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Lift Disaster

R

Rocketman

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Bolingbrook, IL
NOT a good day,

Installed the RE6030 Superflex lift with fulll leaf packs. Actually a specialty Jeep shop near me (Lou's Sales) and they don't play into the equation except in the positive.

1. RE Gen2 disco's come with parts unfinished from their manufacturer, only one side can be installed.

2. Nut for RE adj trackbar missing.

3. Lift goes in and ends up being almost 5 inches. Should I complain? Only because my rear shaft almost falls out and ujoints click and bump just backing out of the bay. Lined up next to another XJ with a 2 year old 4.5 lift, it's taller!!

4. Shop "engineers" a emergency transfer case drop, installs and I'm able to drive it home, BARELY.

5. Acceleration vibes (very low level) at 15mph plus. Remember, no discos hooked up either.

All in all NOT a good day.

LOOKS AWESOME THOUGH!!! :laugh3:
 
Hm...sounds like the night I did mine. no missing parts...Just frustration. I will say, that I feel one day isnt enough to do everything. I did mine in alittle over one day and I was rushing through a lot of it. The little details is what gets ya.
1. Which parts were unfinished? That sux...I really like the new ones, they work awsome. Just dont try to mount the "hanger" pin where RE says to...

2. Missing nuts sux

3. The lift will need alittle time to settle in. When you put all new stuff on then set it back down, its gonna sit way high. My jeep wouldnt fit out of my garage at first. haha. I still have about 5" out of my 4.5" kit tho.

5. When I first drove mine, it seemed like it was going to shake to pieces. Really bad vibes. Even with the T-case drop. I ended up getting some shims and now its good...but not great. The pinion angle at the rear is perfect for a SYE and CV shaft...but not for standard set up. I have the SYE and new DS...not installed yet. See if that specialty shop can get you some shims. I used 6 degree...I guessed and it worked out.

Its fun stuff man!! Post some pics when its buttoned up and enjoy it!

Justin
 
I'm just getting finished with installing my RE 6010 kit (superflex w/AAL; budgetary reasons). What kind of problems have you guys had with the Gen2 disconnects? The bolts which mount the heim ends to the aluminum blocks on the ends of the sway bar stick out far enough to be caught by the lugs on my tires. I only have 235/75/15's. I've already broken the driver's side aluminum block when the tire caught the bolt while backing up and turning tightly. The part is still usable, but the ear that locates the block and runs along the side of the sway bar sheared off when tire lugs grabbed the bolt and spun the block around the bolt which goes through the eye in the sway bar.

I don't have any pictures, but you should take a look and see how close those bolts come to your tires. I couldn't come up with a different way to mount those blocks. I like the ease with which they disconnect, but I think that steel would have been a better material choice. I think they chose aluminum maybe to be a fuse against bolts breaking or something
 
The only thing that went somewhat smoothly was the installations of the disconnects. They look great on mine.
 
Rocketman said:
3. Lift goes in and ends up being almost 5 inches. Should I complain? Only because my rear shaft almost falls out and ujoints click and bump just backing out of the bay. Lined up next to another XJ with a 2 year old 4.5 lift, it's taller!!
Click to expand...

what tires on yours and thiers? 32's and 33's lift your vehicle as well...
 
Yea that's actually not bad for a first night out with a lift. I got deathwobble the first time, vibrations that shook the ash tray, and my shackles popped, and no sway bars either. You've got it easy, but I'm glad that you liked how it came out.
 
XJ_ranger said:
what tires on yours and thiers? 32's and 33's lift your vehicle as well...
Click to expand...
he never mentioned what the lift he bought was supposed to be but in his signature it says RE 3.5, i guess the complaint was it was to tall

for a 5" lift - a 1" t-case drop & 4degree axle shims will all but remove the driveline vibes
i know i'll get even more ridicule from saying this but i've ran mine that way for a while with no SYE & stock driveshaft
it works & works well..
its about 3 hour drive from my house to Tellico & my jeep has been there 4 times that way in the last year & half (driven there wheeled it like heck & drove home)
so haters that threw away money for sye & custom drive shafts, just keep hating..;)
 
JLane99XJ said:
so haters that threw away money for sye & custom drive shafts, just keep hating..;)
Click to expand...

There's no hating here, I actually sleep better knowing that I did mine right and it's a lot stronger than yours. ;)
 
Rocketman said:
All in all NOT a good day.

LOOKS AWESOME THOUGH!!! :laugh3:
Click to expand...
A very important part of the process is research and planning. Though parts not being "finished" or "missing" is not something we enjoy dealing with, it can be part of the process. Having to "tweek" in modifications we've done to our Jeeps is too.

Just about every lift kit results in more actual lift than is advertised. It should have been expected to have to address driveline issues at 3.5" of (advertised) lift. Some years of XJ's are more susceptable to these issues than others. SYE's, TC drops, and extended yokes are used in addition to adjustments to the rear pinion angle.

Sorry to hear your somewhat disappointed in your "day". Next time, make sure you try and plan for issues that will likely come up with your project.

HTH

Les

PS: I am very happy with my SYE and consider this proper way to modify a "lifted" driveline.
 
I feel you pain brother! I installed an RE6025 (3.5" w/full leaf packs) lift on my 2000 and had the same problem. It wound up being closer to 5.5" in the rear and the stock drive shaft vibrated so bad I couldn't go more than about 5mph. I tried using some shims of varying degrees (2,4,6), but never was able to solve the problem that way. Looking back now, I can see my problem was from the same cause as yours. Even though I was able to get the pinion and transfer case angles pretty close, it still vibrated because the slip yoke was so far out on the shaft.
I finally went with the SYE, CV driveshaft and 4*shims a couple of weeks ago. I must admit, the results were amazing. It drives 99% better. I'm getting some minor vibes at highway speeds, but I think I can work that out once I figure out my exact pinion angle.
Good luck! Don't let it get you too frustrated. It will all be worth it in the end.
 
Your tires rubbed the upper disco bolts???? Im running 4.5" with 33 X 12.50 M/Ts with HUGE sidewall lugs...and my wheels are 15 X 8 with 4.0" backspacing... I dont even come close to those things. Even while flexing and locked all the way over. When you disco them, if you mount the extra pin right, it will pull the bar up almost above the tire too. What wheel combo are you using?

I think I heard mention that the reason some people have good luck with vibes and some dont is the rear axle. The D35 has a higher pinion or something? And the 8.25, which you have, is a low pinion. I have an 8.25 also. Right now if my jeep is on a lift I can not have my driveshaft connected. So even tho it works without the SYE and DS...its not good. Vibes can be very discouraging. When I said I drove mine home...I meant limped it home. I was so mad. Drove it with the little tires, didnt even bother with the 33's. After I calmed down tho I got the shims and made it driveable. Stick with it...It will come together soon and you'll love it.

Justin
 
JLane99XJ said:
so haters that threw away money for sye & custom drive shafts, just keep hating..;)
Click to expand...

hehehehe........delicious words they are, funny how many folks will drop, shim, yj yoke their rig to avoid the dreaded sye install, swearing they are vibe free and don't need one.........until they finally install one and then realize what it really means to be vibe free. btdt
Your vibrations may vary....
:kissyou:
 
Toss a YJ yoke on your driveshaft, it's got a lot more clearance.

I ran with 4.5 inches of lift in my XJ, with a YJ yoke I never got vibes. Granted for me it was a permanent solution ( i had an 88). You do not need a SYE at 3.5 or 4 inches of lift. If someone says you need it 100% then they are full of bs. I ran my XJ for 2 years with the YJ yoke, and I had no probs. Granted a SYE IS a better invest and fix for the problem, you can get by with a YJ yoke. key words here is "get by".
 
I got 6" when I initially installed my 3.5" Superflex, about 1.5 years later it has settled to 5", so still up there for what it is.

Install went pretty smoothly, but did have some issues, more bonehead than anything. Like installing the LCA's and then remembering they are greesable, spend 30 minutes looking for the zercs, then uninstalling the arms so you can get the damn things on. Finishing the install and realizing the bump stops are sitting on the floor.............Boring out the junction box for the brake line because the hole is too small for the breather fitting. Waiting two extra days to get it all done because R.E. sent you d35 u-bolts and not 8.25 u-bolts.............:repair:

Oh yeah and longer yokes and tcase drops are no substitute for a sye.............. :lecture:
 
You guys have to remember that if the yoke is pulled out so that it only engages a small percentage, it also can flex due to the lack of sufficient engagement of the splines. This can cause real vibes and isn't good for the xfercase as well. Dropping the tcase in this situation does more to kill the vibes by making the yoke engage more than correcting the angles in many cases.
 
After a good nights sleep, things don't seem so bad. I should have done an inspection of all parts before installation to ensure completeness and finish. My fault.

After running to work this morning, besides not having the disco's connected it's not too bad. I have a low speed clunk, mostly in any turning, probably my very worn front u-joints.

NOW... concerning vibes, I know vibrations can be VERY subjective but I don't think I have any. I don't feel anything through the steering wheel or any noise during acceleration or deaccel. I think the different (longer w/better ujoint angle) slip yoke would solve any issues I had with ujoint binding. Putting on a "real" transfer case drop along with the newer yoke I think would solve my issues.

IF vibes can be something that seems like a slower/rougher acceleration, almost like there is more of a load on the engine or I was climbing then perhaps I do have them.

Eagle, can you lend some advice on determining what realy is a vibe or not a vibe. No offense to all others but I respect Eagle's opinion.

Thanks for all the comments guys.
 
Rocketman said:
After a good nights sleep, things don't seem so bad. I should have done an inspection of all parts before installation to ensure completeness and finish. My fault.

After running to work this morning, besides not having the disco's connected it's not too bad. I have a low speed clunk, mostly in any turning, probably my very worn front u-joints.

NOW... concerning vibes, I know vibrations can be VERY subjective but I don't think I have any. I don't feel anything through the steering wheel or any noise during acceleration or deaccel. I think the different (longer w/better ujoint angle) slip yoke would solve any issues I had with ujoint binding. Putting on a "real" transfer case drop along with the newer yoke I think would solve my issues.

IF vibes can be something that seems like a slower/rougher acceleration, almost like there is more of a load on the engine or I was climbing then perhaps I do have them.

Eagle, can you lend some advice on determining what realy is a vibe or not a vibe. No offense to all others but I respect Eagle's opinion.

Thanks for all the comments guys.
Click to expand...

New trackbar is a good thing to check if you have a clunk.

Of course, trackbar is my solution for anything so...
 
I ran an extended drive shaft with a YJ yoke, a 1" t-case drop, and 4* shims for years with a 4.5 (actual) lift and it rode very nice. I've since bumped up a little. Now I've got RK 6.5 (actual) coils with long-arms, and RE 1462 leaves with RE 1.25 shackles. I was told the leaves were 5' in lift, which combined with the shackles would produce 6.5 or so in. of lift right? WRONG! That damn rear end sits over 2inches higher than the front for an actual hight of over 8in! That was 3 weeks ago and the leaves still haven't settled, the shackles still lean forward ( or what you call the opposite direction they are suppose to lean) and I've been driving it daily with over 200lbs of shit in the back to wieght it down. Yes, I do have have vibes. I have an SYE (NIB) waiting to be installed. Wont happen till I replace the turdy-five with somthing suitable and measure a shaft for that.
 
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