Rear leaf replacement difficulty

Hi,

How difficult of a job will it be to replace the leaf springs on a '92 XJ. Some bands holding the pack have broken.

I guess, is it likely that the bolts will be very rusty or will snap?

I'm debating to try myself or have someone do it.

Thanks

The hard part is getting the front bolt out, thats the PIA one.... Use new U bolts though and I think you should do them in pairs, both rears with a matched set or you gonna be a crooked jeep

What makes it is PIA? The location?

Thanks

No, the location is pretty accessable. The difficulty is the bolt anchors into a frame welded nut, inside the frame rail. Rust makes removing the bolt on older models very difficult with the sometimes reported result of snapping the welded nut inside the frame. Major PIA.
Soak it down with a good penetrating oil (PB Plaster is one) and let it set overnight, spraying repeatedly.

Do take note of the fact that replacing just one side spring pack will make the jeep not set even.

Mine took torching, and finally cutting the leaf eye into pieces and tearing the assembly apart. Of course I was putting on new leaf packs and new bolts.

If you aren't an experienced "wrenchmaster" and have the funds, have someone do it that has a lift, and the experience. I can't imagine trying to do that laying on your back on a garage floor.

Mine was a 93 by the way.

The day before, soak in PB Blaster in the morning (before you go off to work or something). In the evening, spray them good again, and this time, give them a good tap with a hammer. The next morning, spray and tap one more time before you go to work on it. Still need some umpf to get it off, but they do come out much easier.

Myself and a buddy did this to my 2000 Jeep Cherokee with 85k miles and it took us 4 hours to replace both leaf packs & Shocks. The front bolt is a monster but I did spray it for a week before I even tried to loosen it. Also a nice breaker bar, 2' length of pipe that will fit over your rachet/wrench also helps. Make sure the jeep is sitting on the floor when you go to loosen the bolts once loose just jack it up and set it on jack stands.

Actually your location on a map will make it a PITA. Everything will be rusted up and makes it very difficult. I bought a front clip for my sons XJ and when we tried to remove the turn signal markers the grill all of it basically, the screws just snap off. It was from a New York Salvage yard. You'd be shocked if your from the East and worked on an XJ from the West. I'm in Boise with snow, not much this year, but I have no rust in a 1988 XJ. Spray the nuts or bolts the night before and chances are there coming off fairly easy. I feel for you East Coast Fella's. Not slamming it , I was born in Franklin Pa. just man that salt Suck's.

The problem is, the bolt seizes to the metal sleeve in the bushing on the front spring eye. Penetrator will have a hard time helping with that.

What I saw work very well, and what I will do when the time comes to replace the main leaf is...

Loosen the bolt a few turns, cut the bolt about a quarter inch away from the frame rail and again on the other side of the bushing. Pull the leaf out of the way, heat the frame rail with a torch/form of heat (not the bolt), put a vise grip on the 1/4" sticking out and work it out.

When you replace the bolt (from the dealer) drench it in anti-seize!

Of course this won't work if you don't have access to a recip. saw, die grinder, and torch.

HTH

Ah, what should I do?

The vehicle is from the east coast with it's share of rust. I do all mechanical repairs myself.

My only fear is snapping the nut or bolt.

I don't have a torch, but I have a good size breaker bar and PB...

If the nut snaps on the back of the rail how do you replace..there is no access?

When I did this to my 89 I had very little trouble (from New York). I sprayed it with PB for a few days, and used a ratchet with a two foot pipe on the end. I had much more trouble with the rear shackel bolt.

good luck
Katarn

I didn't notice your location. Your best bet is to surrender the $$ and have a shop do it. It'll make up for itsself, especially if you break the bolt off, you'll be donating your wallet to a good shop then.

TroyAndEddie said:

I didn't notice your location. Your best bet is to surrender the $$ and have a shop do it. It'll make up for itsself, especially if you break the bolt off, you'll be donating your wallet to a good shop then.

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nahh - my 92 poped right out - no problems

go balls to the wall and get er done...

there are many people who have gotten by without breaking bolts - and if you do happen to break one - then pm Nhrocker he had quite the expierence and knows just about every method to try...

good luck
oh - air tools = good

Thanks for tossing my name out there...... :laugh3:

Even with all the trouble I had, I would say go for it yourself. It's a great way to learn more about your rig and get used to whats under there. But that's only if you have a heated garage, a good set of jackstands, some patience, and the proper tools. I can tell you from experience, you DO NOT want to do this in a college parking lot in the middle of Maine with snow starting to fall.....

Anyway, take the time to prep correctly and PB the bolts for at least a week ahead of time, tapping them with a hammer like suggested already. When you go to take them out, I wouldn't recommend using the two foot pipe extension if you don't need to. With the amount of force I exerted on just the 18" breaker bar alone I managed to snap one of the bolts clean off.

If you do break a bolt off, where you break it will change how you go about getting the rest of it out (if it breaks you will want a torch to ease in the removal, but it's not a big deal-you can get one that will work pretty cheap and they're nice to have around) Hopefully you won't break one so I won't get anymore into detail now.....

HTH and even if you do decide to get a shop to do it, it shouldn't be too expensive (as in less than $150 if you know a small reputable shop). It's more of a blow to your mechanical pride than your wallet.... :gag:

Jeeper Eric said:

Ah, what should I do?

The vehicle is from the east coast with it's share of rust. I do all mechanical repairs myself.

My only fear is snapping the nut or bolt.

Click to expand...

For your situation, unless your heart is set on installing LIFT springs, I strongly suggest that you leave the original main leaves in place, and install an add-a-leaf (AAL). If you can scrounge up a set of used XJ springs, taking the main leaves from the second set and cutting off the eyes makes a dandy set of AALs. New center pins and new rebound clips (those wrap strips you referred to) only cost a few bucks.

I'm on a borrowed computer and don't have the URL bookmarked, but there is a write-up on this. Search for Rock Lizard and it should turn up.

EDIT: http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/home_brew_budget_boost.htm

Unless there is something fundamentally wrong with the main leaf in the existing spring pack., many guys have had success with just disassembling the leaf pack in place, and adding in and/or replacing the broken or weak leaves with new ones, and then just reassembling the pack in place. It gets around dealing with the spring eyes and the rusty bolts, and results in a totally acceptable rebuild of the spring packs.

easy AAL install

yes you can install em easier without taking the full pack off here is an article I wrote awhile ago

You mentioned you do not have a torch. IMO I wouldn't do this job unless you know you'll at least have access to a torch in the event that you'll need one. From my experiences replacing my leafs 3 years ago and putting in a set of shackles a couple months ago, a torch is your best friend when the bolts get stuck in the bushing sleeves which happened to 3 of them on mine. Also, someone else metioned it but air tools are definetely 100 times better then a breaker bar or ratchet. Good luck

Dean

No greater tool was ever made than that of a 2' breaker bar and a few choice words directed at the bolt in question.