Vermontxj

Hey Guys,

Hopefully you can help me out to get me headed in the right direction. I have a '99 XJ - Limited with the Upcountry Suspension package. I just put a RockyRoadOutfitters 2" lift on it (shackles and .5" lift block in the rear, coil spacers in the front). The Jeep looks killer and is sitting exacly how I wanted it to. I will be putting some 30" BFGs on her before deer season. Anyway, here is the problem...I immeadiatly noticed vibes the first time I headed down the road. Before digging into this lift I did some research and know that later model Cherokees are very finiky about lifts - even small ones like a 2". Obviously a SYE is total overkill on a 2" lift and is really not a job I want to have to do anyway. I did my best to measure the driveline angles using a homemade guage (plastic protractor with string and plumb bob). I got 3 degrees on the transfer case output and 10 degrees on the pinion. Do those numbers sound about right? I am no driveline expert but my research tells me that the two angles should be as close to each other as possible to limit vibes. So, it would seem to me that if I brought the pinion down 6 degrees with a 6 degree shim I would get pretty close. Does my reasoning make sense? Has anyone out there dealt with this on a small 2" lift? Just looking at the Jeep sitting at ride height the pinion is pointing almost exactly at the rear output on the transfer case. I am guessing that the longer shackles rotated the pinion up quite a bit. Any help or feedback I could get on this would be great. Thanks in advance.

Belto

check taking out the block and running it, if the vibes go away it might be the blocks,, Ive always heard that blocks are not good

I have a 2.5" lift, spacers up front and shackles in the back, and no vibes,,

okcjeeper

Transfer case drop kit is what you need. There are plenty out there so lots to chose from. You can also make your own if you'd like. Just need to get the proper bolts and some 3/4"-1" spacers for the crossmember. Also if the front sits lower then the rear remove those blocks.. I had the 2" Rocky road lift and I didn't use the rear blocks cause it made the rear a touch higher then the front.

jeepride

Did you a front end alginment done after lift install?

Belto

x2 I forgot that

xjjeepthing

Drop the T-Case and you will be fine. I made mine.
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoTCdrop.htm

Just convert from metric to inches.

Vermontxj

Guys,

Thanks for the replies. I have not done a front end alignment yet - will before I get the new tires on. Any chance that could be causing the vibes? It doesn't seem likely - the vibes really feel driveline related to me. It seems like there are some real mixed opinions out there about t-case drops - some guys love them and some say they should only be used as a temporary fix. Isn't it a better idea to deal with the angle issues at the rear axle rather than dropping the transfer case? I don't know, I am just thinking out loud here. I could try removing the .5" blocks but really hate too - she is sitting just perfect as is and I hate the 'droopy' look when a Cherokee is sitting low in the rear, even if just by a bit - you know, you eyes kind of are drawn to it.

Thanks again and any more feedback would be great - I am still processing how to proceed.

Belto

take the blocks just to check, if the vibes go away, try getting a 2" lift shackle instead of the 1.5" you have now, and swap them, and sell the old shackle and block...

if thats the case,, if not, put them back in,, IDK

UNCC_99XJ

Welcome to lifting a late model XJ.....they really are very picky.

Don't really think it has anything to do with the blocks....just the nature of the beast. My friend's 98 has vibes at 2", and he's running a coil spacer/AAL set up.

Transfercase drop should take care of things for you