today I installed my 3“ RockKrawler lift kit. I collected the car at the shop (new shop which I do not know). I drove it hope about 30 km home and was the happiest guy, car drives nice, looks good (also installed 1.5“ spacers) and the ride was smooth – even though alignment will be done only tomorrow.
The last 300 meters to my home are a sandy road, with bumps and so forth, and suddely a lot of mechanical noise. Sh*t!! thought my front end is falling apart.
Arriving home I took a look under the front, and I see that the sway bar is touching (almost) the bolts of the new suspension fork (the one that „grab“ the shock“). There is just a few mm of space between them, so when the suspension is moving, they will touch. At least the source is identified.
I checked the other side and a similar picture, but here more space. So i checked the sway bar position and it was slightly „out of center“. Quit easy I could move it back (marks of the brushing were visible). Maybe if the swaybar was 100% central (and fix) it might be passing the nuts, but also this would actually be to tight of a fit.
Any idea what I can do? Is the swaybar always „floting left/right“ or can (should) it be fixed?
What about the (new) extensions of the sway bar they seem awfully long, would they be shorter there would be no clearance problem.
What elso could the shop guy done wrong? Don’t forget I live in the UAE.
I believe the swaybar is designed to have a small amount of side-side movement (if you look closely you'll see stops welded to the swaybar on the outside of each bushing mount - there is approximately 1/8" or so of clearance on each side.
I hate to tell you but over at www.LOSTKJs.com we have had numerous problems with RC and BAD customer service. They were selling the same kind of lift (strut clevis extension) for the Liberty CRDs without test fitting...they don't work and they insisted it was an install problem.
I hate to tell you but over at www.LOSTKJs.com we have had numerous problems with RC and BAD customer service. They were selling the same kind of lift (strut clevis extension) for the Liberty CRDs without test fitting...they don't work and they insisted it was an install problem.
I know the two most respected lift companies for the XJ are Rubicon Express and Old Man Emu (ARB). Unfortunately neither are making lifts for the XK yet.
thanks for the feedback. I read the post, and surly it read like hell - To be honest, I called them yesterday, and since then they seem really supportive by sending pictures and giving hints. Today I will try to test their hints and lets see what will happen. The flaw of the system seems to be that it is really tight in some places, which I feel will make the smallest tolerance end up in "desster".
today I managed to get my swaybar fixed. Actually, the shop I had the car was not very clever, but also the kit (especially the quality of the instructions) is not perfect – in the end it is working eventhough the clearance between sway bar and bolt on one side is zero. Tech support was OK – no problems here.
Later today I might put some sort of a 3 mm spacer under the sway bar frame mounting, that should fix the problem and bring the bar to slightly front and allow free movement.
Below please find some picture of my Commander with the 3“ Lift and 1,5“ spidertrax spacers. RockKrawler nowadays does not supply spacers for the rear but include new springs along with the shocks. Comfort is very good (no difference) just that I have the feeling the car is hanging a bit in the back. Pictures are poor quality taken with my phone, and I had kids and wife in the car, and some water in the trunk which might have let to bit more „hang“.
BTW, in the background of one picture you can see a bit of the Burj Al Arab, an landmark here in Dubai.
have been using the lift know for a good week and optically the car really looks fine. Also the drive is very smooth and stable, my only problem - or better said disliking is some noise while going offroad.
Would apreciate your help to identify it. It is like a CLACK CLACK when going through deep ditches. I have the feeling it happens when a the suspention gets heavly compressed or expanded.
I lifted the car, everything seems fine, the swaybar is not touching, everything seems firm. Any idea what it can be?? Are the suspention stops on expansion? maybe it is getting into these?! Any hint please ....
Its not loud, just sounds like a "dry" brushing.
Tomi
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