Hard to say without seeing the internal threads. I remember jam nut torque being 200 plus foot pounds with instructions that said “get your big boy pant on”. I used a 48” torque wrench and crowfoot wrench and it wasn’t easy but I remembered a Rock Krawler YouTube video saying improper jam nut torque and lack of periodic torque checks was a common cause of failure.Got in and the steering wheel was playing looose. At 20 mph the jeep started shaking. Waiting on a tow and saw this. Can I rethread it and get an alignment or do I need to replace? If replacing, will any one in stock work? It’s a RockKrawler w 2.5 inch lift.
This is a good example of the jam nut not being torqued to spec….the shank will move back snd forth in the bar flattening or stripping the threads until there’s not enough to hold it together….
Since there’s not a threaded joint and jam nut on the opposite end. And assuming it’s still bolted in place, it seems like the threads would have to be fubar on the end in that pic to wind up separated like that right?
Yeah, from the looks of it, rust might’ve had a play in it as well, filling in the threads….. but hard to say really, just speculation on my part… I just can’t believe that there wasn’t any warning signs…..when I tightened the jam nut for guys, they were coming to me complaining about steering wheel shimmy, and wanted to get ahead of full on DW ….
Thank you for the input. Gonna get it removed and replaced. I don't see any adjustable in stock locally, so I'll probably be rushing one of yours from Northridge 4x4. Hopefully nothing else got damaged driving a short distance, but guessing an alignment is needed too. For a minute or so, the wheel had lots of play and wouldn't return to center, but no wobbling or anything leading up to this. There are some old train tracks in the parking lot that maybe jostled it just enough as I parked in the morning.
Sure, no worries….. when you get the new bar, make sure you hit 250 ft lbs on the jam nut, then mark the jam nut and the bar so you can see if it loosens up…. But trust me if you hit 250, it won’t budge….
Yes sir. Getting all my tools together. I have a 250# torque and borrowing a 1-5/16" crow foot (read that is the correct size). I got the old one off and screwed back together and don't see the problem. When I get the new one, if I have to adjust once I get it on, I have to remove one end from the jeep to be able to spin it I assume. I don't want to torque it down and then have it need adjusted.Sure, no worries….. when you get the new bar, make sure you hit 250 ft lbs on the jam nut, then mark the jam nut and the bar so you can see if it loosens up…. But trust me if you hit 250, it won’t budge….
Also, once you center your axle, there’s no need for alignment, unless you want one… but there’s money to be saved here…..
I got the new trackbar today and the nut is 1-1/2" on the new one instead of 1-5/16". Waiting on someone to get me a bigger wrench. I'll probably torque it while it's on the Jeep, just need to make sure the joint doesn't rotate while tightening. If I match the length to the old one, I should be all centered? I'll still double check.
