Pete M

btw, any tech that's not MJ tech is very much welcome here. :thumbsup: just post it in the pub rather than the Tech forum. :yes:

axle hop and rear end squatting under acceleration are good indicators of wrap occuring. The springs wrap themselves into an "S" shape under load, and when it releases, it can cause the back end to bounce.

I'd throw in another main leaf (with the eyes cut off). It'd better handle the weight and better resist wrap. keep an eye out for broken leafs. I had some bad butt-saggin' under acceleration with the 88 back when it was 2wd and I later found one broken leaf per side.

:D

any year WJ grand cherokee. 99-04 were the WJs I think.

in theory, yes. it should make it harder for a spam computer to read it. but it's not impossible and our new forum software should bring us better capcha stuff (like asking 2+2).

it's possible that it is closed. I had a door latch do that to me once. :fs1: Does it look like the other side? If it's stuck closed, you might have luck by working the center mechanicsm back and forth while prying it open.

yup. :thumbsup: t-cases get ATF (and auto trannies of course)

chillin' with my family in Georgia for one more weekend before I go back to the land of ice and snow and unemployment (aka michigan) as my dad likes to call it. 8)

or go with the upgrade of WJ arms. :brows: They are definitely better than stock MJ units. Hornbrod used them with his lift and says there is enough adjustment in the factory shims to accomodate a 3" lift.

later model MTs had a double overload design. :thumbsup:

as an engineer I like overkill :yes: and 1/4" is technically overkill. a perfectly strong hitch can be made from 3/16" with a more elaborate design. 1/4" seems to be the industry standard for class 3 hitches. more than that is just extra weight. I did a ton of research when I was building my truck and I went with 3/16" bumpers with 1/4" brackets and I have difficulty imagining them deforming in any way. :D similar bumpers are on my buddy's bronco and they've been, um, tested several times and only have scratches to show for it. overkill is using the shackkle bolt. I don't think I've seen a hitch design yet that took advantage of that. and it seems so obvious. :dunno:

My thoughts: -definitely integrate in the shackle bolt if you can. that's even better than my bolt (which was put there to integrate into the rollbar mount) -1/4" thick is plenty, but since the end user is going to need to weld in their own hitch anyway, I'd suggest a couple of small triangular gussets if they want to weld them in -can these fit into any of the post office flat rate boxes?

I'm so confused by this statement. :hmm: gas shocks are indeed better shocks and will generally have a better ride. the control arm length will affect steering and where your tire is in the wheelwell, but getting control arms that are 1/4" or 1/2" longer than stock (meaning they would be correct for a small lift) is not going to change the ride in any significant way. It's all about the angle of the arms. The steeper the angle, the more you will feel bumps.

Since when? The FSM for a Renix-Era XJ lists the standard temperature as 192-198*F. that's the first I've ever heard those numbers. heck, not one of my 4.0 MJs (3 of them including the one I sold) has had an e-fan that kicks in before around 220.

210 is the normal operating temp for a renix era 4.0L. and it's perfectly typical for it to fluctuate up to 220. Different engines will have different requirements for the upper temp limit for the parts inside. :thumbsup:

The higher the temperature, the more efficient the engine can burn. the big advantage of the closed systems. you can run a higher operating temp. lots of makes and models have used it. My neighbors Caddy had a closed system. I kept my closed system but did get a late model radiator (wth the built in rad cap for easy filling) when the old one went south.

nicer ride? how would they do that? I guess rubber bushings would be nicer than the more modern replacements. but ride is not generally dictated by the control arms themselves, but rather the angle of said arms, the spring rate of the coils, and the price of the shocks.

wouldn't the pinion shaft be the shaft connected to the pinion gear? :dunno: ---->

on the road again. leaving Disney and heading back to GA today. :( still better than MI though. I don't have to go back to the snow til the weekend. :D

nice post. :thumbsup: we'll move that over to the DIY section later. why is the cross pin labeled as the "pinion shaft" in the 4th photo?

how was the rear lifted? Is it too high or too low?

photos would be nice

late model shafts with some 297 U-joints would be on my list if I was adding in a front locker. :thumbsup:

all 3 of my MJs that have motors have over 200k each. In fact, 200k seems to be an easy threshhold for a 2.5/4.0 to reach. you really need some serious neglect or abuse to not get one that far. :D 300k is a little harder. not because the engine can't do it, but because the truck itself seems to be cast aside from some other calamity before then.