Rear Control Arms - replace upper, lower, or both?

[IanEric.com]

Hello! New member and Liberty owner here. I picked up a 2002 KJ Sport as a "fun" vehicle; not my daily driver. Just to be able to hit some desert spots where a normal car won't go, mild off-roading, etc.

I've been reading a lot since I noticed the Liberty's rear will "sway" when on/off throttle. I think it sways left on throttle, and right when getting off the gas.

It's pretty clear I've got a control arm issue. But my lower control arms look fairly new; they are the "thicker" style - not the ones with the block that holds the sway bar. Perhaps replaced years ago under recall/warranty? Anyway...

Is there a consensus as to which arms to replace to fix the wander issue?

I also know it's recommended to suck it up and buy the OEM bars, but there's a HUGE savings in the aftermarket. I can get a full set of all three control arms for like $150, versus $400+ for just the upper OEM. I only plan on driving this vehicle maybe once a month ... probably less than 1000 miles per YEAR - is it really worth it?

I've got a cooling system question too, but will post in another thread...

On a side note: I'm really impressed with how "truck-like" the KJ is. I was looking for a cheap mild off-roader, and always thought the Liberty was more of a crossover. I was clearly wrong - it's more like a mini-XJ Cherokee with independent front suspension. I'm looking forward to having some fun with it.

 

[tommudd]

Lower ones, looks don't matter you can't really see the bushings
But check the upper tri-link as well.

Buy the better ones, the cheap are cheap for a reason
Well unless you just like replacing them all the time

 

[IanEric.com]

I figure if I’m going to dig in and replace the lowers, I might as well replace the upper as well. Jack stands will be out, wheels will be off, no reason not to make a day of it.
By “better” ones, you mean ... ? OEM? I mean, the price just seems outrageous ... $400 just for the upper is crazy talk. Are there any aftermarket that are recommended? I don’t mind spending a bit more, but shelling out 4 or 5 times the price on a cheap vehicle that I’ll only be driving maybe once a month just doesn’t make sense to me. If the cheap ones only last 5000 miles, that’ll still be probably 5 years before I’d have to get under there again.

 

[tommudd]

Even mid priced ones I can destroy in a few months,( 3 or so ) never tried cheap but they may last me a month at best
But hey, its your money and time

 

[IanEric.com]

So you’ve gone all OEM?

 

[tommudd]

So you’ve gone all OEM?

Used to run OEM on them all, now running JBA bolt on on two of mine, the 05 is still running OEM though

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I'd get a lightly used OEM junkyard UCA. I got one with 60k on it for $50, haven't had to use it yet though. Not as good as new Mopar but it's probably just fine.

 

[Royy]

Since you mention you'll only drive the Jeep once a month or so, spending 500 or so dollars on a OEM UCA sounds like a bit of a waste to me.

Try this one: Mevotech Supreme CMS25156
I'm sure it won't last as long as an OEM one, but I've been running it for about a year and a half (around 40k miles) now, and it's still as good as new.

 

[tommudd]

Since you mention you'll only drive the Jeep once a month or so, spending 500 or so dollars on a OEM UCA sounds like a bit of a waste to me.

Try this one: Mevotech Supreme CMS25156
I'm sure it won't last as long as an OEM one, but I've been running it for about a year and a half (around 40k miles) now, and it's still as good as new.

Must be a very easy driver with very smooth roads

 

[IanEric.com]

Well - replaced the upper and lower last weekend, and all is well! Hit a trail and had some pretty serious clunking in the rear end, which I believe I traced to the sway bar; meaning, the bolts were not torqued all the way, and it may have been slipping (since the holes in the bar are smaller than the bolts, there's possibility for "slop" if they're not way tight. Regardless, I loosened all the control arm bolts and re-torqued them with the axle on jack stands to make sure the suspension was loaded, re-tightened the the sway bar bolts, and she rides like a new truck. No more stepping out on/off throttle, and much more stable all around. I did use aftermarket arms - cheap ones. The upper was a pain to get into the diff, but the bushings seem to be good quality so far. For a toy vehicle, it was worth the savings over OEM for now. Time will tell....

 

[nagami]

a very interesting thread

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