Billy Bee

00 cherokee. 4WD. While I'm mechanically inclined and have done a lot with wiring and engines, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to steering and suspension. Ive got my project running with a donor 96 engine and a trans from another 00 xj. Ive only driven it on my road about a block (not registered yet), but it seems the front end isn't right. Loose maybe? and makes some noises.

So if anyone is in the area (lansing, mi) and can take a look that'd be great. Since those odds are not in my favor most likely, what do I need to check and what am I doing?

Billy Bee

Well with a bit more diggings Ive decided to replace all 4 ball joints, 3 tie rod ends, all 4 struts, and the wheel hub assemblies.

mo8414

If u don't have to do it right away I would order the 706945x spicer ball joint set and Timkin HA597449 wheel bearing hubs.
They have a special adapter for pressing in the ball joints that ***** the press on an angle. I have heard advanced autos ball joint kit has it. I made my own since im a machinist. You can use shims too from what I have read. If you lived closer to detroit I could help ya out.

Check out your sway bar links while your at it, they can make a bunch of noise. Check out your track bar too.
shocks all the way around makes a huge difference too, when I first got my 01 cherokee I couldn't do over 40 cuz the shocks would rock my truck side to side so bad. I put gabriel air shocks in the rear which are pretty amazing if you leafs sag.

good luck

Billy Bee

Yep sway bar and track bar are my next to look into. What am I looking for though? Do I just replace bushings? When should I replace the bar?

I'm a bit of a novice machinist but I'm sure I could make the adapter (already bought my parts) got any pics of it and how it works?

Alex V.

I've found the Quadralink suspension used on the front of XJ's to be particularly sensitive to slop in any component - and some times, at the point that one component is found to be worn, it's best to replace everything at that time rather than deal with a chain of problems. If you can afford to do that and will be driving the Jeep at highway speeds much at all (like, not just a mud buggy or something) I'd do a complete overhaul of the front suspension and you'll probably be much better off in the long run. Ball joints, shocks, tie rod ends, steering stabilizer, track bar, and control arm bushings. Wheel bearings can be checked for play and I'd leave them if they're quiet and don't have any slop. The steering box is also fairly easy to check for play, if it's found to be tight then I wouldn't replace it unnecessarily.

With any part utilizing a rubber bushing (control arms and sway bars) you get the suspension in such a place that you can pull back and forth on it in a direction that would manifest any slop that bushing may have, while you or an assistant watch for movement aside from that which it's designed for. If you can't get any excessive movement, the only other "inspection" that can be done is a visual one looking for cracking or "moosh" in the rubber. If there's an oil leak that has been soaking any of those rubber-bushed parts for any amount of time it will have softened them and they should be replaced.

Wheel bearings and ball joints are checked by jacking the vehicle up under the axle, grabbing the tire at 12 and 6, and trying to wobble the wheel diagonally (push in with top hand while pulling out with bottom hand, and vise-versa) - if there's a clunk or any discernible free movement as you do that, watch the inside of the ball joint/knuckle/brake rotor assembly (may require a helper) while exerting the previously described effort to see where the slop is. Ball joints can also be checked by inserting a bar or piece of wood under the raised wheel and prying up to see if the tire will lift/drop any separate of the axle. Unitized wheel bearings like the XJ's use can make a low, sometimes grinding, whir directly related to vehicle speed when bad.

Tie rod ends are a metal ball-and-socket - with the wheel off the ground, try to wiggle the tire like you did to check the ball joints but at 3 and 9 o'clock instead. If slop, find where it's at. The steering wheel lock will still allow a small amount of movement at the wheel, but if everything's tight it should only be a small amount of give with no true, loose "slop".

Track bar is most easily checked by having the vehicle flat on the ground and sawing the steering wheel back and forth enough to turn the wheels a bit. Have somebody watch the joints at both ends of the track bar for play while you do this.

Sway bar bushing will show slop while rocking the vehicle side-to-side.

Clear as mud, right?

mo8414

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f59/ball-joint-press-adapter-measurements-231549/

That post has the dimensions, only dimension it don't show is how deep the pocket is from the top so I just made it half inch. The angle trigs out to 3.5 degrees