Category: Jeep

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Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement

Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement – Jeep Cherokee Dana 35

Janice’s 1999 Jeep Cherokee has had a roar in the rear axel for a while now. I finally got around to checking on last week.

I ordered new bearings and seals from Crown Automotive. Since her rear differential is the Jeep Trac Loc, I had to have the friction modifier compound for the grease. I found that at Advance Auto.

I began by lifting the Jeep and removing the rear wheels and brake drums. These had never been off and still had the little clips from the assembly line on two of the lugs. I cut those off with dikes.

Next I let Janice remove the cover. Janice dropped it in the bucket of grease that made quite a mess.

Next I used a 1/4 inch 12 point box end wrench to remove the bolt from the cross pin. I had been concerned that pulling the axles on a Trac Loc diff would be more difficult but it was exactly the same as any other stock Jeep Carrier. I just removed the pin and slipped in the axle to release the C clip.

I removed the left side axle first as it seemed the noisiest. I had a little trouble getting the seal out because the brake shoes were in the way of getting a chisel in like I wanted to. But using a combination of the chisel, vise grips and a seal puller, I eventually popped it out.

I then used an axle bearing puller attachment on my slide hammer to pull the bearing. It takes quite an impact on the slide hammer to get the bearing to move. I have done this job on other Jeeps so I knew to hit it hard. The bearing came out smoothly once it stated to move.

The new bearing seems a very tight fit. I had trouble getting it to start straight in the axle tube. I did not have a bearing driver quite the right size and in trying different ones I somehow damaged the bearing. I noticed some of the rollers missing when I got it in place. So I had to use the slide hammer and pull the new damaged bearing.

I was more careful with the second bearing and got it in with no problem. I put a small amount of Permatex on the outside of the seal and drove it in place. I put a little gear oil on the seal to prelube it.

As I was wiping down the axle shaft to reinstall it, I noticed that there was checking in the bearing race on the shaft. Shaft will have to be replaced. I checked for spares but the only one I had was from a ZJ and the ABS tone ring was different. I replaced the original shaft temporarily.

I slipped it in place and reattached the C clip. I pulled the other shaft and noticed it had some wear as well. I will have to get two replacement shafts along with another bearing to complete the job. I reinstalled the other axle and C clip and coated the cover flange with Black RTV.

After letting the RTV set up for a minute or two, I reinstalled the cover and tightened the bolts in a crisscross manner. Janice refilled the diff with gear oil and the tube of friction modifier.

I later pulled the ZJ axles and looked at how to remove the tone rings. My bearing puller was not long enough to reach. I knew I could use my Dad’s press but I did not want to make the drive to his house.

I did some research on the internet and found a forum post that suggested that the rings would come off easily if heated. Since it was very cold out, I decided it would be a good time to try. The forum post had indicated that the tone ring was aluminum so I was being very careful not to crack it.

I put the axle shaft in the vise and began heating the ring with my acetylene torch. Soon I was able to pry the ring of the seat. I dropped it on the floor to cool. I noticed that it did not sound like aluminum.

I took a magnet to it and found it was indeed magnetic. That made sense to me since the tone ring is used to generate a magnetic field for the sensor to rear the wheel speed. It had to be steel. I was more aggressive with the heat on the second one and it slid off easily without any prying.

These shafts had no visible wear on the bearing races and look like they will make fine replacements. I just have to get more gear oil and another bearing and then find time to do the job again.

UPDATE: I have the spare axle shafts ready to go in but so far the old axles are running quietly. I will just let them run for a while.

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Snow in Tennessee

The Blizzard of 2011-01-11

Snow in Tennessee

We thought we might get a little snow. Our snow always comes from the south. If it comes from the west it looses all its moisture crossing the plateau and by the time it backs up against the Appalachians, it is just cold or rain. The weather models called for three to five inches of snow and more south of us as the jet stream brought cold air south from Canada and moist air north from the Gulf of Mexico.

At midnight there was still no snow. There was a dusting early in the morning and Jennifer took a snapshot of the deck when it first turned white to preserve the memory is case that was all we got. I slept quietly in the down stairs room oblivious to the weather outside.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a big drift in the crotch of the tree visible from the window. I was surprised how the snow had collected there. Then I stepped to the window and looked at the ground. Everything was covered. There was a deep layer of powder covering the woods and yard.

I bundled up and took Smash outside. He loved romping in the deep powder. Getting snow at all in Southeast Tennessee is rare. Normally we get slush and it melts quickly so you have to get out early to see any of it.

So Smash and I headed for the creek. Only one unknown animal had crossed the path that morning. We left the first tracks in the snow. I stood and looked out at the ice on the fast flowing Cohulla Creek. The small branch that flows across my property was covered in a thin layer of ice. Smash wanted to go on his normal rounds in the woods but he decided to turn back and follow me.

Just as we were heading back to the house, Smash suggested one trail and I was returning on another, we heard noises from above. Jennifer and Caleb were making their way down to the creek. Janice had wisely elected to stay warm and thankfully make us pancakes.

I waited for them to make it down to the creek and we enjoyed the stillness of the forest draped in white. We hiked back up the hill to the house.

After some warm pancakes, I decided to get Scuffy out of the barn and go for a ride in the snow. I plowed through the snow easily and after a circle around the driveway, I decided to go see how the main road looked. There was a good eight to ten inches every where. There must have been some deeper drifts in the driveway because in some places you could see where the diff had drug in the center between the tracks of the Maxxis Buckshots.

Janice and Jennifer squeezed into the passenger racing bucket seat together and we drove out to the road. Scuffy climbed the hill easily but the engine was running really rough. Thinking back to the last time I got gas I realized it was on the way to Harlan for the fall crawl. So it could be that the low fuel light actually meant something this time. The big engine sputtered a few times but we made it to the road and back. It looked like only one of my neighbors had ventured out. Keith Valley road was still completely covered in snow.

Since Scuffy was running so poorly, I put him back in the barn before I got stranded. We then took Jennifer’s Jeep Princess out for a romp in the snow. Her Dick Cepek Crushers did well in the snow too.

Out at the main road I popped the transfer case into two wheel drive for a moment and spun a 180 to head back to the house. I put it back into 4wd just to be safe.

With Princess safely back on the porch, we decided to try the sled. The snow was too deep and fluffy for my steel runner style sled to go down. It kept getting buried in the snow. It looked like it would be an all day job to use the shovel and pack down a path for the sled. So Jennifer suggested that I use Princess to pack the snow.

I drove around the driveway and then pointed her Jeep up our sled run. It climbed easily to the top. I lost traction briefly near the crest but I just let the tires turn slowly until they got grip again so as not to spin out all our snow.

With two compressed paths down the hill we were soon able to work out a nice sled run. Smash enjoyed chasing us up and down the hill. He also provided entertainment between runs by grabbing a mouthful of snow and then laying on his back with his feet in the air and wiggling around like he was making a snow angle. He did this several times and I laughed so hard I hurt every time he did it.

Eventually we tired of trekking up and down the hill and packed it in. Janice made us some yummy Carroll Shelby Chili.

I decided to brave the roads and go get some gas for Scuffy. I expected the main roads to be clear with the crews having all day to work on them. We all loaded up in Princess. Caleb did not understand why he needed to get dressed. He was sure that PJ pants and no shirt was plenty for a trip to town. We waited while his mom encouraged him to at least take warmer clothes with him.

When I reached Keith Valley I was surprised to see it looked much the same as it did on my earlier venture. There was a tiny strip of pavement visible in the oncoming lane but the rest of the road was covered in snow and slush. The worst part about driving on it was that most people who had gone ahead of us had driven near the center of the road. There was still deep snow near the shoulder making it difficult to see where the road ended and the deep ditch began.

I had no trouble driving in the snow, but meeting oncoming traffic was difficult due to having to move over into the deeper stuff. And occasionally the people coming toward me wanted to use part of my lane as well even though they had more room than I did.

I was expecting Spring Place Road to be clear because it is a State Highway and they usually run plows and salt trucks even when there is no snow. Boy was I surprised. I had noticed Jennifer getting a bit nervous each time I met someone so I asked her how she felt about my continuing on in her Jeep to the gas station. She bravely encouraged me to go on.

I did a fun drift out onto the Sate Highway and then settled back into what looked like my lane. The road was completely covered in snow at that point. However just over the hill, ruts in each lane made it down to the pavement.

About halfway into town, we met a road grader plowing in the opposite direction. The inbound lane I was using was still pretty slick but easily passable in 4wd.

The gas station did not look like it had seen much activity during the day as there were just a few tracks in their parking lot. I filled my gas can with 93 octane while Jennifer refueled Princess. I would have just stolen fuel from one of my other Jeeps but none of them had the 93 octane that Scuffy’s racing engine requires.

I was fully expecting to catch the road grader as we headed back home. I was using two wheel drive as I drove along now in the dark. Then, suddenly, not far from where we had met the grader on our way into town, we hit snow covered road again. I was happy for the shift on the fly capability of the 231 transfer case as I moved the lever to 4H just as we hit the edge of the snow and ice. I guess the Grader operator had reached the end of his shift but I did not notice where he parked it.

We drove on snow and ice back to the turn on Keith Valley. We could see flashing brake lights near the turn. It looked like some one had a stalled truck and was being serviced in the middle of the road. I guess you have to work on it where it dies but thankfully he was just past our turn off.

The return trip was not so bad because I was able to easily drive on my side of the road. I did have a little trouble with oncoming traffic not wanting to stay on their side but I could easily slow down and let them slip past. Having two tires on wet pavement and two in snow and ice made for much firmer footing. However the lock right locker did make a few unexpected disengagements and sudden reengagements.

I later went out a poured the fuel into Scuffy and made sure it ran OK. Then we used Princess to tow the trash can out to the road just in case the trash truck decided to brave the weather.

This morning I made a few more sled runs before pointing Scuffy toward town. Keith Valley was slushier than the night before and easier to stay on my side of the road. There were still some drifts on the northbound lane.

I switched into 2wd at Spring Place Road. It still did not look plowed or salted but it was more slush than ice or snow. I am not used to driving Scuffy on pavement and with the still aired down Maxxis Buckshots, it was a bit wiggly but 45 MPH was no problem.

I saw a snow plow on HWY 64 and I accelerated up to 55 to match traffic. I got the hang of the wiggles caused by aired down tires and no sway bars.

In town I was surprised that at the busy intersection of 25th and Keith St, there was still a lot of snow. I stayed in 2wd but that caused a little dance in the rear as I accelerated from the stop light.

Westside drive leading toward my office looked like it had been plowed and salted. But Norman Chapel road and the Adkisson Drive in front of the Cleveland State Campus looked worse than Keith Valley. I put my Jeep back in 4wd to get over the speed humps.

As I pulled into the office I was met by the UPS truck. She was trying to back up to one of the bay doors but not doing too well. She eventually gave up and turned around. She had no trouble going forward. There was only a couple of cars in the office parking lot and it has been very quiet here so far today.

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ZJ Dana 35 rear

Today I sold the rear axle form the ZJ parts car I have had for a while . I bought this burned out ZJ just to get the rear brakes to put on Scuffy.

Many parts have already been scavenged off it and there is not much left. I have been planning to haul the rest to the scrap yard and with steel prices up now may be the time to take it.

However, last week I got a call from someone needing a rear axle. I asked for their axle in return so that I would have a way to load it on the trailer when I haul it off.

As I was getting ready to load their old axle, I wiped off the tag and noticed that the ratio was different form the one I had just delivered.

I left it with them any way. I showed them places to buy the right gears.

I also had to help them pull the backing plates off the axle for the brakes. They seemed surprised that someone had pulled the axles out just to remove the backing plates. They did not seem familiar with how to pull the c clips so I helped them install the backing plates on the axle I sold them.

To pull the axles, you have to remove the center pin form the diff. On the ZJ Dana 35 this involves removing a 6mm 12 point screw. He did not have the right tool so we hammered on a cheap 6mm six point that got enough bit to pull the screw. With the screw out, simply slide the pin out. Be careful not to spin the carrier as the spider gears will fall out of place.

With the center pin out, the axle shaft can be slid in enough to drop off the C clip. The the axle simply slides out. To reinstall the axle, you have to lift up a bit on the shaft to get it to pass through the bearing. Then slide it in and slip on the clip. Then pull back to seat the clip in the spider gear. Reinstall the pin and the screw to put it all back together.

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Tire Rack Review

Tire Rack Review

I buy almost all my tires online. The latest exception being my Maxxis Buckshots that I bought through a local wholesaler. I have my own tire mounting machine and a balancer so I just order them and install them myself.

Tire Rack has given me by far the best service. They have always delivered the tires on time and in good condition. They usually arrive via UPS and my driver knows to stack them by the door of the shop. He still gets confused when I get five tires instead of four.

The latest set of tires delivered to me from Tire Rack was Jenny’s Dick Cepek Crushers. She is an internet bargain hunter but also shops by reputation. She was able to get the Dick Cepeks for just a few dollars more than bargain tires and they were delivered in time for a very important off roading trip.

I have also purchased tire and wheel combos from Tire Rack. I bought a set of OZ wheels and Yokohama tires for my Eagle Talon. They arrived nicely packaged to protect the wheels from scratches. The lugs and centering rings were included. Since I purchased the set, they mounted and balanced the tires for free.

I have bought several sets of Michelin tires from Tire Rack as well as the Yokohama Geolanders that I just put on my Suburban. They always have very competitive pricing and excellent shipping rates. In fact, when comparing prices, I noticed that some places quoted a lower price for the tires but the shipping and handling charges were outrageous.

I ma not sure how they do it but Tire Rack ships faster and cheaper than any other tire store I have tried. The only way to get tires faster would be to drive to the distributor and pick them up myself. And that is only if there is a local distributor.

I have become a big fan of Kumho tires ever since I got a set of their Rally Racing tires. I have run these on my Cherokees and my son has a set now on his Cherokee. Tire Rack has much lower prices on the Kumho tires than the local tire stores and they carry a larger selection of sizes.

If you are in the market for tires for your Off Road Jeep, your street SUV, your sports car or autocross car, I highly recommend Tire Rack. Please share your experience in dealing with Tire Rack in the comments.

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Transfer case replacement – Jeep Cherokee

Replacing a Jeep Cherokee Transfer case

Yesterday a friend called saying her transfer case was leaking. I was expecting a seal leak but it turned out that there was a hole in the case itself.

I had also planned to drive it to the shop but with the fluid rapidly exiting the case, I decided to trailer it. When I got there with the trailer, the ramps were frozen to the trailer bed. It took some banging to get them loose.

With her Jeep in the shop, I picked it up and inspected further. There was indeed a hole in the transfer case. It looked like it was punched from the inside. Although, it made no strange noises when I drove it on the trailer.

I began by draining the rest of the fluid. Then I supported the transmission. Next I removed the front and rear drive shafts. An 8MM hex wrench was all that was needed.

I then unbolted the transmission mount using a 13MM socket. Then I dropped the cross member by removing the 15MM bolts and nuts that hold it up. That gave me access to the transmission mount that is held to the transmission by two 18MM bolts. These bolts have thread locking compound on them and are hard to turn all the way out. I inspected the mount which is often broken in high mileage vehicles like this one but it was fine. Next I slipped the exhaust mount off the tab.

Rather than mess with the shift linkage bushing in the cold, I unbolted the shift lever from the transfer case. I selected 2wd and used a 9/16 wrench to remove the nut and washer. I carefully lowered the linkage out of the way.

Next I removed the speedometer drive by unbolting the 13MM retaining bolt and removing the clip. I left the sender attached to the wiring harness. I pulled the harness away from the mounting tab on top of the case. I unplugged the mode light switch and moved the wiring out of the way.

Next I unbolted the six 9/16 nuts that hold the case to the transmission. Five are accessed using a box end wrench. The last one is behind the transfers case shift linkage bracket and has to be accessed using a 9/16 socket and a long extension. The two near the exhaust pipe take some patience to get off unless you remove the exhaust pipe. Since this one was in good shape and welded in place, I left it alone. Lowering the case down helps get access to these two nuts.

With the six nuts off, the transfer case slides easily off the transmission. I then prepared the replacement case to go back in by putting it in 4wd. This allowed me to rotate the front yoke and make the input splines turn to line them up. With the replacement case in place I started a nut to hold in there.

Next I tightened all six nuts. I then reinstalled the shift linkage, wiring harness and speedometer drive. I then reinstalled the front drive shaft as it is easier to access with the cross member out of the way. I filled the transfer case with fluid before putting up the rear drive shaft as it is easier to get the bottle in place with out the drive shaft in the way. The 231 holds a little more than a quart of ATF.

I then put up the exhaust bracket and transmission mount. Again, these bolts are hard to turn due to the thread locking compound on them. I then put up the cross member and bolted it to the body before lowering the weight of the transmission onto the cross member. I then reinstalled the four nuts that hold the transmission mount to the cross member.

Then, I reinstalled the rear drive shaft. I checked for leaks and loose bolts and then lowered the Jeep for a test drive. The replacement transfer case worked fine and shifted to all gears with out adjusting the linkage.

I plan to pull the broken transfer case apart to see what caused the hole. I will post an update when I do that.
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