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Wasted time - new leaf springs

746 views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  jamgood96 
#1 ·
I went to the junkyard today and got a set of front Wagoneer leaf springs to put in the back of my YJ to try and stiffen her up and see if that nasty vibe I have is axlewrap related. I don't even want to get started on how long it took me to pull the leaf springs at the yard. Needless to say, I'm paying to have them removed next time! Anyway, I spent about 2 and a half hours wrenching on my Jeep today. It was the BIGGEST pain in the a$$ putting those springs in. Long story short, my Jeep has a slight slant to it. I could probably fit 38's on there with no problems!! Well, actually with a few problems. Seems the increase in lift from the springs doesn't agree with my driveshaft/brakelines/ebrake/shocks/etc. I can't tell if the axlewrap is gone because I couldn't get over 10mph. There seems to be a nice vibe/click coming from the backend. I assume this is my driveshaft binding. Anyway, I'm a little flustered right now. So now I get to go and pull the new leafs off and put my old ones back on. Yippee!!! Any idea if the vibe/click could be from anything else? Like maybe I didn't tighten something enough? Thanks for letting me rant.
 

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#2 ·
From the looks of your CV shaft it looks like you have exceded the angle limitations on the transfercase end. It also looks like the pinion end has a good angle as well.
What are your angles now?
You should have little to no angle (2dg) at the pinion and less than 22 degrees at the TFC end.
 
#3 ·
It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks to me like you have a double cardon joint at the T-case, and also have some angle at the pinion yoke. Correct me if I'm wrong here. The angle at the T-case doesn't look all that bad from my perspective, but the photo angle may be throwing me off.
If that's the case, that may be the source of at least some of your vibration. The DC joint cancels out the fluctuation in velocity that would normally create vibration - causing the shaft to turn at near constant velocity. But, if you have an angle on the end with the single joint, you're re-creating these fluctuations in the pinion.
I would start by shimming up the axle so that there is no angle at the pinion yoke. I'm not sure it's enough to cause a vibration at 10MPH, but you definately have a geometry problem, and I think it would be worth correcting the angles and trying it before you take everything back apart.

If you haven't already, check out Tom Wood's geometry page at http://www.4xshaft.com/techinfo.html
 
#4 ·
There is some angle on the rear u-joint. I had about 1 degree on it when I set the pinion and it's worked fine. But since I put these springs on, it changed that angle. I may try the shim thing, but not sure if it'll be worth it or not. I know these springs are TOO big for me at thise stage. It'd be nice to see if my axlewrap is a bit better now with these though. Any idea where I could get some shims at with such short notice? Thanks!
 
#5 ·
How much angle do you have at the CV joint? Is it close to binding if you raise the rear and turn the shaft by hand? If the problem is at that joint, lowering the T-case may help.

Don't know about shims on short notice. If you have a 4x4 shop in you area, they may have them. I've got some extra 4 degree ones I could send you, but it would take a few days and 4 degrees is probably a bit much.

In reply to:

I know these springs are TOO big for me
You just need to get a pair for the front and put on some bigger tires, and you'll be set
 
#6 ·
Jammy, what are you tryin gto accomplish? Did you want more lift? Or are you just trying to eliminate some wrap?

Try pulling a leaf out of that pack. Or putting one of the new leaves in your old pack.

A little lower and your vibe problem may be nonexistant. If you are not going to run that high I wouldn't worry about shims yet.

 
#7 ·
Good chance you popped the ball inside the CV joint. If your shaft angle is too great, the collar that holds the ball in place will rip off , the ball pops out and the two sides of the joint become un-centered. Result is heavy vib and noise (and t-case output bearing failure if you keep running it).


Edit: You may notice the flat spots on the joint where I ground it for more angle clearance. And you can also tack weld the collar to the joint to keep it the ball from popping as easily.
 

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#9 ·
dschwab - I need to get a pair for the front and put on some bigger tires? Not sure if that'd be all that would be involved
First off, I have no money for new tires
Second, I have no money to get my driveshafts redone, nore any money for longer brake lines or e-brake cables. But it did cross my mind. I haven't checked the angle of the CV joint, how do I do that?

BigHG - I mainly was wanting to add stiffer springs to see if my vibe that's been there since my new tranny mount is axlewrap, or what.

W.C. - How easy is it to tell if it popped out? Is it an easy fix?
 
#10 ·
Your angles dont look that bad to me. Some shims would probably help. I think you are going about trying to cure your axle wrap problem wrong. A good traction bar is what you need. A longer spring will help with your articulation, I would also guess it moved your axle back so maybe your drive shaft doesn't have enough spline left to hold it well?
 
#11 ·
I know a traction bar is what I need, bit I'm waiting a bit to build one until I take a welding class and get my welds down pretty good. So I figured I could try a stiffer spring and see if that cured my stupid problem I keep seeming to have.
 
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