Need Help with sway bar rubbing muffler

[bigbluesy]

I have a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara for my wife. The dealership I got it from had apparently installed a Rough Country 3.5 inch lift kit two years ago for the original owner. It was exactly what my wife

was looking for - one owner, very low miles and in excellent condition…BUT, after a few months of owning it, she noticed a rattle coming from the rear. After checking, I found that the sway bar is rubbing the muffler. It has also developed intermittent death wobble.

I contacted Rough Country multiple times (terrible customer service with one word or half sentence replies at best). I was told the two times that I actually spoke to someone that the sway bar just needs flipped from passenger side to driver, but the bar is nearly straight, so I can’t see how that would make enough difference to clear. I took it to the dealership and paid $500 (labor) for them to tell me it couldn’t be fixed. I then took it to the local “lift kit experts” and the suggestion was to just cut off my muffler and run straight pipes. As a last resort, I tried an another mechanic shop and was told to just live with it and patch the muffler when the bar runs a hole.

The local garages and mechanics in my Mayberry-type town are few and far between and none are skilled in much other than oil changes. I realize that Rough Country lifts aren’t the best and if I had it to do over, I would have bought a stock Wrangler and installed a better lift, but hindsight… I have driven myself crazy with this and feel like throwing in the towel and selling the stupid thing before it gets my wife killed. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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[WillysMeow]

If it's just rubbing little bit, the muffler tube could easily be heated and then dimpled in at the contact point. Or heating it with mapp gas torch and use a large C clamp to crush it a bit at that point. You'll want to unbolt the bar so that you can get in there to do the work. Any competent muffler shop should be able to do this for you very easily.

 

[bigbluesy]

If it's just rubbing little bit, the muffler tube could easily be heated and then dimpled in at the contact point. Or heating it with mapp gas torch and use a large C clamp to crush it a bit at that point. You'll want to unbolt the bar so that you can get in there to do the work. Any competent muffler shop should be able to do this for you very easily.

Thank you. Definitely sounds like an easier option than what the mechanics have suggested

 

[WillysMeow]

You're welcome, done similar before and I would not listen to anyone who told you those types of answers.

I found that small local muffler shops are usually best and I try to always pay in cash.

 

[Roky]

I have a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara for my wife. The dealership I got it from had apparently installed a Rough Country 3.5 inch lift kit two years ago for the original owner. It was exactly what my wife

was looking for - one owner, very low miles and in excellent condition…BUT, after a few months of owning it, she noticed a rattle coming from the rear. After checking, I found that the sway bar is rubbing the muffler. It has also developed intermittent death wobble.

I contacted Rough Country multiple times (terrible customer service with one word or half sentence replies at best). I was told the two times that I actually spoke to someone that the sway bar just needs flipped from passenger side to driver, but the bar is nearly straight, so I can’t see how that would make enough difference to clear. I took it to the dealership and paid $500 (labor) for them to tell me it couldn’t be fixed. I then took it to the local “lift kit experts” and the suggestion was to just cut off my muffler and run straight pipes. As a last resort, I tried an another mechanic shop and was told to just live with it and patch the muffler when the bar runs a hole.

The local garages and mechanics in my Mayberry-type town are few and far between and none are skilled in much other than oil changes. I realize that Rough Country lifts aren’t the best and if I had it to do over, I would have bought a stock Wrangler and installed a better lift, but hindsight… I have driven myself crazy with this and feel like throwing in the towel and selling the stupid thing before it gets my wife killed. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

That lift has you flip sway bar and install drop spacers…….

just remove them and get some adjustable sway bar links to set sway bar…

 

[bigbluesy]

Thanks. So remove the spacers and add longer/adjustable sway bar links? Or keep the spacers and change the links?

 

[Roky]

Thanks. So remove the spacers and add longer/adjustable sway bar links? Or keep the spacers and change the links?

Remove the spacers, that should get you 3/4-1” clearance….use the adjustable links to get sway bar parallel ish….

 

[bigbluesy]

I have a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara for my wife. The dealership I got it from had apparently installed a Rough Country 3.5 inch lift kit two years ago for the original owner. It was exactly what my wife

was looking for - one owner, very low miles and in excellent condition…BUT, after a few months of owning it, she noticed a rattle coming from the rear. After checking, I found that the sway bar is rubbing the muffler. It has also developed intermittent death wobble.

I contacted Rough Country multiple times (terrible customer service with one word or half sentence replies at best). I was told the two times that I actually spoke to someone that the sway bar just needs flipped from passenger side to driver, but the bar is nearly straight, so I can’t see how that would make enough difference to clear. I took it to the dealership and paid $500 (labor) for them to tell me it couldn’t be fixed. I then took it to the local “lift kit experts” and the suggestion was to just cut off my muffler and run straight pipes. As a last resort, I tried an another mechanic shop and was told to just live with it and patch the muffler when the bar runs a hole.

The local garages and mechanics in my Mayberry-type town are few and far between and none are skilled in much other than oil changes. I realize that Rough Country lifts aren’t the best and if I had it to do over, I would have bought a stock Wrangler and installed a better lift, but hindsight… I have driven myself crazy with this and feel like throwing in the towel and selling the stupid thing before it gets my wife killed. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Another view

 

[bigbluesy]

Remove the spacers, that should get you 3/4-1” clearance….use the adjustable links to get sway bar parallel ish….

Appreciate you!

 

[WillysMeow]

Wasn't sure if I saw spacers in there or not. In that case I'd do as Roky said, I'm not a fan of drop brackets unless there's not a way around them.

 

[UncleArt]

Swaybar issue: follow Rocky’s advice.

Front-end Wobbles: You’ve got worn out parts in the front. Lots of threads on here about it. Could be a combination of ball joints, track bar bushings, and/or control arm bushings. The alignment should be checked; but it is not the cause of the wobbles, nor would a bad steering stabilizer contribute.

 

[VKSheridan]

Not sure if you do much crawling or tail dragging but if you find yourself in positions that scruff the muffler or crush the tailpipe, here’s a nice option to address that AND eliminate your rub.

It puts the muffler up near the catalytic converter and runs the exhaust pipe clean and tucked:

MBRP CAT BACK EXHAUST

 

[WillysMeow]

Not sure if you do much crawling or tail dragging but if you find yourself in positions that scruff the muffler or crush the tailpipe, here’s a nice option to address that AND eliminate your rub.

It puts the muffler up near the catalytic converter and runs the exhaust pipe clean and tucked:

MBRP CAT BACK EXHAUST

That looks really nice and importantly not loud or droning like most aftermarket mufflers....teenage me loved that noise, now I hate loud exhaust. The stock muffler crossways is ok, but it hangs soooo low, wth? Scraped mine a bit already, will trim couple inches off the outlet pipe if and when it starts getting crushed into an oval lol.

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