bob1340 said:
You can keep the rig on the ground and simply unbolt one control arm at a time to check for excessive cracking, weak bushing centers and oblonged holes .
Checking stock CA bushings?
I did a search and came up with nothing.
What is the procedure to check the bushings?
I am pretty sure mine are getting bad, but not sure how to check them.
Wheels on ground?
Weight off the Jeep?
I'm looking for an excuse to get either Rokmen or Currie CA's with Johnny Joints all the way around.
I have a little wobble at 40 mph. I just rotated the tires and re-balanced them and it is better now, but still there. The track bar has a new 1/2" bushing on the axle side and the JJ on the frame side was just serviced and is okay. The stabilizer is the stock unit.
I don't have many miles on this '06 LJ, but I do a lot of high articulation trails on the stock arms and I am guessing the bushings are all flexed out.
Also, Rokmen or Currie? The price difference with the weld on upper front conversion so I can replace the bushings with johnny joints is about $170.00 with the Rokmen being the higher price. I know the joints are the same, but the Rokmen appear much stronger but the Currie's may save some weight. Advice?
What is the procedure to check the bushings?
I am pretty sure mine are getting bad, but not sure how to check them.
Wheels on ground?
Weight off the Jeep?
I'm looking for an excuse to get either Rokmen or Currie CA's with Johnny Joints all the way around.
I have a little wobble at 40 mph. I just rotated the tires and re-balanced them and it is better now, but still there. The track bar has a new 1/2" bushing on the axle side and the JJ on the frame side was just serviced and is okay. The stabilizer is the stock unit.
I don't have many miles on this '06 LJ, but I do a lot of high articulation trails on the stock arms and I am guessing the bushings are all flexed out.
Also, Rokmen or Currie? The price difference with the weld on upper front conversion so I can replace the bushings with johnny joints is about $170.00 with the Rokmen being the higher price. I know the joints are the same, but the Rokmen appear much stronger but the Currie's may save some weight. Advice?
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
You can keep the rig on the ground and simply unbolt one control arm at a time to check for excessive cracking, weak bushing centers and oblonged holes .
Cool, so you visually inspect them? I was looking at seeing if they had too much flex with a crow bar but I guess there really is no parameters on that.gregert12 said:bob1340 said:What is the procedure to check the bushings?
I am pretty sure mine are getting bad, but not sure how to check them.
Wheels on ground?
Weight off the Jeep??
You can keep the rig on the ground and simply unbolt one control arm at a time to check for excessive cracking, weak bushing centers and oblonged holes .
bob1340 said:Cool, so you visually inspect them? I was looking at seeing if they had too much flex with a crow bar but I guess there really is no parameters on that.
I got ya. Normally you can see the bushing just to confirm if it is shot but if you like, you can loosen the bolts and try to pry the control arm away from the axle tube.
Bob-
I've replaced MANY sets of stock take offs in my rig before upgrading to the curries. I'd kill the factory bushings in literally one or two good wheeling trips. They don't like big flex over tough terrain. You can grab some of them by hand and move them in the mount-rotating a bit but even brand new ones will move a little. Best is to pull them and inspect visually. They'll appear either ovalled out, oblong/egg shaped around teh sleeve, sleeve torn loose entirely, dry rot looking cracks, etc., etc. are all signs that they're toast. They aren't strong enough to stabilize lateral movement and thus, lead to vibes. Replacing with the JJ's front/rear top/bottom at each end is your best bet-but yes, it's spendy.
As to which arms-both are great and it's a tough decision. I went Currie years ago because they were cheaper and the JJ's are standard part, not an upgrade for both ends. Rokmens are thick but also heavy. Is it needed? I don't know. I haven't broke any of my arms and I'd venture to say John has a pretty good idea of what it takes to run in the rocks. I did put a slight bend in both of my front lowers falling off a large boulder onto the arms but it hasn't effected a thing, everything is great, rock solid and no issues. The flip side to that is would a stouter arm that didn't give transmitted that damage elsewhere and possibly torn the mount from the axle or frame? Perhaps. Build something too stout and something has to give somewhere. I'm actually quite happy with my damage and impressed with how everything held up with the fall I took. A slight bend to the lowers is all I have to show for it-nothing broke which is great. If I had aftermarket mounts burned in to a sleeved tube where I had no concern of mounts tearing from the axle or frame, bomb proof arms wouldn't bother me. On the questionable factory mounts-something has to give. I'm glad I made it off the trail and continue to drive it without concern. For the price, I'd still go Currie and still highly recommend them. Do the front upper housing kit as well and don't look back. Several years on these arms with a ton of abuse and haven't done anything other than grease them on occassion. Still tight as the day I got them.
Best of Luck,
Mike
I've replaced MANY sets of stock take offs in my rig before upgrading to the curries. I'd kill the factory bushings in literally one or two good wheeling trips. They don't like big flex over tough terrain. You can grab some of them by hand and move them in the mount-rotating a bit but even brand new ones will move a little. Best is to pull them and inspect visually. They'll appear either ovalled out, oblong/egg shaped around teh sleeve, sleeve torn loose entirely, dry rot looking cracks, etc., etc. are all signs that they're toast. They aren't strong enough to stabilize lateral movement and thus, lead to vibes. Replacing with the JJ's front/rear top/bottom at each end is your best bet-but yes, it's spendy.
As to which arms-both are great and it's a tough decision. I went Currie years ago because they were cheaper and the JJ's are standard part, not an upgrade for both ends. Rokmens are thick but also heavy. Is it needed? I don't know. I haven't broke any of my arms and I'd venture to say John has a pretty good idea of what it takes to run in the rocks. I did put a slight bend in both of my front lowers falling off a large boulder onto the arms but it hasn't effected a thing, everything is great, rock solid and no issues. The flip side to that is would a stouter arm that didn't give transmitted that damage elsewhere and possibly torn the mount from the axle or frame? Perhaps. Build something too stout and something has to give somewhere. I'm actually quite happy with my damage and impressed with how everything held up with the fall I took. A slight bend to the lowers is all I have to show for it-nothing broke which is great. If I had aftermarket mounts burned in to a sleeved tube where I had no concern of mounts tearing from the axle or frame, bomb proof arms wouldn't bother me. On the questionable factory mounts-something has to give. I'm glad I made it off the trail and continue to drive it without concern. For the price, I'd still go Currie and still highly recommend them. Do the front upper housing kit as well and don't look back. Several years on these arms with a ton of abuse and haven't done anything other than grease them on occassion. Still tight as the day I got them.
Best of Luck,
Mike
[quote='05TJLWBRUBY]Bob-
As to which arms-both are great and it's a tough decision. I went Currie years ago because they were cheaper and the JJ's are standard part, not an upgrade for both ends. Rokmens are thick but also heavy. Is it needed? I don't know. Do the front upper housing kit as well and don't look back. Several years on these arms with a ton of abuse and haven't done anything other than grease them on occassion. Still tight as the day I got them.
Best of Luck,
Mike[/quote]
Thanks Mike. I think with the better flexing you get from a Johnny Joint the strain on the factory brackets is probably less than what you get with all the torsional force from the stock units on them. I am probably going to bite this bullet sometime soon. Did you go with the 1/2" bolt size bushings on the front uppers or use the 7/16"? Bob
As to which arms-both are great and it's a tough decision. I went Currie years ago because they were cheaper and the JJ's are standard part, not an upgrade for both ends. Rokmens are thick but also heavy. Is it needed? I don't know. Do the front upper housing kit as well and don't look back. Several years on these arms with a ton of abuse and haven't done anything other than grease them on occassion. Still tight as the day I got them.
Best of Luck,
Mike[/quote]
Thanks Mike. I think with the better flexing you get from a Johnny Joint the strain on the factory brackets is probably less than what you get with all the torsional force from the stock units on them. I am probably going to bite this bullet sometime soon. Did you go with the 1/2" bolt size bushings on the front uppers or use the 7/16"? Bob
I stuck with the standard 7/16" I think it was-whatever the regular package was that came with the front upper housing kit. Had to run the drill through the stock mounting holes at the frame-but it was only to clean it up-maybe took the paint off is all, it didn't do much. Was surprised the bolt wouldn't go directly through.
The JJ's definitely take the stress off the mounts. You'll be pleasantly surprised with the handling improvements as well...
Best of Luck,
Mike
The JJ's definitely take the stress off the mounts. You'll be pleasantly surprised with the handling improvements as well...
Best of Luck,
Mike
We just finished installing my Curries tonight,including the front axle kit.It drives like a new jeep.No squeeks,rattles or thumps and flexes like crazy on the backyard stumps 
Very cool. Did you use the Johnny Joint kit for the front uppers? 7/16" or 1/2" ? I think I am ordering this week. I like the Rokmen, but the Currie looks lighter. I got a new steering stabilizer today. Monroe SC2928 replacement. It looks a lot more substantial than the stock unit.ratster said:We just finished installing my Curries tonight,including the front axle kit.It drives like a new jeep.No squeeks,rattles or thumps and flexes like crazy on the backyard stumps
Well, I still have not pulled an arm and checked the bushings, but, I installed a Monroe SC2928 stabilizer shock and that sure seemed to cure the problem. I can't get it to wobble anymore now. I still wager my bushings are getting bad, but this "mask" makes the Jeep drivable for now. The Monroe is a direct replacement unit for the stock job, but it's much larger. The stock unit felt pretty wimpy once I had it out.
Yeah...the SC2928 is the way to go if you increase tire size.
$30.00 at Pep Boys.Red Dog Leader said:Yeah...the SC2928 is the way to go if you increase tire size.
You hit the nail on the head when you said "mask" the issue-it's only a bandaid for now-you'll need to replace those bushings or arms soon before things get worse. They WILL get worse unless repaired. Glad you're driveable again for now though. Is Blaine local to you? May give him a call if you decide to run the Currie stuff. With Savvy, he moves a fair amount of it and makes some pretty good deals.
Best of Luck,
Mike
Best of Luck,
Mike
[quote='05TJLWBRUBY]You hit the nail on the head when you said "mask" the issue-it's only a bandaid for now-you'll need to replace those bushings or arms soon before things get worse. They WILL get worse unless repaired. Glad you're driveable again for now though. Is Blaine local to you? May give him a call if you decide to run the Currie stuff. With Savvy, he moves a fair amount of it and makes some pretty good deals.
Best of Luck,
Mike[/quote]
I didn't know he sold stuff. Does he have a website? He's about 200 miles away.
Best of Luck,
Mike[/quote]
I didn't know he sold stuff. Does he have a website? He's about 200 miles away.
I didn't know he sold stuff. Does he have a website? He's about 200 miles away.[/quote]bob1340 said:[quote='05TJLWBRUBY]You hit the nail on the head when you said "mask" the issue-it's only a bandaid for now-you'll need to replace those bushings or arms soon before things get worse. They WILL get worse unless repaired. Glad you're driveable again for now though. Is Blaine local to you? May give him a call if you decide to run the Currie stuff. With Savvy, he moves a fair amount of it and makes some pretty good deals.
Best of Luck,
Mike
Yeah, Savvy Off-Road. Blaine's the designer/builder and Gerald handles the sales at Savvy-the other business stuff. He handles the design/build of the savvy aluminum parts, has some brake upgrades now and is a Currie dealer. Has some LED stuff as well. Here's the home page:
http://www.savvyoffroad.com/
If you do decide to go with Currie, be sure to at least talk with him to see what he can do.
Best of Luck,
Mike
[quote='05TJLWBRUBY]
Yeah, Savvy Off-Road. Blaine's the designer/builder and Gerald handles the sales at Savvy-the other business stuff. He handles the design/build of the savvy aluminum parts, has some brake upgrades now and is a Currie dealer. Has some LED stuff as well. Here's the home page:
http://www.savvyoffroad.com/
If you do decide to go with Currie, be sure to at least talk with him to see what he can do.
Best of Luck,
Mike[/quote]
Thanks. Good prices.
Yeah, Savvy Off-Road. Blaine's the designer/builder and Gerald handles the sales at Savvy-the other business stuff. He handles the design/build of the savvy aluminum parts, has some brake upgrades now and is a Currie dealer. Has some LED stuff as well. Here's the home page:
http://www.savvyoffroad.com/
If you do decide to go with Currie, be sure to at least talk with him to see what he can do.
Best of Luck,
Mike[/quote]
Thanks. Good prices.
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