MountaineerTom's 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

I have one of those WiFi OBD-II plugs and the Dash Command app and decided to use it yesterday morning to just to look at engine temps, voltage, etc. It’s something I do every now and then just for the heck of it. After getting to work I thought I’d use the code reader feature. I didn’t have a CEL but figured I’d just check it out. I was surprised that it came up with 2 pending codes. P0700 (Transmission Control System (MIL Request)) and P0562 (System Voltage Low). I couldn’t get them to clear through the Dash Commander app. After getting home from work, I checked it with my Actron code reader. Even more surprised that it had 4 codes. The same 2 as earlier plus the P0562 a second time and P1684 (Battery Power To Module Disconnected).

I checked voltage at the battery with and without the engine running and they were good. I even turned every electrical accessory I have on and it was good there too.

I have no idea how long the codes have been there and never had a CEL on. I did do the instrument cluster checks and everything worked as it’s supposed to there too. The CEL does initially light up when you start it but goes out like it should.

All four codes cleared easily with the Actron reader And haven’t came back yet.

Odd to me that it happened so guess I’ll be keeping an eye of it for a little while.
 
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Replaced the factory Dana 30 cover and Rugged Ridge guard with a Teraflex cover. Considering doing the same with the rear Dana 44.

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MountaineerTom said:
I never really documented my lift installation here. This was installed in May of 2018. In May of 2019, I replaced the OME nitro shocks for Rancho RS5000x's posted above.

I purchased the kit with the Brown Dog motor mount lift and JKS body lift just in case I wanted to install them down the road. After having it the way it is over 1-1/2 years, I don't see my self installing them, so I'll probably end up selling them.

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Although I don't live in the rust belt and don't have all the problems involved with rusted hardware like so many do, I've been soaking the applicable nuts and bolts with some Kroil. The upper shock mount bolts are easily sprayed from between the frame and fender liner once the wheels are removed.

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Little by little, as time permits. Got the rear done except for adjusting/installing track bar and tightening up the control arms once it set back on the ground.

When removing the jounce bumper cup to install the spacer, I found the recessed area where the bolt goes though packed full of sand. After cleaning it all out I used some rubber plugs I laying around and found a couple that fit in the hole above it. Hopefully it will keep it from filling up again.

Only got the front springs and sway bar links removed today before having to stop and get ready for work.

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Had to stop for the day. Thought I had a 9/16 drill bit for front track bar installation, but turns out I didn’t.

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I only got one day before work, to work on it this past week. Got the front springs, shocks and steering stabilizer in. The cavity right above where the jounce bumper cup is bolted to was completely full of sand. I cleaned it out really well and used a couple 1-1/2 inch rubber table let tips to jam in the hole from the top to keep that from happening again. I wasn't man enough to force them in, so I picked up some spring compressors from Harbor Freight. They worked very well. Wheels/tires on, sat it on the ground and the front wasn't quite as high as I wanted it. When I was ordering, Dirk told me it probably wouldn't be with the aftermarket bumper, winch plate and winch I had, so he suggested I get some factory spring isolators and stack with the original, so he added them to the kit. The spring isolator was about 3/4 on and inch thick. Got springs and shocks reinstalled but still haven't got to get it back on the ground. I need a job with less hours. LOL

I also installed some spring retainers from Clayton Off Road.

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Finally finished installing this lift, and very happy with it.

Setting the toe-in went pretty easy. I followed the directions I seen posted by Jerry Bransford, using the method of 2 aluminum square tubes clamped to the rotors, marking them for your tire size and then measuring the difference front an back until you get 1/16" - 1/8" closer in the front. Not pictured, but put a couple lug nuts on snug so they hold the rotors tight. Aligning the steering wheel was even easier, but took a few tries to get it just right. As mentioned in an earlier post, Dirk at DPG suggested I get another set of the factory spring isolators to use as spacers in case the front didn't get the full lift. He said with my bumper, winch plate and winch, I'd probably need it. He was right, it initially was only 1-3/4 inches higher than before the lift, so in went the isolator. They are 3/4 inches thick. It's just barely higher in the rear than in the front. I'm going to give it a little time to settle in then I may add the 10mm OME trim spacers to the rear. (It never sagged and I never did add the spacers)

One of the best parts of doing the lift, no trouble with removing any of the hardware. : )


Along with the lift, I did the following:

- Replaced rear sway bar bushing on the axle with Moog K3160.
- Replaced front sway bar bushings in front of grille with Moog K7352. (These things squeak like hell when cold, even though I put some lube on the bar. Concidering going back to regular rubber bushings)
- Added front spring retainers from Clayton Off Road.
- New jounce bumpers all the way around.

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Before and after.

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Any regrets on the lighter duty 933 and 942 springs combo? You must be a bit heavier than stock with your build.
 
Mfpaul73 said:
Any regrets on the lighter duty 933 and 942 springs combo? You must be a bit heavier than stock with your build.
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I’m happy with it. Yeah, I have a heavy rear bumper/tire carrier. And the extra weight of the unlimited TJ.
 
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MountaineerTom said:
I’m happy with it. Yeah, I have a heavy rear bumper/tire carrier. And the extra weight of the unlimited TJ.
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Thanks. I am pretty stock but have been struggling with the decision to go with the heavy normally recommended for the LJ, or to go lighter. Your build makes me think twice. I wont be doing any crawling, but I do want to get the full 2.5 of lift for looks.
 
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Got the lower control arms installed today. I started to just run them like they came and then use the Redline CV-2 to regrease them whenever the need arose. I decided to take one joint apart because I wanted to see how well the Johnny Joint tools that I bought worked. They worked great! Expensive, but worked very well and easy to use. The first joint I took apart had hardly any grease in it. The ball felt dry and didn't even leave a greasy feel on my fingers, so I went ahead and disassembled all of them and regreased. There was one other one that had hardly any grease. The Johnny Joint tool makes it so easy. Anyway, I set them to the same length as the factory arms for now. After removing the nuts on the factory bolts, I used a big ratchet strap on the axles to release the tension so the bolts would slip out easily.

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Front upper arms installed last night. Drivers side bushing on this one was by far the worst looking of all eight arms. Sunday of Monday I'll start the UCF extra clearance skid install.

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Got the UCF extra clearance skid installed today. I put a new MOPAR transmission mount on while I was doing it. No issues with the exhaust hanger or anything else coming in contact with anything. The UCF skid is pretty close to the transmission pan, I'd guess around 1/8 of an inch. I can slide a piece of cardboard between them. I think I'll lower it tomorrow and trim a little off of that area. I marked the skid for drilling so I can mount the Savvy engine skid tomorrow as well after drilling the mounting holes. I did have to remove the fan shroud and elongate the mounting holes on it; the fan blades were just barely nicking the lowest part of the opening when I spun the fan by hand. I have a very slight vibration while under power around 40 - 50 MPH. I have the front pinion and driveshaft within .05* of each other at 8.10* and 8.15*. The rear transfer yoke and rear pinion are within .4* at 4.75* and 4.35*. Going to play around with it some more tomorrow. Should I lower the rear pinion a full degree from the transfer or have it the same as the transfer? I thought I read to have it a little low so while under power it rolls up to be at the right angle.


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I just installed a UCF extra clearance skid on my LJ, too. And had the same slight vibration. I lowered the pinion to exactly match the tranny angle. Didn't want to go any lower and get the u-joint angles any steeper than needed. I don't think the diff torques up very much under acceleration on these, especially with the Savvy control arms with their firm bushings.

I haven't taken a final test drive yet, because unlike your photos with green bushes, trees, and grass, we have several inches of snow on the roads. Makes it kind of hard to hear or feel anything but snow and ice at highway speeds.
 
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OldBuzzard said:
I just installed a UCF extra clearance skid on my LJ, too. And had the same slight vibration. I lowered the pinion to exactly match the tranny angle. Didn't want to go any lower and get the u-joint angles any steeper than needed. I don't think the diff torques up very much under acceleration on these, especially with the Savvy control arms with their firm bushings.

I haven't taken a final test drive yet, because unlike your photos with green bushes, trees, and grass, we have several inches of snow on the roads. Makes it kind of hard to hear or feel anything but snow and ice at highway speeds.
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I'll try matching the rear up better tomorrow and see how that goes.

I have a SYE that I could install but wanted to see if I can make this work first.
 
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I’m dealing with the same issue right now. Vibrations around 60mph and it only started when I put on the rear arms. The TC yoke was 8° so I set the pinion at 7°, but after I tightened the upper arms down they moved enough to move the pinion to 8°. I can’t imagine that 1° makes that much of a difference but I’m gonna play with it tomorrow and see.
 
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MountaineerTom said:
I have a SYE that I could install but wanted to see if I can make this work first.
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Yes, I too am trying to avoid buying an SYE and DC driveshaft if possible. We're in yet another ice/snow storm, so it will be a few more days before I can test drive. I'll be watching your thread to see your results.

Jamison C said:
I’m dealing with the same issue right now. Vibrations around 60mph and it only started when I put on the rear arms. The TC yoke was 8° so I set the pinion at 7°, but after I tightened the upper arms down they moved enough to move the pinion to 8°. I can’t imagine that 1° makes that much of a difference but I’m gonna play with it tomorrow and see.
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As I understand it, at shallow u-joint angles, 1° of difference should cause essentially no vibration. But with our steeper driveshafts and large u-joint angles, the second u-joint can't fully cancel the first u-joint speed changes. As the u-joints approach 15° you will get oscillations which can't be corrected, and I suspect that differences in alignment just make them a little worse. I borrowed this info from Tom Wood at https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-tech-info-articles/driveshaft-angles .

My u-joints are operating at about 13°, so it's getting pretty close to the max angle. Tom and Jamison, what do your u-joint angles look like?
 
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MountaineerTom said:
Got the UCF extra clearance skid installed today. I put a new MOPAR transmission mount on while I was doing it. No issues with the exhaust hanger or anything else coming in contact with anything. The UCF skid is pretty close to the transmission pan, I'd guess around 1/8 of an inch. I can slide a piece of cardboard between them. I think I'll lower it tomorrow and trim a little off of that area. I marked the skid for drilling so I can mount the Savvy engine skid tomorrow as well after drilling the mounting holes. I did have to remove the fan shroud and elongate the mounting holes on it; the fan blades were just barely nicking the lowest part of the opening when I spun the fan by hand. I have a very slight vibration while under power around 40 - 50 MPH. I have the front pinion and driveshaft within .05* of each other at 8.10* and 8.15*. The rear transfer yoke and rear pinion are within .4* at 4.75* and 4.35*. Going to play around with it some more tomorrow. Should I lower the rear pinion a full degree from the transfer or have it the same as the transfer? I thought I read to have it a little low so while under power it rolls up to be at the right angle.


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If no SYE you want the pinion and TCase output parallel.

You’re probably going to need an SYE.

The front is going to be a balancing act with caster. Ideally you want the front pinion 1* high (opposite of rear with an SYE), but you usually have to bring that down to have at least 5-5.5* caster.
 
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JMT said:
If no SYE you want the pinion and TCase output parallel.

You’re probably going to need an SYE.

The front is going to be a balancing act with caster. Ideally you want the front pinion 1* high (opposite of rear with an SYE), but you usually have to bring that down to have at least 5-5.5* caster.
Click to expand...

Iv’e got them within .4* parallel, but will work on it some more today to see what I can do.
 
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MountaineerTom said:
I thought I read to have it a little low so while under power it rolls up to be at the right angle.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that is a leaf spring only recommendation. Your control arms, especially being Johnny Joints, shouldn't allow for any significant roll or deflection.

In drag racing with rear leaf springs, you set pinion angle down a few degrees (4-5) to account for spring wrap/deflection under heavy load. With a street going vehicle, not so much. But with a link-type suspension, there shouldn't be any significant deflection to deal with.
 
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BlueC said:
I'm pretty sure that is a leaf spring only recommendation. Your control arms, especially being Johnny Joints, shouldn't allow for any significant roll or deflection.

In drag racing with rear leaf springs, you set pinion angle down a few degrees (4-5) to account for spring wrap/deflection under heavy load. With a street going vehicle, not so much. But with a link-type suspension, there shouldn't be any significant deflection to deal with.
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Ah, ok. I must have read the wrong thing or misunderstood it. I have the transfer case rear yoke and pinion set the same now. Going to drop the skid and trim off a little on the front lip so it’s not so close to the transmission pan, then take it for a test drive.
 
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OldBuzzard said:
Yes, I too am trying to avoid buying an SYE and DC driveshaft if possible. We're in yet another ice/snow storm, so it will be a few more days before I can test drive. I'll be watching your thread to see your results.


As I understand it, at shallow u-joint angles, 1° of difference should cause essentially no vibration. But with our steeper driveshafts and large u-joint angles, the second u-joint can't fully cancel the first u-joint speed changes. As the u-joints approach 15° you will get oscillations which can't be corrected, and I suspect that differences in alignment just make them a little worse. I borrowed this info from Tom Wood at https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-tech-info-articles/driveshaft-angles .

My u-joints are operating at about 13°, so it's getting pretty close to the max angle. Tom and Jamison, what do your u-joint angles look like?
Click to expand...

I just measured mine. Transfer case and pinion are both at 8°, and the driveshaft is at 12°, which would put my U joint angle at 4° correct? I’m only sitting on 2 inches of lift in the rear so there’s no reason I should be getting these vibrations. But again, this didn’t start until I installed the rear arms.
 
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Jamison C said:
But again, this didn’t start until I installed the rear arms.
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Did the length of the arms change from what you had? I assume you have Johnny Joints, is it possible you are feeling the difference between old factory rubber bushings and the new ridged bushings?
 
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