Topic: Axle Change - Any Tips? (Read 12172 times)

lizardland · « **on:** November 28, 2006, 06:30:08 PM »

My front diff is knackered and I've managed to get hold of a replacement front axle. Planning the swap for the weekend, does anyone have any tips (98 ZJ)? It looks straightforward which usually means an 18hr job and loads of swearing.

Cheers,

Stuart

greggmo · « **Reply #1 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:40:21 PM »

shouldn't be too bad a job. be sure the axle you have bought is the exact replacement with the correct ratio r,n,p ratios.

dtooth · « **Reply #2 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:10:28 PM »

seems obvious but disconnect the calipers from the old one and hang them up so you don't have to bleed them.

you will need plenty of axle stands and a pair of trolley jacks to make like easier.

Mike Pavelin · « **Reply #3 on:** November 28, 2006, 08:39:39 PM »

It helps to have an assistant, theyre very very heavy. Also, ZGs have eccentric bolts on the lower arms to set the caster angle at the axle end. Make a note of their position on the old axle and refit in the same position on the new one.

Dave69 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 29, 2006, 08:16:36 AM »

make sure the jeep is jacked high enough off the ground to give you plenty of room underneath. use axle stands and slide the front wheels under the cahssis rails as well as a secondary safety measure if the axles stands fail for some reason. this will then give you the tyre width of gap and might save you from being crushed

try and use hex sockets rather than the multi-hex ones. this will save on rounding bolt heads as you undo them.
wire brush bolt threads if possible to remove all the grit and road grime so to stop and nuts siezing up

eastryjeep · « **Reply #5 on:** November 29, 2006, 01:57:11 PM »

Spray all visible threads with penetrating oil, starting yesterday!
PlusGas is my personal favorite, WD40 works well enough but 3in1 tends to be a bit too thick IMHO.
Take herds of digital fotos as you strip it down, they are priceless if you need to refer to them on reassembly and cost nowt. If you've not got a camera either buy one as this is a good time of the year or use a mobile phone!
Reassemble using new nuts and bolts on all suspension items and use a thread locking compound, Loctite or similar, it keeps things torqued up the way they should be and it keeps moisture out of the threads stopping that dreaded corrosion.
Where possible, assemble with bolts or screws pointing downwards, if the nut falls off things only get loose but stay in place, the other way round and things can get scary.
New disks & pads might be nice if you can afford them, and ensure the brake disks are clean before reassembling the calipers to avoid an embarrasing experience on your test drive!
Wipe all grease and oil off the reassembled parts and give a couple of coats of paint to keep the rot at bay.
Get your wheels aligned at the first opportunity.
Good luck!

tim_aka_tim · « **Reply #6 on:** November 29, 2006, 02:13:53 PM »

Quote from: "eastryjeep"

Spray all visible threads with penetrating oil, starting yesterday!
PlusGas is my personal favorite, WD40 works well enough but 3in1 tends to be a bit too thick IMHO.

As a side note, PlusGas is awesome stuff, but if you're struggling to get it and can only get WD-40, then GT-85 would be a much better bet. Buy it at the bicycle section in Halfrauds.

barttheguinnessguy · « **Reply #7 on:** November 29, 2006, 02:51:36 PM »

Put a bit of copper slip on all the bolts as you put it all back together. You will thank yourself if you ever need to take it all apart again :wink:

Mr.Stu · « **Reply #8 on:** November 29, 2006, 04:10:32 PM »

The trouble with useing copperslip on everything is it means you over-torque all the bolts as the torque settings are for dry bolts and by adding the copperslip you've reduced the friction on the threads.

Stu.

Dave69 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 29, 2006, 07:59:32 PM »

if your planning on doing this over a weekend, paint the hard to get areas of the bodywork with uderseal or a chassis enamel as a preventative measure then rebuild the following day

barttheguinnessguy · « **Reply #10 on:** November 29, 2006, 08:16:12 PM »

Quote from: "Mr.Stu"

The trouble with useing copperslip on everything is it means you over-torque all the bolts as the torque settings are for dry bolts and by adding the copperslip you've reduced the friction on the threads.

Stu.

I sit corrected :oops:

Bubba · « **Reply #11 on:** November 29, 2006, 10:36:02 PM »

chrisjones · « **Reply #12 on:** November 29, 2006, 11:18:22 PM »

Quote from: "Mr.Stu"

The trouble with useing copperslip on everything is it means you over-torque all the bolts as the torque settings are for dry bolts and by adding the copperslip you've reduced the friction on the threads.

Stu.

That don't sound right to me.

Toastie · « **Reply #13 on:** November 29, 2006, 11:20:38 PM »

Besides loads of beer, two floor jacks are a big help for moving stuff around.

In the US good beer and pizza is a very important part of Jeep mods :drinkers:

greggmo · « **Reply #14 on:** November 29, 2006, 11:48:46 PM »

the beer and pizza is a very big part of any good jeepers woekshop. :lol:

lizardland · « **Reply #15 on:** November 29, 2006, 11:49:32 PM »

Quote from: "Dave69"

make sure the jeep is jacked high enough off the ground to give you plenty of room underneath. use axle stands and slide the front wheels under the cahssis rails as well as a secondary safety measure if the axles stands fail for some reason. this will then give you the tyre width of gap and might save you from being crushed

try and use hex sockets rather than the multi-hex ones. this will save on rounding bolt heads as you undo them.
wire brush bolt threads if possible to remove all the grit and road grime so to stop and nuts siezing up

Many thanks for all the replies so far. This reply has been something that I've been thinking about already. Are axles stands under the chassis rails good enough for doing the work on? I'm a bit concerned about the stability, are there any other measures (apart from the wheel tip which is something I've always done anyway) to keep everything safe and secure?

Cheers,

Stuart

daggie · « **Reply #16 on:** November 30, 2006, 06:51:52 AM »

check that the lower conrtrol arm bolts are NOT seized in the bushes

cos the are a bastard to get out & if they are seized, the bushes in the control arms are fucked :roll:
I ended up making two new bolts

copper slip mmmmm :roll:

Dave69 · « **Reply #17 on:** November 30, 2006, 08:10:46 AM »

if your using a torque wrench how can you over torque a bolt ? copper slip or no copper slip the torque will always be the same.

someone prove me wrong !!!

Mike Pavelin · « **Reply #18 on:** November 30, 2006, 09:11:42 AM »

By lubricating the threads and the underside of the bolt head and/or washer you are reducing the amount of friction/resistance against the turning force required to turn the bolt. Therefore it requires less force (in this case turning torque) to stretch the bolt to a certain point once it is screwed home. This can lead to thread or bolt failure.
A few years ago Chrysler sent a bulletin round all it's dealerships instructing them to never grease wheel studs and nuts for exactly this reason. Several Chrysler vehicles had broken wheel studs soon after being serviced, and on investigation, although the remaining wheel nuts were torqued correctly the threads had been greased.

MK1 · « **Reply #19 on:** November 30, 2006, 11:57:20 AM »

Surely crap studs?

I always grease wheel nuts/studs. I also have an unhealthy liking for copper slip.

Dave69 · « **Reply #20 on:** November 30, 2006, 01:13:23 PM »

i always put axle stands under the chassis rails and put the wheels under as well. mainly due to personal safety as i have had axles stands sink into tarmac in the past when working on cars during the summer. i now weld two tie bars in a cross fashion so to limit this is it happens.
the jeep itself should be stable enough when this is done, if your not happy just put some more supports underneath but not in the way of hampering your work

JamesH · « **Reply #21 on:** November 30, 2006, 05:19:12 PM »

I usually cover everything in copperslip, do it all up tight, drive it and a check a few times to make sure. Things like control arms just need doing up really tight - just be careful not to snap the smaller bolts when you've been muscling others :wink:

P.S. I do use torque settings for certain jobs - I'm not a complete cowboy :lol:

J

greggmo · « **Reply #22 on:** November 30, 2006, 05:46:50 PM »

you torque em up so they don't come undone. its all a lot of faf if ya ask me. the only time a torque wrench has been near my jeep was to do the axle rebuilds. everythin else gets a dose of grease and done up tight. nothin has fallen off yet... :wink:

Bubba · « **Reply #23 on:** November 30, 2006, 07:25:09 PM »

so the news of the world is true life :?:

Dave69 · « **Reply #24 on:** November 30, 2006, 08:31:45 PM »

i stand corrected.

TBH a spring washer or lockwire is always a security on critical bolts. always copper slipped the front brake caliper bolts on my bike and lockwired them as well.

don't want to knock the yanks but whats the point of having an old book like that in the 21st century when the major automotive builders don't follow their own preachings, (plenty of hands experience to back that statement)

Author Topic: Axle Change - Any Tips? (Read 12172 times)

lizardland

dtooth

Mike Pavelin

eastryjeep

Mr.Stu

Toastie

lizardland

Mike Pavelin

MK1