Hey everyone i rlly wish i wasn’t having to make this post but here I am. Was out driving home last night when i was going through a slight bend in my neighborhood when I slid into a gutter. We had gotten a bunch of sleet that day and ended up this part of the road was just complete ice. Was going slow and in 4 wheel drive however unfortunately 4 wheel drive does not help the brakes. Ended up sliding down and not able to turn or brake. Ended up hitting the curb which normally wouldn’t be a problem except this was where the gutter is and unlike some places where there is a grate over it so it doesn’t slope down this one slopes down and is not a smooth edge like some. The front driver side hit first. I have to get a new rim but in addition to that it completely ruined my steering alignment. It also however really messed up the control arm. I have pictures attached and just hoping to get another pair of eyes. And last of all just a reminder to everyone so this doesn’t happen to you. No such thing as too slow when the roads are dangerous and slick.
Help assessing steering damage after icy road impact
- Thread starter Nate 2002 TJ
- Start date
If you hit the tire, how did the control arm mount get damaged?
They should have moved with the axle.
It then went over the curb and i think the control arm got hit. The tires were also sideways when they hit the curb/gutter instead of facing head on (ik dumb i just was trying to stop and turn it and didn’t even think about turning the tires towards it until after)
The control arm mount itself needs to be replaced, not just the control arm. Fortunately there are at least a half dozen companies that make brackets that are much stronger than the factory ones. Basically chop, grind, weld, and paint.
You'll need to verify that the axle itself isn't bent. With the steering wheel pointed straight ahead, find a slot where you can reach the brake rotors with a digital angle finder. The two rotors need to be parallel vertically within around 0.2°. If they are not, the axle could be bent. Ideally you'll also want to check the camber and toe.
The easiest way would be to put it on an alignment rack and measure. Unfortunately any new alignment wouldn't be good until the control arm mount is replaced, so you'd either have to weld the mount in advance (taking a risk that the axle is already bent and you welded on a perch for nothing) or have an alignment shop measure it first, go home and weld the bracket, and then return for a final alignment.
Jack it up and check the tire and wheel for any unusual play up/down, side/side, and in/out. The ball joints should not clunk, and neither should the trackbar joints or steering joints.
Also, very carefully check the weld that joins the trackbar mount to the frame. This spot is notorious for cracking in certain kinds of collisions, especially ones that impart an oblique force to the wheels. One sign that this may have happened is if your steering wheel no longer points straight ahead after the collision. This means something has bent or broken somewhere. Often that is just the trackbar or drag link bending, but it could be something more frustrating like a mounting bracket.
If the impact was hard enough, also very carefully inspect the bolts that connect the steel engine block mounting brackets to the alumimum engine block casting. The brackets and bolts themselves are usually fine, but can tear out of the block or shear their way out of the block in certain types of collisions, especially head-on collisions.
Be sure to check your steering box for unusual play as well. Oblique forces can impart a lot of stress onto the steering box gears, causing internal damage or sometimes even for the box to separate from the frame.
You'll need to verify that the axle itself isn't bent. With the steering wheel pointed straight ahead, find a slot where you can reach the brake rotors with a digital angle finder. The two rotors need to be parallel vertically within around 0.2°. If they are not, the axle could be bent. Ideally you'll also want to check the camber and toe.
The easiest way would be to put it on an alignment rack and measure. Unfortunately any new alignment wouldn't be good until the control arm mount is replaced, so you'd either have to weld the mount in advance (taking a risk that the axle is already bent and you welded on a perch for nothing) or have an alignment shop measure it first, go home and weld the bracket, and then return for a final alignment.
Jack it up and check the tire and wheel for any unusual play up/down, side/side, and in/out. The ball joints should not clunk, and neither should the trackbar joints or steering joints.
Also, very carefully check the weld that joins the trackbar mount to the frame. This spot is notorious for cracking in certain kinds of collisions, especially ones that impart an oblique force to the wheels. One sign that this may have happened is if your steering wheel no longer points straight ahead after the collision. This means something has bent or broken somewhere. Often that is just the trackbar or drag link bending, but it could be something more frustrating like a mounting bracket.
If the impact was hard enough, also very carefully inspect the bolts that connect the steel engine block mounting brackets to the alumimum engine block casting. The brackets and bolts themselves are usually fine, but can tear out of the block or shear their way out of the block in certain types of collisions, especially head-on collisions.
Be sure to check your steering box for unusual play as well. Oblique forces can impart a lot of stress onto the steering box gears, causing internal damage or sometimes even for the box to separate from the frame.
yes. it was already offset but only by a tiny bit barely noticeable but now it is offset by roughly 160-179 degrees
When I did nearly the same thing, the steering wheel offset was about.
90 degrees. The track bar didn’t even look bent but I replaced it and everything was back to normal.
There are a lot of things I hate about the weather here but I'm more than fine with snow instead of sleet. Especially without ABS.
overall for the bracket, control arm, realignment, and possible track bar. would anybody be able to give me a rough estimate for if i were to take this in?
I highly recommend TORC here in Omaha if you need work. They can do everything and may even have an axle out back if it's bent.
I suck at welding but have a masters degree in grinding if you need help.
I suck at welding but have a masters degree in grinding if you need help.
@Nate 2002 TJ Yeah, the frame side TB Mount looks bent down. It should be level with the ground.
You’ll need to cut off that lower CA mount and weld new on. Got a friend or neighbor that can weld? Offer him a case of beer or to pay him.
I have an unknown condition adjustable front TB you can have. DM me.
I also have a stock TR.
Last edited:
To clarify some. If he is going to check the rotors, the axle tube needs to be set to 0 degrees. In this case, it doesn't matter since that axle is beyond repair given how cheap a replacement should be. Also as pointed out, the trackbar frame side mount is bent or someone will have to prove it isn't somehow.
The lower part of the left side inner C is bent. All that will do moving forward is take out the upper in a hurry. The lower can handle some angular misalignment, the upper can not.
He needs new front control arms, straight frame side trackbar mount if using the stock trackbar or get an adjustable front trackbar, new front axle, and new steering links complete. Damage to steering gear TBD but I'd certainly spend some time making sure it and the steering shafts are not tweaked.
How do you know it has an aluminum block? Best I can tell seeing the O2 sensor tab, it says 4.0 to me but I can't fully verify from the pics.
Last edited:
From the factory, the cut for the seat at the lower ball joint is done with a normal 90 degree cutter, end mill or similar. The back face of the cut at the inner C main frame is a 90 degree angle. His does not appear to still be that way.
the rim on that tire got busted up and bent some so the tire is somewhat deflated. Possible could make it seem tilted?
Similar threads
