valb97008

Just recently I had an issue with my tie rod. Passenger side end pretty much gave it's final notice and broke. I went ahead and ordered the Steer Smarts XD from Yeti which I replace immediately. Then I ordered the Steer Smarts XD non-drill top mount drag link by Yeti, and Teraflex HD ball joints; just because., My ball joints were still good as well as my drag link, but I figured, why not. Then while at the shop I decided to replace the u-joints as well.
Here is the list of all new parts on my Jeep
- RC adjustable forged track bar front & back
- RC Steering Steering Stabilizer
- RC Shocks & Springs
- Skyjacker sway bar endlinks front and back
- Steer Smarts Tie Rod
- Steer Smarts Drag Link non-drilled top mount
- Teraflex HD ball joints
- Moog UJoints
Now, here is the weird thing. The handling of my jeep is really strange now. It used to be pretty solid when I would hit uneven dips in the road. Now the whole jeep seems to rock and feel kind of loose. I did have it aligned. Actually aligned twice being the mechanic that put the ball joints, ujoints, and drag link in didn't torque down or hit the driver side tie rod with the impact gun which resulted in a serious case of bump steer and the tie rod almost coming off the jeep. I've since corrected that and had it aligned again, but still. My jeep seems a bit free moving. I was thinking steering box, or perhaps because the drag link is the top mount instead of bottom mount.
I'm just curious if anyone else has had issues after replacing pretty much most of the steering linkage.

Thanks

**** Need to add, it has a 2.5" lift for over a year and after I replaced the tie rod it handled fine. It was after the drag link, ball joints, and ujoints were replaced and it was aligned that the handling completely changed ****

nthinuf

Caster is not corrected? Post the specs from the most recent alignment.

From your other thread, 2.5" coils, correct? And you flipped the draglink to the top of the knuckle? Did you raise the trackbar at the same time using a bracket? Those bars need to remain parallel to each other, if you raised one, you need to raise the other. But, at 2.5", why did you flip? (maybe the steersmart setup is different, but most flips will tell you they need around 3.5" of lift for clearance with the frame, as well as taller bumpstops.)

There have also been some posts about wonky steering until the new balljoints were broken in, but if I remember right that was stiffer steering/not returning to center.

resharp001

I can't say I've seen a lot of these reports with TF joints, yet at least. "tight" steering as nthinuf highlights, is very common after new BJs. The wheel does not want to return to center very well and it feels like you're constantly correcting. Some think of it as the steering being "loose" cuz you're all over the road, but it's just cuz the BJs can be little tight till broken in (500-1000 miles).

Agree.....usually you're not getting in to a flip until at least 3". I have that same Yeti26 and it's no different than any other flip....except that I know it doesn't come with a raised TB bracket, so if you don't know better you can definitely screw up these angles by not raising the TB at the same time. Assuming that both the TB and DL are raised, the real drawback to flipping with not enough lift is going to be major interference with your DL hitting your frame as the passenger side tire travels up while off road.

Can you snap a picture from the front for us, so we can see the TB relative to the DL?

Having an installer disregard torque specs, or just forget to torque something sure doesn't help the situation. That is the kinda crap you shouldn't have to worry about when you pay someone money to do the job.

BoraBora

Agreed. Why did you flip your drag link? Not everything is an 'upgrade.'

Sounds like you didn't raise your trackbar bracket, which is why your Jeep is handling poorly. Instead of suggesting that you raise your trackbar bracket upfront, I suggest you un-flip your drag link (since you bought the no-drill kind). People flip their drag links to fix bumpsteer issues, which it sounds like you've never had. Furthermore, flipping it is very disadvantageous for anyone under 4" of lift, as you now limited your up-travel (your drag link will hit the frame under articulation). That's why most of the folks who flip their drag links are either lifted sky high, or they notch their frame and box it.

TLDR; un-flip your drag link.

valb97008

The drag link was suggested. I'm just learning about steering and suspension. Motors I know, but all the underneath is a whole new wok to me. Other than buying another drag link what can I do to flip it back? Will buying another end work?

current setup.

Sltimmins

As said above but can now confirm you have the track bar in the stock location with the draglink flipped which is causing your handling problems as those bars are no longer parallel. If you get a bracket to raise the trackbar it should go back to normal again but I would put the draglink back under the knuckle.

valb97008

I'm trying to find out if I can just purchase the bottom mount outer drag link end and "swap" them. Seems like only the Yeti site has the part and trying to call them is really frustrating. No one answers their phones. I will keep the top mount being I eventually want to go to a 4" lift in the future.

resharp001

I'm in and out of so many threads, so sorry if I don't recall from a previous thread........is there something wrong with your factory DL? If not, just slap that back on for the time being.

You're in the middle of a sharp learning curve. Just consider this a lump along the way.

I would rather look for a factory take off DL, or even purchase a regular mount DL all together if your old one is shot. Even if you can, buying just the knuckle end in a bottom mount version is going to be cash in the trash cuz nobody is going to have a use for that end when you pull it off. At least with a full DL, you can sell it for 2/3 to 3/4 of the new cost. What you might consider is just selling that DL all together, and buying the Synergy unit as that can be used either in factory location or flipped. Not a major fan of Synergy myself, but that is an attractive feature to their unit that sets it apart from the rest.

BlueBaby

Yes you can, I have before

BlueBaby

https://steersmarts.com/collections/...d-bottom-mount