What parts should I be watching for problems now that I am lifted and wheeling more?

[Holaday07 4.7]

I took the Jeep and left my Altima for the old lady today, and everything still seems fairly tight for steering, but maybe a little pull to the left. Just wondered what you guys thought would wear out first. I am no mechanic, and really can't do much more than brakes and oil changes, but some advice as to what I need to watch would be really helpful. This is our "Minivan" so I want it as safe as possible for the family.

Thanks for any help

[Matt]

CV boots, balljoints, tie rods, steering rack&pinion, serpentine belt, air filter

Change drivetrain fluids often, especially after driving through deeper than expected water (fluid gets ingested through the seals)

[Holaday07 4.7]

cool, maybe this weekend I will tackle the diffs and Tcase. The air filter is stark white, and I will set up a routine on these parts. Thanks man, I appreciate advice.

[Matt]

Yeah man you just Want to keep an eye on stuff. If you hear a strange noise or it drives funny, don't wait until a catastrophic failure.... inspect it.

[Doc in AZ]

depending on the amount of lift you need to watch the following

CV joint angle - jack your rig up off the ground and turn the front wheels and feel if there is any binding or clicking. while it may only happen at full droop, it will begin to wear with regular road milage as the suspension travels.

Ball joints - the arms i took off jon's rig were completely shot, the threaded part of the ball joint was just dangling there, completely blown out

tire wear - watch for cupping, feathering & other unever wear patterns, make sure you have it aligned after you install the lift

suspension bushings - keep an eye on them and make sure the lift kit isn't binding the suspension somehow and causing premature wear, this is to include shock bushings... again, on jon's rig the aftermarket shocks were not correct and were wobbling around in there.

[NeilSmith]

you say it may be pulling to one side. did you have an alignment done after the lift ? if not, do it. if so, have the shop re-check it.

[Holaday07 4.7]

No cupping or weird wear yet, but the LCAs took a couple hits over the 4th. I got another 1/2 inch spacer to put on that I got from RObby so I will try the allignment again after I put that on. Ball joint problems fixed with the JBA UCAs? Thanks for all the advice, had the Commander on the trail 4 of the last 6 weekends, and wanted to do a PM on everything

[Sal-XK]

Nothing beats a good hands on inspection of your rig bro. Jack that thing up crawl around look and pull on everything make sure its all good. My shock bolt was flattened it was obviously crushed by a rock from off roading :) If you notice something don't be lazy or cheap and just replace the part. If you can't afford the part don't wheel it until it gets fixed. Sometimes I hear noises but can't figure out what they are and I just have to wait for the part to fail but if I think the noise is a failing part I can't find I won't wheel the rig.

[Holaday07 4.7]

Works for me, safety is my main concern being my family car. I have pulled on almost everything and it still seems tight. Guess I will just wait for breakage to replace, if it is working for you it is good enough for me right, lol. What sliders are you getting? Baby moma is puting me in the same spot, I have to get rails, 4x guard belly guard, and gas tank skid before she will leave me alone

[pjmjr508]

Nothing agents Doc's sliders. I have the 4x ones & they look & work for me at least really great

[Holaday07 4.7]

Right on just would cost a pretty penny and I am cheap and like the small business places. Doc brought up a couple points and I was wondering how everything was holding up?

[Sal-XK]

I'm probably in the same boat you are bro I'm a average garage mechanic and can figure my way threw most stuff to get the stuff fixed so sometimes I need the part to fail so I know what needs replacing. For rails I'm really not sure what I'm getting right now I'm kinda of lost. Balancing cost and function is pretty hard. Doc's and 4xGuards rails although tough as nails for sure they are both very expensive. In a perfect world getting the 4xGuard rails with doc's tub welded to the out side seems like the perfect setup which in the end will probably be a $800 setup :(

[Holaday07 4.7]

I know right, the guys from Midwest Jeep Thing were awesome with accepting a Commander into the group, but when we started talking cost on upgrades there is no comairison. Steel bumpers for the JK f&r $600.00 Us $2500.00 JK Rock rails, $250- us $500-$800 it hurts to wheel the obscure, at least in my dwindling wallet. I need a really good commision to support this new addiction

[Matt]

. In a perfect world getting the 4xGuard rails with doc's tub welded to the out side seems like the perfect setup which in the end will probably be a $800 setup :(

Soooo, about the same price as repairing a badly rock rashed door?? wink wink

[Sal-XK]

Soooo, about the same price as repairing a badly rock rashed door?? wink wink

actually a lot cheaper then that LOL :(

[Sal-XK]

actually a lot cheaper then that LOL :(

edit my first estimate was $2300

[Matt]

Holy crap....

Makes that $800 seem like peanuts huh? lol

[Sal-XK]

Holy crap....

Makes that $800 seem like peanuts huh? lol

The worse part is I can't claim it as a badge of honor. If I did it conquering an obstacle or some cool trail section then ok. But being on level ground and just turning into a rock just stinks man. I'll let the insurance pick up the bill on this one.

[Holaday07 4.7]

The worse part is I can't claim it as a badge of honor. If I did it conquering an obstacle or some cool trail section then ok. But being on level ground and just turning into a rock just stinks man. I'll let the insurance pick up the bill on this one.

Oh so you already mangled a rocker panel huh? How bad?

[Sal-XK]

Oh so you already mangled a rocker panel huh? How bad?

I don't think its worth fixing myself but the wife wants me to fix it. The first place said they need to cut the rocker out and replace it and want $2300 to fix it. That seems stupid high to me even if my insurance is paying I'm not letting them get ripped of either.

Here is a distant shot barely noticeable, in fact I barely see it even when walking up to the jeep from that side
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/photo2525204JPG-1.jpg

Passenger Rocker

https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/DSC03283-1.jpg

[Holaday07 4.7]

oh crap man, I would just get the 4xguard sliders and cover it up. I would be dead if I did that to mine

[Sal-XK]

oh crap man, I would just get the 4xguard sliders and cover it up. I would be dead if I did that to mine

My concern is will the sliders go on with that damage.

[Holaday07 4.7]

Nothing a BFH wont fix, lol

[Sal-XK]

Nothing a BFH wont fix, lol

And a blow torch :)

[IamJEEP]

Or some good rock lights for next time.

[Matt]

My concern is will the sliders go on with that damage.

With the way the 4xg sliders mount it may be OK since it sandwiches the pinch weld. So that action will probably straighten out that one damages section.

[pjmjr508]

Either way get some type of sliders before you do that again lol

[Holaday07 4.7]

Just currious, was there some cool story involved with the damage? Or was it a D'oh! moment

[Sal-XK]

Just currious, was there some cool story involved with the damage? Or was it a D'oh! moment

nope nothing cool or interesting to tell or brag about with that one just plain stupid didn't see the rock turned into it dumbness.

[LWM]

On this trip I had the following problems:

Pulled off the coolent line to the rear heater and dumped 3 gallons of collent
sliced sidewall o driver side front tire
ripped off ground wire
lost top bolt on rear passenger side shock
blew fuse to radio (no music or the long trip home)

[Sal-XK]

Hell yea bro tear that thing up. Ride her hard and put her away wet. :)

[Holaday07 4.7]

On this trip I had the following problems:

Pulled off the coolent line to the rear heater and dumped 3 gallons of collentsliced sidewall o driver side front tire
ripped off ground wire
lost top bolt on rear passenger side shock
blew fuse to radio (no music or the long trip home)

Was this the coolant line inside the pasenger fender? I guess I will get to work on my gaurd for that this weekend.

[LWM]

Was this the coolant line inside the passenger fender? I guess I will get to work on my guard for that this weekend.

Yep, that's the one. I did a doughnut and the tire caught the hose.

[Holaday07 4.7]

I had already bought the metal to make a plate over that, and just had not got around to it. Look's like I have a project for today now. Are those lines hard to relocate?

[Sal-XK]

I had already bought the metal to make a plate over that, and just had not got around to it. Look's like I have a project for today now. Are those lines hard to relocate?

Are you guys talking about the coolant lines for the rear heater or something? I'm going to have to go take a look at what you're talking about.

[Holaday07 4.7]

Yeah I had to remove most of the plastic liner and it exposes those lines. I will post pics of the gaurd when I am done today.

[Sal-XK]

Yeah I had to remove most of the plastic liner and it exposes those lines. I will post pics of the gaurd when I am done today.

Ok cool looking forward to seeing what you came up with.

[Holaday07 4.7]

Ok this was a trial piece, and it seems to work. Now I am going to get a heavier gauge steel and use this as a template. Let the fiance take it out for a bit just to see if there is any rubbing onthe new piece. It also needs a mount for the top that I have not figured out yet. However for the time being, it is better than nothing. Here are the pics.

[Holaday07 4.7]

https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/Coolantlinecover001-1.jpg
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/Coolantlinecover002-1.jpg
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/Coolantlinecover003-1.jpg
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/Coolantlinecover004-1.jpg
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/Coolantlinecover005-1.jpg
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/Coolantlinecover006-1.jpg
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/07/Coolantlinecover007-1.jpg

[Holaday07 4.7]

Crap, she just called. It rubs a lot, so I will check where and go back to the drawing board tomorrow.

[Holaday07 4.7]

http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7653

Just found this on the other forum. I can't figure out where that top screw is, but this helps a lot. Hey cut the front edge off the plastic, and that looks to help a lot on keeping it tucked up as close as possible. Hopefully attempt number two will work. A shop near me qouted about $450 to have the lines moved, f that

[TrialByFire]

I had to BFH the lower OEM steel guard a bit to clear my 285s. It sticks out at least a half-inch more than it needs to. Bend it up a bit and it will give you a tab to screw your guard to.

[Holaday07 4.7]

I had to BFH the lower OEM steel guard a bit to clear my 285s. It sticks out at least a half-inch more than it needs to. Bend it up a bit and it will give you a tab to screw your guard to.

Hey can you post a pic of this, I am trying to figure something out to protect those line.

[TrialByFire]

Hey can you post a pic of this, I am trying to figure something out to protect those line.

I guess I lied. I went to take a photo and it wasn't bent up! I remember smacking it with the mallet but it was too thick to bend. I remember it was hard to get the plastic liner to mold around that bracket. Maybe hitting it with a grinder will cut it back a bit.

[Holaday07 4.7]

Right on, after hearing about those lines getting broken on WCCC I really want to have them covered before I go out wheeling next. If anyone else has ideas I would greatly appreciate any advice on this. I had to take the cover I made off last night, It was starting to really grab the tire. I wonderif it would be easier just to rivet a plate on over them?

[Sal-XK]

I'm sure I've seen this mod done. I was thinking of something else for some reason. It might take some time but run some searches. I'll see what I can dig up when I get on a computer.

[Holaday07 4.7]

Did you not have to cut out your fender plastic? I ran a bunch on both forums, and had Jackie Chan look for me as well. He found one that they took all the plastic gaurds off and zip tied them in the corner of the wheel well, but they still seem exposed. I guess most people don't worry about it, or dont have to remove the liner?

[Sal-XK]

No I remember someone making a plate forming it in and using some rivets to hold it in. I did a quick search over there but really didn't find what I remember seeing. I don't think moving them is a great idea the way that one guy did. Ideally Having new pipe made and rerouting the lines would be best but I'm sure expensive.