CV Axles Failing With Spacer Kit

kbrasky0728 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:30 pm **Posts:** 6

Hey guys,
I want to say thank you to all who have put this site together. I wish I would have joined sooner. Because of you guys I don't wanna trade in my Liberty anymore.
I have a 2012 KK with a 2.5" Daystar spacer kit with 31" tires. After 6 months my CV axles gave out and I went to the dealership since they were covered under warranty. They replaced the CV axles and sure enough 2 months later they are going out again. The dealership will not replace them a second time.
I know I have to upgrade to an actual suspension lift but don't have enough cash. Do you know if there is a cheaper fix? After market CV axles?

Thanks for all your help,
Kyle

Homeward_Bound · **Posted:** Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:16 pm

http://www.rcvperformance.com/product-d ... =CVJIFS-KK

If you got the coin. I know this is on my wish list.

PALiftedKK · **Posted:** Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:27 pm

if your still under the warranty, demand to see the warranty manager. same crap im going through with my rear diff. or see another dealership.

also, simple question, what seems to be the issue?

ome is a good $$$ per inch lift. Jeepin by al.com

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:07 pm

kbrasky0728 wrote:

Hey guys,
I want to say thank you to all who have put this site together. I wish I would have joined sooner. Because of you guys I don't wanna trade in my Liberty anymore.
I have a 2012 KK with a 2.5" Daystar spacer kit with 31" tires. After 6 months my CV axles gave out and I went to the dealership since they were covered under warranty. They replaced the CV axles and sure enough 2 months later they are going out again. The dealership will not replace them a second time.
I know I have to upgrade to an actual suspension lift but don't have enough cash. Do you know if there is a cheaper fix? After market CV axles?

Thanks for all your help,
Kyle

You're going to spend more on aftermarket CVs than what a good full suspension kit cost
The issue is the lift, period. Soon enough you'll be replacing UCAs and ball joints as well
You know what you need to do, replacing other parts is a band-aid approach to taking care of the real problem

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:09 pm

PALiftedKK wrote:

if your still under the warranty, demand to see the warranty manager. same crap im going through with my rear diff. or see another dealership.

also, simple question, what seems to be the issue?

ome is a good $$$ per inch lift. Jeepin by al.com

Why should they warranty something when he has a spacer lift on and I'm sure they know that and the issues it causes.
So just keep replacing over and over ? :ROTFL:

kbrasky0728 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:30 pm **Posts:** 6

Thanks all for the reply's.
I didn't think the issue with the axles had to deal with the spacers but after it happened a second time I had to come to terms that the dealership was probably right about the angle being too severe.
I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and and replace my axles after I get a real lift. Have you guys had any problems with your CVs after you installed your JBA lifts?

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

As long as your under 4" of lift with a correct lift, then you will be ok. Some have even pushed it past 4"

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

Gageraid · **Posted:** Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:58 pm

CV axles will fail eventually, and even more likely the higher you go.
If you have the money, JBA is the best lift you can get.
Anything is better than a spacer lift! A simple OME lift will even be dramatically better and not cost much more than what you have already spent.

At The Helm · **Posted:** Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:59 pm

PALiftedKK wrote:

if your still under the warranty, demand to see the warranty manager. same crap im going through with my rear diff. or see another dealership.

also, simple question, what seems to be the issue?

ome is a good $$$ per inch lift. Jeepin by al.com

I'm surprised they warrantied them the first time.

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 11, 2015 2:25 am

How much lift do you actually have? Are you tearing the boots or are they just failing? Biggest question, have you had any alignments? An alignment helps the angles of the CVs. Knock on wood I haven't had any CV issues and I have over 53k miles with over 25k at 3.5+" of lift.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:02 am

At The Helm wrote:

PALiftedKK wrote:

if your still under the warranty, demand to see the warranty manager. same crap im going through with my rear diff. or see another dealership.

also, simple question, what seems to be the issue?

ome is a good $$$ per inch lift. Jeepin by al.com

I'm surprised they warrantied them the first time.

agree

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:04 am

Bmxer524 wrote:

How much lift do you actually have? Are you tearing the boots or are they just failing? Biggest question, have you had any alignments? An alignment helps the angles of the CVs. Knock on wood I haven't had any CV issues and I have over 53k miles with over 25k at 3.5+" of lift.

Yes when done correctly they will last
Example, on mine the left side lasted over 198,000 miles, thats being lifted over 178,000 of those miles mostly in the 3.5 to over 4 inch range
Right side replaced 3 times but one was due to stick going through boot, another being a bad joint etc

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:07 am

kbrasky0728 wrote:

Thanks all for the reply's.
I didn't think the issue with the axles had to deal with the spacers but after it happened a second time I had to come to terms that the dealership was probably right about the angle being too severe.
I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and and replace my axles after I get a real lift. Have you guys had any problems with your CVs after you installed your JBA lifts?

None really, plus we've done a lot of lifts at my place ( full spring lifts set in the 3.5-3.75 range and above )
No issues with any CVs
You mention stealership saying angles were too severe, measure from middle of the wheel to bottom of the flare in front and report back
By the way here are my CV angles( not best pic but you get the idea. left side last over 198,000/ 178,000 of those lifted

kbrasky0728 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:30 pm **Posts:** 6

Hey guys,
So after a few months I picked up the JBA 2.5in lift. I also go new CV axles. Driver side went pretty smooth.
After I took out the CV axle from the passenger side I noticed the splines in the "Interm Axle Shaft" were badly damaged as well as the grooves in the old CV axle end. -This would explain the noise and the failure of the CV.
Not sure if it was because of the "extreme angle" but the dealership should have replaced the "Interm Axle Shaft" when they replaced the CVs. It's very obvious the splines are damaged.

I'll keep you all posted when I get the new axle shaft in the mail and put it all back together.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:35 pm

Yeah, sounds like the intermediate shaft is shot. Hopefully the current bad one will not damage the splines on the brand new CV in the meantime. You can always drive around without CV's as long as you plug the hole and keep it clean.

kbrasky0728 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:30 pm **Posts:** 6

Ya, I got it on jack stands for now.. It's so much easier to put in the CVs when the UCAs and struts aren't attached. It's just a drag having to have my wife and kids drive me to work.
I have a question about the JBA strut adjustments:
I don't know how much I should tighten or loosen the rings. How did you do yours?

lfhoward · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:40 pm

The JBA adjustable struts are not too hard to operate if you jack the Jeep up first. With the weight off the wheel, you'll be able to use the two provided wrenches to turn the two nuts above the spring. The top nut is a jam nut, basically meant to hold things in place. Loosen this first. (Be sure to lube the threads well -- it makes turning the nuts easier.) Once the first nut is up and out of the way, turn the lower one to change the height at which the Jeep sits. Remember that because of the suspension geometry, 1/4 inch of change in the height of the nut gives you 1/2 inch of change where lift is concerned. (2:1 ratio) Moving it down on the strut increases lift height. You'll have to experiment with the lower nut position (and lower the Jeep to the ground several times) to dial in the lift height you want. On a KK the stock front is 18 inches from the center of the axle to the flare when sitting on the ground. If you make it 20.5, that's 2.5 inches of lift. Once you have it where you want it, re-tighten the top jam nut down on top of the lower nut to lock everything in place. Go get an alignment to make it safe to drive. If your front springs are brand new you might get a little settling over the first few weeks. After it settles, repeat the above procedure to fine-tune your lift height, then get another alignment. Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any more questions and I'll see what I can do to help out.

kbrasky0728 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:30 pm **Posts:** 6

Right on man! I appreciate all your help thank you

CV Axles Failing With Spacer Kit

Who is online