Jeep Articles / Technical and Installation (Energy Suspension Rear Trackbar Bushings)

Energy Suspension Rear Trackbar Bushings

Article written by Dr. Jones

Date Added: 11/19/2007

Stop the wag!

As time went by, and the miles piled up on our daily driver TJ, we noticed an odd sort of ?wagging? in the back end. I call it a ?wagging? because the rear end of the Jeep would shift side to side when hitting even the slightest bump in the road. The problem was even more noticeable off road when the bumps got bigger.

After some scientific diagnosis techniques (having a friend shake the Jeep back and forth while lying underneath it), we determined that the bushings on both ends of the rear trackbar were totally shot. Not wanting to replace stock parts with more OEM parts on a Jeep that sees a lot of trail time, we put in an order for Energy Suspension polyurethane replacement bushings.

Installation

1. Jack up the rear of the vehicle and put jack stands under the frame. Keep the floor jack under the rear diff.

You want the jack stands under the frame to support the Jeep while still allowing you to move the axle with the floor jack.

2. Remove the rear tires.

3. Spray the trackbar bolts with PB Blaster, and get a drink while it soaks in.

4. Unbolt and remove the trackbar. Take note of which way it was oriented.

Varying the height of the axle with the floor jack will allow you to release the tension on the bolts.

5. Now the unpleasant part; unless your stock bushings are already in pieces, they are nearly impossible to remove. The factory rubber is too springy to pound them out, and there isn?t enough of a lip to pry them out. Since ours were still intact, they took a little?. persuasion... Okay we set them on fire.

6. We heated up the inner sleeve with a torch until it could be pulled out of the rubber bushing. This relieves some of the tension and frees up space to crush the rest of the bushing. With the outer rubber burned away, we were able to get a chisel on the outer lip of the bushing. We then pounded the edges of the bushing in until they cleared the lip of the trackbar and pounded them out.

The OEM bushings have a metal sleeve with a lip that prevents them from being inserted too far at the factory.

7. It?s a stinky, messy process; but it actually went pretty quickly. Repeat for both ends of the trackbar.

8. Next prep the new poly bushings for installation by applying the lube included with the kit.

9. Press both halves of the bushings into the trackbar.

10. Lube and push in the metal sleeve. Repeat for both ends of the trackbar.

11. Put the trackbar back in place on the back of the Jeep. You remember which way it went right?

Again, varying the height of the axle with the floor jack will help you get everything aligned.

12. Torque the bolts, put the tires back on, remove the jack stands, and take it for a test drive.

Installation Issues

Aside from the incredibly stubborn stock rubber bushings, it was a really smooth install.

Final Thoughts

The difference was immediately noticeable. The back end of the Jeep stayed right where it was supposed to driving on the bumpiest of roads. The Jeep felt more secure and stable and tracked straighter down the road. I can?t say enough good things about this repair, especially for the under $20 cost!

Energy Suspension part #2.7103r (r=red). Rear Track Arm Bushing. Good for all Jeep TJs 1997-2006.

Purchase / Vendor Info

Vendor Name:	Autozone
Address:	Local Purchase , UT
Website:	http://http://www.autozone.com/home.htm