The sway bar is one of the most important components of your car. It ensures that your jeep does not roll more when taking handling turns. As the jeep wrangler sway bar needs to be worked with its other parts, you will face some mechanical issues over time.
The article will help you identify jeep wrangler sway bar problems and possible fixes.
What does a sway bar do on a Jeep Wrangler?
A sway bar is also known as a torsion bar, anti-roll bar, or stabilizer bar. It has three main parts: sway bar, sway bar links, and bushings. It is connected with the chassis and the rest of the vehicle.
The main task of the sway bar is preventing side to side leaning, lateral, or swaying of your jeep wrangler when you are willing to take turns or drive over rough terrain. In addition, the busing ensures the connection of the sway bar is smooth with the rest of the vehicle parts.
Common problems with Jeep Wranglers sway bar and possible fixes
Sway bar works the other two parts: sway bar links and bushings, so sometimes the sway bar will fail to work due to the issue of those parts. Here are a few possible problems you might face with the jeep wrangler and a few potential fixes.
1. Sway bar link broken
Most of the time, sway bar issues occur due to sway bar links. You will find the sway bar links in the lower control arm in the front end of most of the vehicle.
You can easily inspect whether the sway bar links ok or not by turning its steering wheel all the way left and right. If your wrangler makes clunking sounds like pop, then your car sway bar might get damaged. But, if you find that it only shakes or rattles when braking, the issue happens due to calipers or rotors.
Though the noise does not come for sway bar link issues, your car will make a rattle while going over bumps. It will happen when you are going more than 30+ mph, indicating the sway bar links issue.
The sway bar ensures more stability and decreases body roll when cornering. If there is an issue with your sway bar, you will face a hard time cornering.
In such conditions, you might need to replace your sway bar links.
Must need equipment
Replacement process
- First, you need to access the sway bar links. You will notice that the top of the linked rubber is completely separated or corroded, which causes the failure.
- Now you need to remove the sway bar links which you find at the bottom of the sway bar linkage mount. It is close to the steering stabilizer.
- Now, you need to clean the location properly.
- Now place the new sway bar links in the old bar links using the sockets.
If you are confused, then check out the video.
If you own the Jeep Jk Rubicon, which comes with an electric auto sway bar, check out the video to fix it.
2. Sway bar bushing crack or damage
It is tough to say whether your vehicle’s sway bar bushing has an issue or not because the symptoms of both problems are quite some. You will hear some squeaking sound coming from the wheel, and that might happen when you are trying to go over bumps.
If the busing has any fault, then you cannot repair it. You need to replace it. For this, you need to collect sway bar bushing which does not cost you much.
To easily replace the sway bar bushing check out the video.
Can you drive a Jeep wrangler without a sway bar?
Sway bars allow you to do the cornering task more smoothly and risk-free. But, if you disconnect or have a jeep wrangler without a sway bar, you can drive the car without facing any issue.
Though you will feel uncomfortable without a sway bar, it is not uncontrollable. However, for this condition, try to minimize the speed of your wrangler or maintain legal posted speeds for safety.
Does sway bar affect alignment?
Yes, sway bars affect alignment. The sway bar is a suspension component that connects the front and rear of the vehicle. It helps in controlling body roll when driving on rough terrain or during high-speed driving. It also helps in reducing bounce and rebound caused by road surface irregularities.
Can you drive with a bad sway bar?
If the sway bar breaks, you can drive your wrangler or any other jeep without having any issues. But, you need to avoid driving the car at high speeds. Otherwise, you might lose control of your vehicle.
How much does it cost to replace sway bars in a Jeep wrangler?
You do not need to spend more than 50 bucks if you have any issue with your car’s jeep wrangler. However, if your wrangler sway bar has any issue and you want to fix it yourself, you just need to spend money for parts. It will cost you around $50.
However, if you like to fix issues in the service center, you need to add another $39 to $49 for labor costs. Again, it will depend on the year you own the wrangler and the condition.
Final Words
The sway bar is an important component of your vehicle when you are cornered through high speed. Otherwise, you might face a serious accident. For this, if your jeep wrangler faces any issue with the sway bar, it is important to fix it as soon as possible. I hope the article will help you in this regard.
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