Short video of me replacing my leaf springs on my 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport (XJ). Dealing with a few of the challenges, and sharing any tips I have learned or techniques I came up with to help.
Great job! Thanks so much for documenting your work...I've got the same task waiting for me on my 1999. Very helpful. Great reason to add to my tools! Thanks again.
I really needed to see what I had to do. I think everyone does certain things there own way, but I definitely see new ways of doing what I had planned replacing my Leaf Spring. Luckily my '96 is a #3 vehicle in the family, so I can take my time.
This is a very thorough dyi vid. Thank you very much for posting this 5 years ago. (Today is Jan-22) I would love a nearly rust free XJ like yours. My 99 is so rusty, it's really not worth fixing. But, annual property taxes are less than 100 bucks, so it's going to run as long as possible! Edit: I checked out your channel & you have some interesting posts, so I subbed!
Appreciate the video! Helped a lot! Why the hell didn't they design an access hole behind the front bolt? Sawing that bolt if it gets rust welded in is rather aggravating. I guess we're supposed to change them more than once every 26 years or something.
Well Jordan, I followed your method on the shackle mount bolts - it’s going great. Especially for a 20 year old Michigan XJ. 👏. All bolts were showing movement last evening by going straight to the shackle mount with heat, oil, and breaker bar with cheater pipe. 2 weeks of pre-lubrication with PB Blaster a must. I could cut off the U- bolts, but they’re all coming off easy. Not so lucky with bump stops and sway bar bolts.. They are shot. Easy to replace - NP. The real trick is patience.... Slow and easy - heat and oil. Thx for the video.
Absolutely love the pickle fork idea! Note: the bolt shank is 1/2". I was too lazy to hook up the regulators on the oxy-acet. I just kept going back & forth to loosen the loctite. Well heed this warning: don't do this without heating the bolts. I put too much torque on them & broke the welded nut INSIDE the frame box. Cutting wheel is coming out to cut access hole !
Thanks for making this video. Are those Dorman Springs their standard replacement ones (model number 929-301) or some heavier duty version? I ask because you mention in the video that they added about an inch of lift to the stock height which you said is what Dorman said they would, yet I don't find any information about additional lift or increased load carrying ability on the Dorman site. The page for the 929-301 springs says they are Standard suspension grade.
very good/helpful video, dude ! How did you get the driver side front bolt separated from the nut in the frame ? Couldn't see it in your video - thanks.
Hi, I just fit new stock leaf springs that sit the same 19" as yours. The front of yours looks heigher at the end. Did you fit new springs on the front too?
So since you put these leafs on did you have to get different size shocks or do stock shocks fit? I just bought new shocks and was wondering if I should return them first to get the right size or if they fit that’d be great
Hello Jordan, it’s been a little over three years since your video, not sure if you still own your XJ, but how are the Dorman HD springs holding up? Have they started to sag any, if so how much? Thanks Jordan.
done a few rear axle swaps. the sway bar--remove and throw it away. the stock u bolts cut with sawzall dont dick around unscrewing the nuts. the main 4 bolts also seize into the sleeve or the nut, or the nut seizes and breaks off from the body. when using the saw wd40 works good as a cutting lubricant. an 18 to 24 inch 1/2 drive ratchet will give you the leverage needed to turn the 4 spring bolts
Here is a forum post where I included some before and after pics, as well as my parts list. I believe the leaf eye bolts are M14x2.0x120mm (bonus, if you get the dorman shackles in my parts list, they come with 2 of these sized bolts on each shackle. Effectively giving you 2 spare bolts for the leaf eyes). www.jeepforum.com/forum/f177/weekend-1-spacers-up-front-after-recent-dorman-leafs-3765057/index2.html
The shackles come with a bushing...and so do the leafs. Would it be cheaper to find a shackle with out the leaf bushing? Since you're already paying for the bushing in the actual leaf spring?
Kroil (the spray variant is often called AeroKroil). Once you use it, you won't bother with any other brand of penetrating oil. It is about as good as it gets. I ordered it off of Amazon. Its not often available in chain auto parts stores. I first learned about it when trying to remove crank pulley bolts from Hondas (notoriously difficult). I haven't been without it ever since.
Thanks for posting this. I'm getting ready to attempt this and I'm not exactly looking forward to it. Looks like a serious pain in the ass! Did you happen to go with HD springs? And if so, how r they riding/holding up since install? thanks again
I went with the Dorman HD springs. I'll provide a link below. There seems to be some disagreement in the community as to what comprises heavy duty, but Dorman refers to them as heavy duty. I think any spring that replaces the factory "up-country" package springs is considered heavy duty. These dorman springs will provide a little over 1" lift over the non-up-country stock Jeep XJ. I have been very happy with their quality, fit, and ride. Just about perfect if you ask me. I got them at about $100/each. So the price was good too (considering they come with bushings pre-installed). Dorman 929-301 Leaf Spring for Jeep Cherokee, Pack of 1 by Dorman Link: amzn.com/B005VPS358
Yellow MAP gas cylinder and trigger torch attachment. Like the type that can be bought at any hardware store. Blue propane cylinders would work as well, but they aren't nearly as hot, so they take a lot more time.
Ok...So.. Bigger Cheater Bar on the Breaker Bar w/ 21 mm and add some heat. I’ve been using PB Blaster for 2 weeks - no movement. I had wire wheeled the rust out before spraying it every other day - but I still got nothin’. Yes, Kroil is better, My shocks and U bolts are coming out pretty well. BUT THESE LEAF SPRINGS AND SHACKLES ARE TOTALLY FUSED IF THE BIGGER CHEATER BAR AND HEAT DON’T WORK! Welcome to Michigan.👍
about to attack my leafs on my 2kxj. You mention heating the bolt. Normally you'd heat the nut, but seeing that the nut is spot welded in the frame there's no access. Heating the bolt really helps? I have a bottle of map gas, I hope that's enough to heat the bolt up.
MAP gas is fine. It is what I use on nearly all of my Jeep projects. In most cases, one heats the nut because they want it to expand and break the fusing caused by rust and time. However, in this case the heat is being used to loosen/liquify the GENEROUS amount of red loctite that was added at the factory when the eye bolts were installed. And because the bolt is long and large, it takes a little time for the heat to work through the bolt and make it back to the thread portion, also the thread portion is long, and is completed covered in loctite. So don't be afraid to stop when you feel it getting difficult to turn, and apply some more heat.
Hey man wondering how those springs are holding up now? Thinkin about getting some but I've heard they don't last very long. Your input would be much appreciated 👍🏼
I'm about 20k miles and 1.5 years into them. They are still doing ok. They are pretty tall when they first go in (at least an inch or more over what they claim), then over the next 10 months or so, they settled down to their advertised height. Perhaps people are hoping that they will stay at the initial height, and when they don't, they feel let down. Whether they will last 5-10 years, I don't know. But so far, they have been a good value. I think if you are going to load down the rear of the vehicle, or tow, they will not be sufficient on their own. I recently added hijacker air shocks, and the combo has been very good.
On the front bolts into the subframe I had to cut the leaf off the bushing then cut the bushing apart grab onto the metal sleeve it went through with vise grips them impact it to get them to come out 😂
Pretty high if it has never been touched before and you try to muscle the bolt out without any preparation. This will mainly depend on just how good the original weld nut was tacked into place at the factory. That is hit or miss. The bolt is quite long, coarse threaded, and large. From the factory it was coated nearly the entire thread length with paste red loctite. Which means it wants to SERIOUSLY stay put. It will never vibrate out or loosen on its own. So the secret (which shouldn't be a secret by now), is that you MUST get that bolt hot, seriously hot, to make sure that you loosen/liquify that loctite as you go. Mine were all 20+ years old, with some rust, and had never been touched since factory. I got them to thread out with a breaker bar, a cheater pipe, and a MAPP gas torch used to keep the bolt hot. I also didn't over stress the bolt when I felt it start to get too tight, instead, I just applied more heat and slowly kept going. They may still want to stick to the metal sleeve within the spring bushing, but at least you can try to avoid breaking the weld nut free. Saving you that hassle.
thanks for the info , hava a 1999 XJ in nice shape and thinking about a 3 inch lift , rear leafs are a little crusty and flat want to replace them anyways , think I,m gonna order that lift kit and go for it , thanks again for the info , nice vid by the way , the best i found on the subject , happy jeepin bud!!!!!
Thanks. If I'd had known how many people were going to watch it, I would have taken more time and included more detail. I'm just glad its helping. Good luck!
If I were going to tackle this, and if I had the time and the space..... Using a cutoff wheel, I'd cut the springs right at the bushings, make another cut on the other side of the bushings. That would get the springs off the bushings and provide access to the bushings themselves. Then I'd cut longitudinally into the bushing and remove all the rubber which would would provide access to direct heat directly onto the back of the nuts. Should be a lot quicker than tying to persuade the fully encapsulated bolts.
nice XJ bro i just got a 96 again after years of 97-01 but these ive done them before i just bought some HD ones and all new u bolts shocks and the bump stops they call them, i just measured mine its 18 front 16 rear anyways i have a trailer hitch that changes everything in the rear but i think i might get the rear shackels later on if i need a little more height
Man I'm in trouble cause if you call that rust my 90 don't have a chance. Maybe it will just be JEEP'Y ONE SIDE WILL SUCK AND THE OTHER SIDE WILL JUST FALL OFF like the other 3 I've built. My impact is 1,700 foot pounds and some heat.
