Track Bar failure on the road

Track Bar failure on the road

On the way home from the Tracy city Trail ride we had a scary incident. Jennifer was driving and I was in the back seat with the boys. Just as we entered the Ridge Cut on I-24, she screamed that the steering had quit. Luckily there was not much traffic around and she was able to coax the Jeep over to the shoulder.

I hopped out and looked under the Jeep. It did not take me long to spot the track bar drooping down. The bolt that secures it to the axle was missing. The missing bolt allowed the axle to move side to side rather than turning the wheels when the steering wheel was turned.

I rummaged around in her tool kit and finally chose a Phillips screwdriver to fill the hole. We secured the screwdriver with a bungee cord and I drove slowly to the next exit.

We drove to the nearest Ace hardware but it was closed. We went into Walgreen’s next door to look for a bolt. They did not have any bolts or anything that fit the hole better than the screwdriver we were already using. They did however have electrical tape.

I taped the screwdriver securely in place so that it would not work out as I drove. We tried to find an open parts store but since it was just after 9pm they were all closed.

I decided to slowly drive the Jeep back to my shop. It drove OK but had a lot of loose motion in the center of the steering. I had to anticipate turns and be ready.

The next morning I searched the shop and finally came up with a spare bolt and the special nut that goes on the back. I removed the screwdriver and cut of all the tape. The screwdriver was only slightly bent and I returned it to her tool kit.

I installed the new bolt and nut and torqued it to 74ft lbs per the Haynes Shop manual. While I was under there I noticed that the connection of the tie rod to the pitman arm was slightly loose as well. I removed the cotter key and turned the bolt a half turn or so to snug it up. I then put back in the key.

The steering still had a little slop so I removed the electric fan and cleaned off the adjuster bolt on top of the steering box. I tightened the box about a half turn or so on the adjuster and locked back the lock nut. Her Jeep drives much better now.