Alright guys, the vibration of my '91 XJ on I-81 is getting frustrating and I know it cant be all good for the suspension and drivetrain.

I had my tires balanced and a front-end alignment done, and that REALLY got rid of a LOT of DW. I went from wobbling like crazy at 65 mph to being able to jump to 75-80+ mph with only a slight shimmy.

However, I still vibe a little at 60-65 mph and 75+ mph. So, I was thinking one of two things based on info I found on the site.

1) Have my front and rear drive shafts rebuilt. I heard that bad u-joints and such (especially on the front DS) can cause some vibration at high speeds. What do you guys think of this AND can the major parts of a DS rebuild be done at home by a mild mechanic?

2) Have all ball-joints replaced in the front. I'm having this done at a mechanics since my Hayne's manual basically advised shooting yourself before attempting ball-joints.

Thanks for any help everyone.

 

well first off you didn't say if its lifted or not...plus if you are lifted it could be pinion angles...and control arm bushings could allow the axle to "walk" back and forth...

 

Good point. Thanks for pointing that one out to me. No (I know this will make many of you hiss lol) I do not have any lift.

 

drive shafts dont become unbalanced unless you"ve bent one < if theve been greased my bad>and u can check ball joints yourself by jacking up your jeep and looking for movement <grab top and bottom of the tire and wiggle it, youll see any movement that shouldnt be there> hope this helps. ive had many trucks lifted and not lifted

 

Well, I am planning on having the underside lubed and greased.. but I cant say that the PO ever had it done because I doubt he took very good care of this XJ. I will jack the ol' girl up tomorrow... basically grab the wheel and lift it up and down/ side to side? There should be absolutely no play? Thanks again for the advice. MUCH needed.

 

Can you replace ball-joints at home or is it better to have a shop do them?

 

you can do it your self if you have a the ability and the tools , but you will need to get a new draglink bar, the ball joint is not replaceable on it, the other 3 once popped off will just unscrew. you will need another alignment after doing it tho. if you measure the width between the tires befor replacing them and set it back at that you should be close.

 

never knew there was a ball joint in the drag link new one on me