The can of worms is open. He is correct that the RC track bar mount needs a different track bar that what was on there. The problem is that the RC stuff never needed to be installed in the first place.
Steering system functionality
- Thread starter Window&DoorWhore
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The can of worms is open. He is correct that the RC track bar mount needs a different track bar that what was on there. The problem is that the RC stuff never needed to be installed in the first place.
I'd like him better if he didn't say that was good steering. All you have to do is drive up, have him watch it while you turn back and forth to show him the tie rod rolling and ask him why he thinks that is good for anything. It is not good and never will be. It is tight at first but it will loosen up the more you drive it and the reaction gets worse.
It felt good on the 15 minute ride home, but after 500 miles you better not have to sneeze if you’re doing 55 or better
Very typical with that crap which is what fools shop owners who lack experience with good steering. They install it, it is good around the block, so they sell it to unsuspecting customers. A better idea to help this owner is to have him drive it at highway speed so he can learn to stop selling it.
He does seem very responsive at least. I wouldn't go in there guns blazing (and I don't think you planned to), but rather have a good conversation about it.
My conversation would be very short. Toss him the keys and tell him not to die at highway speeds. We'll chat when you get back, hopefully alive. Please don't wreck my Jeep.
Heres a close up of the latest curry.probably jks originally? The tube looks welded closer to the center of the jj insert. Looks like the smaller bolt too
do what you want to do but I would ditch that steering linkage first and see how it drives. It may do just fine with that track bar but the inverted T is pure hot garbage.
Whether it was jks or Currie, that track bar was 5 years old and had maybe a couple hundred miles on it from po, and about a thousand of my miles. Never saw rocks or dirt. It wasn’t hurt in the slightest.
Either one would be fine with me for the intents and purposes. I’ll say I gave away a nearly new $250-450 part for free while being sold a $350 part plus welding labor unnecessarily. It was allegedly a bracket issue to begin with and I wasn’t aware we were changing track bars, I thought it was an expensive but well worth steering system replacement. If the Jeep could be driven on the highway without plucking my seat cover I wouldn’t give a hoot what hardware is under it.
Per RK’s website this trackbar requires a drop pitman arm. Whether it needs one or not I was trying to get away from having to use one for the sake of keeping it simple. Actual height of the bar is close to the same looking on Currie and jks, both are ~5/8 high compared to the RK if I am comparing the ball inside the jks to the bolt on the RK. Just guessing referencing photos. I think the only way I would find out if it were previously RK or Currie is to see if the factory frame bracket hole was drilled.
I don’t see much if any roll of the tie rod on mine while recording video. Maybe a different story if I use an extra long selfie stick out the window while on the highway.
Either one would be fine with me for the intents and purposes. I’ll say I gave away a nearly new $250-450 part for free while being sold a $350 part plus welding labor unnecessarily. It was allegedly a bracket issue to begin with and I wasn’t aware we were changing track bars, I thought it was an expensive but well worth steering system replacement. If the Jeep could be driven on the highway without plucking my seat cover I wouldn’t give a hoot what hardware is under it.
Per RK’s website this trackbar requires a drop pitman arm. Whether it needs one or not I was trying to get away from having to use one for the sake of keeping it simple. Actual height of the bar is close to the same looking on Currie and jks, both are ~5/8 high compared to the RK if I am comparing the ball inside the jks to the bolt on the RK. Just guessing referencing photos. I think the only way I would find out if it were previously RK or Currie is to see if the factory frame bracket hole was drilled.
I don’t see much if any roll of the tie rod on mine while recording video. Maybe a different story if I use an extra long selfie stick out the window while on the highway.
Like I said Agree. Clamping force works. When installed and torque clamping force will hold a bolt a hole larger than the bolt. In my case there was a a 1/2” bolt in a 5/8” bushing. Under normal load it holds. After a few months of dynamic loading. Some driving around, trail running, and hitting a hill climb; things start to wiggle. Moving the 5/8” ball joint around the unmoving bolt held firm by clamping force.
You weren't tightening the bolt correctly. Explain why the bolts in the front axle lower control arm mounts don't wiggle in the slotted holes when correctly torqued.
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I know. My example refutes your argument that the bolt was wiggly because it was smaller than the hole.
No. The cams were only present on the early TJs. But if you insist, what stops the cam from wiggling and rotating into a different position in the slot?
And if you continue to insist, do not ignore that all the control arm bushing sleeves are a larger hole than the bolt they contain. What keeps those from being wiggly?
Just took the pic on my ‘06, but not the point.
Proper torque creates the necessary clamping force/friction between the components so they don’t move in unintended ways. But that torque value is based on the design of the assembly. The U-shaped plate around the washer also contributes to preventing undesired motion.
Using an undersized bolt opens up a bunch of other issues, including over torquing, misalignment, deformation, excess motion, premature wear, etc. In a moving assembly, fastener torque alone will not make up for incorrect parts. It’s just sloppy (referring to the shop who did OP’s steering.)
My presumption is that the smaller bolt would be properly torqued for it's size and grade, and that it's clamping force is sufficient for the application. This is not outside the range of possibilities. But if you want to suggest this shop can't tighten bolts properly, that's fine. We already have evidence of this.
FWiW, it is well known than the cam bolts disappeared from the factory installation early in the TJ run. It is also fairly common for people to add them later. If your argument is that the cam washer keeps the bolt from moving, then we can loosen them and trust that they will stay in place without clamping force. Correct?
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