can i drive without track arms?
 

Ok,
I need a little guidance.......I have a rattling thump coming from the lower right rear tire area. I suspect the lower rear track.
Ok so I took it off, and it does not really look bad, so I was wondering if I can put a tire on and drive down the street to see if the thumping is gone.

Of course I do not want to rip the tire off while I am driving, but I don’t want o replace good parts.

Advice...?

James

In short: NO!

You are *highly* likely to do serious damage to your suspension. However, if you largely coast, use almost zero throttle, brake as if there is an egg between your foot and the pedal, you may just be able to avoid any damage... but it isn't worth the risk.

The answer is ABSOLUTELY NO!!!!!! unless you want to risk destroying your rear suspension subframe, toe link, lower control arm, sway bar, and axle/CV.

fair enough. I thought that it might be a problem, any ideas on low cost replacements? pelican has it for 199, vertex 180 with core.

James

salvage yard maybe, otherwise, $200 doesn't sound too bad considering what it is. How many miles are on your car to cause that front joint to go bad already?

I might just have a salvage track arm for you. PM me with the part number off your old one and I'll dig for it.

Where the heck did I put that part anyway? Hmmmmm.

75K miles and this just started about 5K ago and only on the right. The sound is small, but it will drive you nuts. top up or down, coasting over a cobble stone road, it sounds like someone tapping on the rear frame with a plastic hammer.

Randell if you have a lower track arm in the garage, I would like to buy it from you. For nothing else, it will help me eliminate the arm as a source of the tapping.

James

James, I'm taking the day off today to get stuff done around the house before vacation next week and I'll dig for it.

What I really need to know is a part number of what you need and how many inches long the thing is... I really cannot remember what I bought and if it's a trailing arm, a track arm, etc.

If anyone else knows how long the track arms are please post it or PM me with it. I know it's looooong, but I'd hate to send James a part that's not right.