Front axle rocks

[evharris7]

Hello,

Backstory:
I bought a 2005 Unlimited LJ a little over a month ago. Mod wise it has a 2.5" OME lift, JKS track bars front and rear, and Rugged Ridge drag link/tie rod. It developed a little shimmy, not death wobble, and I found out 2 of the tie rod ends were bad, so I replaced them( the drag link/pinion were new so I left them). This made it better, but there is still a little movement when driving. The previous owner said he replaced the upper and lower control arm bushings, and they look good. I did the ball joint test, and the uppers have a little movement, so I am planning on replacing them.

Question:

I have a click and it feels like the axle moves if I am backing up and the front tire goes over a rock. When checking bolts today, I had a wrench on the lower control arm bolt where it meets the axle. When I pulled forward on that bolt, I heard the click and the axle rocks slightly. If I look where the tie rod meets the steering knuckle, I can see the steering knuckle moving up and down when I pull on the lower control arm bolt. Is that the ball joints that are allowing that movement of the axle? I know they need to be replaced, but I want to make sure it isn't anything else. It seems like everything else is fairly new.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I searched and cold not find anything about the axle rocking forward/back.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Have you looked at the ball joint to see if it's moving when you pull on the control arm bolt? Ball joint movement is a big no-no.

If you end up replacing the ball joints, go with this set of Spicer ball joints.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UTD76GY/?tag=wranglerorg-20 which is a nice upgrade to the OE Spicer ball jounts the factory installed.

Don't let anyone talk you into Synergy ball joints or store brands.

 

[Ahoragi]

Like Jerry said there should not be any movement in any of the joints. Replace those ball joints and you should be good to go.

It would not hurt to take a torque wrench and retighten all the suspension and steering bolts just to be sure.

 

[evharris7]

Thank you, I am planning to replace them next weekend anyway. I just wanted to make sure I did not need to order something else since everything looked good otherwise, and I went through everything front and rear with a toque wrench last weekend.

Thanks for the help.