnt centered under vechicle but when i made it much closer the second time and made it more even. it rubbed there even worse. HELP! please.....
here are some pictures
P1010086.jpg

P1010087.jpg

P1010088.jpg


here is it before
P1010074.jpg
 
From the looks of that thrid picture, your trackbar is to short by at least an inch. Or it could be an optical illusion.

Look into a drop pitman arm. And thank god you changed trackbars.

How much lift do you have? Maybe a little to much.
 
Last edited:
i bought it that way, it has rustys 6.5 inch coils so 6.5 i guess. your right it looks an inch short because i adjusted it to there after it was the right length. only because it rubs a bit less there at full steering lock. i can adjust it back a half to 3/4 of a inch. is the re track bar not long enough for this length. i called the guy at northridge 4x4 and told him i was sitting at six inches so i needed the track bar for that height.

you dont want to run the track bar real close to the end of the adjusting threads right???
 
i was looking at steering conversions next, but i do want to try to solve this issue first. i know that a drop pitman arm and possibly jcr oneton-the one i was looking at-, will help
 
A drop pittman arm???? NO good lord NO!!!!!

The angles are just right. You want your track bar to parallel your drag link, and it does.


p1010086ok2.jpg



Is your axle centered? You can check this by using a plumb bob from the fender to the middle of the tire tread. It's okay to adjust this an inch or so to gain the clearance you need.

Or, just heat your sway bar link at the axle and pound it up out of the way.
 
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If you don't have it already, you may want to get RE's longer coupler for your track bar. I have 6" of lift and my track bar was adjusted to the max, meaning there weren't too many threads holding the two pieces together. The coupler added about an inch, maybe more.
 
thanks,
i see the site sells the one with the joint in it as well for double the price almost. how would i put my joint from my one on my jeep to that one?
also in the meantime, any more ideas about what i should do about rubbing or just deal with it? it is not just a small small rub, that is why im concerned.
 
dellstopjeep said:
thanks,
i see the site sells the one with the joint in it as well for double the price almost. how would i put my joint from my one on my jeep to that one?
Click to expand...
You disassemble the joint on your existing coupler and move it over. RE sells a tool (RE3772) to unscrew the screw-in side piece after you remove the retaining clip. This tool makes the job considerably easier. Just look over the joint and it should become clear how to disassemble. There's a worm screw and zerk fitting that need to be removed first. Check out the parts disassebled here.

dellstopjeep said:
also in the meantime, any more ideas about what i should do about rubbing or just deal with it? it is not just a small small rub, that is why im concerned.
Click to expand...
Running a ZJ pitman arm will drop the drag link an inch. Will this be enough to clear it? Maybe bend it just enough to clear?
 
dellstopjeep said:
thanks,
i see the site sells the one with the joint in it as well for double the price almost. how would i put my joint from my one on my jeep to that one?
also in the meantime, any more ideas about what i should do about rubbing or just deal with it? it is not just a small small rub, that is why im concerned.
Click to expand...


Heat the axle bracket with a torch and bend it back. Tap it with a hammer blacksmith style when it's good and cherry red.

Problem solved.
 
I have this same issue. I have a complete RE 5.5" Super Flex lift and normally it is not a problem. However, yesterday I had the front end of my XJ jacked up (allowing the front tires to droop) and noticed that when I turned my steering to the right, the drag-link/tie-rod joint smacks right into the lower passenger side sway bar mount.

Is bending the mount bracket really the correct way to fix this? I would guess you'd have to bend the driver's side just the same to keep the sway bar loaded evenly.

This is just a '99 Classic 4.0 / Auto / 242 with a RE 5.5" lift, no additional steering modifications or other aftermarket parts involved... somebody else must have this same combination / issue?
 
wow I remember once posting this problem, I ended up getting the longer coupler and ditching those hideous home built links with jks and moved sway bar to original location along with upgrading steering and never had this problem again. and heating up the link and bending it will also work, but it is weak steel so dont bend it to much.
 
dellstopjeep said:
wow I remember once posting this problem,.
Click to expand...

This is your thread, I just dug it up... :laugh3:

dellstopjeep said:
I ended up getting the longer coupler and ditching those hideous home built links with jks and moved sway bar to original location along with upgrading steering and never had this problem again. and heating up the link and bending it will also work, but it is weak steel so dont bend it to much.
Click to expand...

What "coupler" did you get that was longer? By moving the swaybar to it's original location, do you mean you got rid of your drop brackets? What steering upgrades did you make?

It seems to me that getting different disconnects or relocating your swaybar would make no difference as it is the lower swaybar mount that causes the interference. I'm guessing it must have been your steering upgrades that solved the problem. Do you have a new pic by any chance?
 
After looking at some pics, it seems that switching from an inverted "Y" to a "T" style steering linkage (such as the JCR 1-Ton) would move the draglink/tie-rod joint lower.

I was also thinking that maybe fabricating some sort of a bracket that bolts to the lower sway bar mount and effectively raises the mounting point an inch or two could solve the problem as well.

Anyone tried either of these ideas or have any other suggestions?
 
fyrfytr1717 said:
This is your thread, I just dug it up... :laugh3:



What "coupler" did you get that was longer? By moving the swaybar to it's original location, do you mean you got rid of your drop brackets? What steering upgrades did you make?

It seems to me that getting different disconnects or relocating your swaybar would make no difference as it is the lower swaybar mount that causes the interference. I'm guessing it must have been your steering upgrades that solved the problem. Do you have a new pic by any chance?
Click to expand...

I ditched the sway bar drop brackets and the longer coupler is for the re track bar as my coupler was to short and I couldnt get proper alignment of track bar. I am running the inverted T steering from rugged ridge now. I can send pics if you like
 
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i torched off both swaybar mounts and made my own with somethink plate never rubbed again! position it outta the way then weld it up.:flame:
 
dellstopjeep said:
I ditched the sway bar drop brackets and the longer coupler is for the re track bar as my coupler was to short and I couldnt get proper alignment of track bar. I am running the inverted T steering from rugged ridge now. I can send pics if you like
Click to expand...

I'm guessing the inverted "T" was probably what eliminated the problem for you. I'm running the RE sway bar drop brackets, but I dont think they are contributing to the rubbing as they just alter the angle of the sway bar. I've also got the RE adjustable track bar and believe my axle is properly centered. I can see how pushing the axle further to the passenger side would move the draglink / tie-rod joint down just slightly, but I don't want to throw my axle off center.

bryceyoda said:
i torched off both swaybar mounts and made my own with somethink plate never rubbed again! position it outta the way then weld it up.:flame:
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I have no welding abilities. Here's what I was thinking in terms of a bolt on bracket. It would require drilling an extra hole in the factory bracket to keep the bolt on part from rotating, but I think it would work:

LSBMBracket4.jpg


LSBMBracket3.jpg


I know it looks like there's no clearance issue in the picture, and most of the time there's not. It's only when my front passenger tire is drooping down. The smashed washer and the scratches on the sway bar link show where the two pieces hit each other.
 
ILLXJ had the same issue. Here's a pic of his fix:

HPIM0174.jpg
 
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