20hrs later:new 3.5" lift, some questions, and hurt all

J

JeredYJ

New member
Laws in Texas...

Hey everyone,
FINALLY got a break from school and went home and installed the 3.5" Dick Cepek YJ lift. Noted some problems that were a pain. First is the shocks. I got the kit with air shocks, but they do Not fit in the rear because the shock body is too big and contacts the axle. So I turned them upside down and they squeeze in fine for travel. (is this ok, or will I not only look stupid, but have disfunctional shocks also) another solution may be some kind of bracket that would assist? (does it exist?) Other 2 concerns: do I need a new steering stabilizer? do I need a drop pitman arm? Keep in mind that it's basically a stock 91 4.0 YJ with just the 3.5" lift and will be getting new 32x11.5 mud rovers in 5-7 days. Sincerely thanks. jered
 

Ok, so it was late when I wrote that: the shocks are Dick cepek "race series 88" hydraulic shocks. But either way they do not fit with the body mounted down so I reversed them. Is this a problem?? thanks. jered
 
Reverseing the shocks is common for a lift on a YJ. That is ok. Steering stablizer Drive it and see if ther is a problem. I ddi not change mine on my YJ and it was fine, You are going with bigger tires than I did so you may need it. Droped pitman arm Mine was driveable with the orginal but I changed mine to due to the angles. Nothing hit but I was afraid it would cause trouble down the road. Tug
 
Thanks Tug,
Right now it seems that everything is together well. The thing I am concerned with is that it gets shaky around 30mph and up... no "death wobble" but just jittery. I do not have the 32" tires on yet, but will be getting them around this coming weekend. Could this just be the need for an alignment? If so I am going to not really drive it until I get the new tires on. Then take it and get it aligned (no use in having it done twice). Also - when I get it aligned, do they usually re-align the steering wheel or should I do it myself? thanks again. Jered
 

Jered,

I too just put my lift on my YJ (last weekend) and I got my 33's yesterday. I did go with the dropped pitman arm, but it was included in my kit. I have a 4" kit with 1.25" shackles. I don't have shimmy. I did have lots of vibes at first, but found out my driver's side motor mount was busted. Replaced that this weekend, and it's a lot better. I didn't have to mount my rear shocks upside down. I wonder if your springs had the degree shims? Mine did, so that probably alleviated the clearance problem. Also helps with driveline angle. If you don't have these, might want to look into them. But mounting upside down, should not be a problem. Let me know if you have any questions.

C
 
Ok, so it's still shaking. I took a look around and made sure everything was tight. When I test drove it again I found that it really seems to be driveline vibration - felt most upon acceleration and decreases as I let off the gas. Should I do anything to the position that the transfer case is mounted on the skid plate to help it "settle in" or anything? I did notice that there is still quite a large rear driveline angle. It looks like the axle is actually out quite a bit more than normal from the transfer case because there is about 1-2 inches of the "shiny" end sticking out while sitting on flat gound. Do I need a longer axle? What are degree shims and would they help my situation? much thanks again. jered
 
if your driveshaft angle is too steep you can fix those vibrations by adding shim in between the spring perch and axle. this will point your pinion more towards the t-case output. this should reduce your vibration but if they persist you can buy a t-case drop kit for a pretty reasonable price from an off road shop. this kit lowers your t-case to adjust the angle of the driveshaft.
 

I got the t-case drop kit and installed it. Looked like about a 2-3 in drop. Maybe a longer axle or shims?
 
i would try adding another shim to each leaf pack. try a 4degree shim first. i am not sure what you mean by " longer axle". also check the u-joints in your driveshaft. if there is exsecive play in the u-joints that is probaly why you are getting all that vibration when you hit the gas. sometimes when they become worn out they will cause alot of vibration.
 
Be careful with those aluminum shims. I've had one spit out on me and cause my axle to slide backwards on the leaf spring.....in traffic. I also had one crack on me, but I found it before it let go.
 

This is a neccessity after doing a transfer case drop, but not always in the instructions:

Loosen the 2 nuts that hold you transfer case to the skidplate (just a little bit loose), drive relatively easy around the block, then tighten them back up.

This allows your transfer case to adjust itself to the new angle. After doing that I have ZERO driveline vibration. give it a shot, it is free and takes 5 minutes. :wink:
 
Twisted - I see that you've gone with the same lift/tire combo that I am currently working on. I was wondering what other options you might be using besides just the lift and t-case drop... did you need a drop pitman arm or new steering stabilizer? Tomorow I am going to remove those t-case nuts and take it for a short drive and tighten them back up to see if it helps.(the dick cepek kit did not include that advice) thanks! jered
 

Just loosen them enough for them to move, don't take them off. I added 1 inch taller than stock (5") shackles to give the military wrapped spring eyes a little more room (more of a factor in the rear where they would hit the frame but now they're fine). I did put in an aftermarket stabilizer to replace the stock one. I also installed the pitman arm. Like Tug said he did, I ran without it for a while but put it on (actually it is the only piece I had someone else put on) to even up the steering angles. It worked ok without, I just figured it would be less stress on the steering box and such.
 
Ok, took it around the block and re-tightened the t-case nuts. While I was under there I noticed that where the driveshaft exits the t-case it now seemes to be protruding about 1.5" more than before the lift - I can tell becasue the new part of the shaft sticking out is shiny instead of dirty. Is this ok? Do I need to worry. Second thing is about my stock steering stabilizer: it is 12 yrs old and may be worn out (do they wear out?) Can i just pick up a new $30 OEM replacement from a local auto store and expect it to handle a bit better than my 12-yr-old one? Thanks again.
jered
 
you can go with the OEM steering stab., it will make an improvement over the 12yr old one. But how much more is an upgraded one? $10? You will really wish you had the better one after you put those bigger tires on.

twisted- thanks for the instructions about the t-case mount adjustment. I did this today at lunch and it virtually eliminated my vibes. I didn't even think about this, although we don't torque down the u-bolts and shackle bolts til the jeep is on the floor. This only makes perfect sense when adjusting the driveline angle. Thanks!

C
 

Get a new steering stabilizer if you are worried about it. They are about $45 for a good aftermarket and easy to install.
As far as the vibration goes: raise the rearend and block the front tires. Get under there with the jeep in neutral and spint the tires. You may be able to tell where the vibration is coming from. My bet is that it is the driveshaft angle. You can solve this by putting degree shims on the perches to roll your pinion angle upward or by replacing the driveshaft and tail housing of the transfer case with a new driveshaft and a slip yoke eliminator kit. The latter is a bit pricy.
Don't worry about the shiny metal on the driveshaft. You'll know if it's too short when it falls out on the ground.
 
Haha.. hopefully no worries from the driveshaft then. I did the speed test and am pretty sure most of the problem is in the alignment b/c at about 32mph in any gear it begins to shake and continues a bit even after I let off the gas. Is there any special alignment I should get or should I just go to whoever has the best alignment coupon in the Sunday paper? Either way it'll most likely be next monday or so for me to get the tires on and have it aligned so I'll let you all know the verdict! jered
one more thing that I found as odd... the new springs that I put on have 5 leafs front and 4 leafs rear compared to the opposite setup stock... is this ok? It sits perfectly level, but i was just wondering.
 
HiC- Got rid of the vibration, that's great! Glad it worked for you. The only reason I found that was because it rained on the instructions that came with my kit, which did not have that procedure on them, so I went to their website and downloaded them and it was on that version. Seems pretty weird that isn't more commonly known, something that simple :?

JaredYJ- Alignment is pretty straight forward.

it is regular maintenance anyway, but don't forget to keep grease in those U-Joints, keeps them quiet and happy :D
 
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