Sway bar end link too close to coil spring

[Duncan Moody]

The top ends of the sway bar end links are hitting the coil springs, and I am looking for input on the cause and how to correct it.  Bent the top of the link and chewed up the bushings.  Sway bar mount is adjusted as far forward as screw slots allow.  I've seen longer links on other vehicles that bring the sway bar up and away from the spring.  Is that a reasonable solution?  Sway bar with shorter arms?  Something else?

Thanks

1989 Pioneer long bed. 4.5" lift installed by previous owner.

[watchamakalit]

It needs extended links to compensate for the lift. The sway bar should sit level iirc. This is one of these commonly overlooked things when installing a lift it seems.

[75sv1]

The setup looks bad from the photos. I would agree with the above post. Looks like the setup tries to use extension blocks instead of extended links.  Or extended link brackets. Sort of what is used in OTK setups. The other thing I might be seeing, is that one of the links if 180 turned around. So, instead of putting the swaybar end towards the frame, its towards the spring. A bit hard to tell from the photo.

[Duncan Moody]

Thank you both.  Makes sense.  I'll investigate those further.  Here are a few more photos that shows the setup.  I think the end of the link is bent rather than reversed, but I will check.  Sorry some are upside-down - couldn't fix... 

Duncan

[75sv1]

In the second set of photos, even though upside down. The swaybar links look installed correctly. They should have a bend in them or be angled.  I would try to remove the extended brackets and get the length of swaybar links for the height of your lift. Also, I'm trying to see the lower control arm.

[Duncan Moody]

Thanks for the input.  There is a jog left-right in the link shaft, but not front to back - except the left side link which was bent at the upper mounting point toward the spring by force.  More pics...

[AZJeff]

The sway bar proper supposed to have it's end (where the round hole for the sway bar link is located) positioned so it is parallel to the ground when the Jeep is at normal ride height.   As one begins putting lift on the vehicle, and increases the ride height, it begins to pull the end of the sway bar downwards.   The fix for that, of course, are extended sway bar links.

 

HOWEVER....as the lift above normal ride height becomes more significant (and 4 inches is pretty significant), just adding longer links won't keep the sway bar from interfering with the spring.  The fix for that is to reposition the sway bar mount where it attaches to the chassis further down and further FORWARD.

 

Your Jeep has brackets that reposition the bar further down on the chassis, but they need to have an offset to reposition the bar mounting locations so the bar is moved forward slightly as well.

 

One last thing you might want to check before you dive into relocating the sway bar on the chassis and/or putting on longer sway bar end links:   Is your caster set up correctly, and is your wheelbase correct per factory specifications?  I ask this because the photos show you having adjustable control arms on the vehicle, and all of that can be fiddled with to create the proper caster and wheelbase when they are installed.  

 

And likewise, if they are not adjusted properly when they are installed, they can create all sorts of incorrect dimensions an angles that can make getting the sway bar to line up and function correctly almost impossible.

 

I say all of this because I went through your pain on my MJ a few years back trying to straighten out what a previous owner had done (or not done.)

[gogmorgo]

X2 on making sure your control

arms are set up correctly. 
I also had my sway bar contacting my spring with all stock components, but not too severely, just the occasional twong if I hit a big enough bump while going around a tight enough corner at certain speeds. My issue was the sway bar was bent. My guess is someone used it as a recovery point at some point. I noticed this while upgrading to a 28mm ZJ sway bar, that the ZJ bar was straight between the bushings, but mine had a curve to it. Didn’t have it contact after that. 

Failing everything else you can buy sway bar relocation brackets, or build them yourself, to move the sway bar away from the axle. It’s similar in concept to what you already have, but the holes for the sway bar are offset horizontally more than they are vertically. Often they’re a solid block rather than C-channel, with the frame bolts countersunk and the bracket holes tapped. 

Just a couple examples pulled from Google. 

 

As a P/S, if you’re uploading from an iPhone and you notice your pics are upside down, edit the picture and rotate it four times, so it ends up back the way it was and save it, then reupload. Something about how iOS records the orientation doesn’t agree with the forum every time, but they always work out after spinning them around. 

[75sv1]

 

LIFT......LCAs......UCAs

 

Stock....15.75"....15.00"

2"........15.92"....14.88"

3"........16.09"....14.92"

4"........16.33"....15.03"

4.5".....16.47"....15.11"

5"........16.62"....15.21"

6"........16.97"....15.44"

7"........17.36"....15.74"

8"........17.81"....16.09"

9"........18.30"....16.50"

10"......18.82"....16.96"

See if this helps. Should be able to measure with a tape measure from bolt center to bolt center.

[Duncan Moody]

On 4/29/2023 at 9:35 AM, AZJeff said:

The sway bar proper supposed to have it's end (where the round hole for the sway bar link is located) positioned so it is parallel to the ground when the Jeep is at normal ride height.   As one begins putting lift on the vehicle, and increases the ride height, it begins to pull the end of the sway bar downwards.   The fix for that, of course, are extended sway bar links.

 

HOWEVER....as the lift above normal ride height becomes more significant (and 4 inches is pretty significant), just adding longer links won't keep the sway bar from interfering with the spring.  The fix for that is to reposition the sway bar mount where it attaches to the chassis further down and further FORWARD.

 

Your Jeep has brackets that reposition the bar further down on the chassis, but they need to have an offset to reposition the bar mounting locations so the bar is moved forward slightly as well.

 

One last thing you might want to check before you dive into relocating the sway bar on the chassis and/or putting on longer sway bar end links:   Is your caster set up correctly, and is your wheelbase correct per factory specifications?  I ask this because the photos show you having adjustable control arms on the vehicle, and all of that can be fiddled with to create the proper caster and wheelbase when they are installed.  

 

And likewise, if they are not adjusted properly when they are installed, they can create all sorts of incorrect dimensions an angles that can make getting the sway bar to line up and function correctly almost impossible.

 

I say all of this because I went through your pain on my MJ a few years back trying to straighten out what a previous owner had done (or not done.)

Thanks!  I appreciate the info.

[Duncan Moody]

Closing the loop, I added JKS adjustable sway bar end links, and all seems happy now.  Thanks again for the input everyone.

[Mark Serva]

I think it's all been said. However, your first pic look like straight links. Most and my link have and offset bends in them. Still, the anti-sway/roll bar looks too long. Am hoping you can just drill another couple of holes in your after-market brakets. 

 

Also, at the risk of stealing your thread--what about just deleting the sway bar entirely? I think it's better off-road. However, if you do much highway, especially lifted you might need it to recover from a death defying swerve. 

[AZJeff]

2 hours ago, Mark Serva said:

I think it's all been said. However, your first pic look like straight links. Most and my link have and offset bends in them. Still, the anti-sway/roll bar looks too long. Am hoping you can just drill another couple of holes in your after-market brakets. 

 

Also, at the risk of stealing your thread--what about just deleting the sway bar entirely? I think it's better off-road. However, if you do much highway, especially lifted you might need it to recover from a death defying swerve. 

Deleting a sway bar on a lifted vehicle is a VERY bad idea.   Yeah, sway bars inhibit articulation over off-road obstacles, but they also LIMIT SWAY of the body in turns, and that's VERY important as the vehicle speed and ride height increase.

 

If you want more articulation for off road, but some quick disconnect sway bar links from JKS or other suppliers.  DO NOT ditch the sway bar.