Ground clearance just wasn't enough.

RQuarte · **Posted:** Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:01 pm

While wheeling this past weekend i heard a bang while going through a puddle, at first i didn't think anything of it but while i was installing my front tow hooks tonight i notice i had cracked one of the lower control arms. Deffinetly not a good thing. And im not totally sure what i should do now. :oops:

It's obviously going to have to get replaced but is it driveable and what is something like this going to run me to replace?

2006KJSPORT4x4 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:06 pm

Not sure if your still under warranty or not or if they would even honor it if you were, but if you are under warranty, maybe try the angle that you hit something on the way to the mall :lol:

or going down the interstate and this happened...just a thought...and yea a replacement wouldn't be a bad idea looking at that nice big piece missing there...

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:10 pm

I got new LCA's from worldpartsexpress.com for $195 apiece,they come with new bushings to(the 2 mount bushings and the lower clevis bushing).Not hard at all to replace,changed both of mine(with help from USAFCOP,KW AV8R,TokyoJoe,and Rock Lizard) in 3 hours(that's both sides).To bad I threw the old ones away,they are really beefy and weigh about 25lbs apiece.Man you had the really hit it hard to do that.I've banged mine pretty hard a few times and know USAFCOP has banged his really hard a few times and they have held up,no cracks just scrapes.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:54 pm

I have hit mine really hard and it felt like I had definitely broken something because I came to a hard sudden stop. Looked at my LCA's and just had small chips in them. Your LCA looks like you would've been slammed to a hard stop. Going really fast in the water?

scout · **Posted:** Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:06 pm

thats the problem i am having... those control arms are just so low. when i get back from iraq im going to do a sfa swap. i hope by then they might have a kit available.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:17 pm

has anyone looked into a "skid" for them?
I know that they make them for ATV's they also keep sticks and junk out of the CV's
I would think that a bigger version would be great
IMO the main problem is that they are square not round so they hit things and do not slide up on them
I have seen them do some damage to roots but the "LCA's" look fine roots are also soft

It is one of the things on my "list" when my wife gets a new ride

Kniggit · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:03 am

So whip out the saw/angle grinder/cut-off tool and buy some U bolts.... it'd work, however if you were to make the skid of of anything seriously substantial then they would be difficult to "soften" the edges of.

K

OzLtd · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:12 am

That is a really sinister hit mate. I'd really have a close look at the rest of the front IFS for any signs of things bent. A wheel alignment would tell instantly.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:40 am

scout wrote:

thats the problem i am having... those control arms are just so low. when i get back from iraq im going to do a sfa swap. i hope by then they might have a kit available.

Unless you are running very tall tires, be ready for lots of stuff hitting after a SFA swap. The lower control arms, the diff, all hang pretty low on a SFA. One of the things a KJ has going for it is No diff hanging down. I have more trouble hitting the diff on my XJ on 33's than I ever had hitting anything under the front of my KJ on 30.5's......but that is probably just because of my driving. :twisted:

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

RQuarte wrote:

While wheeling this past weekend i heard a bang while going through a puddle, at first i didn't think anything of it but while i was installing my front tow hooks tonight i notice i had cracked one of the lower control arms. Deffinetly not a good thing. And im not totally sure what i should do now. :oops:

It's obviously going to have to get replaced but is it driveable and what is something like this going to run me to replace?

Wow, I've hit mine pretty hard also and nothing more than a scrape. You must have been going pretty fast and hit something solid.

dirtykj · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:31 am

Dear lord, how fast were you going to crack it like that? I've banged mine on rocks pretty hard at times (enough to make me cringe) but never got more than dents and scrapes. :shock:

FastTRX · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:08 pm

Ouch! Another dealing from the rock lords?

65thKJ · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:09 pm

You must have had a patch of rust that was pretty bad for you to have cracked a piece like that out

Maximum Carnage · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:54 pm

What the _____?? I've never seen anything like that. I would be so :evil:

if that happened to my Liberty

RQuarte · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:24 pm

Yea I'm beginning to think it happened a while ago when i was going pretty fast through some water at a diffrent location and hit what looked like a cement block that someone had dumped in there and i just noticed it now, if thats the case i've been drving on it for close too 2 months. :roll:

scoobybri · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:32 pm

Find a junkyard Libby that has been rear ended. Shouldn't cost too much for a used lower arm.

Ground clearance just wasn't enough.

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