After replacing my lower control arm bushings I took my ’97 XJ for an alignment. The shop refused to do the alignment saying that there was too much play at the ball stud end of the track bar.

What are the symptoms of a worn track bar? The XJ seems to handle OK, except for a little drifting under hard braking. Would tightening the castle nut take up the slack or should I just have the track bar replaced?

The quote I got seems OK ($228 out the door), it includes a new track bar and four wheel alignment. Thanks for any input.

Usually the jeep will drift around the road, have bumpsteer and maybe even death wobble. You cant just tighten the nut because thats not what is loose, the joint itself is worn out and needs to be replaced.

Erratic steering, Death Wobble, popping noise when turning.

Replace the TrackBar.

Four wheel alignment

I don't get it. Are you suggesting a 4 wheel alignment?

No, pointing out the fact that some shops will take advantage of people! Hence the customer saying he was lucky to have had a flat at that shop.

FYI... on a vehicle with leaf springs and solid rear axle there is nothing to adjust... If the rear is walking out or isn't aligned it is because of broken parts that will need to be replaced.

on the jeep front axle the toe in and toe out is what they will adjust. Adjusting camber and caster is possible but may require a lot more work than a standard tire shop would be willing to do (Shims and or ball joints). If they insist that your XJ needs a 4 wheel alignment IMO you should look around at another shop...

definately replace the track bar if you are sure that is the issue. if you have a death wobble that just started be sure to rule out the smallest things first such as balancing your wheels and what not. i just replaced my track bar, tie rod kit, ball joints, and sway bar links. just start with the smallest culprit. sway bar link was the issue on my first jeep. let us know what you have done and what fixes the problem.

Thanks for the info. I have wondered why they (several local shops) claim "four wheel alignment" when, as you rightly said there's nothing to adjust. Maybe they will just tell you that the rear axle isn't tracking right. I'm guessing that extremely worn shackle bushings might allow the rear axle to shift.

I rotated my tires last week and checked the wear patterns. All four tires looked normal. I've got a rear clunk/squeak that I'm hoping is defective leave spring clamps and not the shackle bushings, I hear it's a PITA to change the shackle bushings. There's a FSB on this problem and suggests a redesigned replacement clamp. I made new ones for one of the three on each side and plan on replacing the others soon.

I specifically asked if replacing the shims at the upper control arms (if needed) would be included in the $60 price and they said yes...we'll see, I've got an appointment this morning.

Thanks. I just replaced the sway bar bushings and end links; tires were recently balanced and I can't detect any movement at 12 & 6 in the ball joints. I agree with starting the most simple stuff first.