I'm a idiot

[playnsnookie]

I decided to refresh the suspension on my 83 Scrambler . I ordered a new RE 4.5 lift , along with new drag link/tie bar assembly and steering stabilizer. So like a giddy teenage girl , I couldn't wait till the parts came in. In my infinite wisdom , I decided to tear down the front end to prepare for the new gear. ( Instead of doing a side at a time....) I jacked up the rig, stabilized it, and proceeded to disassemble the front end. I removed the front tires and shocks. I then placed jack stands under the axel and removed the springs / shackles. To keep the axel from rotating on the jack stands, I decided to use a floor jack to support the back of the front differential ( I did not remove the shaft from the front diff) . I came out this morning to a 6 inch diameter pool of gear lube . The dang floor jack did not hold its end of the deal. ( Should've used a another jack stand) Anyhow, The axel rotated backwards on the stand , causing a bad angle on the shaft. Here are my questions.
1. Did I mess up the rear seal in the front differential due to the angle of the drive shaft?
2. How do I determine the exact position of the axel ( from a rotation standpoint) when installing the new springs? What should be the proper Castor? + or -

Thanks in advance.....

 

[shum8]

1. Did I mess up the rear seal in the front differential due to the angle of the drive shaft?

Highly doubtful - it was just the weight of the pinion and driveshaft, yes?

2. How do I determine the exact position of the axel ( from a rotation standpoint) when installing the new springs? Just make it level??

The springs should bolt up against the spring perch welded to the axle housing. If you are going from a 4.5" lift to a 4.5" lift you should be good to go. Otherwise, you will have to shim the front axle to get your pinion angle back to where it needs to be..... What lift, if any, were you running?

 

[playnsnookie]

To be honest, I really don't know what size lift it had. The shocks were for a 2.5" lift. (Rancho RS5118) So I assume it was a 2.5....but it had 3 inch shackles on it as well.

 

[shum8]

From what I understand (and that's enough to get me in trouble) once you install the new springs, you will need to get your angles right - Transfer Case / drive shaft and drive shaft / pinion angles should be very close to the same. That will require a shim to be placed between the spring and spring perch.... the angle of the shim should be the difference of the the previous angles. Like I said, that's my understanding, but if I'm wrong, it won't take but a few seconds for someone to chime in and blow me outta the water.....

 

[playnsnookie]

Would you install it without shims first and then see how it drove? Or, would you put them on to begin with?

 

[shum8]

From what I've read, the front isn't quite as critical as the rear - but - I would get the angles as close to the same as I could.

Install the new springs, set the Jeep on the ground, and start measuring angles. Determine the angle of the output shaft of the Transfer Case ( measure from the flats of the yoke where the u-joint strap sits) and do the same with the output shaft yoke on the differential. Since the two should be parallel, they should show the same angle. If not, place a shim between the spring and spring perch to correct. The angle of the shims should be the difference between the two previous measurements. The goal is to bring them into being parallel. Same goes for the rear axle. Normally the angle of the drive shaft isn't a big deal in the front, but the rear may end up at too great of an angle, and if that happens, you may need to drop the belly pan a bit (which alters the front angle relationship, so do the rear first), switch to a drive shaft with a double cardan on it.
Once you get the shims right, drive it with your drive shaft - if you still get vibrations, you probably will need the new drive shaft.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Peanut Butter]

For the front you need to measure the caster angle. It should be between 4 and 6 degrees. Lift kits have a tendency to change this angle. The rear axle can be shimmed , but use steal shims. Also check your steering linkage. The tie rod from the passenger side to the steering box should be as horizontal as possible.

 

[gert]

I seriously doubt you hurt anything on your Jeep. bolt everything up set the jeep on the ground or jack stands under the axles if you prefer use an angle finder on the ends of your yokes to determine if you need to shim your axles to correct your pinion angle. Also s Penut butter pointed out you might need a dropped pitman arm to get your steering linkage as parallel as you can

https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-Magn..._clickID=d2427679-5e9d-4674-b2be-e3966290415c

Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts - Tom Woods Custom Drive Shafts Custom Driveshafts Specialist

 

[Lumpy Grits]

For the front you need to measure the caster angle. It should be between 4 and 6 degrees. Lift kits have a tendency to change this angle. The rear axle can be shimmed , but use steal shims. Also check your steering linkage. The tie rod from the passenger side to the steering box should be as horizontal as possible.

The front is very important, as it has everydangthing to deal with steering and safe handling.
You will want about 6* shims, and YES buy steel one the cheap cast ones don't hold up.
LG