Bent sway bar

June dog · Nov 29, 2015

I'll get pics posted later on. Ive had a sway bar on my jeep since the build, about 4yrs now. My links from the axle and the steel sway bar arms are bending. Would I have to much shock travel on the rear? I just replaced my arms Friday night. Made new brackets on the rear axle, everything looked good. Went riding Saturday and the first gully we went thru bent the brackets on the rear housing, the links,and the arms. The people following me said nothing looks like it's shifting or twisting side to side. I'm having trouble figuring out what's going on. When my jeep is setting level my sway bar arms are parallel with my lower 4 link bars, my sway bar links are bolted in line with my lower shock bolts on the rear housing and my links are running in the same angle as my shock. Everything should work together but something is definitely off somewhere. I hope someone has help or has had this problem before

payne97 · Nov 29, 2015

if possible take the springs out and cycle the axle one side up one side down

June dog · Nov 29, 2015

And of course every pic is upside down

Beerj · Nov 29, 2015

Looks like the swaybar links are acting as bump stops. Whatever that tube is above the swaybar links is in the way. Maybe mounting the swaybar links to the outside of the swaybar will allow them to clear.

June dog · Nov 29, 2015

From the upside down pics it's hard to see. The bar up above is the frame back half. It's taking the arm and rolling it up under body. It's probably bent 2" over and under the body. If the arm was straight it has about an inch clearance from the inner wheel well tub. What doesn't make since is the shock should bottom out before the arm gets close to the body. And it bends the passenger side more than it does the drivers side. Maybe I need to add bump stops and limit straps to the rear? I have a center limit but don't have any on the shocks. I'm running bump stops on the front with limit straps on each shock.

Rokcrler · Nov 29, 2015

Re:

Looks like your axle is walking side to side more than the sway bar link heims allow.
Do you have room to bolt them to the outside of the arms?

June dog · Nov 29, 2015

Re:

Rokcrler said:
Looks like your axle is walking side to side more than the sway bar link heims allow.
Do you have room to bolt them to the outside of the arms?

Yes . I had them on the outside on the last set. I was thinking the axle was moving but everyone that's followed me says it doesn't appear to be moving side to side. We were payin close attention to it yesterday and everything seems to be cycling up and down the way it should.. I've even ran them one opposite sides top and bottom . Still bends the arm.

Beerj · Nov 29, 2015

Unless I'm seeing it wrong it looks like you have several inches of up travel on the shock and maybe only an inch on the swaybar to the frame. Or maybe it's just an optical illusion and doesn't contact there. Doesn't appear to be any misalignment spacers. That could possibly be causing the binding/bending.

Beerj · Nov 29, 2015

I'd say move the links to the outside, add misalignment spacers, straighten out the lower mount and make it double shear.

Pineygroveoffroad · Nov 29, 2015

Here ya go Bryan

June dog · Nov 29, 2015

Thanks Shane

June dog · Nov 29, 2015

Beerj said:
Unless I'm seeing it wrong it looks like you have several inches of up travel on the shock and maybe only an inch on the swaybar to the frame. Or maybe it's just an optical illusion and doesn't contact there. Doesn't appear to be any misalignment spacers. That could possibly be causing the binding/bending.

The reason it looks that way is because the arm is bent over and under the rear. When the arm is straight it is over about 2" from the shock body. It barely put a bend on the driver side, but it pretzels the passenger side. It's bent at the end where the link attaches and at the sway bar end. No it doesn't have misalignment spacers. It the universal kit from anti rock. With 17" arms. From what it's doing you would think the rear end is moving around. But no one could notice any shift in the rearend yesterday.. I'm bout ready to take off the air shock and get 2 coil overs for the rear ant eliminate the sway bar altogether.

Craig_c · Nov 29, 2015

The arms should ideally be level mid way through your shock travel. It looks to be angled down (the arm) in this pic, with lots of down travel left in the shock. I bet at full flex the sway bar arm is coming down so far it's trying to lock, almost putting the link and arm inline with each other.

Of course it could just be the way the pic makes it look.

June dog · Nov 29, 2015

Craig_c said:
The arms should ideally be level mid way through your shock travel. It looks to be angled down (the arm) in this pic, with lots of down travel left in the shock. I bet at full flex the sway bar arm is coming down so far it's trying to lock, almost putting the link and arm inline with each other.

Of course it could just be the way the pic makes it look.

That's the way I had it set up the first time. You may be on to something about it coming down to far. When I put my new arms on I lowered them and tried to make them parallel with the lower link arms. Maybe I should of raised them up more with longer link arms instead of going lower and shorter.. I may need to add some limit straps and see if that helps. I'm just looking for some suggestions before I spend money on parts and it still do the same thing.

kboring · Dec 1, 2015

Craig_c said:
The arms should ideally be level mid way through your shock travel. It looks to be angled down (the arm) in this pic, with lots of down travel left in the shock. I bet at full flex the sway bar arm is coming down so far it's trying to lock, almost putting the link and arm inline with each other.

Of course it could just be the way the pic makes it look.

I'd have to agree with this ^^^

mobil1syn · Dec 1, 2015

my money is the heim at the axle end of the link doesnt have enough misalignment on articulation.

June dog · Dec 2, 2015

I'm gonna mess with it some this weekend. Guess I'll try some limit straps and rig up some sort of bump stop.

ldudley · Dec 7, 2015

what did you come up with on the bent ****? I'm tossing around the idea of putting one on the new build.

June dog · Dec 7, 2015

I'm making some bump stops and going to try limit straps. What gets me is everything worked fine up I till about the last year ,year and a half. I've measured and everything still seems pretty square. I'm not sure what the deal is. If limits and bumps don't solve my problem I'm going to bite the bullet and order a set of coil overs and get rid of the sway bar altogether.