2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission track bar

[DEStewart]

track bar a little loose on 99 it is my daughter,s truck she has just started driving so i would like it to drivr good,am wanting some info on lukes link. is it better than putting on a new moog bar?

 

[rluft]

I have had good luck with the Luke's Link, and it is rebuildable. My dad had a Moog which eventually got loose and needed replacing, Luke's Link won't fit on a Moog bar so no rebuild possible. I replaced all my steering joints with Luke's Links.

 

[WilsonF]

Yes before you get a Luke's Link make sure you don't have a Moog bar.

Floyd

 

[JMcCoy]

I replaced all my joints with the Lukes link as well. they are excellent. My track bar eventually got too loose for even for the Lukes link. I then went to the BD 3rd gen track bar. One thing to note is that the Lukes link on my pitmin arm would not clear my 3rd gen track bar adapter bracket. I have a 2" leveling kit in the front, so a drop pitman arm would have corrected the issue. For ease, I just installed a Mooge joint at the Pitman. My experience with Lukes link's customer service has been excellent. I would recommend them to anyone. Hope all this made sense. Good luck.

 

[PToombs]

I installed a Lukes Link on my 97 and like it. Word of advice, order the Lukes poly bushing at the same time and install that too. I didn't, and 3 weeks later I had the bar out and was replacing the bushing. I didn't realize how worn my bushing was until I replaced the link.

 

[klcammie]

I agree with earlier post Lukes Link are GREAT. When doing drag link get the bushing as well. If doing all the joints get an alinement when done.

 

[wyhog1]

I put a Lukes Link and bushing on my trac bar and it helped but just went and put a steering box stabilizer on... . really took the wander out of the steering.



Home page Custom Diesel

Stabilizer cost $115. 00 delivered and top quality. 1/4 inch material thickness, bearing is an fl205 bearing available anywhere, a 1 year warranty on it & life time on the bar itself bolts are grade 8 & five. It made a big difference on my steering for the money... . easy to put on... . 1/2 the price of most... made in the USA in TN



Don't mean to promote but the price is good and quality better, wanted to pass this on.

 

[HCannon]

I would like to say that the stabilizer that Wyhog used is, just like he says, top quality and half price. I have the very one on two of my 4x4s and it does make a difference, well worth the money.

 

[Matt42]

Poly Bushings Wear Out

I installed a Lukes Link on my 97 and like it. Word of advice, order the Lukes poly bushing at the same time and install that too. I didn't, and 3 weeks later I had the bar out and was replacing the bushing. I didn't realize how worn my bushing was until I replaced the link.

Heads up on the Poly Bushings. Poly bushings will give you crisper front end control, for sure. But they will wear out faster than the OEM rubber bushings because they are less resilient. They do better with rotational forces than the hammering forces they get on Dodge track bar use. I suggest that you order two of them when you order the Lukes Link kit and keep one poly bushing back as a spare. Also keep back one ball joint cover for the link as a spare, because you may need it later if you ruin it replacing the poly bushing.



When you install the rebuilt track bar, I suggest that you lightly paint the tapered part of the link and the threads on the link and the bushing bolt with molybdenum disulfide "moly" based anti seize compound. That will make it easier when you go to replace the poly bushing in the future. Use a ball joint tool or pitman arm puller, NOT a pickle fork when removing the track bar. The pickle fork can ruin the track bar's joint. If you don't have the tool, backing the castle nut off several threads and then turning the steering several times back and forth may cause it to drop free.



Expect to get two to five years, tops out of the poly bushing in a track bar. Over time, your truck may develop a "pop" or a "thunk" in the steering as the polyurethane bushing's center hole becomes egg shaped. This will at first be annoying, and it will take a long time before it becomes as bad as a loose trackbar.



Once you become tired of the thunk or pop, you replace the poly bushing using most of the same steps as if you were replacing the track bar.



I suspect that Luke's is selling the bushing that's made by Energy Suspension, but I can't be sure of it. That is not a bad thing, since it is what I am using in my truck. Energy Suspension has a local store where I buy bushings for mine every three years or so. They make good products.

 

[ArmandoCantu]

I installed a DT bar on mine. Beefy with one side a poly bushing and the other with a heim joint for adjustability. I'm happy with it. Pricey? Yes, you get what you pay for. I have a '00 2500 and plan on driving it a couple of more years. I recommend since it's your daughter's truck you install the best you can find, period. BD, DT, they are all good.