89 XJ Death Wobble now deceased

Previously I replaced my 9 front suspension and track bar bushings which
seem to aggravate my wobble so I then replaced all my tie rod ends except
the track bar. Then I set my toe-in to zero.

On a 75 mile round trip from Canon City CO to Pueblo CO at 65 mph, I had
absolutely no shimmy, wobble, boo-ga-loo or Peppermint Twist in my front
axle.

Smooth as a greased slide.

Darn thing might just be worth keeping.

Now I need to replace front rotors, pads, grease and re-boot the CV joints
on the axle shaft (wish I could swap for the standard U-joint type shafts
.... less / easier maintenance) and replace the "S" curved rear springs
(thanks to a 3/8" thick add-a-leaf booster leaf) and get the rear dropped
back to stock height.

Maybe fixing the rear springs will stop us from being tossed around every
time we run over a shadow from a light pole.

--
Budd Cochran

Need proof that we need less government?

They can't run a website that could have

been built with WYSIWYG5!




---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

Budd Cochran wrote:
> Previously I replaced my 9 front suspension and track bar bushings
> which seem to aggravate my wobble so I then replaced all my tie rod
> ends except the track bar. Then I set my toe-in to zero.
>
> On a 75 mile round trip from Canon City CO to Pueblo CO at 65 mph, I
> had absolutely no shimmy, wobble, boo-ga-loo or Peppermint Twist in
> my front axle.
>
> Smooth as a greased slide.
>
> Darn thing might just be worth keeping.

Great hobby ain't it.

Glad to hear that solved the problem.
A teeny bit of toe-in (1/16" front-to-back) is about
what you need. I forget exactly what that is in terms
of just turning the tie-rod, but it wasn't much. I had
to mess with it when replacing ball joints and even after
measuring many times got it horribly, horribly wrong. :/

> Now I need to replace front rotors, pads, grease and re-boot the CV
> joints on the axle shaft (wish I could swap for the standard U-joint
> type shafts ... less / easier maintenance) and replace the "S" curved
> rear springs (thanks to a 3/8" thick add-a-leaf booster leaf) and get
> the rear dropped back to stock height.

CV boots are fun. Especially if you don't have to repack the joint.
I gave up trying to separate the drivers side one and simply pushed
grease through it with a cattle syringe/turkey baster. What a mess.

> Maybe fixing the rear springs will stop us from being tossed around
> every time we run over a shadow from a light pole.

Yep. I've got coils all the way around, but probably a bushing going
on the rear track arm.

On the other hand. I did get a free battery this weekend.
The old battery would go to 9v when sitting for a while and
the inner two cells looked grey and a bit low (suspected
they were boiling or shorted)

Took it to PepBoys and they tested the battery.

Them: Looks like a low charge, tester says you probably have some
ignition off draw.
Me: (yea, right, nope) Hey, how about charging it for me first?
Them: Ok. (throws it on the charger as I step back)

(couple of minutes as the machine sets up and starts to charge)

Me: Hey, do you hear something that sounds like a fan or boiling water?
Them: HOLY SH__T! (turns off charger) Yep, looks like you need a new one.


--
DougW

"DougW" > wrote in message
...
: Budd Cochran wrote:
: > Previously I replaced my 9 front suspension and track bar bushings
: > which seem to aggravate my wobble so I then replaced all my tie rod
: > ends except the track bar. Then I set my toe-in to zero.
: >
: > On a 75 mile round trip from Canon City CO to Pueblo CO at 65 mph, I
: > had absolutely no shimmy, wobble, boo-ga-loo or Peppermint Twist in
: > my front axle.
: >
: > Smooth as a greased slide.
: >
: > Darn thing might just be worth keeping.
:
: Great hobby ain't it.

I dunno, Doug ... been thinking about going down to the Credit Union and
seeing about a loan for a good used Neon or Stratus and keep the XJ for
hauling the fishing boat.
:
: Glad to hear that solved the problem.
: A teeny bit of toe-in (1/16" front-to-back) is about
: what you need. I forget exactly what that is in terms
: of just turning the tie-rod, but it wasn't much. I had
: to mess with it when replacing ball joints and even after
: measuring many times got it horribly, horribly wrong. :/

If you have the T-case with the Full Time position as well as the Part Time,
then every source I could find online and at my local dealership said 0
degrees toe.
:
: > Now I need to replace front rotors, pads, grease and re-boot the CV
: > joints on the axle shaft (wish I could swap for the standard U-joint
: > type shafts ... less / easier maintenance) and replace the "S" curved
: > rear springs (thanks to a 3/8" thick add-a-leaf booster leaf) and get
: > the rear dropped back to stock height.
:
: CV boots are fun. Especially if you don't have to repack the joint.
: I gave up trying to separate the drivers side one and simply pushed
: grease through it with a cattle syringe/turkey baster. What a mess.

Now you know why I want the good old-fashioned U-joints. Less mess and less
trouble to repair. <VBG>
:
: > Maybe fixing the rear springs will stop us from being tossed around
: > every time we run over a shadow from a light pole.
:
: Yep. I've got coils all the way around, but probably a bushing going
: on the rear track arm.

My better half is disabled (O2 24/7) and if I had the dinero I'd install
full air suspension so I could drop the Jeep a few inches for ease of
entrance and exit for her ... and she's the reason for looking for a regular
car with doors big enough for her to get in and out of.
:
: On the other hand. I did get a free battery this weekend.
: The old battery would go to 9v when sitting for a while and
: the inner two cells looked grey and a bit low (suspected
: they were boiling or shorted)
:
: Took it to PepBoys and they tested the battery.
:
: Them: Looks like a low charge, tester says you probably have some
: ignition off draw.
: Me: (yea, right, nope) Hey, how about charging it for me first?
: Them: Ok. (throws it on the charger as I step back)
:
: (couple of minutes as the machine sets up and starts to charge)
:
: Me: Hey, do you hear something that sounds like a fan or boiling water?
: Them: HOLY SH__T! (turns off charger) Yep, looks like you need a new one.
:
:
: --
: DougW
:
:
Grey down in the cell? That's the dry top of the plates. Check your water
more often and use distilled but in emergencies you can use water you can
drink as long as there is no added minerals as found in some bottled waters.

--
Budd Cochran

Need proof that we need less government?

They can't run a website that could have

been built with WYSIWYG5!



---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

Budd Cochran wrote:
> "DougW" wrote...
>> Budd Cochran wrote:
>>> Previously I replaced my 9 front suspension and track bar bushings
>>> which seem to aggravate my wobble so I then replaced all my tie rod
>>> ends except the track bar. Then I set my toe-in to zero.
>>>
>>> On a 75 mile round trip from Canon City CO to Pueblo CO at 65 mph, I
>>> had absolutely no shimmy, wobble, boo-ga-loo or Peppermint Twist in
>>> my front axle.
>>>
>>> Smooth as a greased slide.
>>>
>>> Darn thing might just be worth keeping.
>>
>> Great hobby ain't it.
>
> I dunno, Doug ... been thinking about going down to the Credit Union
> and seeing about a loan for a good used Neon or Stratus and keep the
> XJ for hauling the fishing boat.

Not a bad choice. I just don't care for trading problems I know how to fix for problems I don't.

>> Glad to hear that solved the problem.
>> A teeny bit of toe-in (1/16" front-to-back) is about
>> what you need. I forget exactly what that is in terms
>> of just turning the tie-rod, but it wasn't much. I had
>> to mess with it when replacing ball joints and even after
>> measuring many times got it horribly, horribly wrong. :/
>
> If you have the T-case with the Full Time position as well as the
> Part Time, then every source I could find online and at my local
> dealership said 0 degrees toe.

I'll look, but that's what the service book said for the 89XJ.
Still though, at that toe-in it's just tracking vs any outside wear
on the tires.

>>> Now I need to replace front rotors, pads, grease and re-boot the CV
>>> joints on the axle shaft (wish I could swap for the standard U-joint
>>> type shafts ... less / easier maintenance) and replace the "S"
>>> curved rear springs (thanks to a 3/8" thick add-a-leaf booster
>>> leaf) and get the rear dropped back to stock height.
>>
>> CV boots are fun. Especially if you don't have to repack the joint.
>> I gave up trying to separate the drivers side one and simply pushed
>> grease through it with a cattle syringe/turkey baster. What a mess.
>
> Now you know why I want the good old-fashioned U-joints. Less mess
> and less trouble to repair. <VBG>

Yep. After doing a few of these I have to agree. The U-joint is so much easier to deal with (providing you lube it that is).

>>> Maybe fixing the rear springs will stop us from being tossed around
>>> every time we run over a shadow from a light pole.
>>
>> Yep. I've got coils all the way around, but probably a bushing going
>> on the rear track arm.
>
> My better half is disabled (O2 24/7) and if I had the dinero I'd
> install full air suspension so I could drop the Jeep a few inches for
> ease of entrance and exit for her ... and she's the reason for
> looking for a regular car with doors big enough for her to get in and
> out of.

I've seen bags on a ZJ. Got to admit the ride was very smooth but it gave
up any travel off-road for that ride.

>> On the other hand. I did get a free battery this weekend.
>> The old battery would go to 9v when sitting for a while and
>> the inner two cells looked grey and a bit low (suspected
>> they were boiling or shorted)
>>
>> Took it to PepBoys and they tested the battery.
>>
>> Them: Looks like a low charge, tester says you probably have some
>> ignition off draw.
>> Me: (yea, right, nope) Hey, how about charging it for me first?
>> Them: Ok. (throws it on the charger as I step back)
>>
>> (couple of minutes as the machine sets up and starts to charge)
>>
>> Me: Hey, do you hear something that sounds like a fan or boiling
>> water? Them: HOLY SH__T! (turns off charger) Yep, looks like you
>> need a new one.

> Grey down in the cell? That's the dry top of the plates. Check your
> water more often and use distilled but in emergencies you can use
> water you can drink as long as there is no added minerals as found in
> some bottled waters.

Yep. I check it every couple of months. The electrical had been giving
me fits since this winter when I first suspected a battery problem.
Filled it back up with distilled water twice. That ain't normal.
I think there was an internal break in the battery. Not the first time
I've seen a plate or someting break due to vibration.

--
DougW

"DougW" > wrote in message
...
: Budd Cochran wrote:
: > "DougW" wrote...
: >> Budd Cochran wrote:
: >>> Previously I replaced my 9 front suspension and track bar bushings
: >>> which seem to aggravate my wobble so I then replaced all my tie rod
: >>> ends except the track bar. Then I set my toe-in to zero.
: >>>
: >>> On a 75 mile round trip from Canon City CO to Pueblo CO at 65 mph, I
: >>> had absolutely no shimmy, wobble, boo-ga-loo or Peppermint Twist in
: >>> my front axle.
: >>>
: >>> Smooth as a greased slide.
: >>>
: >>> Darn thing might just be worth keeping.
: >>
: >> Great hobby ain't it.
: >
: > I dunno, Doug ... been thinking about going down to the Credit Union
: > and seeing about a loan for a good used Neon or Stratus and keep the
: > XJ for hauling the fishing boat.
:
: Not a bad choice. I just don't care for trading problems I know how to fix
for problems I don't.

I agree but the last time I could afford a new car was '72 (Dodge Charger)
and if I've got both Haynes and Chilton manuals for it I can usually figger
it out ... now where did I put that big hammer . . . . . .
:
: >> Glad to hear that solved the problem.
: >> A teeny bit of toe-in (1/16" front-to-back) is about
: >> what you need. I forget exactly what that is in terms
: >> of just turning the tie-rod, but it wasn't much. I had
: >> to mess with it when replacing ball joints and even after
: >> measuring many times got it horribly, horribly wrong. :/
: >
: > If you have the T-case with the Full Time position as well as the
: > Part Time, then every source I could find online and at my local
: > dealership said 0 degrees toe.
:
: I'll look, but that's what the service book said for the 89XJ.
: Still though, at that toe-in it's just tracking vs any outside wear
: on the tires.

I'm going to have to replace the chunked out tires anyway but for now I'll
swap them to the rear.
:
: >>> Now I need to replace front rotors, pads, grease and re-boot the CV
: >>> joints on the axle shaft (wish I could swap for the standard U-joint
: >>> type shafts ... less / easier maintenance) and replace the "S"
: >>> curved rear springs (thanks to a 3/8" thick add-a-leaf booster
: >>> leaf) and get the rear dropped back to stock height.
: >>
: >> CV boots are fun. Especially if you don't have to repack the joint.
: >> I gave up trying to separate the drivers side one and simply pushed
: >> grease through it with a cattle syringe/turkey baster. What a mess.
: >
: > Now you know why I want the good old-fashioned U-joints. Less mess
: > and less trouble to repair. <VBG>
:
: Yep. After doing a few of these I have to agree. The U-joint is so much
easier to deal with (providing you lube it that is).

Yep, gotta lube them but what I hate is the Zerk for the lower balljoint is
blocked by the u-joint / cv joint and I have to pull the shafts to swap a 90
degree Zerk in. Very poor design.
:
: >>> Maybe fixing the rear springs will stop us from being tossed around
: >>> every time we run over a shadow from a light pole.
: >>
: >> Yep. I've got coils all the way around, but probably a bushing going
: >> on the rear track arm.
: >
: > My better half is disabled (O2 24/7) and if I had the dinero I'd
: > install full air suspension so I could drop the Jeep a few inches for
: > ease of entrance and exit for her ... and she's the reason for
: > looking for a regular car with doors big enough for her to get in and
: > out of.
:
: I've seen bags on a ZJ. Got to admit the ride was very smooth but it gave
: up any travel off-road for that ride.

My off-roading is limited to crossing a weed covered area to get to where
the fish are rising. I've also thought of going with stock springs and air
shocks to handle any extra loads.
:
: >> On the other hand. I did get a free battery this weekend.
: >> The old battery would go to 9v when sitting for a while and
: >> the inner two cells looked grey and a bit low (suspected
: >> they were boiling or shorted)
: >>
: >> Took it to PepBoys and they tested the battery.
: >>
: >> Them: Looks like a low charge, tester says you probably have some
: >> ignition off draw.
: >> Me: (yea, right, nope) Hey, how about charging it for me first?
: >> Them: Ok. (throws it on the charger as I step back)
: >>
: >> (couple of minutes as the machine sets up and starts to charge)
: >>
: >> Me: Hey, do you hear something that sounds like a fan or boiling
: >> water? Them: HOLY SH__T! (turns off charger) Yep, looks like you
: >> need a new one.
:
: > Grey down in the cell? That's the dry top of the plates. Check your
: > water more often and use distilled but in emergencies you can use
: > water you can drink as long as there is no added minerals as found in
: > some bottled waters.
:
: Yep. I check it every couple of months. The electrical had been giving
: me fits since this winter when I first suspected a battery problem.
: Filled it back up with distilled water twice. That ain't normal.
: I think there was an internal break in the battery. Not the first time
: I've seen a plate or someting break due to vibration.
:
: --
: DougW

Plate collapse from age and vibration. To save money in the long run go to a
wrapped and/or gel cell like an Optima.

But even gel cell (deep cycle, mobility scooter type) require checking when
they age a bit.

My wife has a Rally mobility scooter we got for free because it wouldn't
hold a charge and the two batteries are $75 /ea. at a discount source.

Popped the caps and began topping with distilled water before a charge cycle
and now instead of ten minutes of operation we get 8 hours ... yep, back to
normal.


--
Budd Cochran

Need proof that we need less government?

They can't run a website that could have

been built with WYSIWYG5!



---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

Budd Cochran wrote:

> Yep, gotta lube them but what I hate is the Zerk for the lower balljoint
> is blocked by the u-joint / cv joint and I have to pull the shafts to swap
> a 90 degree Zerk in. Very poor design.
>

Budd, they make a head for grease guns to get to those - kinda long and
tapered. Myself, I use a cheapy I got at Autozone or Advanced Auto that is
just a long needle with a zerk fitting on the end to attach it to the grease
gun. Pretty stout needle, but all it does is depress the ball in the zerk
fitting and squirt around it. I added a sleeve of rubber around the needle
to seal things up so that it's less of a mess. Big thing most folks miss is
getting grease smeared on that center ball, anyway. Those joints don't use
that much grease.

--
Will Honea

"Will Honea" > wrote in message
...
: Budd Cochran wrote:
:
: > Yep, gotta lube them but what I hate is the Zerk for the lower balljoint
: > is blocked by the u-joint / cv joint and I have to pull the shafts to
swap
: > a 90 degree Zerk in. Very poor design.
: >
:
: Budd, they make a head for grease guns to get to those - kinda long and
: tapered. Myself, I use a cheapy I got at Autozone or Advanced Auto that
is
: just a long needle with a zerk fitting on the end to attach it to the
grease
: gun. Pretty stout needle, but all it does is depress the ball in the zerk
: fitting and squirt around it. I added a sleeve of rubber around the
needle
: to seal things up so that it's less of a mess. Big thing most folks miss
is
: getting grease smeared on that center ball, anyway. Those joints don't
use
: that much grease.
:
: --
: Will Honea

I may have caused a misunderstanding, guys.

On my stock D-30 front axle the upper and lower balljoints are lubed by
Zerks on the ball end of the balljoint and not the stud.

This means the u-joint or cv joint on the front axle shaft blocks access to
the lower balljoint Zerk unless it has a 90 degree Zerk or you pull the axle
shaft out.

This spring I have to do front brake work and check the spindle bearings so
I'll be replacing the Zerk on the lower balljoint with a 90 degree Zerk
pointing so the CV boot cannot catch on it (to the rear).

That way all I'll need is the needle adaptor for the driveshaft u-joints and
Cardan Joint needle type Zerks.


--
Budd Cochran

Need proof that we need less government?

They can't run a website that could have

been built with WYSIWYG5!



---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com