Cheap Jeep Cherokee

One of the things that first appealed to me about the Jeep Cherokee is that they are cheap to modify for off road use. I was a bit hesitant about whether I would enjoy off road driving so I started by building my Project Cheap Jeep Cherokee.

I found I really enjoyed off roading with my Cheap Jeep. At the time I was rally racing a Jeep Cherokee but the races on the east coast had all but disappeared. I then decided to convert the race car into a Cheap off road Jeep.

I started with a cheap lift kit from JCW. I got some cheap tires off an old F150 mudder truck. I scavenged as many parts as possible to make sure my off roader was a true Cheap Jeep Cherokee even if it did have a full racing roll cage and a 4.7L Stroker engine.

The recent cash for clunkers may have taken a few good cheap jeep project Cherokees off the road. However, some of these will find their way to lots like Pull a Part were we can get plenty of good parts for our Jeeps.

Searching ebay, there are always lots of cheap Jeeps available. See a sample of listings below:[phpbay]Jeep Cherokee, 10[/phpbay]

Attracting Dead Batteries

Last Friday, my fully charged cell phone battery died on my first call. Saturday morning my Jeep battery was dead. Saturday afternoon my boat battery died at the lake. Today my wife calls with a dead battery on her Jeep.

I suspect there is a message here. Last summer I was attracting fried alternators. I never really figured that one out either.

Edit: When I went out to leave the office my Jeep battery was dead again. I had to find someone to jump start me. I drove straight to Auto Zone where they swapped out my battery which was still under warranty. It started up fine this morning.

[phpbay]battery, 10[/phpbay]

Repairing my ball joint press

I bent my Harbor freight ball joint press while pressing in the bottom joint. I did not notice that it got a little crooked and I kept pressing. I should have pressed it back out and started over, but I kept going. I hoped just a little more pressure would straighten it out. It did, but my press frame bent in the process.

Despite assurances by my millwright friend that it could never be brought back to parallel, I was able to straighten the c clamp in my Dad’s press.

Using a press to fix a press
Using a press to fix a press

I pressed each end slightly and measured the distance between the two sides of the press. I had to over compress a bit as it would spring back slightly when released. I suspect it has lost some strength in all the bending but I think it will still be strong enough to do the other two ball joints if I am careful. If not, Harbor Freight has them on sale now.

Ball Joint Replacement – Jeep Cherokee Repair

How to replace the Ball Joints on a Jeep Cherokee

While I don’t fully understand the mechanism, our off road group has found a strong correlation between worn ball joints and broken front axle shafts. I did not really believe the theory until my ARB shaft broke. See the video of it breaking.

Shaft broken due to bad ball joints.
Shaft broken due to bad ball joints.

With the weight off the wheel you can see the joint separating.

Note gap in the ball joint
Note gap in the ball joint

I got my new ball joints from Crown Automotive. I installed the driver’s side ones last night.

Before I began, I coated my hands with Market America Clear Shield.

First, I lifted up the Jeep and removed the wheel.

Removing Jeep Cherokee wheel
Removing Jeep Cherokee wheel

Then, since this is an AMC Jeep, I used my 7mm hex bit to remove the brake calipers. Mopar Jeeps will use either a 12 or 13 mm socket.

Jeep Cherokee brake rotor
Jeep Cherokee brake rotor
using 7mm hex to remove caliper bolts
using 7mm hex to remove caliper bolts

Next I removed the brake pads and rotor hat.

brake caliper removed
brake caliper removed
storing the brake caliper
storing the brake caliper
brakes removed
brakes removed

I stored the brake caliper on top of the lower control arm and removed the pads and the rotor to expose the bearing.


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Next I used a 13mm 12 point socket to remove the three bearing retainer bolts.

13 MM 12 point socket used to remove bearing bolts
13 MM 12 point socket used to remove bearing bolts

I carefully tapped the carrier out of the knuckle. I left the axle in the bearing since it will go right back in.

removing the bearing and axle shaft as a unit.
removing the bearing and axle shaft as a unit.

Next, I used a 3/4 inch wrench to remove the tie rod from the knuckle. This step is not absolutely, necessary but makes it easier.

Cherokee tie rod removal
Cherokee tie rod removal
tie rod removal tool
tie rod removal tool

Next I removed the retainer bolts from both ball joints.

ball joint nut
ball joint nut

I used my tie rod separator to separate the ball joints from the knuckle. It came off rather unexpectedly and hit the floor. Glad it missed my foot.

ball joint removal tool
ball joint removal tool

Next I used a wire brush to clean up the surfaces where the press would rest.

clean up
clean up

I collected the correct adapters to press out the upper joint.

ball joint press
ball joint press

The upper joint pressed out easily

upper ball joint removed
upper ball joint removed

Next I collected the correct adapters to press out the bottom joint. Note that the screw for the press had to pass through the upper ball joint hole.

lower ball joint press
lower ball joint press

The lower joint was very worn.

worn lower ball joint
worn lower ball joint

Then I collected the correct adapters to press in the new ball joints. Note that this is a newer Dana 30 and the surface for the press is slanted requiring a tapered adapter. Some of the older axles had this surface machined flat.

upper ball joint press in
upper ball joint press in

Pressing in the lower requires a tapered receiver cup on this axle.

lower ball joint press in
lower ball joint press in

With the new joints installed I began to put it all back together. There is not enough clearance for a grease fitting on the lower joint. The kit came with a fitting that I put in temporarily and grease the joint. I then replaced the plug.

ball joints installed
ball joints installed

I then installed the knuckle and tightened the bolts. I then inserted cotter keys to keep the nuts from turning.

ball joint nut and key
ball joint nut and key

I then replaced the tie rod and keyed it.

tie rod nut
tie rod nut

Next I greased the inside of the knuckle and reinstalled the bearing and axle shaft. I used the bolts to pull the carrier into place.

installing bearing jeep Cherokee
installing bearing jeep Cherokee

Next I reinstalled the brake rotor, pads and caliper.

caliper installed jeep Cherokee
caliper installed jeep Cherokee

With the wheel back on I am done and ready to do the other side. Well maybe later.

Wheel back on
Wheel back on


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[phpbay]ball joint press, 10[/phpbay]

Throttle Body Cleaning

Cleaning the throttle body on a Jeep Cherokee.

One of the most common questions I see on Yahoo Answers is about a Jeep that won’t idle. They complain that it dies at traffic lights or won’t start.

Often the cause is simply a sticking idle air control valve. This valve mounts to the side of the throttle body and allows a small amount of air to bypass the closed throttle plate to regulate the idle speed. The valve is actuated by a stepper motor controlled by the ECU.

I don;t know why but using fuels high in ethanol seems to make this gum up. It makes no sense to me since the fuel does not pass through the throttle body – only air. However, I have noticed that on many of the Jeeps I have serviced, high ethanol equals a sticking throttle body.

Cleaning it is simple. Remove the rubber air inlet tube. Locate the slots int he back of the throttle body. Spray throttle body cleaner in the slots. Do it with he engine running and you can make the valve cycle while spraying the cleaner in. This will help get it unstuck.

Here is a video of how it is done: