The track bar on the front suspension of your Jeep is responsible for centering the front axle housing under the Jeep. The coil spring suspension uses a five-link system with four control arms and a track bar to allow the axle to travel up and down without allowing movement front to back or side to side. The track bar uses a ball stud and joint on the frame end and a bushing and bolt mount on the axle end to mount it. It can be changed quickly with a few tools, and a new track bar can be purchased from Jeep or some aftermarket retailers.
Lift the front axle of your Jeep with a jack and place a set of jack stands under the truck to support it. Locate the track bar running from the frame on the drivers side of the Jeep down to the axle housing on the passenger side of the Jeep.
Remove the cotter pin from the ball stud on the frame end of the track bar with a pair of pliers and discard it. Remove the castle nut from the ball stud with a socket and ratchet and discard the nut. The new track bar will come with a new nut.
Place a ball joint separator between the track bar and the frame mounting bracket, and strike it with a hammer until the ball stud releases from the bracket.
Locate and remove the bolt and nut on the axle end of the track bar. Use a socket and ratchet on the bolt while holding the nut with a wrench to remove them. Lift the track bar out of the mounting bracket and discard.
Install the new track bar into the mount on the axle housing and install the bolts and nut hand tight. Install the ball stud into the frame mount and install the castle nut hand tight on the stud.
Remove the jack stands and lower the Jeep to the ground.Tighten the bolt on the axle housing end of the bar to 55 foot-pounds with a torque wrench then tighten the nut on the ball stud to 35 foot-pounds.
Install a new cotter pin into the ball stud and bend the end over with a pair of pliers to retain the nut.
