Need some control arm advice

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

So I'm figuring out how to make my 04 rubi NOT ride like its on wagon wheels. It doesnt absorb bumps...and it clunks real bad in the rear coming off my driveway curb.

So far I've discovered that it has 4 inch sky jacker coils...aftermarket fixed lower rears....aftermarket adjustable lower fronts.

Stock front and rear track bars, without drilled holes or drop brackets. (How it sits looking normal at each fender flare on stock track bars seems to be a mystery to me). Stock rear sway bar..and I think the fronts have quick disco extensions.

You guys have shown me that the drop pitman arm and dual front stabilizers ive had, had to go. So they're gone and that has helped all but eliminate its bump steer. (I did keep the factory position stabilizer of course).

Has E load tires, which im keeping aired down to about 30psi...that coupled with the rs5000xs I put on, have helped. Just a little though. Like 15% softer.

Ive done a lot of research on here...but im not a great mechanic.

Research here shows me that the suspension not articulating much could be from issues with the probably crappy possibly skyjacker control arms.

So ive been looking at my fronts and they look articulated weird and I can't get the joint to not be...slanted.

I'm attaching pictures. Let me know if they look like theyre garbage. Been trying to diagnose what's toast and what's okay.

Also, ive read alot about what you guys think about skyjacker kits and their shocks...but what do we think of their coils? Stiff? I read that they settle. But what's really the coil difference between OME and skyjacker?

Ps, I'm not new to jeeps...I've been a casual tj/th owner off and on for years, but I've never had one ride this stiffly.

 

[jjvw]

What size tire? What shocks? How much up travel?

 

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

It has 32s on it.

As for travel, I did a quick test jacking it up a bit, but I still had both sway bars connected. Jacking it up on the driver side axle almost on the pumpkin got my drivers side up 4 inches and my passenger side up like 1.5

Give or take.

 

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

Rancho rs5000x. Made sure I got the X's

 

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

I know my tires have a large part to do with it...but they're newer and they'll have to wait.

For the time being i want to make sure these crappy parts the PO put on arent crapping the bed.

 

[bobthetj03]

Those arm joints look rough. Is the joint on the other end of the arm jacked the opposite direction?

 

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

Correct. Both arms bottoms are cocked out toward the tires like that.

 

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

Ive hammered on them and tried to use a huge wrench to pry them back vertical but they dont budge an inch.

My plan is to most likely buy the OME 2.5 kit, and replace the control arms with factory ones...and hopefully ditch the t case drop.

 

[jjvw]

Bring your tire pressure down some more.

 

[jjvw]

Ive hammered on them and tried to use a huge wrench to pry them back vertical but they dont budge an inch.

My plan is to most likely buy the OME 2.5 kit, and replace the control arms with factory ones...and hopefully ditch the t case drop.

There is no need to get them back to vertical. Joints like that don't care what position they were last left in. But if they really aren't moving, that isn't helping anything.

When I need to move my Johnny Joints around, I have use a flat prybar.

 

[bobthetj03]

Yep, tire pressure down to 26psi. If those joints are seized, it will not help for sure. They don't look like they've seen grease in a long while.

 

[Serbonze]

26psi may still a bit high for loads range E tires. I had mine at 22psi.

 

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

Ive had them as low as 19/20

It gave a bit more comfort, but it killed my gas mileage (which is already bad, jeep lol) and made me feel like I was rolling around on half flat tires.

But im worried that its not the tires I want absorbing impact...its the shocks and springs that I want doing that.

So...I'm tossing theories around in my mind that either something is binding, limiting travel...or my springs are to stiff (I already ruled out shocks, theyre new and soft)...or they're sagging so bad that I'm hitting my bumpstops.

That front seems to handle bumps okay-ish...but backing out of my driveway on my street is awful. Feels like I'm running over bolders and something is clunking around in the rear. I havent taken my torque wrench out yet...but I tried to move around the track bar real and it doesn't budge an inch.

Maybe my bump stops are to long?

 

[jjvw]

Your bump stops need to be as long as they need to be in order to prevent damage to other components.

When I asked about the up travel, I was asking about the space between the axle pad and the steel cup at normal ride height. Additionally, how much exposed shock shaft is there at normal ride height.

 

[Rob5589]

As for travel, I did a quick test jacking it up a bit, but I still had both sway bars connected. Jacking it up on the driver side axle almost on the pumpkin got my drivers side up 4 inches and my passenger side up like 1.5

Give or take.

Did you mean 4.5" up?? If not, that is a problem

 

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

Did you mean 4.5" up?? If not, that is a problem

I jacked it up closer to the driver side tire and that tire went up a few inches before the passenger side tire came up too.

Even with the new ranchos (it had stiff as truck shocks on it) it still only has maybe an inch of bounce on it.

 

[jjvw]

I jacked it up closer to the driver side tire and that tire went up a few inches before the passenger side tire came up too.

...

All that tells you is that the Jeep was off balance on the jack.

 

[NICHOLAS MATHER]

I wasnt trying to do a travel test per say when I did it...I was doing tire work....but I figured the jeep should have had enough travel to keep the unjacked side on the ground a bit longer that it was. I feel like if you jack up one tire...the other side should stay on the ground...atleast until a certain point.

I didnt have the front sway disconnected and maybe I'm giving factory jeep travel to much credit.

 

[FireJeep]

If I understand your original post correctly up travel is not the issue you are "complaining" about, it is the harsh ride and apparent lack of the suspension being able to compress to absorb a bump (unless you are wheeling or really hitting a large bump it should not be traveling up 4 1/2" every time it hits a small obstacle....). As someone else stated, those joints look really dry, if they are they may very well be seized which could give you a harsh ride and worse could lead to broken mounts. I would suggest getting them freed up or replacing them. Others will chime in on how to free them up. But I would start with spraying some penetrating oil in there and see if that helps..... most of those joints are rebuildable, not sure about yours though.......

 

[jjvw]

If I understand your original post correctly up travel is not the issue you are "complaining" about, it is the harsh ride and apparent lack of the suspension being able to compress to absorb a bump ...

He needs to tell us how much shock shaft is showing so that we can rule out an up travel issue. The shocks are new, but we don't know if they are the right size.

Regarding the control arms, if the suspension is moving the arms are also moving.

The tire pressure is a significant factor in this.