MMarty

I just installed a 2" leveling kit (spacers) with new lazar smith bushings and had a popping noise in the front end. I borrowed a 3/4" 4 foot long torque wrench and had to torque the track bar bolts to 190 ft-lbs to get it to stop popping. BUT, yesterday it popped twice going around a corner. Can I replace the factory bolts with some grade 8 bolts to get some real torque on them? Also I did use loc-tite on the bolts.

WildBill79

I replaced mine for the same reason. Whenever I tried to put a lot of torque on the factory bolt the head would round off and I was using the correct socket. I was able to find the correct bolt at a local bolt and nut store but they didn't carry it in grade 8 only one step below. I was able to torque these bolts down with everything I had and haven't had any popping or creaking noises yet.

Bill

Desert Dually

Dude! I had the exact same problem on mine, and had no idea what was making that horrendous popping noise, took me a few weeks to actually figure out what it was! With a 2 inch leveling kit, these trucks seem to put a LOT of stress on their trackbars. - I am on my 3rd one already. Have had other issues as well. What did you end up doing about the front shocks when you put the leveling kit in?

MMarty

I bought some pro-comp es9000 extended length shocks. I like the way they ride and got them cheap.

ptgarcia

You need to pick up a Thuren track bar. It'll be the last one you buy.

jjoiner

Does any one know what size the bolts are that hold the trac bar on? Thinking about replacing mine as well. Thanks

jjoiner

^^^^ Anybody^^^^

XLR8R

The factory track bar brackets are too thin to adequately support the sideloads transferred to the track bar from the axle & frame through the track bar bolts. Additionally, the OEM track bar bolts have a short shoulder that only engages one side of the bracket - the other end only has the edge of the threads to contact the hole's bore. Since the bolts are harder than the steel brackets, they ovalize the holes over time, especially if there's insufficient clamping torque generated on the mounting brackets by the track bar bolt & tabbed nut.

The soft rubber OEM bushings mask this movement (and it's associated noise), since they are designed more for NVH than high-performance positive-location of the axle under the frame. Clamping force generated by the track bar bolt torque can magnify the noise as a result of stiction between the bushings and track bar brackets - the bolts won't move in the bracket holes until sufficient sideload is developed to cross the static friction's threshold. The noise can be hard to diagnose, since even .010" of movement with hundreds of pounds of force behind it can produce an audible tap or tactile click through the steering wheel. Since there are a number of other factors that can cause a low-speed, transient steering monaural noise, the easiest way to check for it is to carefully watch both ends of the trackbar and it's mounting bolts in relation to both the axle & frame brackets for unwanted movement while an assistant turns the steering wheel back & forth (engine on, of course).

Ideally, the track bar brackets should be barely large enough to accept the bushing (& shim, if needed) so that the clamping force generated by bolt torque is exerted on the bushing instead of the outer sides of the brackets.

Besides torquing the heck out of the track bar bolts (the usual fix), the best repair is to either weld tab reinforcements onto the brackets (making them thicker) & use long-shoulder bolts (what we normally do at the shop), or use toothed lockwashers that bite into the brackets for a cheaper bolt-on solution.

BMH95

So basically, you're saying that the bushing sleeve needs to be a bit wider so you can crank the pressure down on the sleeve, rather than bending in the sides of the bracket?

(I have a low speed thudding noise that I can't find right now, in both sides. I just replaced the BJ's, UJ's, and Hubs. I still have the noise.)

XLR8R

Yes.

Remember, this particular phenomenom will happen just once during each low speed transient steering cycle.

jjoiner

How does this help??

XLR8R

The toothed lockwashers, which are affixed to the mounting bolts, bite into the surface of the brackets when clamp load is applied via bolt torque. This helps prevent the bushing, which is affixed to the track bar, from moving in relation to the axle & frame brackets.

jjoiner

Gotcha XLR8R, Thanks!!! What size dia. are the bolts?

XLR8R

The bolts are metric, of course, but 9/16" will Git-R-Dun (don't forget to match threads).



Also, if you either drive through high water or soak the track bar with the garden hose, the noise will be easier to reproduce if it's caused by the bolts moving in the brackets (the water's lubricity reduces the stiction's breaking threshold... spilling diesel on the frame end from the yellow sampling valve on the fuel filter will have the same effect).