Cheapest would be to just replace the end.

But, doesn't the AEV high steer kit come with a 'stock' drag link from a rhd JK? There are many heavier duty options out there to consider. Synergy steering components are fairly popular on this forum. Worth looking at, anyway.

 

Used to.. now its the Yeti 26 (MM) no drill DL

Edit: disregard i see this goes way back.

 

Yeah I believe it does have the rhd drag link n that kit.

I'm thinking I'd be better off just changing the link for now and investing in a new track bar because based on my reading the track bar tends to be the root of dw problems and worn drag link ends are a result of the problem amplifying the issue. My thinking is if the end link is the result of the issue and not the core, I'd be better off trashing a $30 part instead of a $200-$500 part. Also it seems like many of the replacement drag links use the oe link end.

Are there any beefed up link ends that anyone would recommend? I've seen the reference to the moog part which the auto parts store shows as the oe replacement. Anythjng better?

Kjeeper, thanks for hopping in, I'm not sure I understand your comment though. Are you saying the yeti drag link is the new popular replacement unit or that it now comes with the aev kit?

Thanks for the help.

 

Failure at the pitman arm end of the DL seems to be less common than the knuckle end. If you need to replace your TB as well, and don't have funds to do both an upgraded DL and TB together, then I would just replace the DL end link with stock and get a nice TB. You are correct in your analysis that most wobble issues really revolve around the TB. Bad joints like DL, TR, or BJ, tend to trigger the initial issue, but then things snowball....often times with the TB becoming a major player either due to a joint, loose bolt, or wallowed out hole in a bracket. A single bad joint like in your DL should produce some bump steer when you hit a pothole or bump, but self correct. If it's continuing into more of a wobble, you have more than 1 issue.

 

Thanks. I think that confirms my suspicions and thought.

Would you guys also recommend throwing in one of the many 9/16" shoulder bolt kits as well while I'm at it?

 

If you have the factory bolt in the TB frame side still, I would replace that one. When you remove the TB, inspect the mounting bracket closely. The factory bracket hole tends to wallow out a bit, which leads to a lot of wobble issues. Depending on what TB you purchase, if you go that route, it may or may not come with a new bolt. You might wait to see. That one bolt in particular is what I would be concerned with the most rather than the entire kit of bolts that are commonly sold.

 

The newer kits do not require drilling and come with the Yeti 26. Yours has the standard RHD drag link and insert that required the knuckle drilled.

 

One more question. How much up/down movement is acceptable in tie rod ends? Talking about vertical movement and not rocking. I noticed about a 32nd to a 16th when evaluating them. Hoping to hop back under tonight to re-evaluate things but want to have some clarity before I do.

 

Ok so just a follow up. I went ahead and checked everything out and determined that the drag link end at the pitman needed to be replaced but the link at the knuckle seemed o as did my ball joints. So I went ahead and ordered the moog replacement end link and while I was at it ordered the yeti xd track bar for good measure.

Installation of both went pretty easy. To break loose the drag link end from the pitman I have one of those ball joint removers that you crank down on to pop the joint loose which made that part pretty easy. Installation of the new drag link end was straight forward and I torqued it to 77 ft. lbs. and the clamp was torqued to 26 ft. Lbs.

When I replaced the track bar I noticed that the driver frame side bolt came out pretty easy with my impact wrench while the passenger side took some time. I'm thinking at this point that my DW originated due to a loose track bar bolt eventually wearing out the drag link end increasing the intensity of the wobble. I checked the hole to see if it was ovaled out but it seemed ok.

Installation of the new bar was straight forward but damn that yeti piece is heavy! I torqued down the two track bar bolts to 150 ft. lbs. as well as checked the torque of my other drag link end to 63 ft. lbs. and I torqued the track bar clamp to 70 ft. Lbs.

I marked all bolt and nut locations with a paint pen and went for a test ride. The ride went well overall. I feel like the steering is firmer than it was in the past and had no initial sense of wobble.

After driving the rig again later that night I had some brief experiences with the shimmy again that I'd reported in the first post. This has me concerned that I didn't really solve the root of the problem but rather remedied the downstream effects of it.

Need some ideas

 

Sounds like a tire balancing issue