Synergy Drag Link end failure

Jtmw

Jtmw

New member
Just walked in the door from my first trip out on my new suspension and I wasn't there three hours and and noticed my steering seemed super loose. I get out and notice my drag link is leaning forward, I look at it and its able to rotate forwards and backwards some and the Knuckle end joint looks horrible. So the nut is loose due to the boot missing and I'm trying to tighten it up so i can drive on it until I get in touch with them, or replace it.

The bolt coming from the bottom of the joint spins as i try to tighten it. Im wondering how to get this tight. Any advice would be great :thumb:

Pics before wheeling, and after. Pretty disappointed in these ends.


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found that the nut on the pitman arm that controls the length was also 100% loose. Not sure what all is going on. it stopped the forward and backward roll.
 
My hunch is they were not installed correctly. No issues with my Synergy TRE's other than I once tore a dust boot (easy fix). Here are two photos of my setup for comparison. I just washed my jeep today after completing a recent day trip through wentworth and out loon on the Rubicon. And my TRE's are freshly greased. Your photo shows extra washers - not sure if that is preventing you from holding the proper torque? Also, your dust boot spring retainer looks like it is in the middle of the dust boot? Probably why there is so much synergy grease everywhere. I recommend calling synergy mfg and see what they say. Good luck.

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jk12blk said:
My hunch is they were not installed correctly. No issues with my Synergy TRE's other than I once tore a dust boot (easy fix). Here are two photos of my setup for comparison. I just washed my jeep today after completing a recent day trip through wentworth and out loon on the Rubicon. And my TRE's are freshly greased. Your photo shows extra washers - not sure if that is preventing you from holding the proper torque? Also, your dust boot spring retainer looks like it is in the middle of the dust boot? Probably why there is so much synergy grease everywhere. I recommend calling synergy mfg and see what they say. Good luck.
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Thanks for your help, does seem to be a little different. I had my local shop install them, I'll get in touch with Synergy monday. Any idea what i can do for the mean time about the rotating bolt? I drove 1hr+ on it but would really hate to lose steering out on a street.
 
Jtmw said:
Thanks for your help, does seem to be a little different. I had my local shop install them, I'll get in touch with Synergy monday. Any idea what i can do for the mean time about the rotating bolt? I drove 1hr+ on it but would really hate to lose steering out on a street.
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Sorry, no idea for how to keep it from spinning. I do think you will want to order new TRE's from synergy (not that expensive). Be sure to read the installation instructions here http://www.quadratec.com/Assets/Installation/92031.pdf . If whoever did the installation did not ream/drill per the instructions, then I would make them pay for the new TRE end. The tapered end of the TRE is probably not seating far enough into the knuckle. Note: the synergy instructions do show washers used, so I'm going to give them a quick call myself to verify my setup.
 
It looks like the may have drilled the hole too large and used washer take up slack? Not sure.

Do you have pictures of it just installed?

But it looks like you have too much of the rod end out from the double adjuster sleeve. It looks like they used the rod end to center the axle.
 
jk12blk said:
Sorry, no idea for how to keep it from spinning. I do think you will want to order new TRE's from synergy (not that expensive). Be sure to read the installation instructions here http://www.quadratec.com/Assets/Installation/92031.pdf . If whoever did the installation did not ream/drill per the instructions, then I would make them pay for the new TRE end. The tapered end of the TRE is probably not seating far enough into the knuckle. Note: the synergy instructions do show washers used, so I'm going to give them a quick call myself to verify my setup.
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upnover said:
It looks like the may have drilled the hole too large and used washer take up slack? Not sure.

Do you have pictures of it just installed?

But it looks like you have too much of the rod end out from the double adjuster sleeve. It looks like they used the rod end to center the axle.
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Thanks both of you. I am calling them monday morning the drag link is 2 weeks old. Shouldn't be that way. Ill send them the pictures if they can point out an installation error I'll deal with that as well. However you can see in the last picture posted that it looks installed correctly. Only pic i have is half of the end piece. Upnover, It is wobbly, and the boot has failed so more of the bolt is coming down than should be for certain.
 
The boot is not going to keep the rod from going in the knuckle too far - if reamed correctly that shouldn't be possible due to the taper. The boot is to keep liquid out of the end and grease it. Your boot is torn because of being able to go too far, not the other way around. Your logic is backwards. There are like 3 washers in your install picture, that is not correct. It looks like they drilled out your knuckle for the flip and didn't install the tapered adapter then tried to use washers to tighten it down, never got the castle nut on correctly and it backed out and potentially broke. Just guessing from the pictures as that's all I've got to go on. Sounds like you need a new rod end and boot, to check what's been drilled out of your knuckle and hope you don't need a new knuckle and can potentially just drill it out for a tapered adapter if it is messed up. Looks like the shop's issue not synergy's but hope they take care of you anyway.
 
Is it just me or is the cotter pin bound up under the cast nut instead of threadign between the castle nut spires?
 
I left this comment in response to you discouraging people to buy synergy products on another thread. Even though it clearly looks to be installed horribly wrong, or at the least you are bad mouthing them before you have contacted them to see what they have to say. I thought I'd leave it here as well.

Jtmw said:
not synergy lol. had a TRE fail me after two weeks of putting it on.
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Jtmw said:
View attachment 153268

as you can see
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mds22 said:
Had my synergy for 6 months or so and it's been great. In fact my whole front end is synergy. That pic looks like it is installed all wrong. Looks as the hole was drilled to big, installer not wanting to pay for his fuck up added washers or something hoping it would get tight enough you wouldn't notice. Then when it got loose someone tried tightening it without removing the pin causing the pin to jam under the nut.
Synergy has great customer service did you contact them? Did you go back to where it was installed? Curious what they said, b/c that would be messed up bad mouthing a company for installer error
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mds22 said:
I left this comment in response to you discouraging people to buy synergy products on another thread. Even though it clearly looks to be installed horribly wrong, or at the least you are bad mouthing them before you have contacted them to see what they have to say. I thought I'd leave it here as well.
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Was just about to link you this thread on the other thread. I definitely spoke too soon, got caught up in the moment. My apologies.
 
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