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How Difficult to do?????

leadfoot77

NAXJA Forum User
Location
ill in ILLINIOIS
the plan is to lift my 01 Cherokee Limited.. and yes im gonna do the SYE but on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard is it to do.. I work on CATERPILLAR equipment foe a living so im always removing or installing X missions/transfer cases/ Drop boxes . is this something that can be done in my garage or is it something i need to remove and have a trans - shop do?

thanx

Stevee
 
leadfoot77 said:
the plan is to lift my 01 Cherokee Limited.. and yes im gonna do the SYE but on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard is it to do.. I work on CATERPILLAR equipment foe a living so im always removing or installing X missions/transfer cases/ Drop boxes . is this something that can be done in my garage or is it something i need to remove and have a trans - shop do?

thanx

Stevee

If you can follow instructions it ought to be pretty easy. I did one a couple years back with limited mechanical skills and encountered no major difficulties. I think torqueing down the biggest bolt was the only significant challenge.
 
the actual lift is pretty easy I have done about 5 different xj's and it only takes a few hours with the tools in hand and depending on what lift it happens to be. be sure you spray all of your old hardware that you will be removing with a good penetrating oil for a few days before the day you are lifting it, it helps to not break any or few bolts during the coarse of the lift. about the sye... I have never done an sye kit but there are a few write ups about how to do them and people say its not all that hard to do if the instructions are followed. Good luck and post pics when your done!
 
I can't answer your question about the sye. I consider myself a novice/shadetree mechanic at best and I just installed a 3" inch lift on my 92,and looking back,it wasn't as hard as it seemed when I was doing it. It did take me a lot longer than the 8-10 hours quoted in here,but that is because just about every bolt i touched was rusted like crazy and broke when I was loosening them,even though I did soak them for a week before I started the lift. And I was taking my time because this is the 1st lift or suspension work I had ever done,and wanted to make sure I wasn't going to drop an axle or something on myself:) for someone that works as a mechanic,it should be pretty simple. And the search function on here is your friend:) There must also be a lot of independantly wealthy jeepers on here because when I was stumped when I was installing my lift,i could come on here,post a question if i couldn't find an answer in search,and 95% of the time,someone would post up an answer within an hour:)
 
I'll give it a 6. Mostly because I don't consider myself vary handy with the wrench. The hardest part was redrilling and tapping the rear shock bolts. The SYE was easy just took a little patience on my part. I went the "hack & tap" route in the driveway (no garage). I didn't want to open my case and screw something up.
 
Easy. The SYE take out of the Jeep and do it on the work bench or kitchen table, which ever you have. Took a couple hours. I had never done one and had a friend over to do it. It was nice having an extra set of hands, but not required.
 
i think it's easier doing it without removing the transfercase from the vehicle. you don't have as much room to work as you do on a work bench, but then again all you really do under the vehicle is pull the housing apart. after that you do the rest of the work on the bench. i hate seperating the t-case from the tranny while they are still in the vehicle. to much work for my lazy butt. and yeah.....an extra set of hands is nice when putting it back together, but not necessary. the most important tool you will need is PATIENCE. i don't have that, and had to take a couple breaks so i wouldn't smash my t-case to bits. lol......but the actuall job itself isn't rocket science.
 
I have installed 2 SYE's - one in a Jeep the other was out of the Jeep on a workbench. I had some fantastic help from guys in my local NAXJA chapter that had done them before.


The lift is straight forward. Make sure you have everything you need before starting (all lift parts, spare bolts, drive shaft, shocks, etc...) Like many folks have said, spray the heck out of every bolt, using PB Blaster or other penetrating oil. Use the right tools - air tools work the best, of course. If you have access to a shop with a lift, it will even be easier.

My biggest suggestion is find some local XJ'ers, buy them lunch (and beer) and ask them to help you out.

Good Luck!
 
I completed my AA/SYE last weekend. It went together well. The pain in the butt part was doing it in the driveway, especially when it started to rain!

I am noticing a burning rubber smell after I take a short drive coming from the t-case. Do you think its extra RTV that leaked into the case? It goes away quickly and doesn't have any odor if I drive for a long time. I checked and no fluid is leaking.

Any thoughts?
 
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