shifted JK axle

Bogleparsons

Bogleparsons

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Location
Lillington, NC
Yesterday while riding I managed to severely bend my passenger lower control arm on my 14' JKU.

While trying to straighten it, the welds cracked and the bracket was fully removed. I have welded it back on in the same position ( as best I could do anyway)

But now My axle still won't center, it's off to the driver side about 1 to 1-1/2", and my traction control warning light is on & steering wheel is off.

I tried adjusting my drag link but it bottoms out before the wheel is straightened ( i think this is why the traction light is on)

No other control arm brackets look bent as far as I can tell.

Do I have a bent track bar? I can't tell by looking at that either.
 
The tie rod is extremely vulnerable and a bent one would explain the drag link and steering being off.

Are you lifted?
 
It'd be hard to bend a JK track bar, pretty sure they are solid bar from the factory. My guess is brackets and the arms are tweaked. Simple check is to measure wheelbase on each side, they should be pretty much the same but if they are way off arms or brackets are fubar.
 
I am lifted with a 2.5" Tera Flex

The axle was already off-set with this lift but not very much, now it's worse.

If more of the brackets are tweaked whats my next move?
 
Yeah the OEM trackbar is solid and fairly stout. If you didn't correct the axle shift due to the lift it might be more exaggerated if one of the control arms or brackets got tweaked.
 
Get some pictures for us. Unless you tweaked the hell out of the brackets. The frame side one is pretty stout, but the hole can get oblonged pretty easy
 
I will get some pics this aftre noon.

I just looked at the passenger lower mount I rewelded and it is still tweaked just a little.

Also the trackbar has some flaking paint and I think may be bent, I will remove it tonight and see if it lets the axle go back to where it needs to be more.

Also my measurement from outside tire to outside tire is 1" off front to back so I guess I need to adjust my tie rod.

Jesus, this is alot of damage from one 20mph collision.
 
Sounds like you bent some part of the track bar or the track bar brackets. That's the only thing that actually locates the axle laterally, and if that is off and the axle is in a different lateral position, the steering is automatically going to be off. The drag link is between the steering box and the axle, so if the axle has moved laterally the drag link must move the Pitman arm and/or spindles to a different position. The steering just follows everything else.

A bent tie rod wouldn't move the axle at all, a bent drag link wouldn't move the axle at all. Steering yes, axle no.

The mount you rewelded doesn't locate the axle laterally either, so that's not going to move the axle. Might not align the axle very well about the axis of the axle (caster, etc) but that mount isn't going to move the axle laterally.
 
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I'm curious to how this happens?
 
Honestly the only thing I can remember that would have done this is either:

A) I had to winch out of a bad high centered muddy spot and the only thing to winch to was 90degrees so it swung my front end around and bulldozed alot of dirt. ( but that was winching to the driver, which my axle is off centered toward passenger)
or
B) I hit a nasty hole in a fire road on Ft. Bragg road at about 20-25mph, and jarred the shitty out of my jeep casing me to lose all momentum.
 
I thought you said it was off center toward driver, not toward passenger. Which one is it?

So you winched it from the driver side, so the front end of the Jeep moved left if you're sitting in the drivers seat?
 
yes it swung left from drivers side.

the axle is off center too far Driver.

*Had to edit that, went and looked again it's way out on drivers side.*
 
Sounds like your axle is probably bent. Majority of the time when you bend a control arm bracket you bend the axle too. Given the other circumstances I would say its time to start searching for a new axle.
 
Really?

Seems like the puny bracket would fold way beofre the tube bent, besides being off-set and my shock being bent it has been driving really well the last 2 days.

I have ordered new Synergy LCA brackets (beefy) and a new RK adjustable Trackbar, hope it gets it.
 
Who's to say it's actually offset? It might LOOK like it's offset, but if any of the links are bent, if any of the brackets are deformed or not in their OEM locations, it'll change the location of the housing relative to the vehicle, which means you then turn the tires to make it dog track down the street, which introduces caster and scrub radius, making it look like the housing is bent or it's not located under the vehicle or....

How much is this thing lifted? The axle could have been offset to the DS ever since the taller springs were installed, but the difference wasn't noticed until the lower got fubared.

The only way to know for sure is to get under there with a tape measure and check everything. Start by checking the wheelbase on each side relative to the rear axle.
 
shawn said:
Who's to say it's actually offset? It might LOOK like it's offset, but if any of the links are bent, if any of the brackets are deformed or not in their OEM locations, it'll change the location of the housing relative to the vehicle, which means you then turn the tires to make it dog track down the street, which introduces caster and scrub radius, making it look like the housing is bent or it's not located under the vehicle or....

How much is this thing lifted? The axle could have been offset to the DS ever since the taller springs were installed, but the difference wasn't noticed until the lower got fubared.

The only way to know for sure is to get under there with a tape measure and check everything. Start by checking the wheelbase on each side relative to the rear axle.
Click to expand...

2.5" TF lift, yes was a little off-set before this happened, now it just exaterated. I will upload some pics tonight when i get home, I really think my track bar is bent along with the LCA bracket.
 
Finally heres a few pics.

I didn't get any pics beofre I beat the bracket into submission and welded it back on ( i know its still tweaked.

ai1294.photobucket.com_albums_b604_dirkwadeparsons_Mobile_20Up00c6962f0282864fb9ea105bdbe92f3b.jpg
ai1294.photobucket.com_albums_b604_dirkwadeparsons_Mobile_20Up4a36b2c21217ecf6c6dd8e306ac7735c.jpg
ai1294.photobucket.com_albums_b604_dirkwadeparsons_Mobile_20Up3a0f253f5e8689420d8d9cbb16a5b50d.jpg
 
I am waiting for the new adjustable one to come in (should be today) so that If i get the old one out, and it's out of whack bad etc when I remove it I don't have to force the bent one back in to drive it.
 
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fordwheelinman said:
Take the trac bar loose. If it straightens out, probably need a new one.
Click to expand...

The track bar locates the axle laterally, so yes if you remove one end it's going to allow the axle to move back to the correct position whether the track bar is bent or not. That doesn't tell you anything, and it also doesn't tell you if the track bar brackets are bent instead of the track bar.
 
Fabrik8 said:
The track bar locates the axle laterally, so yes if you remove one end it's going to allow the axle to move back to the correct position whether the track bar is bent or not. That doesn't tell you anything, and it also doesn't tell you if the track bar brackets are bent instead of the track bar.
Click to expand...
Your right. What a fool I was to think bent control arms or FUBAR'd brackets could push an axle sideways.
 
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