Hello all,
Last September I bought a 98 XJ 4x4. It was in pretty good shape except for a motor with a dead #1 cylinder. I drove it very little as it was not my daily driver at the time, but rather a project. However, during those times I did drive it, the ride was fairly nice and quiet. Much smoother than my 02 TJ.

Anyway, I have since installed (among numerous other items) a new longblock, new motor and trans mounts, 2" coil spacers in front, 2" Emu full spring packs in back with new rubber bushings and U-bolts, Ravine wheels from a Wrangler, 1 1/2" wheel spacers, 4 new Firestone Destination A/T in 235/75 15, and Pro Comp ES3000 shocks on all four corners. My rear shock upper mounting bolts broke off, so I did the "pound out the nuts and put in 5/16" bolts" trick. The shocks are tight. I've checked numerous times by giving them a whack with a rubber mallet.

The problem? The ride from the rear is so rough and jarring you'd think I had welded the axle right to the unibody. At first I thought that the new springs just needed time to break in and things would smooth out. However, It's been 3 months since the lift went in and it's not any better. During those three months I have been driving the vehicle daily, and put about 225 miles a week on it.

I'm at a loss. I love the XJ but it rides like a jackhammer now. Even going across a seam/expansion joint in a paved road that has a slight drop from one section to the next causes what I would consider significant jarring/hammering to the body. Passengers in the back have said it feels like something is hitting the floor underneath the vehicle, but all of my inspections show everything is torqued to spec and in good shape. Any thoughts? Thanks for any insight!

 

Shackle angle? upload some pics.

 

Make sure these bolts are not hitting the shackles.
Just grind them off if they are the issue.

 

Okay, I had a bunch of errands to run today, but i got back to the house awhile ago and was able to get some pics of the shackles.

These were taken with the XJ parked in my garage, no passengers, and no load in the back.

I don't have a frame of reference for what the correct shackle angle would be, or if/how to correct mine if there is a problem. I didn't see any signs of the shackle or spring eye hitting or rubbing on anything. You may notice some bolts off to the side in one pic; those are the mounting bolts for the trailer hitch.

Let me know if you think they are off, and if so, what I can do to correct the angle. Every time I try to use the "insert Image" option on a post, it doesn't work, but you can view all the pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40427356@N05/

Thanks again!

 

Any thoughts from anyone? Aside from the fact that I'd like to get my XJ fixed, the fiance refuses to ride in it until I do. And I hate cruising around in her little red Civic

 

From your pictures, it appears your shackles are hitting the rear of the shackle box. As a spring compresses it flattens causing the shackle to be pushed back.

 

x2

 

Hmm...
I thought about that, but I can't see any signs that the spring eyes have actually contacted the body. No dents, or missing paint.

I got a better angle on a pic today. From what I can tell, I have something pretty close to the "ideal 45 degree angle", so I'm not sure what to think now.

I do have ProComp ES3000 shocks, and I wonder if they are just too stiff to give me a decent ride.

Here is the pic:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/member...shackle-angle/



Any further thoughts?

 

i think longer shackles would help out. give you more room to flex.

 

Flex it out and look, pics would help

 

Bingo. That's an extremely stiff shock, they'll hammer the teeth right out of your mouth.

 

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions.

Since I'm not seeing signs of contact between the spring eyes and teh shackle boxes, I'm going to assume that is not my issue. I do, however, agree with suggestions for longer shackles as I think my "no contact" situation is likely to change once I go off road and start some serious flexing.

I think it's also worth it to me to change out the rear shocks to something a bit softer. Aside from just picking a Monroe of some kind that is more "stock" I'm not sure what direction to take. Any thoughts on a better option than the ES3000's. They generally don't specify in the catalogs and on the websites any consistent rating for shock firmness, so I might as well throw darts at a wall to a degree. I suppose I could go with an adjustable, but I didn't really want to spend that kind of money.

If anyone has any shocks suggestion, I'm open.

 

I had those and they weren't bad at all.

 

http://www.doetsch-shocks.com/2.asp
The 3000 series is a nice compromise for a good pavement ride while still keeping everything under control off-road.