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Installing Air Shocks on a Jeep Cherokee

Installing Air Shocks on a Jeep Cherokee

I have been running the Gabriel Hijacker air shocks on the rear of my Jeep Cherokee for 15 years or so. But the bags have developed leaks and no longer stay aired up. I searched for replacements but I could not find a replacement listing for the High Jackers for my Jeep. I did however find a listing for the Monroe Air Adjustable shocks.

I got my set through Amazon, although Advance Auto carries them as well. They are sold as a set of two so don’t get confused when ordering.

The Monroe shacks came with all the air lines and fittings needed to install them. There were also some extra bolts in the box that are not used on the Cherokee. I guess these shocks are also used in other applications.

The toughest part of changing the rear shocks on a Cherokee is removing the upper bolts. These are little 8mm bolts with 13mm heads. They are exposed to road salt and are in a hidden pocket in the unibody. So they are easy to break. I always begin by tightening them just a bit. This seems to help break the corrosion bond. Then I carefully work them out. I use a 3/8 ratchet with lots of extensions so I can get a good feel of how the bolt is turning. If it sticks, I run it back in a bit.

You can help loosen the corrosion by spraying something like PB Blaster or Liquid wrench into the space above the bolt. It is difficult to get to the actual bolt however.

If, you do break a bolt, there are several ways to fix it. You can drill through and put a nut on top or weld on a bar pin eliminator made out of an old sway bar bracket.

I was able to get all four of my bolts out intact. I then removed the lower 18mm nut and slipped the old shocks off the pins. I removed the old air lines from the High Jackers.

The Monroe shocks seemed a tad shorter than the Gabriel shocks and I had to lift the axle just a bit to make them reach. I started the top bolts first and then set the bottom on the pin. I put bolted up both shocks before attaching the air lines.

The new shocks came with a complete air line kit. I elected to retain my old air lines however. At first I had trouble getting the lines to seal at the shocks. After a couple of tries I noticed that the installation kit had O rings in it. Once I installed the O rings the old lines sealed just fine in the new shocks.

The air shocks give me adjustability and just enough lift to help keep it off the bump stops. It also helps to adjust for the trailer tongue weight as well.

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White Christmas in Tennessee

Driving in Snow

Christmas morning we woke up to 4 inches of fresh snow. White Christmases are rare in Tennessee. So when we heard the prediction of snow, we expected maybe a dusting. We were quite surprised by 4 inches and more still falling when were set out to for our family gathering at my Mother’s house across the county.

On a normal “snow day” in Tennessee, everything shuts down. Schools are closed, businesses close and most folks stay home. So, normally, driving around in my Jeep, I have the roads to myself. At least that is what I expected when I headed out our long driveway.

I was really shocked at the number of tracks in the fresh snow. I was even more surprised by the number of vehicles out driving in the snow. And not just Jeeps and 4×4 trucks but mini vans and Lexus cars as well. The worst part of the drive was the other cars who seemed to have no idea where the center line was under the snow and tended to use my lane and theirs too as they slid toward me. Those little bumps in the snow in the middle of the road are caused by reflectors folks. It is a good guideline as to where your side ends and my side begins even if you can’t see the stripes.

We managed to make the trip that normally takes 20 minutes in just under an hour. The country scenery was beautiful.

As we ate and opened presents, the snow continued to softly fall. By the time we left there were a good seven inches accumulated. My two grown boys built a snow fort and had a snowball fight.

Back home, we played with the sled on some of hills in the front yard and even made a few runs down one of our steep Jeep trails. The Jeeps enjoyed slinging snow much the same as mud.

The next morning, the snow had crusted over with some ice. This made the sled run even faster down the hills. Some of the snow had melted off the roads. In fact most of the main roads were clear even though our driveway was still covered in snow. We made several runs down the hill on the sled.

On Monday, we were scheduled to travel to Mississippi for a family reunion. The Suburban was still covered in snow and I damaged a windshield wiper scraping snow and ice off the glass.

Dad’s driveway was still covered with ice making it hazardous to back his car out of the garage so we changed our plans and picked them up in the Suburban. The 4×4 does not get much use in the big truck but it sure made driving on the snow much safer feeling.

There was one long patch of ice on the road leading to their house but the Geolander tires and 4×4 made it feel fine as we drove across. We made it up the hill to their house and even up their steep driveway as easily as we had in the Jeep.

We saw traces of snow as far south as Pontotoc, Ms, where we stopped for the night.

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Axle U Joint

Lately I noticed the roar in Janice’s Cherokee was getting louder. The rear wheel bearings have need a change for a while but I keep putting it off.

On the lift I noticed that the right front axle U joint was loose. That was making more noise than the rear wheel bearings so I decided to tackle it first. Also I am very familiar with this job.

I began by removing the wheel and brake caliper. Then I removed the center nut and washer. I then pulled the three hub mounting bolts.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how easily the hub came out. Most of the time I have to hammer these out but this one can out in my hand.

I used a support to hold the axle up while I pulled the axle shaft out. This reduced the amount of gear oil lost from the differential.

I then move took the axle shaft to the vise to swap out the joint. This is a job I have also done many times as evidenced by all the roller bearings on the floor behind my vise.

This joint proved very stubborn to extract. I pressed and hammered and finally got one cap off. I then went to press the cross back through and the other cap must have gotten crooked because it jammed and the cap broke rather than come out.

I used a combination of hammering, pressing and using a punch on the anvil to finally extract the broken cap. The other two caps from the stub axle came out relatively easy after that.

I put the new caps on the anvil and tapped them in to the axle. Then I put in the other two caps. I used the press to move caps in enough to put the C clips on.

I slipped the axle back in and reinstalled the hub. Then I put the rotor back on and the brake caliper. With the wheel back on and the lugs torqued, Janice took it for a test drive and noticed that is was much quieter.

Now I still have to do the rear wheel bearings. I have everything on the shelf, I just have to schedule some time.
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How to Replace the Front Motor Mount on a Mercury Villager

How to Replace the Front Motor Mount on a Mercury Villager

Motor mount failures seem to be a common problem for Mercury Villager vans. The same vehicle is also sold as the Nissan Quest.

The front mount is the most common one to fail. This mount takes most of the load when starting off from a stop. Repeated failures have been reported by some. Make sure you buy a replacement part that is form a quality manufacturer and has a lifetime warranty.

Raise the vehicle and support it safely. Remove the plastic splash guard by removing the fasteners that have 10mm heads. They also have Phillips screwdriver slots but will likely be too tight to easily remove with a screw driver.

Remove the oil filter. Support the engine using a jack under the oil pan. Raise it to the approximate position it will be in once the new mount is in place. It will likely have dropped down some if the front mount has failed.

Remove the two bolts that hold the mount to the cradle under the engine. Next, remove the bolt that goes through the center of the motor mount. Keep track of where each of the bolts came from. They all have 17mm heads but are different lengths.

Tilt the mount forward and then twist it out. If it will not tilt forward, raise the engine a bit more to make room. You may have to unclip the wiring harness that is fastened to the cross member to make room, but I was able to get it out with it in place.

Pull the mount out through the opening created by removing the oil filter. Insert the new mount through the same opening and tilt it back in to place.

Replace the center bolt through the bushing first. Put the nut on but do not tighten it all the way. Align the other two holes by raising or lowering the engine on the jack. Replace the two bolts through the cradle and tighten them down. Now finish tightening the center bolt in the bushing.

Clean the mounting surface of the oil filter and replace the oil filter. Replace the plastic cover. Lower the van and test it out. Check for leaks at the oil filter.
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How to change the power steering pump on a Jeep Cherokee

How to change the power steering pump on a Jeep Cherokee

Begin by removing the air cleaner box. There are three bolts in the bottom that are access by removing the filter. Be careful when separating the various air line form the box.

Begin by breaking loose the high pressure line. This is a 5/8” hex on most Jeeps.

Remove the low pressure return line as well.

Loosen the jam nut on the belt adjuster under the pump and loosen the drive belt.

Next remove the three bolts on the back of the power steering pump.

Remove the pivot bolt on the front of the pump.

Remove the bracket and pump as an assembly.

Use a pulley removal tool to remove the plastic pulley from the pump. Most Auto parts stores have these as loaners for this job.

Put the two halves of the puller together over the groove in the pulley and the tool. Slide the sleeve over the two halves. Turn the bolt to press off the pulley.

Now remove the bolts that hold the pump to the bracket.

Bolt the new pump to the bracket.

Press the old pulley onto the new pump using the press in the kit.

Thread the stud into the treads in the pump shaft. Place the pressing washer over the stud. Turn the nut to press the pulley into place.

Mount the bracket back on the engine and reconnect the lines.

Adjust the belt tension

Replace the air box and filter

Reconnect the air lines

Fill the reservoir with new fluid but do not start the engine.

Note, if the old fluid looked contaminated, milky or black; you may want to flush the system before continuing. Follow the instruction in the pump kit.

Turn the wheel from lock to lock

Check the fluid level and top up if needed.

Start the engine and again rotate the wheel from lock to lock slowly.

Check the fluid level again and refill as needed.

Check for leaks and correct any you find.

Replace the cap.
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