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steering knuckle caliper threads stripped HELP!!!

spencer elliott

NAXJA Forum User
Location
St. Louis
so i replaced my ball joints yesterday only to find that my brake pads and rotors needed replacing. then while replacing the pads and rotors and getting everything back together we came to find that the caliper threads on the passenger side steering knuckle are stripped out (only 1 hole). a larger bolt cant be used due to the caliper sleeve that the bolt must go through.

so instantly i assume im going to have to replace the knuckle, but there arent any in town (havent tried the dealer yet). so i research online and find that there is a M8 X 1.25 helicoil thread repair kit that a lot of cherokee owners seem to be using. and it seems as if this caliper threads stripping is a common problem with these XJ knuckles.

has anyone done this?

any positives or negatives?

please any info is greatly appreciated. i had to take today off due to my vehicle being down and i really dont want to have to take tomorrow off to install a new knuckle.

please help!
 
Pretty common problem, as you noted.

I haven't done it yet, but I have the parts on hand. The helicoil kit costs like 15 bucks, Advance has it (iirc autozone didn't, and NAPA holds practically bankers hours compared to the others) and it should not be difficult to install.

Was going to do this on my 96 but then I went wheeling and ripped most of the control arm brackets off the axle housing, so I ended up throwing in a new axle instead (could have welded new brackets on, but it had stock gears and needed seals, basically worthless, and I wanted to wheel the next weekend.)
 
that is what i wanted to hear and see

thank you so much everyone!!!

any other info is appreciated... ima go get that kit now and check back in this thread when i get back
 
I tried using a helicoil and it only worked until the caliper had to be removed again. I ended up drilling out the bushing for a bigger bolt and tapping the knuckle. That failed also so now I have a thin nut welded onto the back side of the knuckle. You have to be careful with this approach because too thick of a nut will press the brake pad into the rotor and cause it to drag. This is only a temporary fix as I am replacing my knuckles as soon as I have time. The bolts that hold the caliper in should be installed with loctite and not torqued very tight.
 
Heli-Coils work great and we use them out in the Machine Shop on our equipment and some customers specify for Heli-Coils to be installed in their parts as part of the manufacturing process. Properly installed, they are a permanent repair.

Some auto parts stores have the Heli-Coil kits on hand.
 
thanks again everyone

knuckle is fixed

pretty easy fix also

but now im running into a stupid problem removing the steering stabilizer from the drag link... the threads that are sticking through the drag link... are they threaded through the drag link?

i ask because if got the nut off, the other side of the SS is removed. its only attached at the drag link, but i cant get it out of there... is there a trick?

is it threaded or should i hammer the hell outta it to get it out?

thanks again!
 
If it is what I think you are referring to, it is a taper. As long as you aren't trying to reuse it (make sure the new one comes with one) just hammer the hell out of it. If you need to reuse it, use a pitman arm puller to apply pressure to the end of the stud, then whack the puller with a hammer a time or two and it should pop out.
 
If it is what I think you are referring to, it is a taper. As long as you aren't trying to reuse it (make sure the new one comes with one) just hammer the hell out of it. If you need to reuse it, use a pitman arm puller to apply pressure to the end of the stud, then whack the puller with a hammer a time or two and it should pop out.

thanks everybody

i PB'd it and hammered and hammered and that sucker was in there. i ended up drilling it out. the OME stabilizer i bought had a new taper bolt. needless to say its installed.

so this job started out as a ball joint job and i was gonna replace the shocks while we were in there. then we saw that my pads were wearing unevenly and that the rotors were damaged due to some metal on metal action goin on there. so now ive got new pads, new rotors, ball joints are in, front shocks in, steering stabilizer in, and now for the rear shocks later this evening.

the rear shock mounts are a joke on the XJ. what a poor design. if i had a welder and welding skills id weld new brackets in there, but that isnt an option. so im stuck using the ol' "tape a bolt to a wrench and feed it through the hole" trick. anyone have any advise on any other ways to make this rear shock install go smoothly?

thanks again!
 
If you haven't broken them already, try the flame wrench and quench with pb-blaster before you turn them. Never know, they might come out intact (at which point you should replace with brand new hardware loaded up with antiseize!)
 
If you haven't broken them already, try the flame wrench and quench with pb-blaster before you turn them. Never know, they might come out intact (at which point you should replace with brand new hardware loaded up with antiseize!)

i PB'd them days leading up to the install. i should have mentioned that i have a 3" kit installed currently and that the stock shocks were replaced when that kit was put on. one of the bolts on each side broke during that install and i have broken the others on this one. so now ive got 1 hole on the passenger side rear mount where the bolt is broken off flush. do i need an "easy out" to get this bolt out or can i just drill it out...? all of the other holes are cleared.
 
an ez-snap will only make things worse. Try an air hammer/air chisel if you have one (just pop the weldnuts out) if they won't come out that way, use a 5/16" drill and just go straight through. Don't go too far or you'll punch through the floorboards and end up with a 3" ball of jute matting wrapped around the drill bit, and a hole in the carpet. Don't ask.

Once you've drilled through, you can use a couple different methods to get new nuts and bolts in. Most people use tape and a wrench and put a new nut in there, but I prefer to take a new bolt, grab it with the ground clamp for my welder, strike an arc on the very center of the end of the bolt (wirefeed welding, not stick), then intentionally keep the wire in contact with the weld and release the trigger so the wire sticks. Then I let go with the ground clamp and feed out about 8" of wire. If you use MIG wire instead of fluxcore, you can just bend the wire into the proper shape and feed it through the hole, then pull the bolt in via the wire. Works great, and you can keep tension on the bolt so it doesn't spin while putting the nut on most of the way.
 
an ez-snap will only make things worse. Try an air hammer/air chisel if you have one (just pop the weldnuts out) if they won't come out that way, use a 5/16" drill and just go straight through. Don't go too far or you'll punch through the floorboards and end up with a 3" ball of jute matting wrapped around the drill bit, and a hole in the carpet. Don't ask.

Once you've drilled through, you can use a couple different methods to get new nuts and bolts in. Most people use tape and a wrench and put a new nut in there, but I prefer to take a new bolt, grab it with the ground clamp for my welder, strike an arc on the very center of the end of the bolt (wirefeed welding, not stick), then intentionally keep the wire in contact with the weld and release the trigger so the wire sticks. Then I let go with the ground clamp and feed out about 8" of wire. If you use MIG wire instead of fluxcore, you can just bend the wire into the proper shape and feed it through the hole, then pull the bolt in via the wire. Works great, and you can keep tension on the bolt so it doesn't spin while putting the nut on most of the way.

great stuff thanks again!

i actually already started drilling it out last night, but didnt get too far before i thought i may wanna check on here before i just run it through.

dont have a welder so ill be using the tape and wrench method. i was going to tape a bolt and washer and slide that into that "cut out" area. and then feed the bolt threads through the hole from inside. then use a split lock washer and nut on the bottom.

and about those "cut out" areas... one side seems to be closer to the holes than the other. and the one that is further also has a few lines (brakes etc) running there making it even more difficult to get to. im really hoping the tape and wrench method will make this easier than it seems...?
 
i want to again thank everyone who helped

we got everything wrapped up last night and "Chopper" (my XJ's moniker, named after NHL HOFer Al MacInnis) is back together and feeling great.

i learned a TON about my XJ during this job. this site is great and i think soon ill become a paying full member. :clap:
 
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