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Please Help! Trackbar won't line up!

14K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  Mike13 
#1 ·
I am installing a new axle on my 02 right now and I have everything else lined up but I cannot line up the trackbar on the axle side. If I jack up the opposite side it comes about ½ away but I can't get the bolt through.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
 
#5 ·
I'd set it on the ground. The axle needs to be centered under the frame to line up. Drive it a bit. Bounce it. Eventually it will line up unless something is actually binding/catching. A shot of WD40 might help things move. Sometimes you can use a jack between the frame and axle brackets to force the axle over.
 
#17 ·
I was thinking about that but it was such a pain to line those up I don't want to have to deal with it again. I'll keep this as an option in case nothing else works. I'm going to try to let the wheels hang and use a ratchet strap again.
 
#20 ·
If the vehicle is raised with the axle hanging, then I'd loosely attach the bolt on the axle end first, and if you can get your strap around one end of that bolt, use it to pull the axle in the direction it needs to go in order to get the frame end to line up. If the weight is on the wheels, the body will move easier than the axle, so I'd start with the frame mount bolt, put the strap on that bolt and pull the body over using that bolt until the axle holes align. By doing it this way, you are pulling right on the trackbar itself, in order to get the opposite holes to align.
That said, I have found that the easiest way to get the track bar holes to align is to have the weight on the wheels and have a helper push on the body from the side and rock the vehicle while you are trying to push the bolt in.

The secret to getting your control arm bolt holes to quickly line up, if you have to remove one again, is to always loosely connect them to the axle end first and use that axle end bolt to pull the axle forward or back with your strap. Do this with the weight on or off the wheels. You will be amazed at how well and fast that works to get the frame end bolt holes aligned when you are essentially pulling the arm itself into place instead if trying to pull the axle by attaching the strap to any other place on the axle. Sad to say that I removed and replaced about 20 control arms before figuring this simple method out. No more frustration using this process.
 
#21 ·
Wow thank you so much! I think I did everything I could with the axle hanging so I will move on to trying it with the wheels on the ground. Ill try having someone rock the body and see if that works. That idea of using the bolt or center punch to lever it over is a great idea. My problem is that I can barely see the inner bushing so I need to move it over a little more so I can get something through it. I'll keep at it. I just drove it around the block and tried to see if that would do anything but no luck! On the other hand, 4.11 gears make a world of a difference when compared to 3.07!
 
#22 ·
Track bars can be very hard to reconnect while the axle is at full droop because normally the track bar moves the axle from being centered at normal ride height, to the side toward the frame mount as it droops in an arc from the track bar frame mount pivot. With the axle at full droop, you have to manually pull it to the side to line up the mounting holes. With the weight on the wheels, the axle and body/frame should not resist centering itself making the track bar bolt holes much easier to line up.
 
#23 ·
Okay that makes sense! We just shook the snot out of it and could only barely get the bolt in there. The gas tank is now in the way because I can't get the bolt through straight. I think I am going to take it to my friends who has a real shop in his garage in hopes that he can help out!

I probably should have mentioned this a while ago but it just crossed my mind. I do have a 2 inch spacer lift and did not put on a relocation brake or adj track bar. Could this be causing it to be off by ½ an inch all the time?
 
#25 ·
Well I got it in. It wasn't easy. I took it to a friend who has a lift so we were able to get a good view of it and drop the axle low enough to clear the tank. We attached a come-along to the axle and frame and cranked on that. We were able to get the holes alined laterally but the bar was still twisted upward (most likely because the axle was sagging). After a lot of banging and levering we broke out the pipe wrench and were able to get a good enough grip on it to twist it back into place. It was a good feeling when that bolt finally went through!

Just thought I'd post that for anyone who runs into this problem again. Im thinking it might be time to start looking into an adj. track bar.
 
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