t-case and driveline question...

I had a 93 w/ a 3.5" lift w/ no vibes, then got a 00' w/ a 4" lift and had crazy vibes, i know its b/c the newer xj's have a diff. pinion anlge and t-case, but i'm looking to get a 96 and the 96 is the same body style as my 93, so i was wondering if its got the same t-case and pinion angle, i searched and read that a 96 is considered the newer redisign that came in 97...but that doesnt make sense to me, the interior and exterior are the same, and i've seen 96's w/ the same t-case as my 93 too.. does anyone have a deffinate answer if the 96 has the same pinion angles as a 93 or is it more like the 97 and newer xj's? Mainly b/c i want to do a 3" lift and not worry about having to do any more than a t-case drop. Thanks

You are not comparing apples to apples. There is 1/2" difference (thereabouts anyway) between the two. That 1/2 difference could be enough to cause vibes. Now you are talking about a 3" which is 1" less. The 93 could have had a spring shim and the 00 maybe not. Everything depends on what parts are installed. I could have a 3" econo lift and my neighbor could have a 3" spring lift. I could have vid and him not. You are going to have to make sure components are the same, then look at the lift height.

Try loading the 00 down with about 400lbs of stuff which should let it sag to about 3" and see if you have vib.

my bad sorry, i didnt word it the right way, i sold the 93 and the 00 a few months back so i'm not working w/ them anymore, but thats why i'm getting a 96....b/c i liked my 93 better than the 00. Anyways, they both had a spring pack kit. and the 96 i'm going to do the same...probably a regular 3" spring pack kit for now, and i just wanted to know if the pinion angle in the 96's are the same as that i had in the 93 b/c i heard up to 96 they should be ok, but 97 and up are more prone to vibes. Is this correct?

The problem is that cherokee's have two different rear axles, dana 35, and chrysler 8.25's. The pinions "where the driveshaft meets the rear differential" are lower or higher depending on which one you have. This can be corrected many different ways. Theres right ways and wrong ways and cheaper ways to fix for smaller lifts like the 3 or 4 inch your running. What it all boils down to is what angle both U-joints are running at, and what your overall drive shaft angle is. Drive shaft angle usually is not a concern with lifts under 4". Heres a link that better describes this http://home.att.net/~benmlee/driveline/U-JOINT.htm
My suggestion to You is use a transfer case drop. If that doesnt get your vibes tolerable than check both your u-joint angles with a magnetic protractor and shim your rear axle back to a tolerable limit. Of course all of this can be cured buy using a slip yoke eleminator "SYE" and a longer diveshaft which will lessen your angles at both u-joints and overall driveshaft angle. But this is not the cheap route to go. Hope this helps and sorry if the link doesnt work.

Check this link out as well http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-shaft/index2.html I know it doesnt directly answer your question but its good to have a better understanding of how things work. Also something I failed to mention in the first post is that drop shackles that lower your rear leaf also change the pinion angle at the differential.