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Coil spring bow (not your usual case, guarantee you will be stumped)

1995XJ4.0

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Brandon Fl USA
Hello everyone. I have a 1995 cherokee 4.0 withthe automatic transmission. 246,000 ish miles. Started stock about 2.5 years ago, than i put a 3" lift on her the first week i owned her. Drove that for about 4 months, than went to a 5.5" lift. Which parts have been changed out here and there/upgraded. Currently as i type

5.5" rubicon express coils, ironman ironfab upper adjustable control arms, forget the brand want to say jks lower control arms adjustable, control arm drop brackets, cavfab crossover steering, two sheer track bar ("frame" end is heim, axle end is bushing, has a drop bracket on frame end), extended brake lines, rubicon express shocks, hockey bumpstops, who needs sway bars (im one of those... Please no harsh comments, mounts cut off, bars gone), 35x12.5r15 mud tires and 15x8rims, and sure im forgetting more.


Let me tell a story, feb 2017 i was at an event, i had just went from my 3" to 5.5" lift, i didnt have my 35s yet, i was still rolling around on jk wrangler sport oem take off tires/rims. (32" sra wranglers) well i also had used upper control arms with crappy welds (i think maybe broke a time before) well i had a row of logs (picture with a red circle, logs where on ground like telephone posts but thicker, bigger than it looks in pic but not GIANT. Back than my wheeling experience was at a minimum. I couldnt get my mud packed street tires to climb on the first one so he had me gas it full force.

Well thats when i got over the logs after a hard hit, and found out my passenger upper control arm was broke. (Cant find the pic) but it was like this... The tube part broke off of the c part that bolts onto the axle mount, if that wording makes sence.

I found a local with a welder and he welded my arm just to get me through event, used a guys winch to pull my axle back on passenger side to get holes lines up.

I got home and ordered ironfab upper arms, and that was that.

Well sence than, my passenger coil rubs my bumpstop tower. I know there are nay sayers about short arms and big lift. I know there will be SOME bow, but my driver compared to passenger is a terrible difference. My PASSENGER is the issue.

Now im not the type to come to a forum empty handed. This was Feb 2017, its Feb 2018, and im still scratching my head.


Possibilities youd think of

Bent bumpstop tower

Twisted tube on axle

Axle not square to Jeep

Coil isolater? (Rubber ontop of coil oem)

Well ive done the following granted crudely..



Well ive measured the bumpstop tower front to my aftermarket bumper... Same on both sides.

Measured rear of bump tower to i forget where on Jeep (some inner well divet or something) same on both sides

That means bump towers not bent..youd think.


Than i measured a millions points on axle to Jeep.

From shock axle mount to transmission crossmember.

From lower control arm bolt to transmission crossmember

From upper balljoint top to front aftermarket bumper (squared style)

And those are the same on driver and passenger.


So not a spun tube? Plus i imagine that wouldve caused other issues through an entire year of this issue.


Axle is squared, im not an entry level wrencher, im not going into that. Axle is 110% squared under Jeep though, arms and track bar are good 110%.


I want to regear from 355 to 488 (leave the talking me into 4:56 out of this, yes im putting 488s in a d30hp and thats that) (oh and a 8.25 29spline rear) and before i go sinking money into the front axle i want to make sure its not the AXLE thats causing this issue.


(Didnt include rear lift info because i didn't find it relevant)

Might go waggy 44s one day, who knows.



Other info:

This is a toy, to an extent..what i mean by that, is its less than even a weekend driver. I drive it once a week to keep juices flowing (get taco bell, grocerys, around the town etc) , it is mostly an offroad (street legal) Jeep. Which sees offroad once a month give or take. Sometime more sometimes less. It has been wheeling great with this issue, the coils just annoying as can be as it rubs.


I might buy oem coil isolator rubbers, because thats literally all i havnt replaced in the front end just about. (Yes I've tried rotating them)


When i look at the front axle, something judt SEEMS off, i have hockey pucks screwed into my buckets and when "eye balling it" the pucks seems to not be "up and down" more leaning towards front of vehicle... BUT measurements tell me otherwise.


Excuse my Grammer, punctuation, etc.

I will post additional pics.

Yes i know my bumpstop rubbers are eaten because of my bumpstop puck bolt heads.

Sorry if this post is in wrong area.
38652cd1c6376c6fa456b637b2fd5ad4.jpg


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DRIVER SIDE - yes i know its not perfect, but the bumptower doesnt touch the coil, and thats what im worried about on the passenger side. It is a short arm with 5.5" of lift that is actually wheeled, so i expect things like drivers side.
314b5bce70c0b0a486ce0116dd7d8c24.jpg
15a94d5efe2133df7abbdcd47dd2f0d2.jpg


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JEEP AS IT SITS (yes i know, track bar isnt parallel to drag link, once i resolve this issue in this thread im going to an over the axle set up.

This coil issue has me at a halt, i dont want to put money into this d30 if its messed up.


Maybe someone can guide me through measurements or other diagnoses?

Thank you so much for your time today!
bc578f638d41f60345f6266277f18c9e.jpg


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Excuse me, it was my DRIVER side upper arm, the pic jogged my memory, the entire rest of the post is accurate.

So its weird the drivers sides fine and passenger is whats giving me issues. Unless when the driver upper armed busted it strained something on passenger. It did drive it (low speeds) offroad to a stopping point before i "fixed" the arm too
ab4c3d686e873bb8059e0b0287f136f7.jpg


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Well this pic looks like your axle is not centered.
Wheel base and caster(spring perch angle) all effect the springs also.
Get some good poly upper spacers.
Are the spring bottoms seated correctly on the lower perch?
 
Well this pic looks like your axle is not centered.
Wheel base and caster(spring perch angle) all effect the springs also.
Get some good poly upper spacers.
Are the spring bottoms seated correctly on the lower perch?
Both upper arms are adjusted to the correct lengths, as are the bottom arms. The picture might just be an optical illusion.

The axle is centered.

Af for the spring perches the passenger does LOOK a tiny bit leaned forward but levels and measurements tell me otherwise

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30wwc5i.jpg


What is going on with the coil spring isolator?
THATS THE QUESTION my friend ahah, the spring gets pushed forward like that. I can drop the axle, push the coil back, half a$$ fix the issue (still rubs but not as bad), but first time i wheel it, it ends up back like that. I even tried rotating the coil isolator. I was told a coil isolator wouldnt cause an issue as bad as mine though, unless i was lied to and it was a stupid spacer all this time.

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Both upper arms are adjusted to the correct lengths, as are the bottom arms.

Per what? There is no one value that fits all applications!
Why does the driver coil appear to be leaning in?
 
The upper wrap on the coil appears to be too big around for the OEM rubber isolator.
You might try poly isolators or different coil springs.
 
Bent or twisted tube is my bet. You shouldn’t have to use a winch to line the holes up. When I install upper arms I get the proper angles using one upper installed in the cast mount then adjust the other to fit the other mount.
 
The upper wrap on the coil appears to be too big around for the OEM rubber isolator.
You might try poly isolators or different coil springs.
Rubicon express so there quality coils, might try a different spacer, or none as a diagnostic? Or bad idea?

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Bent or twisted tube is my bet. You shouldn’t have to use a winch to line the holes up. When I install upper arms I get the proper angles using one upper installed in the cast mount then adjust the other to fit the other mount.
What should i measure to see ahout this though? Ive taken countless measurements and everything checks out! Its driving me nuts.

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Thanks for the replies guys, keep bouncing between coil isolator and bent/spun axle, walk me through some diagnosing, since i could hqve measured undesirable points.

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