Jeep Rubicon Electronic Swaybar Disconnect Repair

[@ArchangelLunas]

THANK YOU for showing the exact issue I'm having (the damn light non-stop flashing), explaining WHY, and how to fix it. Everyone else seems like instructions of how to use the system, but not WHY THE HELL my light won't go out. You're the first I found, again, THANK YOU. Now I can fix it with understanding WHY it's doing what it's doing.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Glad it helped. If you continue to have issues look at the EVO manual swaybar disconnect. This replaces the problematic actuator with a manual system.

[@ChrisTerry-z5d]

Thank you for doing this repair and sharing it. I have taken mine off and upon initial inspection after taking everything a part, it looks very similar to yours. Inside, the little grease that was left was dirty, there was moisture/water and I had to knock the same component out with a hammer, like you did on the video. now its time to Dremel the parts for better action and put it together. Cross my fingers as the electrical connection was clean, the rust and dirt inside was the problem.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Glad it helped! Mine has been good since doing this repair; no issues at all. I usually leave it locked and use my quick disconnect but on my last 2 trips I used the electronic disconnect and it worked perfectly. I do have a conventional bar in my shop that I am planning on going to eventually.

[@jclee0314]

Electric sway bar disconnect has a huge benefit, and that is too make manually reconnecting your end links at the end of the trail easier. Good video

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

It can also be a significant liability. With the TeraFlex disconnect it takes 30 seconds to disconnect the bar. Mine is coming out; I just don’t know when yet.

[@dhammer303]

THANK YOU!! I have this EXACT problem and have the JKS quick disconnects. I was shocked when I disconnected the JKS quick disconnects and realized my sway bar was disconnected. I will be trying this process this weekend and hope it goes as well as your video!

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

I'm glad it helped; if you have any questions just post them here. Good luck with your repair this weekend!

[@miketuggle9273]

I bought a sport. Put in rubicon wide axles and a RC electrical panel. No sensors and its full independent lock up for each axle. I also put in a mechanical sway bar disconnect, again no sensors or unnecessary complication. Its lifted and heavily modified. And it was still less than a similarly optioned rubicon. Guys buy a stripped sport and build it the way you want and bypass the unnecessary sensors, actuators, etc.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

I kinda wish Jeep would sell just the frame up...no suspension or axles at all...ahahhah

[@miketuggle9273]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket hell yea! like they do glider kits for Class 8 trucks. Great Idea.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

@@miketuggle9273 by the time I’m “done” with Rubi there will hardly be anything factory left on the suspension and most of the power train 😂

[@royr8824]

Thanks for the video, mine is starting to act similarly. I'd add a little rtv to the mating surfaces though.

[@dirtTVSA]

Brother, the composition of this video is insane.. Well done 👏🏽 I'm going to take mine out and give it a clean

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Thanks for the feedback! Glad it helped; these do need cleaning regularly. Especially once they get older. If you liked this video be sure to checkout our adventure playlist. My jeep ain't no mall crawler :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWGnamqlrKx5b9U

[@hughwolfe1176]

Thanks for sharing this information on repairing the disconnect mechanism. Keeping it for future reference as I’m not a Jeep owner yet. I’ve been looking for a few years, life gets in the way sometimes… Subscribed also as your content looks interesting.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

TJs are the best IMO; getting harder to find in good shape though. If you want something more refined go for a JK; they’re very easy to work on; I wouldn’t touch a JL; too many gadgets and failure points.

[@hughwolfe1176]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket thanks for the advice. I’d started looking at two door models, lots of people told me I’d need a four door as there’s “no room” in the two door… I’ve driven MINI Coopers for twelve years, what’s room? Although my wife prefers the four door so I may have to go that route to keep the peace. Perhaps later I could find a nice two door… Not really sure if I need the Rubicon as I’m not planing on climbing over rocks or hitting the mud bogs, just wanting to get off the pavement to expand my landscape photography efforts.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

@@hughwolfe1176 yeah 2-doors can be tight at times. It works our well for me; but there are times that seating for 5 would be nice. My wife isn’t into off-roading so I’m usually solo or am taking two of my daughters.

[@mrtopcat2]

Did I see correctly, the housing halves and the encoder motor have no gaskets what so ever? Great video by the way. We have a 2-door JKUR as well. Ours is 2017, but we left it pretty much all stock.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

The housing has a grey gastket; you can see it at 2:59. The actuator assembly is plastic and mates perfectly with the aluminum case; there is no gasket there. I don't think there's a lot of lube required (if any) on that side of the mechanism.

[@mrtopcat2]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket Many thanks. Sorry, I must have missed it.

[@seanbyrne7919]

a 2 door JKUR??? those are pretty rare!!!!

[@mrtopcat2]

@@seanbyrne7919 Thank you. Yes, ours was made by order to our specs. Dealer was wonderful to work with and even gave us a price $500 below invoice. All in all a great experience.

[@seanbyrne7919]

@@mrtopcat2 did the dealer just weld closed the rear doors?

[@electrake2063]

@4:50, I think it is a bad idea not to make use of the system, if it never gets used you really stand a chance of it seizing up.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Maybe; pretty sure it’s being replaced with a conventional bar in the spring 😜

[@CDMA07]

Do you happen to have the actuator assembly gasket or electrical connection o-ring part numbers? Thanks for the awesome video! Very well done sir! I want to give this a try.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

I've had no luck finding part numbers for replacement parts for the SmartBar (52060300AK)...the only parts I was able to find was the entire actuator assembly (68044411AC) as well as the bolts, links, hangars and bushings. No gaskets. You may have to make gaskets with RTV?

[@Onebandit]

I would throw the electronic sway bar away and get some apex sway bar lynx no hassle and you can disconnect them in less than 3 seconds each strong and works great plus you can reconnect with turn on knob while you’re airing your tires up

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Yep; these are great; my TeraFlex ST3 kit came with a quick disconnect also. Might go back to a standard bar in the spring.

[@marnieravitch1371]

Nice video! Question for you or anyone else who may know. Ive taken mine apart a few times. Im not sure exactly which way that gear is supposed to face. The teeth are like beveled on one side but not the other. I didnt pay attention well enough when i took it apart the first time to notice the proper orientation. Anybody know? Thanks in advance!

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

I'm really not sure; I just rewatched the video and both sides looked the same unless I'm missing something. As long as the actuator can move it freely, you *should* be good? :) :P

[@albundy6284]

Manual is always the way to go!

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Agree

[@cfsprojects]

With my "new to me" JK 2012, the previous owner replaces the disconnecting sway bar to a normal bar. Not only because it gives this kind of problems shown on the video but also because of the electronics of Sway Bar mechanism. And that can cause an empty pocket for the owners. Short Circuit that plug can cause a burn out of the entire Jeep electronics as I have been advised. I personally felt an engine cuts off, during rainy days, and the JEEP garage explained to be to isolate the SWAY BAR plug to be 100% dry. Does anyone felt the same with the 2012 Rubicon 2.8 Diesel? (Europe version BTW) Cheers everyone!

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Agree 100%; I’m likely going to yank it out in the spring. Thanks for commenting :)

[@Frostytravels]

Very good video. Thanks for sharing.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Glad you liked it!

[@AK-IT]

What was the cause for the mechanical issue? Was the corrosion due to failed gasket/o-ring or just underutilized?

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

I’m not 100% sure; both of those issues I would guess combined with age? I haven’t opened it back up to see how it’s doing, but so far no issues locking/unlocking.

[@PSModernKitchens]

Nice!

[@tomhubbard353]

I picked up one of these from a guy that replaced his with an aftermarket bar(water destroyed it). After complete disassembly I have to say it is probably the crappiest design I have seen! It is REALLY not very serviceable, not very sealed up and you literally can not remove the "cogged gears" from the torsional bar due to the internal snap rings. ZERO repair parts available from what I found. If I was going to run one on my Jeep I might consider adding a zerk fitting to pump a light grease into it forcing the water and crud out, key being light so the lock unlock still happens.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Yeah I’m pretty sure I’m replacing mine with a solid bar; I have a quick release with my TeraFlex lift anyways.

[@albundy6284]

A zerk fitting would be clutch!

[@RaiderShane]

I will try this but mine just won’t turn on or off at all (no light anywhere) almost like it would in 2 wheel drive

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Check the fuse. It is also very possible that it fried! I actually went to a manual bar to keep things simple on my Jeep since I do more trails than roads now.

[@andrewharris17]

where did you get the parts to rebuild it?

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

No new parts were used in the making of this video. I just cleaned up the old ones in a sonic cleaner and coated them with Red ‘n’ Tacky. It worked perfectly all winter wheeling season.

[@CRF300L]

Did all this and it Didnt fix mine ..

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Mine did good; was working great, but I ended up selling it and going to a manual bar. If yours is acting up you may want to consider a manual bar?

[@raulbustamante8337]

Great

[@samwalker1304]

They make a manual switch or knob that replaces the electric motor that would be easier than doin the discos

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Yep; considered that if my repair didn’t work; and if it fails again that’s what I plan on doing. We’ll see how it goes. For my last trip I just manually disconnected using the quick release.

[@GS-rr1rz]

Very good video keep sharing and inspiring

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Deal!

[@dad43boys]

Great video

[@joejamison1]

Damn good video brotha! Keep ‘‘em coming.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Thanks for the kind words! I just hope people find the content helpful and entertaining.

[@rogerstruthers3799]

Sound was terrible, cannot follow unless I used a headphones.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

@@rogerstruthers3799 don’t know what would be causing that; my phone and iPad at 50% volume are fine. I have since switched up my narration mic to something better then a LAV mic which is what I used for most of my older productions. Sorry your experience wasn’t a good one.

[@martinklaus2203]

You can program it yourself to stop the blinking light with a Tazer.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Yep; that's the plan if it fails again; or if I get ambitions this summer and decide to rip it out in favor of a solid bar.

[@martinklaus2203]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket When my swaybar disconnect bites the dust and is in a state where it is unrepairable, I'm going to go with RockJock Antirock swaybar system.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Yeah; those are pretty dialed!

[@onememories8523]

What kind of grease did you use?

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Lucas Oil Red ‘n’ Tacky

[@onememories8523]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket is that synthetic high temperature grease? Thank you so much ?

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Not sure about synthetic or not, but it is a rust and oxidation inhibitor and water resistant so it’s perfect for things like the smart bar.

[@onememories8523]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket understood. Great thanks for sharing and keeping the content so simple and to point! Great job 👍

[@MrLoyd-yp1tr]

what kind of fluid are you using in the sonic cleaner?

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Just simple green.

[@dieselmarais7683]

Thanx for that

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Hopefully it helped you out :)

[@theyaniv84]

What lubricant did u used?

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

@@theyaniv84 farm grease (red ‘n’ tacky also works) internally, electrical grease on the connector. For what it’s worth, I went to a standard bar with disconnects as I grew tired of greasing this thing every year. I might be going to a RockJock in the spring.

[@theyaniv84]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket Thank buddy, you helped me a lot 🙏🏼

[@wvjeepguy8178]

Sell it while it still works and buy a Currie anti-rock.

[@minthos4045]

and this is why JEEPS are known to have poorly designed components. The poor quality gaskets didn't do its job. Supposed to stop moisture from getting in the 1st place.

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

How is the Toyota (or any other brand) electronic disconnect for reliability 😜

[@brianm5753]

Maybe this is why Toyotas don't have them

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

Not a fan of Toyotas. Too underpowered for their weight.

[@brianm5753]

​@@JustEmptyEveryPocketYeah. They're too heavy. But durable stuff has to be thick and heavy 😅

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

@@brianm5753 sure; not arguing that; but why not put more power into them? You would think after all these years they would lean that 270 hp and a measly 279 foot-pounds in a 6300 pound forerunner makes absolutely zero sense.

[@brianm5753]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket I would say it is because of emissions and fuel economy and partly due to reliability. Fuel economy on Toyota offroaders is already bad even with the low power

[@jefflilyea4669]

Damn.throw that junk away

[@JustEmptyEveryPocket]

We'll see; I still might; need to find a shop I trust that can reprogram the computer; the blinking light would have driven me within an inch of my sanity.

[@Lyngkrieg]

@@JustEmptyEveryPocket You don't need a fancy shop or high end computer to disable the blinking light. JSscan app with valid license will settle your problems.Good luck!

[@xtbro78]

I think my Tazr computer programmer will turn OFF the swaybar itself, if that would help. I don't like the way the electronic disconnect works, and it limits so much at what times the bar can be disconnected. Mine's a 2018 JLUR. Nice video.