My '01 XJ - A Work in Progress

[Ben824]

I would get frame stiffeners from H.D. Offroad if I had $150 to burn. Good upgrade for the Jeep overall.

 

[bzauche]

Well I did some asking around on other forums, and for what I use my Jeep for, I can hold off on the Diff covers for right now. I went ahead and ordered the IRO track bar and IRO LCA's. Mine are still stock and the bushings are bad anyways, so it was time! I didn't realize LCA's were in my budget until I re-checked, so when I saw that I could get them I went ahead and made the purchase!

 

[bzauche]

Ok, so I'm getting a list together of stuff I need to buy before going home and having a Jeep weekend. My new LCA's and Track Bar are waiting for me, and I'm going to do some other maintenance while I'm at it. I've read thread upon thread about different fluids, but I just need a simple answer of what and how much to buy.

I want to change:
Front and rear diff fluid (D30/35)
TC Fluid (242)
Tranny Fluid (AW4)

What fluids/oils, and how much of each?

Also, when I'm installing my LCA's, are there any other bushings that I'll need other than the ones that came with them? What about grease? Sorry, I'm a noob when it comes to this stuff, but I'm learning!

 

[jeepgeek2002]

Gear: buy one squeeze jug of 90-120 gear oil and a huge 2 gallon jug of gear oil
TC use dextron 3 oil .. get two quarts .. you unscrew the drain plug, drain it, screw back in.. open fill plug, fill it til it leak out then done.
Transmission..i dont mess with it..

 

[bzauche]

Gear: buy one squeeze jug of 90-120 gear oil and a huge 2 gallon jug of gear oil
TC use dextron 3 oil .. get two quarts .. you unscrew the drain plug, drain it, screw back in.. open fill plug, fill it til it leak out then done.
Transmission..i dont mess with it..

See, those are oils that I haven't heard anyone else use haha. My XJ is my DD, and I only go on a light trail maybe once every two weeks. Are you sure I need 90-120 and not 80-90? Also, I've read that a lot of people use ATF+4 for their tranny/TC, what's the difference between that and what you said, the Dextron 3?

 

[jeepgeek2002]

120 is for high heat.. 90 is lower heat
i ve always used dextron III .

 

[Shorty]

...TC use dextron 3 oil .. get two quarts .. you unscrew the drain plug, drain it, screw back in.. open fill plug, fill it til it leak out then done.

correction:
remove fill plug first-- you'll be in a world of stink if you drain it and can't get the fill plug out!!:jester:

 

[bzauche]

correction:
remove fill plug first-- you'll be in a world of stink if you drain it and can't get the fill plug out!!:jester:

Oh, of course! I think I'm going to run what's recommended in my manual. 75W-140 Synthetic in the back, and 75W-90 (also synthetic) in the front. My local Advance Auto has good prices on both of those so it's not going to break the bank!

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

Do NOT use ATF+ anything in your transmission! It has different properties and is formulated for different transmissions than ours. You'll kill it if you do!

Dexron III (or IV...whatever they're up to now, it's compatible with what our book calls for) in both the transmission and tcase.

Basic service on the transmission is to drain the fluid (which will only be 2-3 quarts), drop the pan (which gets another quart or so out), change the filter, install new gasket and fill it back up. If you want to do a home brew "flush" on it, you can pull the plug to drain the 2-3 quarts out, put the plug back in and fill it up then drive it around the block. Repeat this process until you see clean fluid coming out. Once you see clean fluid come out, drop the pan and change the filter.

I would advise against any kind of "power flush" done at a shop.

 

[bzauche]

Do NOT use ATF+ anything in your transmission! It has different properties and is formulated for different transmissions than ours. You'll kill it if you do!

Dexron III (or IV...whatever they're up to now, it's compatible with what our book calls for) in both the transmission and tcase.

Basic service on the transmission is to drain the fluid (which will only be 2-3 quarts), drop the pan (which gets another quart or so out), change the filter, install new gasket and fill it back up. If you want to do a home brew "flush" on it, you can pull the plug to drain the 2-3 quarts out, put the plug back in and fill it up then drive it around the block. Repeat this process until you see clean fluid coming out. Once you see clean fluid come out, drop the pan and change the filter.

I would advise against any kind of "power flush" done at a shop.

Already bought Valvoline MaxLife Dexron III! No worries. I did a lot of research and read about what ATF+4 (or 3 for that matter) can do to our rigs. Thanks for looking out for me!

I'm not sure that I'll do the tranny fluid just yet, but definitely the T-case. If I feel up to dropping the pan, etc...I might give it a go.

Off the topic of fluids, and on to installing the LCA's I have at home...do I need to buy some grease and grease up the bushings on both ends before installing? It makes sense to in my mind...

 

[bzauche]

Alright folks, tomorrow is the day! I will be (potentially):

Servicing both diffs, T-Case, throttle body, IAC, and installing the new track bar and LCA's.

Question: Nowhere on the IRO instructions for the track bar does it say anything about applying LocTite to the threads of the bolts, but I have read of a few people doing that when they install theirs. What is recommended?

Also, I'm assuming since the bushings are already pressed into the LCA's, I only need to grease the outside of them?

 

[Ben824]

Alright folks, tomorrow is the day! I will be (potentially):

Servicing both diffs, T-Case, throttle body, IAC, and installing the new track bar and LCA's.

Question: Nowhere on the IRO instructions for the track bar does it say anything about applying LocTite to the threads of the bolts, but I have read of a few people doing that when they install theirs. What is recommended?

Also, I'm assuming since the bushings are already pressed into the LCA's, I only need to grease the outside of them?

I have never used loctite on any control arm bolt and I have put plenty of arms on and they never loosen up. The nuts are locking nuts anyways so loctite isn't necessary. If they have grease fitting you will need to shoot some grease into them still.

 

[bzauche]

I have never used loctite on any control arm bolt and I have put plenty of arms on and they never loosen up. The nuts are locking nuts anyways so loctite isn't necessary. If they have grease fitting you will need to shoot some grease into them still.

I'm wondering more about the track bar nuts...

The control arms don't have grease nipples though, so I figured I would just grease the outside. They are IRO control arms, found here:

Link

 

[Ben824]

Even with track bar bolts I don't think it NEEDS loctite but it could hurt on maybe the frame side bracket bolts since those are notorious for coming loose. By the way good luck with that track bar. When I installed mine it ended up being harder than I thought. I had to take the frame side bracket off and take it to a shop that hard a drill press to drill it out and the nut for the double sheer "adapter" bracket is so freaking huge that there wasn't hardly any room to get a wrench in there and tighten it down so we just ended up welding mine in place.

 

[bzauche]

Even with track bar bolts I don't think it NEEDS loctite but it could hurt on maybe the frame side bracket bolts since those are notorious for coming loose. By the way good luck with that track bar. When I installed mine it ended up being harder than I thought. I had to take the frame side bracket off and take it to a shop that hard a drill press to drill it out and the nut for the double sheer "adapter" bracket is so freaking huge that there wasn't hardly any room to get a wrench in there and tighten it down so we just ended up welding mine in place.

I didn't put any Loctite on, but I will definitely be checking the bolts every so often just to make sure they're still tight.

The track bar install wasn't bad at all, actually. I read your post before I started and it made me a little nervous, but everything lined up perfectly. Out with the old, in with the new. The only part I needed help for was lining up the axle side-to-side, so I measured each side and found out it was an 1" off, so I had my brother turn the wheel until it was lined up, and he held it there while I adjusted the track bar to the right length. I didn't get a chance to take it around the block, but I definitely will once I get the control arms in.

I did everything I wanted to today except install the control arms...there just wasn't enough time. Both diffs, T-case, track bar, and throttle body/IAC were all taken care of. I took some pictures, but I'll just make one big post after the LCA's are in!

 

[bzauche]

Well, here's a brief overview of the work I've done yesterday and today. First was servicing the diffs:

While those were draining, I took off my throttle body and cleaned it up, along with the IAC:

Once I buttoned everything back up (also changed my T-case fluid), it was time for the track bar!

Getting the old one out was a pain, but it came off eventually!

And the new one in:

I attempted to do the Control Arms myself, but it just wasn't happening. Even with a breaker bar I couldn't get the nuts to budge. I am going to take it tomorrow morning to the alignment shop and see if they can throw them on there before the alignment. I asked today and they said they do tech work like that, but their techs weren't in today.

While I was working, I noticed this:

My sway bar end link actually comes in contact with the coil spring. What could be causing this, and how to I fix it?

 

[Jamescad04]

I took my sway bar off, You don't really need it lol. Your new control arms probably pushed the axle forward a little. Driving on the road you shouldn't have an issue with it. Off road though it will be more of a problem. But when your off road you shouldn't have the sway bar connected anyway.

 

[bzauche]

I took my sway bar off, You don't really need it lol. Your new control arms probably pushed the axle forward a little. Driving on the road you shouldn't have an issue with it. Off road though it will be more of a problem. But when your off road you shouldn't have the sway bar connected anyway.

Well, I solved the problem today! Picked up some JKS Quicker Disconnects for $45 and just got done installing them.

These things (pressed in bolts for stock end links) were a total PITA.

A pitman arm puller solved that problem!

Clearance issue solved!

 

[bzauche]

I was on spring break last week, so that's why I had time to do quite a bit of work, but now that school is back in swing, I won't have any updates for awhile. I did get the LCA's put in and had it aligned, so it's driving straight now! I do notice a difference in the road manners of it with the new track bar, so that's a good thing!

I'm still trying to decide on what order I want to get things this summer. I know I want to replace the shocks and springs, and I want to stay at around 4/4.5" of lift with my 31's. I was originally thinking about going OME but they don't make tall enough springs, so I might end up with RE or IRO. My list for the summer is:

Coil and leaf springs
IRO Shackle Relocation
Shocks
CB Radio
IRO SYE & Driveshaft Kit
Upgraded Steering (Serious Offroad, most likely)
New muffler
New front/rear bumpers
CAI?

Now that I think about it, that's a lot of stuff and a lot of money, definitely in the $1500+ range. I need to prioritize stuff before I start making money :thumbup1:

I'm thinking the coil and leaf springs, shocks, and SYE are top priority, and I might be able to make that all one order from IRO, if I go with IRO springs.

Goodness, I've got my mind running and it's not even summer yet. Only 6 more weeks though!

 

[stumpXJ]

Good for you doing the majority of it yourself... Now go buy some damn Simple Green and wash that pig! That engine bay makes me cringe....LOL.