MGTMadman

greetings all, first time poster, first time jeep owner.

I recently got my hands on a 1993 jeep cherokee xj with 117k miles on it with no rust on the exterior shell, it did have a big hole in the drivers floorboard but that has been taken care of. My problem is I am getting front end vibration when I reach 60+ mph, the faster I go the more it vibrates, I have had an alignment and tire balance done on it, the steering stabalizer has been replaced, and I also lifted it up to check all steering linkage and ball joints for looseness, all is tight, it used to vibrate alot more but the tire place found two of the tires out of balance so that takes care of most of the vibration, the rear driveshaft u-joints have been replaced as well as they were pretty well shot. My thought is possibly bearing hubs or axel u-joints or a combination of both. Any thoughts on this?

WhiteJeep93

Hello, and welcome to the wonderful world of Jeeps!
Along with the inevitable membership to support forums...

I have a 93 as well, with 187K. Not long ago (and I suppose other times in the past) I had the front axle u-joints replaced, but that mainly solved more of a "clicking/clunking" sound. Vibration is more likely to come from worn bearings, balance issues, and definitely the steering damper. Mine used to have a "death wobble" at speed, which I found out was the steering damper, so that's a big one. Jack it up and roll the tires slightly back and forth to see how much play is in the u-joints. If they're bad, you should replace them, but it's probably not causing the vibration.

I'm having some of the same vibration issues you are, and I've fixed/inspected all of the above as well, so basically I'm almost ready to buy new front hubs. If I do so, I'll post the results.

Good luck!

MGTMadman

Well I called the shop around the corner from me to get an estimate on replacing the axel u-joints and front bearing hubs, got an appointment set for tomorrow to get them replaced. Figure I might as well get it done considering I have no clue when the last time any maintenance was done on this jeep drivetrain wise, so I figure while they have it torn down that far to replace bearing hubs might as well replace the u-joints. It used to be a dare vehicle so no tellin how much abuse it took before I got my hands on it. Suspension is next on the list as it is pretty tired lookin and riding, but that won't happen for a couple of months yet, just want to make sure the mechanical aspect and drivetrain issues are hammered out before the snowfall gets to deep here in Michigan. I will let you know if the vibrations go away after the parts get replaced and I test drive it Thanks for the response Whitejeep93, and btw, my jeep is white as well

rivercrazy

Welcome! Is it lifted? If so you could just be getting some driveline angle issues.

MGTMadman

Stock ride Rivercrazy. Dunno yet if I want to keep it stock or lift it.

WhiteJeep93

Madman-

Yeah I think white ones are pretty classy lookin'. Although mine's in need of cosmetic attention. It has some holes in the floor, and if I may ask, how did you go about fixing that? I'd hate to pay for real bodywork, but I would like to stop it. Can I cut some metal and rivet it in place, then tar it up?

I'm heading out to test the hubs for unlock issues, and the bearings for wear. Also to check the alternator output since my check engine was coding for it.

Do you have any pics of your ride?

MGTMadman

I didn't fix the driver side floor pan, the guy I bought the cherokee from fixed it free because he advertised it as rust free. Basically cut out the rusted area to good metal and fab a new section or a complete pan if that is needed, you can either weld or rivet the pan or patch in place, prime, paint and undercoat it. If you rivet you need to seal it before painting and undercoating. I don't have any pics of the jeep, never thought about taking any . However I might be convinced to take a few

MGTMadman

well I dropped by the shop to see what was going on, the mechanic had it up on the lift and showed me there was nothing wrong with the bearing hubs and axel u-joints, I have to agree with him they look in really good condition so nothing wrong there. Dunno at this point, might be driveline vibration or the type of tires I have on the front 'shrug'. Oh well guess i'll drive it until something falls off At least it saved me money so I can do some upgrades like a new radio or possibly a lift kit and tires, who knows

WhiteJeep93

Well that's good to hear I suppose. Having good stuff is indeed better than having broken stuff, but imho there is NOTHING better to find than loose bolts, burned wires and wobbly joints: gives me something to fix and just might solve a problem! I tested my alternator output, and got 14.7 volts running, with 13.5 off. Couldn't ask for better. The code must be nonsense, I'll check later on.

I jacked up the left tire and was able to roll it fine, then jacked the right and it rolled too. They were stiff, but not locked, so the hubs must be okay. I played with the vertical aspect of the wheels too, and they didn't move much either, so I'm guessing the bearings must be alright as well. Again, I was hoping for obvious problems, but oh well. One less expensive part!I'm going to change out my diff fluids and top them off, which might help as well.

I would say that your tires could be the culprit if they're over the stock size. The XJ unfortunately doesn't fit very big tires And this might seem stupid and obvious, but check tire pressure. Over/underinflation causes strange things to happen. Also, are the tire and rim widths matched well? I remember reading that a given rim width will only take a certain range of tire widths, and anything outside of that can cause the contact patch to warp in different ways. Just a thought.
You might try a chassis-blast car wash, and look around for caked on mud in the wheels or driveline. After digging my car out of a sandbar, I had bad vibration for a week because clay was stuck in the backside of the wheels and on the driveshaft. After hosing it off, it was fine.

Other than that, I dunno what to say! Good luck and post your results!