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AEV lift kit trouble

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Old 10-12-2012, 08:47 PM
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Default AEV lift kit trouble

Hello guys,

Long time international reader, first time poster....

Just had an AEV 2.5 Dual Sport XT lift kit shipped to me (cost me a fortune), I also got the AEV geometry correction brackets and a front JKS adjustable track-bar. Basically a brand new suspension system. Installed it all at the dealer and all went smooth.

Here is the problem: When i hit any cracks or rough areas on the highway, i am getting some wonderful death wobble. Even when i am not getting death wobble, it feels like it wants to wobble if you know what i mean, so i have to slow down..... it just does not feel right, and is very dangerous.

Steering is straight, car drives straight, axles are aligned, and tires are balanced. Running the stock steering stabilizer....

This is for a 2009 2dr sahara manual. 285 70 17 tires.....everything in the suspension is nice and tight including the track-bar bolts

very frustrated with this.....

Thanks for the help.....
Old 10-13-2012, 04:36 AM
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i have the 3.5 dual sport , and everything seems perfect . just a wondering .. does yours have the high steer relocation ? also it is very important to have the vehicle on the ground before tightening some components , i did mine myself , and followed the instructions the the letter and am very pleased with the result
Old 10-13-2012, 06:10 AM
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Shouldn't need adjustable trackbar with the control arm brackets. You say everything is nice and tight. Does that mean you know for sure the trackbar is torqued to 125 lbs ft? Are the rest of the bolts torqued properly. A lot of dealers like to do "nice and tight" but that doesn't mean they are tight enough. Torquing properly requires extra work and most dealer techs won't take the extra time.

You also don't mention how many miles are on the Jeep. Are you sure all the components (ball joints, tie rod ends, etc) are in good shape? New springs and shocks equate to new suspension but not steering system.

Last edited by Matches; 10-13-2012 at 06:13 AM.
Old 10-13-2012, 06:54 AM
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I am not an expert but I am a mechanic and I did install my AEV 2.5 with drop down brackets myself and had no issues. The jeep actually handles better now then factory. I don't really trust a dealer touching my jeep and the question is did they install the kit the way AEV tells you to. One thing AEV does say in there instruction is to loosen all trac bar bolts when installing the kit then retorque them with the jeep sitting on the ground with the weight on them and make sure they are torqued properly. If I where you I would go over all the bolts loosen them and then retorque them. I hope this helps you out. You will love the way this kit handles on and offroad. It is a great lift.
Old 10-13-2012, 07:36 AM
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JKS track bar gave me DW the bar it self is to week. Put the stock track bar back in and see if it gose a way.
Old 10-13-2012, 07:37 AM
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The AEV bracket has 3 different holes for the control arms based on lift height. Did the dealer use the correct set of holes? Did you get an alignment? What is caster and toe set at?

Rob

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Old 10-13-2012, 08:27 AM
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Thanks for the replies guys....the dealer i go to is a very mod-friendly dealer, and has been excellent with our community of off roaders over here....they are rather experienced, but they do cut corners when they can

to answer some of the questions:

all ball joints are new since my complete axle assembly was replaced a few weeks ago due to the bending of the original...the new one came with new ball joints....

I did print out the directions for the AEV kit and gave it to them,,but what i am suspecting (and it seems to be a consensus here) is that they torqued the bolts with the car on the lift -easier for the tech i guess. I will be taking it in tomorrow for loosening and re-tightening of the bolts while loaded, and if that does not work, off comes the JKS track bar and on goes the factory bar....the AEV brackets are on the first setting as per AEV's directions....

the car has 50,000ks (30,000miles i guess) so it rather young but it sees its share of action as seen in the pictures below

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will report tomorrow....

thanks for the help
Old 10-13-2012, 09:46 AM
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Any chance the dealer tightened the control arm and trackbar bolts while the Jeep was on a lift? All those bolts must stay loose until the Jeep is sitting on its wheels.
Old 10-13-2012, 09:57 AM
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Originally Posted by jboss
JKS track bar gave me DW the bar it self is to week. Put the stock track bar back in and see if it gose a way.
A JKS bar is too weak? That sounds very strange. My JKS bar appears to be much stronger than stock, and it has caused zero problems on the 2.5 XT. Unless the JKS bar has loose mounting bolts, or the bar's jam nut is loose, its the last place I'd look for DW.
Old 10-13-2012, 10:06 AM
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Latief, nice pictures, are you in Dubai? I'd be keen to compare as mines stock and I was looking at fitting the same lift kit.


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