Does it have to look like this?

[Il Commandante]

Dear fellow Jeepers,

My front end has developed a slight noise when swaying, so I checked the sway bar links. The right hand side attachment tab on the axle looks like it's bent inside, the left hand side looks like slightly bent outside.
I have a 2021 JLRU with a 3.5" JKS Lift. The sway bar links are JKS, too.

Can I bend it back to vertical? Should I heat it up before bending, or rather not? Any advice would be highly appreciated!

Thank you, Dirk

This is what it looks like:

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[Tharris]

I would use as large a vise like tool I could get on it to straighten it out. How did it get like that?

 

[Il Commandante]

I would use as large a vise like tool I could get on it to straighten it out. How did it get like that?

I don‘t know! At 7800km, I have not done any serious offroading, yet. Spent a day in a muddy offroad park is all.
Do you think it could have happened when flexing the axle in the mud? But the swaybar was disconnected all the time, so I don‘t think so.

 

[Tharris]

That seems like it would be hard to do, hence my curiosity. Maybe it was delivered that way? Seems like it would be covered under warranty. Assuming they don’t give you the bs “it’s mods” load of junk.

 

[Il Commandante]

That seems like it would be hard to do, hence my curiosity. Maybe it was delivered that way? Seems like it would be covered under warranty. Assuming they don’t give you the bs “it’s mods” load of junk.

I will try that, even though I'm not too optimistic. Thank you for your comments!

 

[Roky]

Dear fellow Jeepers,

My front end has developed a slight noise when swaying, so I checked the sway bar links. The right hand side attachment tab on the axle looks like it's bent inside, the left hand side looks like slightly bent outside.
I have a 2021 JLRU with a 3.5" JKS Lift. The sway bar links are JKS, too.

Can I bend it back to vertical? Should I heat it up before bending, or rather not? Any advice would be highly appreciated!

Thank you, Dirk

This is what it looks like:

Hey Dirk, It looks like the passenger side is creating the noise….. The drivers side is ok, even though it’s slightly bent , it still looks like it’s sitting good.

After you exhaust all other fixes, and it’s still a problem, you can just cut that tab off and turn the link around and bolt it to the track bar bracket. JKS has you do this in the instructions for their Quick Disconnects…..
Cut where yellow line is in pic, and bolt it where the yellow arrow is pointing in the other pic…….. you’ll have to remove the mud first of course……. …..

This should get you back on the trail clunk free……….

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

Why is everything covered in oil?

 

[DavidArmen]

Why is everything covered in oil?

I think it’s just water/dirt/mud, not oil.

 

[Il Commandante]

Hey Dirk, It looks like the passenger side is creating the noise….. The drivers side is ok, even though it’s slightly bent , it still looks like it’s sitting good.

After you exhaust all other fixes, and it’s still a problem, you can just cut that tab off and turn the link around and bolt it to the track bar bracket. JKS has you do this in the instructions for their Quick Disconnects…..
Cut where yellow line is in pic, and bolt it where the yellow arrow is pointing in the other pic…….. you’ll have to remove the mud first of course……. …..

This should get you back on the trail clunk free……….

That is great advice, thanke you very much Roky!

 

[Il Commandante]

Why is everything covered in oil?

Fortunately it‘s not, just dirt on underbody coating, to survive the winters and the road salt!

 

[Roky]

That is great advice, thanke you very much Roky!

Keine Ursache…….

 

[TKL223/3]

How were you even able to get the bolt through that bracket?

 

[Il Commandante]

How were you even able to get the bolt through that bracket?

I wasn't. Here in Germany, it's a bit tricky to be street legal with any type of modification to the suspension. So I had the lift installed by a shop and MOT it by their associated surveyor.

While writing this, it clicks: I will check exactly your question with the shop immediately. How did they do it? Doesn't look like it's possible.

Hard to see the obvious at times: Thank you very much for asking the right question!

 

[NOIDEAWIAM]

Dear fellow Jeepers,

My front end has developed a slight noise when swaying, so I checked the sway bar links. The right hand side attachment tab on the axle looks like it's bent inside, the left hand side looks like slightly bent outside.
I have a 2021 JLRU with a 3.5" JKS Lift. The sway bar links are JKS, too.

Can I bend it back to vertical? Should I heat it up before bending, or rather not? Any advice would be highly appreciated!

Thank you, Dirk

This is what it looks like:

With how close that is to the track bar, I would say that whoever installed it had to bend the tab to get the bolt through there for the sway bar rods. It doesn't look like a very good design to me. Have you looked at a stock Jeep or another lifted one to see if the orientation of the bolt is the same.

 

[Il Commandante]

With how close that is to the track bar, I would say that whoever installed it had to bend the tab to get the bolt through there for the sway bar rods. It doesn't look like a very good design to me. Have you looked at a stock Jeep or another lifted one to see if the orientation of the bolt is the same.

Exactly this: Just got the answer from the shop, they bended it to get it in. Not sure what to think about that, but at least I know why it's bent now.

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