• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

New to the Forum, could use help and or additional resources.

white7mike

NAXJA Forum User
It's great to have found this forum. I'm a pretty novice mechanic, and I am looking to do the chassis greasing on my 98 XJ today and my Chiltons is being vague and perplexing me. I tried to find a sticky or something existing for this but I really need some additinal resources for a variety of maintence type stuff as I have this problem fairly often. Also would it be worth it for me to break down and buy a haynes manual? Any other literature that anyone would recomend? Any help would be greatly appreciated; Thank you.
 
If you buy a Haynes or Chilton manual for $16 ~ $20, you have wasted $16 ~ $20. They try and cover too many years, and don't do any of them well.

http://www.autobooksbishko.com/index.html is where you can buy Chryco LICENSED reprints of the genuine shop manuals, or you can buy the same manuals on CD (the CDs are the best way to go based on price).

You can hunt eBay for original print manuals, but finding your year and then bidding on them can get frustrating. Sometimes you will find original manuals on Craigslist in your local area, and they tend to be cheaper than eBay.

Don't waste your money on anything aftermarket, they aren't worth it, and please don't buy pirated materials.

That said, if you have a grease gun and a bright spotlight crawl under there and work your way from front to rear, left and right. Driveline slip joints, check the u-joints, check the axle u-joints on the front axle (may not be serviceable, don't panic if there aren't any fittings), and check around the front steering--again, not all joints are serviceable.

PS--although there are funny-looking fittings on the back of the rear wheel brake cylinders and on the front brake calipers, those are bleeder screws and don't get greased! :D
 
Last edited:
My cousin swears by this website. Fixes his fleet of trucks with it. The instructions are simplified for novices.

http://www.alldata.tsb.com/home/
I have not gotten desperate enough to subscribe. (just a matter of time)

alldata is a great resource, but at $26.95 per year for a single vehicle, not such a great deal when you can buy the CD for your vehicle for $36.99.

alldata shines for professional shops. A subscription gets up-to-date information into the hands of technicians without buying a full library of manuals is that out of date before they are delivered.
 
Perhaps we could start a list here of known zerks in the stock locations.....

Just quote and add.....

Upper ball joints
lower balljoints (iirc)
one on the slip joint in the middle of the front DS
one at the body end of the track bar
one at each TRE
one where the drag link meets the tie rod (iirc)
one at the pitman arm end of the drag link (iirc)

That's about it. Once you put an SYE in, you'll have one on the rear driveshaft as well.
 
lower balljoints (iirc)
one on the slip joint in the middle of the front DS
one at the body end of the track bar
one at each TRE
one where the drag link meets the tie rod (iirc)
one at the pitman arm end of the drag link (iirc)

That's about it. Once you put an SYE in, you'll have one on the rear driveshaft as well.

Aftermarket too?

Rear spring shackles.
 
Chilton and haynes are fine for a NOVICE mechanic, and basic repairs and upgrades. If they don't cover it and you don't understand it, you shouldn't be doing it by yourself, anyway. You will need a better manual for more difficult or technical projects.
 
Chilton and haynes are fine for a NOVICE mechanic, and basic repairs and upgrades. If they don't cover it and you don't understand it, you shouldn't be doing it by yourself, anyway. You will need a better manual for more difficult or technical projects.

Actually, I see it differently. While a (sometimes wrong!) quick reference/reminder, the Haynes and Chilton manuals do not provide enough DETAILED information for the novice. They are simplistic, try and cover too many years/versions, and are not worth the paper they are written on. If Haynes and Chilton would break up their manuals into logical groupings, like the Jeep Cherokee 1984-1986; 1987-1990, 1991-1995, 1996-01, then they might be worth something. Until then, it's to the outhouse for them!
 
And if you have a manual transmission, there will be a tube with what LOOKS like a grease nipple on the end of it, coming out of the bellhousing.

It's NOT a grease nipple. It's a bleeder screw. packing it full of grease will render it useless.
 
Back
Top