How to align track bar

WJCO

Meme King
Make it fit. That's pretty common. Using the diy alignment thread, make sure the axle is centered, then make the track bar fit. It's adjustable right? If so, you can adjust the jam nut to fit it.

A prybar like this can help. Or a large screwdriver. Put it in the hole from the back to pry the track bar, then when holes line up, put the bolt in through the front.

s-l300.jpg
 
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GraniteCrystal

New member
OK saw I got it through. Now I'm re-centering the axle. I'll use the adjustable nature of the track bar to pull the passenger side in, then I guess I'll have to get physical with it to make the hole line up again.

Eddie's write up and the lift instructions both say to turn the steering wheel and it'll line up. Why doesn't that work? Would be so much easier

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
 

WJCO

Meme King
OK saw I got it through. Now I'm re-centering the axle. I'll use the adjustable nature of the track bar to pull the passenger side in, then I guess I'll have to get physical with it to make the hole line up again.

Eddie's write up and the lift instructions both say to turn the steering wheel and it'll line up. Why doesn't that work? Would be so much easier

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404

Steering it can help, but sometimes you just have to man-handle it. Sometimes bouncing the vehicle helps too. Good luck.
 

desertrunner

Active Member
i have a spud wrench at home that i use when im solo and trying to get things to line up. we used to use them in college for civil engineering projects to get big ol steel beams to line up that are really heavy. and it turns out it works quite well to move the axle around to line up track bars and control arms when no one else is around to help push it around. picked it up at lowes for like $40 if i remember right

spud-wrench161D606ACC5D8DC9B865DA39.jpg
 

desertrunner

Active Member
Here's what it looks like now.

Driver:
View attachment 233241

Passenger:
View attachment 233242

Driver looks good passenger is toed out. That means shorten the track bag yeah? It's already as short as it can go

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404

Lengthening the track bar should push it out to the passenger side, maybe its just me but unless you swapped the pictures it looks like the drivers side is sticking out more than passenger which should mean it needs to be lengthened a smidge more.

hard to tell from the pictures but if you have a yard stick or a long level and put it flush with the tire and measure the distance from that to then fender on each side that will tell you which way to go with it
 

desertrunner

Active Member
I think I'm getting confused. Need to adjust tie rod instead of track bar, get the wheels property toed, then do track bar to center axle?

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404

yes tie rod will change toe, track bar will center axle

if you havent already check this thread out for the alignment stuff

http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?3861-Basic-Do-it-Yourself-Jeep-JK-Wrangler-Front-End-Alignment
 

WJCO

Meme King
Hope you got it figured out. But toe shouldn't have changed at all when you did the lift. Unless you changed something regarding the tie rod.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Hope you got it figured out. But toe shouldn't have changed at all when you did the lift. Unless you changed something regarding the tie rod.

This ^^^

The toe on a JK will NOT change after installing a lift unless you've installed an aftermarket tie rod.

Regarding the track bar, up front, the help of a friend and your steering wheel will help you to get there and in the rear, the help of a friend pushing on the side of your Jeep will get you there too.
 

GraniteCrystal

New member
This ^^^

The toe on a JK will NOT change after installing a lift unless you've installed an aftermarket tie rod.

Regarding the track bar, up front, the help of a friend and your steering wheel will help you to get there and in the rear, the help of a friend pushing on the side of your Jeep will get you there too.
Thanks Eddie. I got the trackbar in there and the steering wheel centered. Can't figure out why passenger wheel seems to angle away from Jeep when driver is centered.

Didn't install a new tie rod. Haven't adjusted anything on that yet.

Maybe the toe has always been off and I'm just finding out? Never looked at it before.

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks Eddie. I got the trackbar in there and the steering wheel centered. Can't figure out why passenger wheel seems to angle away from Jeep when driver is centered.

Didn't install a new tie rod. Haven't adjusted anything on that yet.

Maybe the toe has always been off and I'm just finding out? Never looked at it before.

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404

You can't determine your toe based on looks. You NEED to measure it out, front of your tire to the rear of the tire and from the exact same location. If your tires still have the manufacturing seam running down the middle of it, I would use that. Otherwise, you can use the edge of one of the center lugs to do it. You just need to remember to use the same lug on the same side on the back side of the tire. This write-up should help you out.

http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?3861-Basic-Do-it-Yourself-Jeep-JK-Wrangler-Front-End-Alignment
 

Andy5160

Hooked
When i installed my lift the instructions said to set track bar at 32 7/8 center to center of the holes. Yes it was pain in the ass to get axel side to set properly but with a help of a big friend who was standing/jumping on one side of the jeep at the time i was able to figure out the mechanics of the frame movement so everything worked out for me. The reason i mentioned center to center length is that after measuring the distance on each side between the tire and the flare i was off by 2mm so i left it at that. May be my comets will help

Good luck
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
When i installed my lift the instructions said to set track bar at 32 7/8 center to center of the holes. Yes it was pain in the ass to get axel side to set properly but with a help of a big friend who was standing/jumping on one side of the jeep at the time i was able to figure out the mechanics of the frame movement so everything worked out for me. The reason i mentioned center to center length is that after measuring the distance on each side between the tire and the flare i was off by 2mm so i left it at that. May be my comets will help

Good luck

I have never seen a situation where you can just set a track bar to a specific length and have it accurately center your axle. Right after installing a lift, your coils will sit taller than they will once they settle out and depending on how loaded up and heavy your Jeep is or feather weight light, where your axle will sit in a different position. It's the nature of the beast on a 4-link + track bar suspension system and "center" will always relative.

That being said, there is no need to have someone jump up and down on your Jeep or go through so much trouble to get your track bar holes aligned.

http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?3861-Basic-Do-it-Yourself-Jeep-JK-Wrangler-Front-End-Alignment
 
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