Brian Gardner

After I put a 4.5" lift on my 98 xj the bolt for the track bar broke the first time I hit a dirt road.... is there something I'm missing?

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

How about some more information about what lift you used first.

Brian Gardner

Brian Gardner

It was that one

investinwaffles

Where did the bolt shear?

IIRC the track-bar axle-side bolt only needs to be 40 ft-lbs of torque.

Brian Gardner

It broke on the axel side and fell off when I was driving.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

So i'm assuming that this kit has you measure 3/4" to the right of the original track bar bolt hole location and drill a new hole since I'm not seeing a bracket or a new track bar

investinwaffles

Good call - I didn't even look at the picture.

What track bar are you using OP? Stock with a drilled bracket?

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

Did it actually break or did the stock garbage flag nut fall off and walk the bolt out? Do yourself a favor and get an adjustable track bar from rubicon express or another quality lift company, not RC.

Brian Gardner

It was the stock bolt and I'm not sure if it broke or fell out it was pretty tight... maybe too tight. Would a new track bar help with the death wobble also?

Krakker

I'm gonna jump out on a limb here and say:

Get a NEW adjustable track bar from Rubicon Express just like Jeepin Aint EZ said.
Look into the proper bracketry also if yours is damaged. NEW bolts are like a fresh pair of underwear. Why would you get a new pair of fancy pants and NOT put on a fresh pair of underwear??????

Forgetting something so critical could end up killing somebody.
Underwear man,,,,, think about it.

JeremyXJ

My stock trackbar bolt was trashed when I removed it. I drilled out the sleeve in my new, adjustable trackbar and put a bigger bolt through the whole thing. I highly suggest everyone do this with a lift install. The stock bolt looked way too small to me anyway.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

I will be using this the next opportunity that arrises!

But did you actually drill the hole or did you put the track bar back in the original location? If you have severe lateral pressure on that bolt it'll break. If there is ANY movement (bushing ovaled out or not tight enough) it will break. A common misconception is to use a Grade 8 bolt in this location. Use Grade 5! It has a higher shear strength than Grade 8.

An easy fix to all this is to get a good replacement track bar like I previously stated. It is a crucial part to the way our suspensions work. More than likely your stock bar is shot anyway. Scrap it and start fresh!