Our 15+ year old Jeep Cherokee Sport is really making a racket when we drive down the street. It even makes noise when I simply open the door and sit down. We routinely change the oil every 3 months or so - and they (our really exceptional shop) check out the rest of the car as well. But - they don't 'grease' cars - probably because they don't have any sort of car lift and work off a piece of cardboard on the ground.

So when we get our car back from the oil change etc, we then take it to another shop which pressure washes the car/engine and then 'greases' it - but I'm not sure those people know what a zirk is. I think they spray oil/grease on the under-body.

How many zirks are there on a factory 2001 Cherokee Sport (there has to be a finite number - like 16 or something) ? Which are the easiest to get at for a 60+ year old person ? Which are the most important to address ?

Thanks

 

I can't imagine the greaseable steering parts are creaking and squeaking. Probably your suspension bushings which would make sense at 15 years old. lower control arms and spring bushing probably need replacing. Never hurts to grease the zirks as part of regular maintenance though. Six up front and one one each driveshaft if I recall correctly. Wait for a more seasoned and knowledgeable forum member to respond before diving in.

 

The last time we had it in the shop we gave them a can of white silicon grease spray - because the steering column was making such a racket. That cured THAT noise for perhaps 2 months or so. But there are several other squeaks...

 

Here's something:

• Track bar/panhard rod. 1 nipple at chassis end
  * Track rod ends. 1 at each end of axle and 1 at the steering box drop arm. Possibly 1 at the mid-joint of the drag link but I think this one is usualy not greasable? so 3, maybe 4 on the steering linkage.
  * Steering swivel ball joints. The top ball joint is greasable and this is easier to get to if you take the wheels off but not essential. The bottom ball joint isn't usually greasable but I think some specialist aftermarket ones might be.
  *Front axle driveshafts have a UJ at each axle end. These are often not greasable but they can be and the grease fitting may be the usual nipple between 2 of the bearing caps(although there is no room to get a conventional grease gun in to it) or a flush fitting on the end of 1 of the bearing caps.
  *Front propshaft has a greasable sliding joint and 3 UJ's which probably won't be greasable if they are original. The UJ nearest the gearbox could be greasable by the bearing end cap as there is no space to get to an inner grease nipple.
  * Rear propshaft has 2 UJ's which again probably aren't greasable but worth checking. The sliding joint of the rear propshaft has to be dismantled to grease it but it is advisable to do it every few years, undo the uj straps at the rear axle(4x 8mm headed bolts) and remove the prop to grease the splines.