Working out the kinks on my new TJ

If you are only going with the 2.5" OME lift you can stay with stock control arms and save a butt load of money.

Crown makes a set for around $200
But i suck at finding the link to the Amazon page

@Chris has it.
Yea, but the shop tells me the bushings in the old lift kit control arms are pretty shot. And I guess they're not serviceable.

So I have another question. If I want to flat tow this Jeep, is there a wiring kit available to use the stock rear lights?
 
Yea, but the shop tells me the bushings in the old lift kit control arms are pretty shot. And I guess they're not serviceable.

So I have another question. If I want to flat tow this Jeep, is there a wiring kit available to use the stock rear lights?
For the first part. The crown arm comes with all new bushings installed. Except for the two upper bushings on the axle. (Royal pain to replace). But all of the others have the bushings. Just swap one arm at a time. Lots of liquid wrench and/or an impact gun. Or a regular wrench with arm muscles.

What i have done in the past to flat tow was to use wireless magnetic lights. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJEICDS/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Works well for me but i don't do cross country trips.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Airjunky
Picked up the jeep from 4WP tonight. It drove a bit better, definitely room for improvement. The guy said the Rancho shocks should be replaced. I understand they have a lifetime warranty. ....seriously? He said they will warranty them with shocks they have in stock.....Rancho or upgrade to something better. I asked his impression of them & he said the Bilstein or Rubicon Express were way better. A far cry from what I've read here.
Also found BDS 3" lift springs on https://offroadwarehouse.com/ for like $220 shipped.
Seems like I read somewhere their comparable to OME? And a 1/2" taller.
 
Worked on the Jeep most of the weekend. Got a lot done...

-removed the 4.5" springs & installed OME 2.5 lift springs in the rear. Still lots of clearance, no interference problems, rides pretty level.
-got a good look at the old Rancho CA bushings, thinking the guys at 4WP were wrong. They look like their in descent condition afterall.
-removed the 1.5" transfer case drop. Now the rear driveline alignment is much better.
-installed a dead pedal on the drivers side. Love it.
-swapped the 1" rear wheel spacers for 1.5", which now clear the stock studs, wheels mount great.
-installed a pair of rock sliders. Screamin deal of $122 for just the new sliders, no hardware. $9 for some stainless Allen head bolts & I'm in business.
-installed a pair of USB ports in the dash.

In the end, the Jeep drives great. No weird squeaks, clunks or vibrations. Still have to install the OME 2.5 front springs & a rear diff cover, which arriver tomorrow. I was thinking about installing stock CAs but may hold off if the front bushings look good too.
And I'm going to have quite a few parts to sell.

2019-01-14_10-27-39.jpg


2019-01-14_10-26-11.jpg


2019-01-14_10-26-22.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: KCsTJ
You can check bushings by having someone hit the brake as you roll it forward and back, and see the play when you brake . It's obvious if they have slop.

Bushings matter a lot in your Jeeps handling .
 
  • Like
Reactions: Airjunky
You can check bushings by having someone hit the brake as you roll it forward and back, and see the play when you brake . It's obvious if they have slop.

Bushings matter a lot in your Jeeps handling .
Interesting. So your looking for a lot of movement or compression of the bushing?
Wonder if I can make a Gopro work for me on that....
 
It will ... Just look for the control arm mounts to the frame and if you see the arm having any significant movement that tells you something... And control arm wear will allow access axle movement... The Jeep will have a lot of body roll and typically wander.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Airjunky
Regarding your diff cover...
Do you already have a body lift? If not, maybe add one then you could tuck your gas tank up another inch. Either with a skid designed for it or by modifying your stock one.
 
Regarding your diff cover...
Do you already have a body lift? If not, maybe add one then you could tuck your gas tank up another inch. Either with a skid designed for it or by modifying your stock one.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I'm hoping to have some time tonight to get under it again. I've driven it about 20 miles since the rear springs and wheel spacers were installed so I need to retorque things again.
No body lift. When I'm under there, I will check the rear diff and track bar clearance. I suspect they're fine as they're not noisy any longer.
 
Last edited:
Got under it for a look tonight. Everything was fine. Torqued the wheel spacers down a bit more.

It's developing a squeak, I think the rear driveline. Slow at first, goes faster as I speed up, keeps going with the clutch in. I would have thought the guy who just balanced it & replaced a u-joint would have greased it too. Guess I'll try shooting some grease in it myself.

Rear diff is waaaaay too close to the skid plate. The new cover will need to be installed before I do much wheelin.

2019-01-16_06-41-26.jpg


IMG_20190115_073654734.jpg
 
Got the rear diff cover installed Friday night (definitely better clearance) & then took it wheelin a bit on Saturday in the snow. The squeak is definitely still there, sounds like a damn bird squeakin. But I'm having a tough time figuring out where it's coming from. I ran it for a few seconds with the rear on jackstands, no squeak, go figure. It's gotta be a driveline thing, or maybe brakes .... only happens when it's rolling, clutch in or out, engine RPMs makes no difference. I did change from 1" to 1.5" wheel spacers. I'll have to pull a wheel & look around.

46817253111_885f427f57_k.jpg
 
Last edited:
Got the rear diff cover installed Friday night (definitely better clearance) & then took it wheelin a bit on Saturday in the snow. The squeak is definitely still there, but I'm having a tough time figuring out what it is. I ran it for a few seconds with the rear on jackstands, no squeak, go figure. It's gotta be a driveline thing, or maybe brakes .... only happens when it's rolling, clutch in or out, engine RPMs makes no difference. I did change from 1" to 1.5" wheel spacers. I'll have to pull a wheel & look around.

View attachment 73584
Do you have any plans for the 1" wheel spacers you removed?
 
This is the old lift kit.
https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/rancho-2-5-inch-rock-crawler-lift-kit-rs6506/_/R-BCKM-RS6506

In the specs section, it lists HrdwPN(RS996) Rock Crawler bushing rebuild kit.
Looks like they run about $50/end.

Looks like it suggests using RS9000 shocks. What's the difference between RS9000 & RS5000?
Edit: looks like the 9000s are adjustable.....and almost double the cost.

Make sure your looking at the Rancho RS5000X shock and not the RS5000
 
  • Like
Reactions: Airjunky