Replacement axle side front trackbar bracket, bolt hole slightly bigger than trackbar accepts

Fughuert

Fughuert

TJ Enthusiast
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Nov 26, 2018
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375
Location
New England
Bracket: https://www.barnes4wd.com/Jeep-TJ-LJ-MJ-XJ-and-ZJ-Front-Axle-Track-Bar-Bracket_p_818.html


Replaced my wallowed out front axle trackbar bracket on my Dana 30 as I presume it was the cause of my wobble @ ~45mph with a barnes 4wd bracket, got it all welded up only to find the bolt that fits the bracket perfectly(7/16) is too big for the trackbar.

The trackbar takes an m10 which is free to move around in the hole on the bracket, it seems fine for now wobble eliminated, I got it well and torqued down since I customized to bracket to accept a wrench on the back.

I’m just wondering if the factory bracket hole is slightly bigger than the stock trackbar?

Should I worry about the play wallowing out the hole?
 
Fughuert said:
Bracket: https://www.barnes4wd.com/Jeep-TJ-LJ-MJ-XJ-and-ZJ-Front-Axle-Track-Bar-Bracket_p_818.html


Replaced my wallowed out front axle trackbar bracket on my Dana 30 as I presume it was the cause of my wobble @ ~45mph with a barnes 4wd bracket, got it all welded up only to find the bolt that fits the bracket perfectly(7/16) is too big for the trackbar.

The trackbar takes an m10 which is free to move around in the hole on the bracket, it seems fine for now wobble eliminated, I got it well and torqued down since I customized to bracket to accept a wrench on the back.

I’m just wondering if the factory bracket hole is slightly bigger than the stock trackbar?

Should I worry about the play wallowing out the hole?
Click to expand...

The connection is made by the bolt clamping the bushing sleeve between the 2 surfaces of the bracket. The bolt is ONLY loaded in tension. The bushing sleeve transfers the forces from the track bar to the bracket. The only way the bracket hole can become wallered out is if the bolt cannot create enough clamping force to keep the bushing sleeve to bracket connection intact, in which case the bolt will now be accepting shear loads, which it is not designed to do.

All holes are bigger than bolts...some are much bigger. While it doesn't give you the warm and fuzzies, it's not a problem if you are using an appropriate fastener capable of providing the appropriate clamp force to make the connection.
 
Well that’s assuring,

I went out for another drive in the snow and it wobbles a bit again, not nearly as bad though.

I couldn’t get ahold of a 10.9 bolt locally so I’m waiting for one to come in to try and get some real torque on it. No need for a flag since I can fit a wrench back there.
 
Fughuert said:
Well that’s assuring,

I went out for another drive in the snow and it wobbles a bit again, not nearly as bad though.

I couldn’t get ahold of a 10.9 bolt locally so I’m waiting for one to come in to try and get some real torque on it. No need for a flag since I can fit a wrench back there.
Click to expand...
You need to torque the bolt not reef on it...most likely it is a tire balance problem causing your wobble.
 
astjp2 said:
You need to torque the bolt not reef on it...most likely it is a tire balance problem causing your wobble.
Click to expand...
Could be, but tires are only 31s and have been fine for the last year, the old bracket got messed up when I put the lift on which is right when the wobble appeared.

It completely went away for one drive out after replacing and has somewhat reappeared after a couple drives. It used to always do it at ~47mph and was quite violent. Now it sometimes occurs and when it does it's much much less severe.
 
Most variations of death wobble start with tire balance with a possibility of having something loose in the suspension, that is why you TORQUE the bolts to the correct torque.
 
You could also drill out the track bar to fit the same size hole in the bracket, but as previously said, the proper torque on the bolt is all that is needed. Getting a super snug fit for the bolt can lead to it wanting to freeze up inside the bushing and then you will have a really big problem.
 
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I finally got around to dealing with this and decided to weld some extra thick m10 washers over the existing oversized holes so now the bolt fits the bracket and trackbar perfectly.

Turns out proper torque is not all that is needed as this solved the problem. It was wallowing out the thicker than stock bracket from the play allowed.

Before the fix at 45mph it would shake pretty bad now it does not shake at all.
 
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Fughuert said:
Could be, but tires are only 31s and have been fine for the last year, the old bracket got messed up when I put the lift on which is right when the wobble appeared.

It completely went away for one drive out after replacing and has somewhat reappeared after a couple drives. It used to always do it at ~47mph and was quite violent. Now it sometimes occurs and when it does it's much much less severe.
Click to expand...

Even with 31" tires their imbalance can cause Death Wobble.
The imbalance can be caused by throwing a weight, mud caked on the inside of the rim or even several rocks stuck in the tire treads.
I would suggest you have your tires balanced and rotated.
 
While the theory of proper torque holding everything in place is true, and for most folks is all they need, my long term way of holding things in place is to make sure the bolt diameter matches all holes it is meant to go through. That keeps any small movement in the bracket or bushing from working into a bigger problem. Again, this should not be necessary, but for me it is.
 
CharlesHS said:
Even with 31" tires their imbalance can cause Death Wobble.
The imbalance can be caused by throwing a weight, mud caked on the inside of the rim or even several rocks stuck in the tire treads.
I would suggest you have your tires balanced and rotated.
Click to expand...
Wheel balance was never the problem.

I figured I'd update the post in case others were chasing a wobble and couldn't find the answer.
 
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