Vehicle Maintenance - Prep Your 4x4 - Moab Tech

Mud and water have found their way into the inner spindle bearing and damage has resulted. The bearing is an easy fix at West Coast Differentials, with all the needed tools on hand. As a trail fix, if parts were even available, it could take hours to get done. Removing the axles to check for such damage could have been overlooked and led to a driveability failure on the trail - or even worse, an accident out on the highway.

Check all steering components and attaching points. This crack on the backside of the steering box is commonplace for lifted Jeep Cherokees with larger tires. This will be reinforced with a frame repair kit from C-Rok E&F (www.c-rok.com), which will make it better than stock and ensure that the steering box will not be ripped out of the frame.

Check all welded mounts and brackets - for example: shocks, control arms, tie-rods, etc. Although no cracks were found, it is much easier to repair cracked brackets or damaged welds before they break completely.

While the vehicle was up in the air, we supported each axle and took each control arm off to check the flex joints for play. If you have Heim joints or rubber bushings that are worn out, it is time to replace them to maintain safe handling and to keep the axles fixed to the vehicle. After three years of wheeling, our Rubicon Express Super-Flex joints are worn and have side-to-side play, so the set screw was loosened.

Although you will not have to use it often, the Rubicon Express Super-Flex tool is just what is needed to easily tighten the race one full turn until it's tight. Grease is inserted (about 1 pump) into the zerk fitting, and the joint is ready to go back into the Jeep.

We checked both the rotors and the brake pads. There should not be any deep grooves in the rotors. If there are deep grooves, it's time to get the rotors machined so they have a smooth surface, or replace them with new rotors if they are too thin to be machined and still be safe.