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Moab vehicle

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LagunaH1

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Idaho
A friend is moving to Texas and needed to sell one of their vehicles so I helped them out and provided a new home for a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Jeep has a 3 inch suspension lift and brand new 32 inch mud terrains.

It feels like suspension and steering needs some TLC, so I'll be reading up on what my options are. Initial thoughts are: Long arm kit, then lift it a bit more to accept 35's and maybe re-gear.

This will be what I'll wheel in Moab and anywhere else where the Power Wagon would stand too great a chance of being damaged or scratched

IMG_1457.jpg
 
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scoreh3

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SoCal
I had a 94 grand Cherokee with a V8... Is yours a 6 or 8 ? ... Nice looking rig , I hope you have lots of fun with it .
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

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4,219
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Tardville
I've never driven a lifted ZJ-WJ that DIDN'T have steering or alignment issues. These vehicles are famous for death wobble after lifting. Fantastic off-roaders once you get the suspension sorted out. Like all Cherokees (and grand Cherokees), the wheel wells are very small so you'll need to do lots of work (sawz-all) to run 35"s. Hopefully you got the part time transfer case. Nice rig...the V8 Grand is a fun wheeler. I have several buddies with them.
 
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LagunaH1

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3,719
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Idaho
Had some work done to the Jeep. It no longer leaks, and there is no more surprise smoke. The short version of the story is that, with the exception of the fuel tank, *EVERY* "thing" with some sort of fluid inside was leaking. No more of that. Much more precise steering, and a new alternator for good measure.

Next: Go play on some local trails and hills :-D
 
alrock

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
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10,516
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Scottsdale
How did I not see this post before? Yeah, this should be a bit better on the trails than the Power Wagon.
 
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LagunaH1

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Idaho
Well, I suppose hat remains to be seen but: I am significantly less worried about dings, dents and scrapes on the Jeep than on the Power Wagon


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LagunaH1

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3,719
Location
Idaho
So.... Having this Jeep triggers another thing / thought / project:

I want to tow the Jeep to Moab so I'll need a trailer.

Chances are, that I won't use the trailer very much, maybe JUST for Moab trips once or twice a year so I'd prefer to not sink a ton of money into it. On the other hand, I want something which won't leave me stranded on the side of the freeway with a blown tire / hung brakes / whatever else can go wrong. Storage is another thing. I don't have room to have a trailer sit and take up space.

Seems like the ideal thing would be to rent a trailer for the Moab trips. Uhaul probably isn't an option as their car hauler trailers max out at 5000 pounds and the Jeep is more than that. Does anyone have suggestions on good places to rent trailers for a week long trip to Moab and back?

I suppose I also could look for a used trailer, maybe save a bit of money that way.
 
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LagunaH1

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3,719
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Idaho
Since I got the Jeep, I've been noticing that it "rumbles" quite a bit. In my layman's opinion, it's similar to a bad bearing and I think it's coming from the front end, but who knows. Noise and vibration travel a lot. Today, I jacked up the front axle and turned the front wheels by hand. No rumbling.

So, I suppose it could be the drive shaft from the t-case (it's got a double kardon joint) or it could be the rear axle / drive shaft.

I wanted to see if I could spin the front driveshaft by hand, so I put one front wheel on the ground and put the t-case in N, thinking that that'd allow me to turn the front prop shaft independently by spinning one wheel (and letting the other wheel be held still by being on the ground), but no such luck. I *think* this T-case has a viscous couple between front and rear, so I wonder if that's what's preventing me from doing this.

Any ideas or suggestions on how to narrow this down a little further would be very welcome. Next, I'll jack up the rear and see what I can spin by hand, but it's a Detroit locker so I'm not sure if that'll be possible.

Edit: Jacked up the rear axle. The left rear can turn freely backwards but not forward. The right rear can't turn much more than a few inches either direction. I'm thinking this is how it's supposed to be with a Detroit locker in the rear.
 
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4speedfunk

4speedfunk

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4,219
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Tardville
Detroit Tru-Trac. It works differently from the original Detroit locker. It uses worm gears that thread in & out to lock the diff under power...very smooth diff. It essentially works backwards from the original Detroit unit, which was "on" all the time and used clutches that would release (hopefully) during cornering.

The rumble is most likely the cardan joint on the front driveshaft. Check the center pin inside the cardan, and rebuild it if necessary. They often get overlooked by the grease gun.

I’m guessing you have the full-time Quadratrac case? Lots of Jeep guys convert to the 2WD case so they can shut off the front driveshaft. This is the same problem the H3 suffers from, but the Jeeps were available either way...just find one with the 2WD t-case and swap it in. Additionally, most Jeepers install a manual cable on the front axle CAD as the stock setup is know to be unreliable. Depending on the year, the stock CAD will either be electronic or vacuum operated.
 
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LagunaH1

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3,719
Location
Idaho
4speedfunk said:
Detroit Tru-Trac. It works differently from the original Detroit locker. It uses worm gears that thread in & out to lock the diff under power...very smooth diff. It essentially works backwards from the original Detroit unit, which was "on" all the time and used clutches that would release (hopefully) during cornering.

The rumble is most likely the cardan joint on the front driveshaft. Check the center pin inside the cardan, and rebuild it if necessary. They often get overlooked by the grease gun.

I’m guessing you have the full-time Quadratrac case?
Click to expand...

Yes, the T-case is full time. Supposedly it is brand new, so I think I'm going to stick with it for a little while. Thanks for the suggestion on the cardan, I'll take a close look at that for sure.
 
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LagunaH1

Well-Known Member
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3,719
Location
Idaho
Update:

The Jeep did VERY well in Moab considering what it is: An old Jeep which has been wheeled hard for a good portion of it's life. My thoughts are to:

-Install new shocks, maybe also new springs. The existing shocks feel like they do NOTHING. The Jeep is very "floaty" going down the road and it takes next to nothing to bottom out the suspension.
-Lift the Jeep a bit more to allow for better clearance of the tires and hopefully get better articulation.

These two things could possibly be accomplished by installing a long arm kit. I've been looking at Iron Rock Offroad and Rusty Offroad's long arm kits.

There are a couple of outright repairs that needs to be done:
-Figure out what to do about the drive shaft to the front end. It started vibrating a lot more than it used to after we ran 7 mile rim.
-Figure out what's going on with the cooling system. It was leaking coolant, possibly from the heather core, and the engine seemed to run cold
-Figure out the front locker. It worked one time, but not the second time I tried using it.

Suggestions and comments very welcome :)
 
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