All Shook Up
I just bought an '06 Wrangler with a 4.0L and an automatic transmission. I want to put on a small lift and 31-inch tires. I saw a 2-inch spacer lift by Skyjacker which comes with the spacers, bumper stops, and shocks. I also saw that Skyjacker sells a transfer case lowering kit, which they recommend for a 2-inch lift. I saw another kit that was a 1.75-inch lift and this kit comes with a rear pinion angle cam kit.
Since I only plan to lift the Jeep 2 inches and put on 31s, do you think I need to put a transfer case lowering kit or a rear pinion angle cam kit on, or will the change not effect the driveline enough to make a difference?Stuart WoodsVia e-mail
If you had a manual transmission or a Wrangler Unlimited I'd say no on the T-case lowering kit. Since your Jeep is an automatic, which is longer than a manual tranny, you will need the lowering kit to correct the driveshaft angle. I think you'll need to install the drop brackets or you'll have bad vibration from the rear shaft when coasting or decelerating. And I'm sure the rear cam kit will prove useful in dialing out any vibrations the T-case lowering kit doesn't cure.
Indication
I need to replace my '80 CJ's gauge cover. How do I remove the current cover? Is it glued on? How do I remove the indicator lights?NoahAspen, Colorado
If you remove the gauge you'll see the indicator lights from the back of the speedo. The bulb sockets should come out with a half-twist. Then you can pull and replace the bulbs.
As for the speedo cover, the glass is held to the gauge via a steel bezel that's crimped on in about 4 places. You can carefully use a small, thin flathead screwdriver to bend the crimped areas up, allowing the bezel and glass to be removed. Be careful not to snap or bend the speedo needle. They're fragile.
After you replace the glass, install the trim ring and carefully crimp the cover back on using a pair of needle nose pliers or a small flathead screwdriver and a hammer to strike the crimps back down. Associate Editor Trasborg recommends a dab or RTV to keep the seal in place during reassembly.
Bad Vibrations
I was wondering about a problem I have with the rear of my XJ. There is a crazy vibration that feels like the rear driveshaft or maybe the yoke into the T-case. The tires are all freshly balanced. Is there a fix for this without a big cost of replacing too much? I was thinking possibly the U-joints were bad, but it only does it at 50 kph and than it starts again at 80 kph-130kkph. At the higher speed range its pretty crazy. Maybe the lift is the cause? I've got about 4.5 inches of lift, but any suggestions on the fix would be awesome.Anthony FietzeVancouver Island,British Columbia, Canada
Did the vibration present itself once you did the lift? Here's the thing; 4.5 inches is a lot of lift for an XJ even though the rear driveshaft is a lot longer than a Wrangler.
I'd first check the rear driveshaft U-joints. Place the vehicle in Neutral with the parking brake engaged and the wheels chocked so it can't roll over your skull. Then crawl under and check for rotational and lateral play in the rear driveshaft U-joints (just grab the shaft and try to spin it, then pull it up and down in relation to the U-joints). You'll see any play in the joints pretty clearly. If they're hammered, replace them.
Second, you're going to have to do something to correct the driveshaft angle on the rear. Most companies offer a T-case drop kit to lower the rear output shaft and help point it back towards the rear pinion. This, in conjunction with shims in the rear springs can help get the rear driveshaft angle back in line. Rusty's Off Road, rustyoffroad.com, offers a nice T-case drop kit for the XJ for only $20 under PN RC-TCD1-XJ. Try the drop brackets first and then worry about the rear axle shims on the spring packs if you still have a bad vibration.
If you're not running a CV rear driveshaft with a slip-yoke eliminator (which is the correct thing to do when funds permit) you want the angle at the T-case output to be equal to the angle of the pinion. Check the "Tech Info" section of Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts web site for a clear illustration of this at 4xshaft.com.
Rubi-Locked
I just purchased an '03 Rubicon. I've been searching through my back issues of Jp trying to find the article about how to keep the air lockers working in High Range. Could you help me out with an issue date?William GossettMohler, Washington
I believe it was the July '03 issue. The TJ wiring colors changed either in '04 or '05 Take off the connector to the rear locker switch and look at it from the female side (side the terminals go in). On the far left you'll see numbers 1 (black wire) and just below that 4 (red w/ white stripe).
What you want to do is splice in a toggle switch to the black and red/white wires so you can fool the computer into thinking it's in 4-Low (it basically grounds to the red/white wire when Low is selected). You can use a Scotch Lock or splice into these wires carefully, but leave them hooked up to the factory switch. Throwing the toggle will ground the red/white wire and allow High Range operation of the rear locker.