Need advice from spring, shock and control arm gurus

I finished the rear sway bar bushings tonight, they were really soft and were tearing apart. The front ones were soft too. The bushings in the front end links were soft and the ball joints in the links were shot, not sure from wear or using a BFH to get them off! I have had a popping that I could feel in the steering wheel when I would turn left. Tonight I took it for a short drive and I didn’t feel the popping, maybe the end links were the problem.
 
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TDB55 said:
I finished the rear sway bar bushings tonight, they were really soft and were tearing apart. The front ones were soft too. The bushings in the front end links were soft and the ball joints in the links were shot, not sure from wear or using a BFH to get them off! I have had a popping that I could feel in the steering wheel when I would turn left. Tonight I took it for a short drive and I didn’t feel the popping, maybe the end links were the problem.
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Well that didn’t stop the popping, I drove it quite a bit today and it’s still doing it. Anyone got any ideas what may cause a popping when I turn left that I can feel in the steering wheel?
 
I found a shop today that can change out my control arm bushings. I will come out a little cheaper than buying new arms. I wish I would have checked on this before I ordered bushings but didn’t think it would be so hard to find someone one to do it.
 
Will be interested in hearing how it runs after they fix those bushings.

Curious, is the popping there when turning slow? Or need to be fast?

I would say it’s time to put it on Jack Stands and run it to see what looks loose. Or have a mechanic do that if you’re not inclined to do it.
 
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cpwolf said:
Will be interested in hearing how it runs after they fix those bushings.

Curious, is the popping there when turning slow? Or need to be fast?

I would say it’s time to put it on Jack Stands and run it to see what looks loose. Or have a mechanic do that if you’re not inclined to do it.
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Turning slow. Curious is to what it is that I feel it in the steering wheel. Another thing I have been wondering is how do you check the ball joints?
 
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TDB55 said:
Turning slow. Curious is to what it is that I feel it in the steering wheel. Another thing I have been wondering is how do you check the ball joints?
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Quick and easy way, jack up one front wheel, grab the tire at 12 and 6, push in with one hand, pull out with the other. Try to wiggle it back and forth like that. If you feel any play that's not good.

You can also use a crowbar on the joint itself, see if you can wiggle it around at all. Ideally it should be solid as a rock.
 
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WallyWest said:
Quick and easy way, jack up one front wheel, grab the tire at 12 and 6, push in with one hand, pull out with the other. Try to wiggle it back and forth like that. If you feel any play that's not good.

You can also use a crowbar on the joint itself, see if you can wiggle it around at all. Ideally it should be solid as a rock.
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You don’t even have to jack it up since the concrete holds the bottom, just push and pull the top (12 o’clock) and see what play you have.
 
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TDB55 said:
I found a shop today that can change out my control arm bushings. I will come out a little cheaper than buying new arms. I wish I would have checked on this before I ordered bushings but didn’t think it would be so hard to find someone one to do it.
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Took my Jeep to my mechanics on Friday to start on the control arms. After looking at it he didn’t want to pull all the control arms off at one time to get the bushings put in. So back to the drawing board. I called a guy I work with, he has a big shop that him and his son used to work on their semi trucks and I thought he had a press. So I went over there and we tried replacing the bushings on one of the lower control arms I have. After getting everything set up we got the bushings replaced in one arm Friday night. I’m going over tomorrow to do the other three. I ordered the 4 upper control arms from Amazon, they should be here Monday. Any good suggestions to remove and replace the bushings in the front upper that is in the mount on the axle??
 
I just did this and I used a hammer/small sledge to hammer it back towards the only direction you can get it out but first I went to O’Reillys and rented the ball joint/ u joint press and put a washer over the rubber bushing and used the press to push the rubber bushing out. Then I started banging away at the metal sleeve that was left. Should point out I sprayed PB blaster around the edges hoping that would loosen up the sleeve. Others have said KROIL is actually better than PB but it’s what I had. There are some good YouTube videos, I want to say bleepin Jeep had one doing exactly this. It’s not elegant any way you slice it. The sleeve kind of ends up like a ball of metal.
 
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cpwolf said:
I just did this and I used a hammer/small sledge to hammer it back towards the only direction you can get it out but first I went to O’Reillys and rented the ball joint/ u joint press and put a washer over the rubber bushing and used the press to push the rubber bushing out. Then I started banging away at the metal sleeve that was left. Should point out I sprayed PB blaster around the edges hoping that would loosen up the sleeve. Others have said KROIL is actually better than PB but it’s what I had. There are some good YouTube videos, I want to say bleepin Jeep had one doing exactly this. It’s not elegant any way you slice it. The sleeve kind of ends up like a ball of metal.
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How did you press the new one in?
 
Actually, the new one just slid in, not like butter, but just hand with a shop towel pushing. That’s my experience
 
RMETeeJay said:
Springs don't really affect ride. You're on the right track with shocks. But before you replace them, what tires are you running and at what PSI? Many complain of poor ride when tires are over-inflated.

As far as the CAs go, at your mileage, I think it's a great idea. I'd also do a dry steering test to make sure your front end is good. I'd also replace all fluids unless you know for sure it was done recently.
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I don't understand this every time someone says it. If its a really stiff spring, and your travelling down the road your shock will not have a chance to absorb the imperfections due to your spring not allowing enough deflection/movement. In other words, the spring is controlling the rebound and all and also affecting how your ride feels. It could be very stiff and bouncy.

Am I wrong in saying this?
 
freebo86 said:
I don't understand this every time someone says it. If its a really stiff spring, and your travelling down the road your shock will not have a chance to absorb the imperfections due to your spring not allowing enough deflection/movement. In other words, the spring is controlling the rebound and all and also affecting how your ride feels. It could be very stiff and bouncy.

Am I wrong in saying this?
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It's the same discussion everytime. If you are going to use a really stiff spring as your example, you need to show us this really stiff spring and tell us where to get one.
 
jjvw said:
It's the same discussion everytime. If you are going to use a really stiff spring as your example, you need to show us this really stiff spring and tell us where to get one.
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Look at that OME 949 or whatever the part # is that is listed for a LJ -Heavy Duty. Ive read on here before putting this exact spring on my LJ that it gives a stiff ride when installed on a regular tj, no hard top or heavy rear bumper. If the spring is not paired for the right setup it can certainly be too stiff.

What’s your thoughts?
 
Do all the OME springs yield the same ride height on the same weight vehicle?

If the HD springs are yielding more ride height, you would need your shocks to accommodate this.
 
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