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So I just picked up what I hope to make my new winter vehicle, a 1999 Grand Cherokee 4.0L. First thing on my fix it list is the steering, suspension and alignment issues. I know I’ll beed to get the car aligned right away, but I want to take care of any parts that need replacing before I do that.
[IMG]http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff504/benzrider85/Cars/2012-11-16112537.jpg[/IMG]Right now I have to drive with my wheel turned to the right an 1/8 of a turn or so and the left tire is worn almost bald on the inside. There are, no vibrations in the wheel and any speed and I have no movement in the wheels up, down, left or right to indicate ball join issues. I’ve got a friend of mine coming over Monday to help me look at these and other components that could be an issue since I’m inexperienced in this area. Here is my question.
I haven’t seen these before but I assume they are some sort of spacer to lift the car a bit. (refering to the spacers in between the coils on the spring)
[IMG]http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff504/benzrider85/Cars/2012-11-16112605.jpg[/IMG]
They would also give the car a rougher ride I imagine? Is it possible that they were installed improperly causing uneven tire wear? Can I remove them without any issues now that they have been on there?
What else should I be looking for? Thanks for the advise. I’ll be sure to keep the thread updated as I figure this out!
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That is a horrible job. Those things are dumb anyway. I wouldn’t go buy new springs, they are probably fine. I really doubt that those lifter things are responsible for the condition of the tire. You should check and/or change the differential fluid (front and back), transfer case fluid, trans fluid, and brakes (it looks like your rotor has grooves in it). Just seeing those lifters tells me that the truck probably needs a tune-up. I would hit those ball joints with a grease gun too.
Thanks for the responses. Brakes are on the list for sure. Pads and rotors are about as worn as they get. Good call on the fluid changes. I will get to those as well before I need to start driving this to work for the winter. fortunately the engine and transmission seem to wor great in this car. the 4wd engages very nicely as well. Thone are the big reasons I picked this up. That and the price was right of.course.
on Monday I will remove these lifters, change out the shocks and brakes and see what its like.
Just so you know a sawzall will probably come in handy with those lifters (depending on how rusty/coroded they are)
Thanks for the tip. It took a combination of wrench, heat, sawzall and hammer / chisel to get those out. The shocks in the front were completely shot. I got the lifters removed and the front brakes and shocks done today. I had to replace a caliper as well due my incompetence. I haven’t driven it yet. I’ll be checking out the rear shocks an brakes tomorrow or the next day. It should go easier since there is nothing on the springs to remove.
I think you’re on the right path by removing those ugly ‘lifters’. It’s likely they were put in to correct for a worn spring so I would recommend replacing the springs and shocks. To really do it right do all 4 corners. Also before you align the truck make sure all of the suspension parts are tight, you can’t have ANY play when you do the alignment. Also you’ll need to get new tires, don’t align a vehicle on old tires because when you put new tires on it will be off again. The best time to do an alignment is after you’ve done all that suspension work and replaced the tires.
Thanks Eric. I had a shop check out the steering and suspension components today and added some parts to my list. I definitely would have purchased tires after the alignment so I will reverse the order there now. Looks like this project will be put off until next week due to parts on order. I’ve got these on order:
Lower front control arms
Rear wheel bearings and seals
1 front wheel hub/bearing
Rear shocks (already replaced front)Hope the snow isn’t bad this weekend! I’ll keep this updated as I get the parts in.
Got those other parts in, some new tires and an alignment. Thought it was just a rear axle bearing making noise in the back but it turns out the pinion bearings were worn so I picked up a used rear end and replaced it today along with the upper control arm for the rear (bushings were shot and clunking)
I still have some brake line connections to work on and bots to torque down tomorrow but she should be fully ready for winter by tomorrow afternoon! Hopefully I will report success.
Here’s a picture of the old axle assembly for kicks…
[IMG]http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff504/benzrider85/3E790646-2194-499A-A90E-B4CE5A49C128-13193-0000080D33CA7C18.jpg[/IMG]
That’s a LOT of work, good thing you’re doing it yourself. I hope you bought it right. Love the pics. Keep us posted on your progress.
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