Is my drag link bent?

Threepointsix

JK Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 11, 2020
Messages
412
Location
New Jersey
Looking under my Jeep I noticed that my drag link 'seems' bent. This is a stock drag link, but it is bent, correct?

15010ABB-AC70-4798-8CEB-1676C95EF4B7.jpeg

Also, shouldn't these two pivot points be parallel? I have some bump steer and figured if I remove the bracket, those two points will level and thus bump-steer would be eliminated:

6F87590E-6129-43D8-818E-CEAF80C2A3B5.jpeg
 
When you say parallel do you mean aligned / at the same elevation? If so I don’t think they would be as i would think when the Jeep is lifted the one side goes up in height so the angle changes.
 
When you say parallel do you mean aligned / at the same elevation? If so I don’t think they would be as i would think when the Jeep is lifted the one side goes up in height so the angle changes.

Ya, same elevation. So the two pivot points would measure the same height to or from the ground. I ask because an offroad shop I visited highly recommended the flip as well as watching this video, which looks to confirm the advice:


Just wondering if others with 3" of lift and upward have theirs set that way too.
 
People to recommend to flip, get them up out of the way. With a 3” lift or higher probably a good idea or maybe needed.
 
Looking under my Jeep I noticed that my drag link 'seems' bent. This is a stock drag link, but it is bent, correct?

View attachment 123768

Also, shouldn't these two pivot points be parallel? I have some bump steer and figured if I remove the bracket, those two points will level and thus bump-steer would be eliminated:

View attachment 123769
Yes. The two pinion points you have highlighted: passenger-side tie rod pinion and passenger-side end of track bar should be as close to in the same plane as possible. The ideal is for the two pinions to describe _parallel_, concentric arcs as the wheel and axle moves up and down. The arcs can't be exactly concentric because the centers of the arcs are not the same. The draglink on the driver's side is attached to the Pitman arm, while the track bar end is attached to the frame under the driver. When the arcs are far from parallel, it is one of the causes of bump steer and death wobble.