125K Maintenance/Front End Rebuild?

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:07 pm

I am still alive folks!!!

I got nearly 125K on the Jeep. She is going to be heading in for a new Torque Converter in a few weeks, but I also am thinking of doing some other work. Some will be done at my Diesel Mechanics. Others, I will do myself. I need input on what I can do.

First off, within the past week, it sounds like I am getting a front bearing noise. So, I am thinking of changing both bearings. While I am at it, should I do the front CV Axles, also? Also, while I am taking things apart, what do you think about front ball joints and tie rods? Of course, I am doing a brake job since the pads still have meat, but are getting thin, and the rotors have some runout.

Any advice on what I should do, and what parts to get, would be great.

By the way, after talking to my diesel mechanic, to my surprise (because he usually tries to save me money) he told me to go with the Suncoast Converter.

thermorex · **Posted:** Mon Feb 24, 2014 12:35 am

My 2 cents: bearing - go with skf or Timken, definitely from eBay or a cheaper source, Price is about 60-70% than at an Autoparts store. If your cv axles are good (your mechanic should know - since he recommended you Suncoast

) don't change them, they are not that hard to change, if you'll have to, later. I replaced all my ball joints/tierod ends with moog (try getting greasable ones), but some people say moog doesn't have the quality they used to. I can't say if they are bad or not, I barely drove couple thousands since replacement. Advance auto has almost always coupons, and year round they have P20 coupon for 20% off, online only, free shipping over 75 bucks. The reason I replaced everything in the front suspension is that I didn't want to keep messing around replacing one ball joint after another. I saw one tierod end's boot cracked and that's how everything started, lol, but I had all the front end purchased throughout the time I owned the crd. The stabilizer bar linkage I got from mopar. What I did was to search eBay for used lower arms years before I replaced everything in the front end, proactively, got the Bushing and had them installed on the lower arms. You may be lucky and find lower arms brand new, for little more than 100, with all bushing installed, from eBay. I also got new clevis (eBay also has them used for about 20-30 bucks), got the steering knuckles for cheap, pretty much got all the expensive (as new) metallic parts as used and installed the new parts on them (bearings, shocks, bushing) and in one day I swapped them on the car. This alternative worked for me because I did stock all the parts in my garage and then just threw them up on the car. If you decide to replace the springs, I can look up the part numbers.

Regarding brakes, I'd definitely go with oe brembo, there is nothing in the world better than what they do, but it is double or more than other good alternatives. I right now have the Wagner ceramic pads and cheap advance auto rotors, but the previous brakes were more efficient. Next set will definitely be brembo from eBay.

If tjkj sees your post, he can definitely recommend something better, since he's involved more with all kind of parts and manufacturers.

P. S. The hardest part for me was to install the upper arms, or A arms, the space in the crd is narrower than the 3.7, plus you need to remove half of the engine compartment to access them. I had to buy some special wrenches, this car has a ridiculous amount of metric 18 (most sets don't have metric 18s for some reason) and I needed a long metric 18 ratchet, preferably with a flexible/bending end.

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 25, 2014 3:39 am

Thanks for the tips. I am going to start getting all the parts together. I hope the weather breaks so I can get done what I can do.

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thermorex · **Posted:** Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:39 am

Sourcing all the parts before is definitely more expensive, but would allow you to swap in all the parts in one afternoon. Otherwise, you'd have to spend more time replacing bushings, ball joints, etc on the old parts. It is worth though if you plan keeping your jeep, since you'll have 2 full sets of front suspension. I'd like to add that I was pleasantly surprised that the ball joints and bushings were in good shape at about 125k, they shown some wear but they were still good for few good thousands.

MM53 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:34 pm

I to like EBAY for most of my parts good luck :banghead:

Mountainman · **Posted:** Wed Feb 26, 2014 5:55 pm

Just in case you like pain, I'll give you some advise on changing all of the bushings the hard way :twisted:

The clevis bushing on the LCA is ridiculous to press out. I did it, but it wasn't worth the hastle. I would advise the torch and sawsall method. The other bushings are all also pretty tough to press out, but at least you can get a pretty strait shot at them without special tools (well, then again I had to make a couple). Or just do what most people do and buy new LCAs.

Replacing everything, and adding a lift took me more than 3 days of labor, but I was fabricating tools to help press out bearings and installed a Truetrac front dif. If you get the greasable Moog ball joints, be extremely careful to not over torque the grease zerks. I would watch closely to see once the zerk is seated flush and stop there. Moog calls them self tapping, but at least once I stripped one (very little torque) they sent me a whole new ball joint out for free!

I would also mark exactly how far the clevis bushings stick out on both ends from a reference point (the casting of the LCA is curved there) because you won't be able to tell anything from the removed/destroyed ones. New LCAs will make this a non issue since they come with all new bushings.

The UCA bolts require you to disconnect one brake line, so then you have to bleed the front brakes. I shortened the bolts on the drivers side, and reversed one or both of them so I never have to pop that brake line off again.

The UCA angles on my OME 2" lift suck, and I wish I would have just opted for the JBA UCA's!

Good luck :JEEPIN:

sailwa66 · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2012 9:57 am **Posts:** 32

One of my upper ball joints was gone at 135k, so I put in JBA UCAs at that time, along with a 2" OME lift and MOOG lower ball joints. My KJ has been well taken care of, so I'd bet you're close to the end with your ball joints...

Recently developed a clunk over bumps on the passenger side, and discovered that the intermediate shaft splines are shot where they slip into the inner CV, allowing enough play in the CV so it hits the chassis. The joints and boots are all in otherwise fine shape. Chalk up yet another fine dimbulb design from Chrysler: exposed, unlubricated splines! :banghead:

Check that connection to make sure it's still fairly snug, if so, pull it apart when you're in there and pack some heavy grease in the splines. :2cents:

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 26, 2014 8:50 pm

Thank you ever so far. Sounds like I will do a swap and rebuild my originals for 250K or so.

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thermorex · **Posted:** Wed Feb 26, 2014 10:06 pm

Mountainman wrote:

The UCA bolts require you to disconnect one brake line, so then you have to bleed the front brakes. I shortened the bolts on the drivers side, and reversed one or both of them so I never have to pop that brake line off again.
Good luck :JEEPIN:

That is correct, however, you may be able to fit a wrench in the uca bolts if you gently bend the brake line (I know, not the "right way", but it works :goink:

), after removing it from the bracket. You don't need to bend a lot, just a tiny bit to fit the wrench. This is when a long metric 18 works better than a standard size, I got one for about 30-ish bucks from Sears online: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00960253000P.

However, if you do the brakes, you might as well disconnect the brake line and flush all that old and burned brake fluid from the calipers anyways, so disconnecting the line and doing things "the right way" would definitely not going to be a waste of time.

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:13 am

Good news. My mechanic did a check of my front end. Just need LBJ and Wheel Bearings. On the way to get installed!!!

125K Maintenance/Front End Rebuild?

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