What did you do to your jeep today?

[lfhoward]

I am looking at OME 93009 shocks and they do not fit the OME 2927 springs but supposedly both are for the Jeep Liberty. Super frustrating. The shocks have a spring perch that is a smaller diameter than the spring so they do not work together.

Mine is H&R but I've got some Mopar struts laying around

Thank you for the offer. I have a set of Mopars I got from the junkyard. The OME 2927 springs are the same diameter as the Mopar springs but the Mopar shocks have a spring perch wide enough to match. It is welded to the unit so not swappable over to the 93009 shocks.

 

[lfhoward]

I was able to return the OME 93009 shocks and order a pair of Bilstein B8 5100’s. Fingers crossed they are actually in stock because they are out of stock a lot of places nationwide right now.

 

[Luke]

You’ll just have to get the 6112’s then.

 

[lfhoward]

You’ll just have to get the 6112’s then.

Might as well go whole hog, right?

I don’t know of anyone who is running the 6112 setup on a Liberty. I will leave that honor of being the first to someone else.

 

[Luke]

They sure are nice! I have the 5100’s in the rear (with a Bilstein +1” coil) though so I only went half hog They usually pair with the 5160 reservoir type in the rear.

 

[KJowner]

I am looking at OME 93009 shocks and they do not fit the OME 2927 springs but supposedly both are for the Jeep Liberty. Super frustrating. The shocks have a spring perch that is a smaller diameter than the spring so they do not work together.

Sorry I zipped through your original post and read OME not OME!
Just a thought, could you cut the perch off the Mopar struts and bolt / stich weld it to OME shocks?
I soaked my shocks perch's with lanolin before I put the rubber mount on when I saw how rusty the original struts were.

 

[burntkat]

If you guys who are familiar with the manual 6 speed could take a look at my recent post (previous to this one in its own thread) and let me know what this little widget is on the slave hydraulic line, I'd be immensely grateful to you....

EDIT - this post... https://www.jeepkj.com/threads/what-the-heck-is-this-thing.82151/
Thanks in advance for having a gander....

 

[uss2defiant]

replaced the alternator tonight.

 

[burntkat]

Not mine, but my son's XJ....
(well, mine by title)...
Ditched the fan clutch and its associated stock fan in favor for a flex fan and aluminum coupling/spacer to go in place of the existing fan clutch. Despite measuring the old fan and so on, we finally zeroed in on the coupler size...

97 4.0, auto. 4x4 FYI...
15" CCW rotation, with a 2.25" fan spacer seems to be the ticket.

The existing fan clutch passed the spin test, but he couldn't sit in traffic with the AC on without the jeep overheating. Seems that this solved the problem. I should note that we replaced the head 5 years ago, have tested for combustion gasses in the coolant. Coolant/hoses/belts/WP are all within 1 year of brand new and always LT warranty parts from a reputable manufacturer when available. Coolant SG is within spec, pressure tested, etc. My son is a pro wrench for the local Jeep Dealership.

I had a similar issue with my 05 Liberty overheating last year, solved it the same way. Apparently I had a couple bad fan clutches in a row. I can no longer trust them, as they cost me 3k in engine work (pull the heads, machine and replace) so my Jeeps are all going back to old school flex fans.

 

[mercdudecbr600]

If you are putting anything back in there other than the very same carrier/bearings/shims/ring gear or any combination of the above, yes, you need to plan on doing a R&P setup. You MAY get lucky and not need to, but you should be pulling patterns, comparing to desired results (pressure zone on middle of the tooth) preload on the pinion, and such. If by some chance all that turns out O without fussing over it, immediately go to your nearest lottery and sink your savings into it, because surely the stars are shining on you this day....

That being said, everything I've seen says that installing traction devices in the D30A are a crap shoot.. It isn't strong enough, and cracked cases often result. Understand, this is 3rd hand info at best, I've been thinking about doing the same thing and have done some research. People on Teh Interwebz also say Liberties aren't real Jeeps and can't wheel, so there's that... -shrug-

I'm looking into the possibility of cutting down a regular (read: steel) D30 to retrofit it in place of the aluminum unit, but I suspect it will quickly get into needing a machine shop to make the proper outputs on the tubes, and thus make more sense for me to do a SFA

Eh... I have had a TT in the D30a for years now (and an e-locker in the c8.25). I do a decent amount of snow driving in the winter seasons, some offroading, etc. I had similar concerns at first and so far no issues whatsoever. But, like most things, I suppose it depends on what you need/want the KJ for - rock crawling? GET A DIFFERENT JEEP. Light/mod offroading? Diff will be fine. Hard abuse? Maybe keep a spare front diff around.

Honestly, the best setup for this KJ (IMO) is a TT front and rear - that's why TomMudd had it like that (hate to say it!). Anything more serious than that and you run into the platform's limitations. Basically, the platform's architecture won't allow you to make it a super serious offroader: you can't get big enough wheels/tires on the thing to clear real obstacles, the IFS limits the overall articulation, and lift springs remove most of the upward travel capability. From my experience, all those issues limit your offroad capability before the front diff. Remember the KJ is most similar to a CUV - it does everything well, so it can't really be purpose built.

And BTW, best traction mod I ever made to my KJ was the front TT (and 245/75/16 AT tires) - it is a game changer in the snow and dirt offroading. I was torn as to where or not I needed a front traction aid at first and so installed my rear ox locker. I still found that I didn't have as much traction as I wanted (slipping up steep inclines, etc.), so I added the front TT. Now I use that setup with an open rear almost exclusively. I only lock up the rear for a serious challenge.

 

[mercdudecbr600]

Thank you, @burntkat. I am waffling between 1) just putting my suspension back together, 2) putting in the limited slip but keeping the same 3.73 ring and pinion, and 3) finding a used front diff and kitting it out with the limited slip, 4.10 or 4.56 gears (KK), and redoing all the bearings and seals in the process. Option #3 is the most expensive, but I could keep driving and take my time with the replacement diff. Then, once I am ready to tackle the rear diff to match, I can just swap the front over.

Either way, I do need my Jeep back on the road ASAP so am considering #1 and #3. These are not mutually exclusive.

I ran 3.73's with TT with my KJ and 45rfe (lower final gear) and outside of going up hills at elevation, found it mostly okay. But the big hills lug the hell out of the 3.7 so I am finally going to 4.10. Which means, new master install kits (again), etc.

If you are going to keep the KK long term, get the 4.10 gears. And also I suggest you install TT front/rear. Those will make your KK a beast in the snow/dirt.

 

[burntkat]

Eh... I have had a TT in the D30a for years now (and an e-locker in the c8.25). I do a decent amount of snow driving in the winter seasons, some offroading, etc. I had similar concerns at first and so far no issues whatsoever.......

(snip)

BTW, best traction mod I ever made to my KJ was the front TT (and 245/75/16 AT tires) - it is a game changer in the snow and dirt offroading.

Help me out here... Having a brain fart. What is a TT?

 

[lfhoward]

(snip)

Help me out here... Having a brain fart. What is a TT?

Eaton TrueTrac limited slip differential.

EATON 912A585 Eaton Detroit Truetrac Differentials | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Eaton Detroit Truetrac Differentials with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Differential Carriers at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

 

[Noclutch]

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03 Renegade. Found a puddle on the passenger side floor. I was going to reseal the blower motor cover then I seen these cracks. Silicone, reweld, is something like this even fixable?

 

[KJowner]

Wow! That's bad!
Are you running a big lift or something unusual? Or is the car rusty underneath?
It's going to be a pain to weld if that crack goes behind the windscreen but if the rest of the car is solid I'd clean it out, Vee it and put a full pen weld into it, the factory welds don't look very nice or is that seam sealer?

 

[Noclutch]

Wow! That's bad!
Are you running a big lift or something unusual? Or is the car rusty underneath?
It's going to be a pain to weld if that crack goes behind the windscreen but if the rest of the car is solid I'd clean it out, Vee it and put a full pen weld into it, the factory welds don't look very nice or is that seam sealer?

it’s just an ordinary Liberty Renegade no lift kit or springs. The bottom of the Jeep is pretty solid besides the rockers which are rusted out.

 

[lfhoward]

Shout out to anyone thinking of lifting their KJ or KK using a full spring lift (not a spacer lift):

OME 93009 adjustable shocks do not fit the current OME lift springs like the 2927’s. And the old shocks that do fit, OME 90009, are discontinued. The problem is that the lower spring seat / spring perch on the new OME shock is too narrow for the springs, even though it is supposedly for the Liberty. OME does not currently have any Jeep Liberty-compatible springs that fit the 93009 shocks. Just found out the hard way.

My alternative is Bilstein B8 5100 adjustable shocks, which appear to have spring seats wide enough for the OME 2927 springs. I have found they are out of stock nationally until mid to late July, according to Bilstein. Any off road equipment company that sells these but drop-ships directly from the Bilstein warehouse will be out of stock and put you on backorder. The non-adjustable B6 4600 shocks that could also work are out of stock too.

However, Tire Warehouse has their own warehouse and had 4 Bilstein 5100’s left in stock. And I just bought two of them. Anyone need the last two?