Crow Horse

I'm preparing to replace my leaf springs and I'm sitting on the fence regarding if I should tackle it myself or farm it out. If it wasn't for the potential a rust/ seized bolt, I wouldn't hesitate to jump into it. My situation dictates that the down time be minimized as its my DD. I have new U bolts, shackles, new bolts and obviously new Dorman springs. I'm also considering a Bolt Buster but they are a bit pricey. I was curious if anyone has used one to aid in the removal of the bolts......I haven't priced what a local shop would charge to weigh everything out..... If the shop price is close to what a BB costs, then it might be worth my while to get it and future projects should go easier.....

Any thoughts on this?.....

Jimbo Slice

Not sure if they are the same, but I did mine fairly easily on my '89 XJ.

Soak them in PB Blaster daily, for at least a week before you do the job. I then used a breaker bar with a pipe extension over the handle to get the front ones (that bolt into the frame). The rear ones simply got cut off and replaced with new. The U-bolts all came off relatively easily in comparison to the other capscrews.

The biggest problem I found was when trying to pull the capscrews from the leaf springs themselves... it seemed as if they wanted to seize up in the rubber bushing.

Simple solution was to pry on the head of the bolt while turning it with a ratchet. A couple just got left in the bushing though, as I had all new hardware anyway.


One thing I should mention is that I had a fairly nice garage to work in and a couple pretty dedicated buddies to help me with the project. So to say that I did them "myself" would be misleading. It's not really a job I'd want to tackle under the old shade tree.

Crow Horse

"One thing I should mention is that I had a fairly nice garage to work in and a couple pretty dedicated buddies to help me with the project. So to say that I did them "myself" would be misleading. It's not really a job I'd want to tackle under the old shade tree."

I'll be lucky just to get the tail end in my garage and it will be a little snug, but doable. If I choose to tackle it, I'll be wrenching alone and I'm no spring chicken. Even with a best case scenario, Aleve and I will become well acquainted.......My concern is the top shackle bolt and the front leaf bolt.....

kgm

Did it in my driveway by myself. Pain in the ***, it took about 3 days all said and done. Mainly fighting stuck bolts. The actual work is probably 2 hours, ha!

HudsonN

What state are you in?

Crow Horse

NY.....

XJlimitedx99

Be prepared to cut the bolts. BTW, new ones are $55.

This was my main problem. The bushing sleeve frozen to the bolts

Crow Horse

Got mine from Team Cherokee. Something in the order of $24 (IIRC) plus shipping...

I do need to pick up more cut off wheels for my die grinder and angle grinder.....

Jimbo Slice

Yes, that was our main problem also. The thing is, if you are able to finagle them out of the bushing, more often than not the threads will be jacked up.

If you have new hardware, I'd just go ahead and start cutting. Beware: DO NOT CUT THE FRONT BOLTS AS THEY FASTEN TO THE FRAME! At least they did on my '89. You're just going to have to tough it out with those ones. At least until you get them removed from the tapped hole.

Another issue I ran into was that the previous owner had installed a trailer hitch. In this case I had to either remove the trailer hitch or cut the bolts out of the way to drop the rear of the leafs from the shackles. We opted to cut.

Jimbo Slice

Here's a link to a good thread explaining the problem XJlimited and I are talking about, along with the solutions.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/fr...-spins-112206/

Reply #8 has a link to some good pictures from a different forum.

Good luck.

Crow Horse

Thanks for all the info....

I did come across one discrepancy regarding the bolts. I've read that they are 14mm x2.0 x 120mm and the bolts I received from Team Cherokee are definitely SAE.
According to their website....

This Direct Replacement Specially Hardened Grade 8 Bolts & Nuts Are Designed To Fit Your Rear Leaf Springs & Shackle So That They Can Hold The Rear Leaf Springs To The Frame From The Shackle Bushings & The Shackle Mounts.
This Direct Fit Complete Set Of 6-Bolts & 6-Nuts Will Fit All Jeep Cherokees From 1984-2001.
We Recommend You Purchase This Set Of Hardened Bolts & Nuts When Replacing Your Rear Leaf Springs Or Changing The Rear Shackle Bushings.
We Sell Both Those Items On Our Web Site.

I'm seeing apples and oranges. What's the real story? Man, that would really suck if I did manage to beat the original bolts only to find out that the ones I have won't fit....

Crow Horse

These are the bolts from Team Cherokee....

SAE, grade 8, not metric.......

No washers came with them but I had some on hand........

Muddz

98 part's catalog shows ..

part num quantity
-----------------------------------------------------------
34202118 6 BOLT, Hex Flange Head, M14x2.0x120, Rear Spring

Metric 10.9 has the same mechanical properties as SAE 8

A 14mm 10.9 would be slightly stronger (mechanical properties) than 1/2 inch SAE Grade 8.

35/64th = 14 mm

The OE may be using Metric 8.8 which would have less strength than SAE 8.

If you go to a shop, try to get a flat rate, rear suspension bolts can take time. There isn't enough space to position some types of tools,

Mechanics often end up cutting at least a one of the bolts, depending on the extent of the rust.

--------------------------

I found a M14-2.0 x 120mm DIN 931 Class 10.9 Plain Cap Screw from Fastenal, perhaps the OE uses a Metric 10.9 and some of the aftermarkets are using SAE 8?

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products...endingMachine=

and zinc coated: http://www.fastenal.com/web/products...endingMachine=

There are no M14 flange bolts with 120mm length

The closest flange bolt I could find is 1/2 inch SAE 8 and 5 inches length : http://www.fastenal.com/web/products...rlength:1850|~


http://www.fastenal.com/web/products...rlength:1850|~

Crow Horse

The fact remains, SAE and metric won't interchange. Maybe they just sent me the wrong ones......

From their website....

REPLACES OEM SUSPENSION BOLT#34202118

XJlimitedx99

I also ordered bolts from team cherokee and they worked fine. I'm not sure what they are though