CCKen

Positive cables = 6 ga.

Negative cables = 8 Ga.

salad

And free, too.

I thought there was 4 AWG in there somewhere? I have a bunch of 6 AWG lying around that I've used for various things and it's a fair bit thinner than the OE.

JeepVeep

Hi All,
My son just bought his first car, a 1996 Grand Cherokee Laredo with the 5.2L and QuadraTrac.

I've been lurking for a while now and have decided to post my first question here.

This weekend we're going to replace the left/front axle shaft to address a torn CV joint boot (go RockAuto).

We've also noticed that the vehicle pulls to the right, and the right/front tire's wear is obviously indicative of either an alignment issue, a worn suspension component or a dragging brake. So I'm going to put 'er up on jackstands and perform some diagnostic procedures I've read about here and watched on YouTube.

Here's my question: When doing this do I want the jack stands positioned under the frame or the axle? It seems that if I have the jack stands under the axles the front suspension it may still be under load and therefore harder to diagnose.

Thanks in advance,
JeepVeep!

salad

Welcome to the site. You should know that Grand Cherokee ZJs and Cherokee XJs aren't the same vehicle, in fact there's a separate section for Grand Cherokee Tech (see https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f5/ ), but the front end is basically the same so you get this one free

For now you want to put the jack stands under the axle. For the problem you're describing, what you'll be checking isn't really the suspension as much as the steering. Drag link, tie rod, tie rod ends, and ball joints are all accessible, and one or more is likely the problem. Suspension components like the springs and control arm bushings are very unlikely to cause this issue.

You want the vehicle at normal ride height anyway as the steering geometry changes quite a bit at full droop - which is what you get when the vehicle is supported by the frame and the axle hangs.

Also you need at least 6 ton jack stands to let the axle hang. Or a pretty substantial block of wood.

AndyADD

I am 100% sure now (got under the jeep and inspected it) that my flexplate is cause of my noise issues (huge *** crack going across the flexplate)

friend of mine says he has a buddy that I could use car lift.

My question is, what will I need to make this job go seemless as possible? Also in haynes manual is the flexplate also called flywheel? (even though flywheel is for manual transmissions) I can't find in the index for flexplate.

NewKindOfClown

4AWG is an upgrade

JerrytheJeep

Iirc they call it a driveplate, or something similar. If you look for torque converter, you should find what its called, as the two are bolted together.
Tools needed:
assorted Metric sockets and wrenches (18mm as well)
3/4"socket
Breaker bar
Inverse torx socket (e12? I cant remember the size)
About two-three feet of extensions for your ratchet.
Adjustable wrench, crescent or otherwise.
Big flathead screw driver
Drain pans, rags, lots of rags
cardboard if you want

I could tell you exactly how to do it, which bolts are which size, where to put your body, etc, but im lazy and on my phone. If you have questions pm me, ive removed and replaced my transmission 7 or 8 times in this past year and a half.

odgreen

It's called a flex plate..

CCKen

Salad...

That's your jumper cables. :-)

If you have a '99 you have 6/8 cables from the factory.

CCKen

Chrysler has been calling it a Drive Plate as far back as when rainbows were black & white.

Flexplate is a term used by other vehicle manufacturers, but has been used by Jeep folks for some time. A vulgarism.

salad

Must've swelled from all the corrosion. Heh.

That's good to know if I need to replace something in a pinch 6AWG will suffice. I have a gazillion feet left over from projects at work. Nice fancy TelcoFlex stuff as well as some nasty oil resistant cable too.

odgreen

Good to know.

Outlaw Star

Yes. Engine Drive Plate. The reason other manufacturers called it a flex-plate was the older torque converters had a tendency to "balloon up" or "swell up" once fully spooled. This caused the thin metal drive plate to "flex" a little.

Funny how nicknames can become mainstream if used enough. IE: The Tune-Up name was derived from the old Model T's because you would use a tuning fork to adjust the coil box untill the coils resonated at the same frequency as the fork.

cruiser54

We need a CF Trivia Game.

Big D!

I ordered the mounts and the plates for the block.. my first motor had all 3 block bosses cracked off on the passenger side. A few weeks ago I heard a clunk and come to find out two of the 3 bolts on the passenger side sheared off... so I got the plate that extends along the block so it wouldn't happen again