MALPASSEDlokol
New member
Hey guys, so..
Starting with a little overview here. I have put together and taken apart my Rough Country 4.5" IFS sus lift twice now (rolled a runner). Just started having an issue last week in the rear for the first time in a couple years of running this lift, and now that I can see what is really happening I want to take preventive measures to protect my equipment for the long haul (rear diff, Driveshaft, Ujoints, Pinion, ect)
So what was happening is every time i would start from a stop with any sudden acceleration or hitting bumps I could feel my rear end making an abrupt shift that resulted in relatively bad sounding CLICK/CRACK/BINDING sounds. It got worse over three days before I got under it. I could push the rig back and forth in Park and simulate the sound accurately. The whole rear axle was twisting back and forth as momentum shifts which was rolling the rear diff up and down, putting a significant amount of binding pressure on the rear driveshaft. After some forum searching and basic knowledge, I had hopefully narrowed the issue down to a some mixture of bad Ujoints, possibly loose pinion nut, bad pinion bearing and seal.
After pulling out my driveshaft, the Ujoints were absolutely shot and I experienced a "duh, im glad that's all it was" moment. I checked my pinion bearing and seal while it was apart and they seemed in good condition so didn't mess with those any further. I cleaned up and swapped in my spare driveshaft I had laying around from Terra's donor parts, and the diff/axle rotation was almost completely gone and NO MORE CLICK/CRACKING sounds. However, after a test drive of quick acceleration bursts I could still feel and hear some binding in the rear end. Sure enough I got under it and found ALL 4 of my Rear Control Arms were substantially loose for whatever reason. (just torqued down all my lift components a few months ago with minimal off-roading since). After I re-torqued, NO MORE BINDING and the axle/diff now has next to no play/rotation.
**FINALLY to my question.. So the 4.5" lift i run came with new rear upper control arms. BUT, they are the same exact size as stock 2nd gen upper control arms. With this size of a lift, I think those control arms are too short in the sense that they leave the rear diff at more downward angle that puts unnecessary/unwanted pressure on the rear driveshaft and wears out your Ujoints, Pinion, Driveshaft, Differential, ect over time. What I want optimally is to use a more heavy duty/longer, possibly adjustable rear upper control arm so that the axle/diff rotates back a little more and puts a steeper angle on the Differential in connection to the Driveshaft. I just want to prevent a possible diff blow out and unnecessary stress on equipment over time. I'm wondering if anyone knows anything in regards to upgrading rear upper control arms? Who makes them? Custom Fab? Suggestions/Advice? ALSO any suggestions on the best bushings out there?! Brand? Polyurethane? I've looked into the upgraded rear control arms all over this forum and google and have come up dry for 2nd gens. Any help would be great!
Starting with a little overview here. I have put together and taken apart my Rough Country 4.5" IFS sus lift twice now (rolled a runner). Just started having an issue last week in the rear for the first time in a couple years of running this lift, and now that I can see what is really happening I want to take preventive measures to protect my equipment for the long haul (rear diff, Driveshaft, Ujoints, Pinion, ect)
So what was happening is every time i would start from a stop with any sudden acceleration or hitting bumps I could feel my rear end making an abrupt shift that resulted in relatively bad sounding CLICK/CRACK/BINDING sounds. It got worse over three days before I got under it. I could push the rig back and forth in Park and simulate the sound accurately. The whole rear axle was twisting back and forth as momentum shifts which was rolling the rear diff up and down, putting a significant amount of binding pressure on the rear driveshaft. After some forum searching and basic knowledge, I had hopefully narrowed the issue down to a some mixture of bad Ujoints, possibly loose pinion nut, bad pinion bearing and seal.
After pulling out my driveshaft, the Ujoints were absolutely shot and I experienced a "duh, im glad that's all it was" moment. I checked my pinion bearing and seal while it was apart and they seemed in good condition so didn't mess with those any further. I cleaned up and swapped in my spare driveshaft I had laying around from Terra's donor parts, and the diff/axle rotation was almost completely gone and NO MORE CLICK/CRACKING sounds. However, after a test drive of quick acceleration bursts I could still feel and hear some binding in the rear end. Sure enough I got under it and found ALL 4 of my Rear Control Arms were substantially loose for whatever reason. (just torqued down all my lift components a few months ago with minimal off-roading since). After I re-torqued, NO MORE BINDING and the axle/diff now has next to no play/rotation.
**FINALLY to my question.. So the 4.5" lift i run came with new rear upper control arms. BUT, they are the same exact size as stock 2nd gen upper control arms. With this size of a lift, I think those control arms are too short in the sense that they leave the rear diff at more downward angle that puts unnecessary/unwanted pressure on the rear driveshaft and wears out your Ujoints, Pinion, Driveshaft, Differential, ect over time. What I want optimally is to use a more heavy duty/longer, possibly adjustable rear upper control arm so that the axle/diff rotates back a little more and puts a steeper angle on the Differential in connection to the Driveshaft. I just want to prevent a possible diff blow out and unnecessary stress on equipment over time. I'm wondering if anyone knows anything in regards to upgrading rear upper control arms? Who makes them? Custom Fab? Suggestions/Advice? ALSO any suggestions on the best bushings out there?! Brand? Polyurethane? I've looked into the upgraded rear control arms all over this forum and google and have come up dry for 2nd gens. Any help would be great!
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