picture needs to be farther back so both tires and fenders are visible

 

open hood check serp belt it most likely squeeling you gotta figure out why

 

one thing needing to be upgrade is this tie rod xj ones are hollow and bend very easy just keep it in mind...a good upgrade for the money is the v8 grang cherokee direct fit

 

Well it definatly has an adjustable TB. Just gotta use it to get the axle centered and it shouldn't rub. Tighten the hell out of the belt tensioner under the PS pump and it shouldn't squeal anymore

 

1st of all, what they're trying to tell u in a round about way is that you need to use your adjustable track bar to center your axle under the body of your jeep. Most likely, if it hasn't been centered, your drivers side tire is sticking out quite a bit further than the passenger side. You will need to unbolt one end of the trackbar (driver side / frame bracket) side is easier. Once unbolted, fire up the jeep and turn your steering wheel. It will move the body over the axle because the track bar is disconnected. Once u get it where u want it, either by eyeball or measurement, extend the track bar until it lines up with the bracket. Bolt it back on. 2nd - How do u know that its your arms that are "popping"? 3rd - Don't just tighten the hell out of your belt tensioner. Try tightening it just a little at a time until the squeal stops. If u have to tighten the hell outta the thing then you probably need a new belt. 4th - The first thing to do when you get a check engine light is to find out what the code is for. How could u possibly ask how to get rid of it when you have know idea why it came on?! Good luck man

 

Alright so I went to a local off road shop and this is what the said I need

Upper and Lower Ball Joints

Replacement Track Bar Bushing

Alignment

Tire Balance and rotate.

They quoted me $1330 for all that, that includes about $600 in labor.

How hard is it to do all that myself?

 

Okay, ball joints(which is most likely what the popping was) are a ***** to do by yourself if you have the average home garage, the replacement bushing shouldnt be hard at all, alignment is not something the average joe should do, same for balencing tires, so, it wont be easy at all for someone of your skill level to do

 

Most people with some mechanical comprehension and the right tool can replace all those parts themselves

In my opinion balancing mud tires is a waste of money, instead of traditional balancing I run Dynabeads, which continuously balances the tires as the wear

The alignment will probably need to be done by a pro, I've done tape measure alignments in the past, it's more of a trial and error than a science, so now that I can afford it I pay for a professional

 

The alignment issue is almost not worth fixing if you are going to do wheeling(unless its really bad. This is because it is very very common to knock your alignment off while off roading. Also, the mechanic may have been just trying to screw you on the tire balencing thing, do you know when you last had them balenced, if ever

 

No offense you "black cherokee", but judging by how little he knew about his setup, he didnt install it, and i dont think he has the knowledge or tools needed to replace these parts himself

 

Correct, but everyone has gotta start somewhere. My new step dad knows a lot about cars so I'm learning from him since my dad wasn't a car guy.

 

The balance and alignment I'll have done by a mechanic. But the ball joints and such I want to do myself.

 

That is exactly how i learned, my stepdad, good stuff. The replacement bushing should be like crazy easy, and my stepdad and did ball joints one time, it was such a pain for us, we never did it again, but im sure you can find a good write up on it

 

I can't imagine the bushng will be hard because of the easy access. We replaced the long arm bushings last week and that was a pain in the ***.

 

Yeah, sometimes bushings are a pain, which sucks, but the concept is simple, take the old bushing out through whatever means necessary lol, grease up the new bushing and install