Flexin in the wrong direction

[RAT]

Does anyone know of, have experience with, or been otherwise baptized by this:

When I turn the steering wheel either direction, I get a popping, groaning noise coming from my engine skid. It's a SKID ROW skid and bolts to the LCA mount on the right side. I climbed under the Jeep, had a freind go stop to stop on the steering, and I find that the entire front axle is moving side to side about two or three inches. When turning to the right stop, the body does a nose dive. To the left it's not so pronounced. The steering is a little flakey, but not what I would expect after seeing the axle move like that.

I have new bushings in the control arms upper and lower. All the bolts are tight, and I can't see any cracks in CA mounts or anything else. New ball joints, unit bearings are good, brakes are good. Recently installed Currie steering. I do notice the coil springs are starting to relax; they're rubbing on the shock towers. I equated this to all the flexing they've been doing of late.

Could this be a track bar going bye bye? Are the springs involved? Is anyone running the Currie steering seeing this? Let's here it! Who's got the answers????

Thanks,
Rat

[Mtbikbob]

I goin to have to watch this post with interest....... in time. My turn is a comin.

[xjkevin]

i bet it has to do with the track bar, before our last trip i was having similar prob when i sat still and turned the wheel my body moved side to side instead of the wheels turning, and when i turned one way it seemed like way more harsh of a turn than the other way while driving , the track bar bushing looked fine even when turning the wheel you really couldnt tell, and i have a solid mount on the top, so it had to be the bottom, fixed it put a way bigger bolt thrue it and its been a lot better ever since,

[blkTJ]

I've got a steering noise I need to diagnose. we can try that test this weekend and see what my axle does.:wrench:

(edit) as I thought about this more... is the axle moving over before the nose dive??? If so it may be a bad bushing or something in the track bar.

when you turn to the right and hit the steering stop, the pitman arm/drag link is no longer able to turn the knuckle but is then trying to push the axle to the right. the only way this can happen, if the track bar is a fixed length, is to compress the springs.

a squared + b squared = c squared (rick will know what that means. )

the opposite, when you turn to the left and hit the stops, the steering would have to lift the entire front end of the Jeep to move the axle over. that's why not much happens turning to that side.

I could be wrong here... but I don't think so. :yay: (/edit)

[Bachman]

:drool:

Brian is so cool!

Brian fan club member #13

[blkTJ]

:drool:

Brian is so cool!

Brian fan club member #13

good luck finding the other 12.

[medicmahem]

I've got a steering noise I need to diagnose. we can try that test this weekend and see what my axle does.:wrench:

(edit) as I thought about this more... is the axle moving over before the nose dive??? If so it may be a bad bushing or something in the track bar.

when you turn to the right and hit the steering stop, the pitman arm/drag link is no longer able to turn the knuckle but is then trying to push the axle to the right. the only way this can happen, if the track bar is a fixed length, is to compress the springs.

a squared + b squared = c squared (rick will know what that means. )

the opposite, when you turn to the left and hit the stops, the steering would have to lift the entire front end of the Jeep to move the axle over. that's why not much happens turning to that side.

I could be wrong here... but I don't think so. :yay: (/edit)

He is right! My father's track bar bracket came loose while wheeling and he was having the same problem. Check the track bar first

[Bachman]

Dude, for you I will find 15 fans!!!

[Guest]

Man, I am glad that I read this thread! I have a RE long arm and skid row skid plate. My TJ had the same noise, and I could not find it forever. Every once in a while (like one time just backing out of the garage) it would pop like something was binding somewhere. In Moab at the EJS this year, I bought a new RE trackbar and put it in when I got home. So far (knock knock - wood) it has not done this. Man, I freaking checked everything and could not find it, and was ready to just live with it as the ghost in my jeep.

[scherf68]

steering

Does anyone know of, have experience with, or been otherwise baptized by this:

When I turn the steering wheel either direction, I get a popping, groaning noise coming from my engine skid. It's a SKID ROW skid and bolts to the LCA mount on the right side. I climbed under the Jeep, had a freind go stop to stop on the steering, and I find that the entire front axle is moving side to side about two or three inches. When turning to the right stop, the body does a nose dive. To the left it's not so pronounced. The steering is a little flakey, but not what I would expect after seeing the axle move like that.

I have new bushings in the control arms upper and lower. All the bolts are tight, and I can't see any cracks in CA mounts or anything else. New ball joints, unit bearings are good, brakes are good. Recently installed Currie steering. I do notice the coil springs are starting to relax; they're rubbing on the shock towers. I equated this to all the flexing they've been doing of late.

Could this be a track bar going bye bye? Are the springs involved? Is anyone running the Currie steering seeing this? Let's here it! Who's got the answers????

Thanks,
Rat

Mine does the same thing, I only noticed it after putting the currie on, can't say if it was there prior though. Hopefully someone will chime in. I have re-torqued all the bolts just to make sure, they were fine.