Went to have the front drive axle trac rods replaced and guy working on it said he couldn't get new one to line up. Said holes on trac bar were off by 1/4" on the one side, which is the only one he attempted. I might attempt to do it myself this weekend. Any tricks to it or do I have something FUBAR..?? I'm talking about the rods that preserve alignment by the wheels, not the ones above the diffs.
Peterbilt Air-Trac, trac rods...
Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by Gambi80, Feb 27, 2013.
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Try loosening up the bolt that goes through the hanger for the rebound bumper it will pull the bolt holes together and you will fight trying to get the bolts for the lateral torque rods to line up. Also if yu got the newer style rods they are a little bit thiner where the bolts go through so be carefull when bolting them to the saddle mount on the axle where the bolts thread in because sometimes the bolt will tighten up but will not be tight on the rod because of junk in the threads. Just make sure when its tightened up that the washers are not loose on the bolts and you should be good.
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Don't forget to block rear drive axle and release brakes. So the front drive axle can pivet just a little to help line things up.
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If you have the means put two jack stands under the frame rails and let the suspension hang, this allows everything to hang even. Leave the bolts that go into the rear housing loose, to give you some wiggle room and pay attention to the spacers if there are any between the old track arm and the hanger. some times those bushings are pressed in a little ####ed. If the rebound bushing bolt is loose and you are still off, looks like the wrong bushing.
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I looked at this thread on my way home on the parts run for this torque arm. Last night I saw I really FUBAR'ed one of mine and the other is well on its way but it can wait till this weekend. Started the job about 10:00, was putting tools up by 10:45. About 15 minutes alone was spent on one stubborn bolt, as per the usual when it comes to wrenching. I did like some said and jacked up the rear of my frame, real easy for me I've got a dump truck and a chippin' bar. And everything went back together easy as pie. If I was the OP I would have to suggest to his mechanic to leave all bolts loose till they're all started, and if still off introduce the mechanic to an alignment punch! Also nice cause I can just order some bushings and have spares. Took a few pictures too just cause what the heck.
FUBAR'ED, at least I got the full service life!
Comparison
All back together happy happy happy! -
Just re read the OP again. Different arms, at least my 2 cents will pop up when someone else searches for Air Trac info.
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Thanks for the pictures! Always nice to see stuff get fixed and hearing your experiences!
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