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I lifted my XJ,how do I lower the transfercase?

Semper Fi

NAXJA Forum User
Location
PA
I have a 2001 XJ Limited that I just lifted 3 inches. I love the lift and the way it looks with the 255/70/16's. I now have some drive line vibrations and I hope I can get rid of them by lowering my transfer case but I'm not sure how to do it. I had a Wrangler, and that was easy to lower the t-case on, but this one has me confused. When I looked under the Jeep, I saw 4 bolts holding the t-case in place. 2 of them were captured bolts and 2 were captured nuts. This is the first XJ I have ever lifted but not the first Jeep I have ever had (even if it may sound that way). Can you guys please help me with this little problem.
 
put another nut on to the stud with the first nut. they will tighten against each other. this way you can take the stud out.
 
Like Rock Rash said...
get those 2 bolts and 2 studs out of there. This was a PITA on mine. Bolts were OK. Studs blew. Tons of heat and I used 2 nuts and locked them against each other. I also loosened the stud about a quarter turn and then tightened it again. Kinda walking it off slowly if that makes sense. Then either install the lowering kit you bought or you can use a handful of washers. Good luck.
 
thanks I'll give it a try this weekend. I thought you would have to do something like that, but did have the ball$ to try it. I took about 10 hours to install the lift with hand tools, no air tools. I broke 3 ratchets just getting everything loose. I hope things go a little better with this project!! I will try this weekend and use the washers for now and buy a lowering kit later. Thanks again for the help!!
 
i make a t case lowering kit out of some 3/4 inch thick aluminum . i cut two pieces 2 inches x 6 inches. i unbolted the crossmember from the frame and the tranny mount and droped it on the ground . i then traced out the holes from the crossmember onto the aluminum and drilled them out a little bigger than the bolts. when removing the bolts and the studs USE HEAT . i broke off a stud and it was a pita. i had to drill out the stud, it made a easy job into a nightmare.locking two nuts together is the way to go . i also had to make a lowering block for my transfer case skid plate . i did the exact same except i redrilled two holes into the frame and used self tapping bolts ( the original had a thread insert that came loose after a good weekend so the extra strength was needed. you also need bolts that are 3/4 of a inch longer with washers and lock washers. grade 5 or 8 shoud do the trick . this took all my drive line vibes away . you could use 1x2 thick wall rectangular tubing if you dont have anything else available . hope i could help
 
When I lowered my tc the biggest pain was the studs. People i've talked to got away with either vice grips(?!) or double nutting it. Neither of those ways worked for me. Doubt nutting it would only spin the first nut off. I ended up taking the trusty dremel and grinding the studs into squares and using a wrench to take em out. Or you could goto sears and drop 12 bucks for a stud extractor..
 
do those Sears Stud extractors work??? the ones that attach to a 1/2 inch rachet? I dont see how those super-tiny 'teeth' on there can grab a stud out
 
dakotus said:
do those Sears Stud extractors work??? the ones that attach to a 1/2 inch rachet? I dont see how those super-tiny 'teeth' on there can grab a stud out

They don't work that well, to be honest. I would suggest first trying the double-nut technique (after spraying with pb blaster first and letting it soak in). If that doesn't work, then use a grinder to make two sides flat and use the torch to heat and a pair of vice grips to remove.

Your final option is to go in through the top. I had to do this as I broke both studs off the first time I removed the crossmember. You'll have to pull the carpet back and cut a hole in the floor directly above the "frame rail" where the stud is at, and chisel the captive nut out. I was able to just put the right sized socket on the nut and break it loose with a breaker bar, only three tack welds hold that nut to the bottom of the "frame rail"

I've seen some t-case drops that actually leave that stud in place and use a nut on one end and a bolt that goes all the way through on the other. Something to think about before you start fighting those suckers.
 
Hey Devil Dog,

Have you ever seen a transfer case lowering skid plate? I put it on my 2000 instead of using a lowering kit...thought this was a good way to go as it served two functions - helping the driveline angle and providing transfer case protection. I have been happy with it and received a few compliments on it.

With a 3" lift, I bet lowering your tc will fix the vibes.

Rusty's has the tran. case lowering skid plate. Item #CM-200

http://rustysoffroad.com/Merchant2/...tys&Product_Code=CM-200&Category_Code=xj_skid

Good luck.

-Tony
 
thanks for all the help, but I still have one dumb question. How far should I drop it? Do you think I should drop it an inch? Or will that be to much with only a 3 inch lift?
 
The general rule is 1" lower. You probably know this already, but put a jack under the cross member before removing the studs. You can the slowly lower the cross member to fit in your spacers.

To remove the studs - which wasn't nearly the job I expected with a '99 that spent its entire life in NH and ME - I used the double nut method with a lock washer in between. Without the washer, both nuts would just back off the stud together.

Ace Hardware sells a variety of spacers. I would use the widest one you can find so the torque on the bolt is spread over the most surface area. Also, don't forget to take one of the bolts over to Ace with you so you can get 4 new ones about 1" longer.

I ended up using a Rusty's kit because it was a solid bar rather than 4 individual spacers. I don't know if I would spend the $20 on it again given that it looks to be about the easiest thing in the world to make yourself.
 
Check the webpage for GOJEEP one of our members. He has a measured drawing for tcase lowering. http://go.jeep-xj.info/ I had to weld a nut onto my stud because the double nut stripped off the threads. The heat from welding helped release the stud. You will only need a 120-volt homeowners welder.
 
Man, this was the biggest PITA on my jeep. My jeep spent all its life (before me) in southern MA getting wheeled on the beaches (and by the looks of it in the water too). The floor is rotted through so i could see through the framerails into the top and i didn't think i was gonna get them out. A LOT of heat and probably a can of PB blaster later they were out. One one side, the bolt came out after not too much work and the stud gave me tons of trouble so i drilled it out and put an extractor bit in it and snapped the bit. So then i started working it with vice grips for a while and it started moving like an 1/8 turn then snapped. That one got drilled out completely. The next side i started heating and blasting then went looking for the right size socket again. Well i put the socket on to check if it fit and went at it without enough heat and snapped the bolt. That stud came out in 10 minutes with heat, vice grips and PB blaster, but i had to drill out and tap the hole the bolt was in.

Vice grips were the method that worked the best for me i would have to say. I tried double nut but there isnt much thread room and mine were just spinning off together (wish i thought to use a lock washer in between). With vice grips you have to work it back and forth and keep doing it for a while and it will come loose.

You might also want to look into an extended yoke ( www.rubiconexpress.com ) instead of a t-case drop to keep your clearance.
 
I can tell you the steps I've taken just to give you an idea where you might be headed...

I had a 3.5" lift put in my 1998 XJ (mostly the same as you 2001) and also experienced drive-line vibes.

1) Dropped transfer case 1"; Vibes were a little better around town but still bad on the highway.

2) Tried a 2° shim on the rear to bring up the pinion a bit; again, vibes better but still bad.

3) Ponyed up the cash and got a Tom Wood's SYE (slip yoke eliminator) kit with custom driveshaft (not hack and tap); No vibration at all... till about 65mph. The higher speed vibes were due to incorrect pinion angle, the 2° shims were not enough.

4) Ordered 6° shims... 4° shims arrived in the mail :mad: . Since I had them thought I'd give them a try.... Vibes gone.... till about 85 mph, them minor but present, under load.

5) 6° shims installed and transfer case put back in stock location. Finally Fixed... Correctly! NO Vibration! :yelclap:

A side note...

The Tom Wood's kit I got is known for leaking oil out the seal at the transfer case output shaft. This is because the seal - press fit - is not tight enough. The instructions recommend sealant of some sort, others have tried other sealants and glues with varying success. I just had my Xfer case tail cone replaced with one machined for a good seal fit.
I just looked at Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts site and noticed they now carry a tail cone by Advance Adapters, so the oil leak may not be a problem any more.

Good Luck
 
i heard 1 degree shim for every one inch of lift. I guess that equation didnt work here. I need shims too, but dont have a way to measure the correct degree. any sugestions?
 
rock rash said:
put another nut on to the stud with the first nut. they will tighten against each other. this way you can take the stud out.


Hey that was my tip!!! LOL

Just remember this doesn't always work but I would say 98% of the time it does.
 
dakotus said:
i heard 1 degree shim for every one inch of lift. I guess that equation didnt work here. I need shims too, but dont have a way to measure the correct degree. any sugestions?
Well that is bad advice I'm afraid. There should be no degree change regardless of lift unless there has been an angle change at the other end only. So if you fit a transfercase drop you have reduced the upper uni angle by 1.5-2 degrees so you need to do that to the pinion end as well. The other time is when you fit a double cardon joint, like most SYE's, and then you must alter the pinion angle to point at the tail cone or a few degrees below it to allow for spring wind up.
 
I should clarify that the info I got was without a tcase drop. Just a lifted jeep. I guess the only correct way is to measure. Any suggestions on how to get it right the first time, without ordering 3 different sets of shims?
 
Devil Dog, most likely you're going to need to get an SYE and driveshaft and not do the t-case drop. This comes up far, far too often with the 96+ XJ and while there are a few freakish Jeeps that don't need an SYE there are plenty for which the SYE is really the only way to remove the vibes.

T-case drop - http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/tcase.html

Semper Fi,
Jim
 
I did lower mine but I'm really bitter about it. I should have listened to others and done everything right the first time (including new driveshaft and SYE). What can I say...I got eager. Had horrible vibes on my 96. Lowered the T case and it helped but I still had them at 35-45 mph. You could feel higher but the were predominantly at 35-45. Shimmed with 3*. Better but not gone. Used 6*. Actually got worse. When I measured...3* was better according to the math. I'm finally doing an RE SYE and driveshaft real soon so we'll see how it feels afterwards. I do not like that mine is lowered at all. I was so anxious to lift the damn thing and then mad as hell when I lost 1" of clearance from the lift by dropping the T case. Shoulda done it all at once.
 
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