I have two connecting rods that go from a bracket on the driver's side frame rail to the passenger side frame rail; they are both attached to a bolt on the bottom of the passenger side rail (a bolt that goes clear through the rail vertically), and to a bracket attached to the bottom of the driver's side frame rail. I am not in front of the jeep right this instant, but I believe the bracket on the driver's side is then where the front trackbar attaches. Oh yeah, I'm talking about a '97 TJ here that has a 4" short-arm Pro-Comp lift on it.
Anyway, I'm getting a lot of loud ticking and clicking when turning and when changing the direction of the wheel (turn back and forth) while standing still. The clicking doesn't seem to be coming from the steering linkage or from the trackbar itself; it seems to be coming from these two horizontal bracing (I'm assuming that's what they're for) rods.
What could be wrong with them? How do I fix this? Do I have to get all new bracing rods? I checked the bolts where these rods affix, and all seems tight, so I'm stumped. I wouldn't normally worry about it, but when I hear noises this loud while turning my steering wheel, I want to find the cause, lest my steering fall apart while I'm driving down the highway, or, worse, while I'm driving down Cliffhanger at Moab this next weekend!
Thanks for any suggestions.
/Bob