BUY JEEP PARTS: Dana 44 | Catalytic Converter | Jeep Gas Cap | Distributor | Carburetor

In all of your future Jeep Creep questions, please list your first and last names, your hometown, and your state/province/country, so that we can publish that information here. If you don’t provide this information, we may not be able to publish your question and answer. Don’t forget to be as complete as possible with the description of your Jeep and its problems, too. In addition, if there is a recall issued on a Jeep model by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), I will publish it here for your information and education. See all of the posted recalls at www.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm.—Jim Brightly

JK Lifts

I have a 2008 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon and am perplexed about what lift kit to get. I prefer rock crawling over sand. I’m told that the Rubicon Express Lift Kit would be the best but this being my first Jeep and me being a rookie to the Off Road World, I would like some suggestions. As a footnote, I took my stock Rubicon to Moab this year and was very impressed with its performance on some tough trails like Golden Spike, Gold Bar, Poison Spider, and going across the Golden Crack. They have done a great job designing this vehicle. Thanks for your help!
Chad
Exeter, CA

Obviously, you haven’t been reading the rest of this website, Chad. I also have a JK Rubicon Unlimited, so take a look at this address for your answer. http://jeep.off-road.com/jeep/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=503819.

Grinding Noise

Hey there, fellow off-roader. I have a ‘95 YJ four-cylinder. It is pretty stock. I have noticed in the past couple of months a noise which appears to come from the right side of the Jeep. When I first heard it I thought it was the driver side. Pondering all that may be wrong, I changed out a U-joint on the driver-side axle. Now it appears that it is from the passenger side. My next thought and step would be to change the passenger side U-joint axle. What about the possibility of it being a wheel bearing? Oh, by the way, the noise sounds like grinding when I start out in first gear and I hear it sometimes while it’s in second. Since I drive with no top and doors I can’t tell if the grinding is constant in every gear. One person suggested that maybe it was my T-case, but I can’t see the logic in that. Any suggestions?

Andrew Pearson

I need more information. I suggest you buy a mechanical stethoscope, take off the shifter floorboard plate, have someone else drive the Jeep, and listen to the tranny, transfer case, and bell housing (if you can reach it) to try and isolate where the sound is coming from. Let me know what you find out.

Swinging Doors

I have a 1989 Wrangler soft-top and when it gets cold—below 35 to 40 degrees—the doors won’t stay closed. The strikers stick. I have taken it to several people who have “cleaned” it and said that was the problem. When closing the door in their shop (which is warm) the door stays closed. When they get cold again, the doors won’t stay closed. I have been taking a hair-dryer with me to warm the plates up but that is getting old and looks ridiculous. Any thoughts?

Rick
Hanover, PA

You need to open the clearance slightly on the latch tooth-to-housing fitment in order to allow the tooth to move freely outward when cold.

Front End Alignment

I need to know what the front axle angle should be, so I can get rid of my wheel wobble. It has been lifted with an over axle lift by the owner before me, and I believe they put some pitch to the front axle to keep from buying a high-angle driveshaft.

Dawgs
Port St. Lucie, FL

You’ll find the spec you need in a Haynes or Chilton shop manual for your model Jeep (available in any auto parts store, or 4-Wheel Hardware and 4-Wheel Parts’ Web sites). However, that will be the stock spec, so I recommend taking it to a good off-road shop, which could determine what spec you need to use and then shim the axle housing to that spec. The shop would also verify that all the other alignment specs (toe, camber, etc.) for your front axle are correct.

Sport Sensor

I have a couple of questions for you, and I hope that you can help. I own a ‘93 Jeep XJ Sport 4.0 4x4, and I am having some issues with it. When I crank it up (cold or hot) it does not want to run well above 2200 to 2600 rpm range. I have a list of the parts replaced (CPS, fuel pump, fuel filter, most of the sensors, minus TPS, knock and MAP). I replaced the sensor in the distributor, new plugs, wires, cap and button, fuel pressure regulator, and the O2 sensor was replaced four to five years ago. I put a timing light on it and it will not idle on 0 degrees, it goes 2 to 4 degrees toward the bottom of the engine. I have a hole in my exhaust manifold at the two-point conversion on the manifold. My wife is upset that I keep putting money into it and not getting results that I thought it should by now. Can’t get rid of it, it’s too close to me. I am happy to take any suggestions that you may have. Thanks for your help in advance (oh, and it’s not throwing any codes). Need help!

Larry Caldwell

Does it smell like it is running rich? Have you made sure the exhaust is not restricted? Is the air intake restricted (dirty filter, crimped intake tube, etc.)? Is the “check engine” light on? Does the light work? And I think you need to replace the O2 sensor. When I still lived in California, I had to replace the O2 sensor every other year before my Scrambler would pass the bi-annual smog test.

Check Engine Code

I’ve got a P1195 check engine code. I think my O2 sensor needs some attention. Do I need to replace it? If so how do I do this?
Peeps
Houston, TX

I need more information: What are you driving? How many miles are on it? A typical O2 sensor will last 100,000 miles, however, as I said earlier, when I still lived in California, I had to replace the O2 sensor every other year before my Scrambler would pass the bi-annual smog test. You’ll find the instructions for replacing the O2 sensor in a Haynes or Chilton shop manual for your model Jeep (available in any auto parts store, or 4-Wheel Hardware and 4-Wheel Parts’ Web sites).

As usual each month, I’m shouting out a big THANK YOU to Paul Schupp at Rock Lizard 4x4 in Kingman, Arizona, for his invaluable assistance in answering many of the Jeep Creep questions.