Front Trackbar Clunk on my YJ.....Any Ideas?

    I have a 1995 YJ, I added a 1-1/4" shackle lift to it a while back and had to disconnect the front trackbar during the installation. Everything was great for a while but recently I started to get a clunk fron the trackbar when I make hard right or left turns. I narrowed it down to the track bar by having my girlfriend turn the wheel right and left quickly while I watched it shift back and forth. So I tightened the crap out of it and it stopped for a while, then it started again, tried to tighten some more but it is as tight as I can get it. Well it keeps reoccurring, is there a possibility that I installed something wrong or I am missing something about trackbar installation here. It appears that on the frame side of the bar there is a U shaped bracket that doesn't really serve any purpose, should that be positioned a certain way to help prevent this clunking? Any help or guidance is appreciated.

    Take the Track bar completely off, They are not needed for leaf sprung jeeps. I have also seen the sway bar taken off completely too.

    I think I know this one....I have an XJ though and had the same problem after I did my Lift and tires.....narrowed It down to trackbar bushing most likely worn.....you can either replace It or a temporary fix is to tighten all the bolts on the track bar and grease all the greasable bushings...but I dunno anything about taking off tracbar cause I have coils....

    02&#39; F250 SD w/ 285&#39;s and 17x9 1079&#39;s<br />99&#39; XJ w/ 8&quot; and 35&#39;s - GONE!<br /><br />I miss wheeling! :(

    Quote from "99TJSahara"

    Take the Track bar completely off, They are not needed for leaf sprung jeeps. I have also seen the sway bar taken off completely too.



    Stupid question... then why is it there?



    DrJ

    good question steve.. I know allot of guys take the rear off completely after lifting cause it limits articulation...
    i left my front one on... it must be there for a reason.


    i have heard other people removing both of them.


    carl

    I'm all for removing as many of the small metal rods from under my YJ as possible, but I'd like to know why they were there in the first place, and what to expect (...and when) if I take them off. I'll hit an exit ramp at 65mph, and in the middle of a rollover, I'd like to NOT be thinking, "ohhhh, THAT's what that was for..."



    DrJ

    The track bar is there to keep the axle in place.
    during a hard corner or sudden turn the axle will follow the wheels while the body tends to keep going straight.


    Without the bar the springs must move the body sideways and
    keep the axle under the front end.


    I do not have one in the rear but I kept mine in the front.

    All of the YJs hear at Quadratec dont run front track bars, as long as your springs are good and your bushings are good, and all angles set correctly than it wont be a problem removing the track bar.

    Quote from "99TJSahara"

    All of the YJs hear at Quadratec dont run front track bars, as long as your springs are good and your bushings are good, and all angles set correctly than it wont be a problem removing the track bar.



    Hmmmm...


    Springs flat


    Bushings suspect


    ...me likey track bar.

    I have to agree with Dr. J, removing a major factory suspension item from my YJ that is ten years old sounds like a recipe for disaster, well maybe not disaster but definitely some serious body roll in the corners. I appreciate the removal suggestion but I think I am gonna keep mine unless it gets unbearable and considering the bar is obviously shifting because I am hearing the clunk, no telling how much farther it will shift without the bar.


    I guess I will check the bushings, that could be the problem they are by no means new but I don't think they are shot either and it appears to be the bolt and entire assembly shifting in the turns not the just the bar bouncing around a fixed bushing, you know a clunk not a thunk kind of sound.

    Just for what its worth... I havent run either front or rear tracbar in about 5 years. There is a little body roll, but I am also SOA on 2" springs. Even the little body roll I have is not bad at all. I do however run the stock front sway bar. I would NOT advise street driving a YJ without the sway bar installed. I have done it, no trac bar and no sway bar, going from one trail to another on the highway. Its just plain scary!


    There is an easy way to see if removing the front tracbar is for you. Simply pull the thing out and take the Jeep out for a little test drive. If its not to your liking its as easy as putting it back in... Plus it'll already be out for you to put new bushings in it. :D

    im trying to figure out why your trackbar would be moving while turning the wheel side to side

    Quote

    I narrowed it down to the track bar by having my girlfriend turn the wheel right and left quickly while I watched it shift back and forth.

    I assume this means the jeep was not moving while you were trying this? Are we talking about the rear trackbar here? As far as removing the trackbar, yes you could get away with it, but i would strongly urge people not to touch the front.

    Well on the 95 YJ the frame side mount for the track bar is slotted a little, so there is some room for a small amount of adjustment of sorts. So if the trackbar is loose and the wheels are on the ground, when you turn the steering back and forth the pressure from the power steering being exerted on the tires left or right will shift the track bar slightly left or right. Once I tighten it up as much as I possibly can this shift doesn't occur from simply turning the wheel anymore but if I make a sharp/U turn the same type of pressure is exerted but more so with the roling momentum and the weight of the body shifting that it will still shift and clunk. The shift is not huge maybe a half inch but the clunk is audible from the driver seat and sends a vibration through the steering column.


    When envisioning this in your head keep in mind that I have 1-1/4" lift shackles and ten year old leafs under there. I will try tightening all the axle bolts up this evening see if that helps, I have a feeling that it may actually be the leafs packs shifting a bit because they are so old and flat. It may be time to look into some new springs.

    You read my mind, I was just thinking about that last night. I will have to take another look but if I remember correctly it isn't slotted that much I believe the bolt head and nut flange actually cover up all but a sliver of the slot. Sliver of the slot, say that one ten times fast. :laughing:

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

Register Yourself Login