TJ and BDS 3" and 1" BL = shifter woes

Sweetwater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Location
The Great State of Mecklenburg
I am not new to mechanical things as I've ridden dual sport motorcycles for 34 years. I'm also not on my first Jeep. Current DD is 2000 XJ with OME medium duty and 30" BFGs (over 100,000 trouble-free miles in 12 years). However, I'm on my first TJ and I've hit a snag I hope you guys/gals can help me past.

Bought 2000 TJ from neighborhood kid last summer. Got great price, but knew he'd wheeled it and added 33" tyres with a 2" BB (spacers only no shocks springs) and 1" BL. No worries at the time as I planned to add OME and replace with new tyres this summer. Fast Forward...

Bought BDS 3" lift with "box kit" and coils and shocks. Removed spacers, left BL. Bought and mounted 33" BFG T/As. Had buddy who works in local shop help with BDS install- there was some grinding anmd cutting and drilling and other things I couldn't handle in driveway. Lift looks good, sits higher than BB spacers and rides pretty nice, but...

First problem, tcase drop caused need to bend shifter (manual trans)- did that and now TJ goes into all gears, but pops out of 2nd a lot. Second problem, left turns cause ungodly racket against floorboard....I can't figure that out after looking under it again today (it isn't the tyre). Alignment guy also said camber isnt adjustable on TJs so left wheel is a little out (no biggie, but really? He's done quite a few at the dealership apparently).

So, the 3 questions are: would removing 1" BL completely or going to RokMen 1/2" BL help with the shifter dilemma AND/OR should I drop more $$$ on SYE and eliminate tcase drop all together AND what in the world could be rattling so bad in the driver side front? This TJ wasn't perfect before and I planned on getting it squared away, but this install was disappointing. Aside from the improved ride I feel like I could have done OME 2.5" and come out without these hassles.
 
Lifting a coil spring Jeep is more involved than alot of people think. Its because you have 5 links on each axle and the geometry of those links gets out of wack when you start lifting it and the more you lift it the more quirks you'll have to iron out as you go along. Those are the details most lift kit manufacturers dont tell you about before buying springs and shocks. So here is what I think...

1st and 2nd question: if you are planning on just driving this thing on the road 95% of the time, remove the body lift altogether but also pay attention to other parts of the jeep that may have been modified to accompany that modification. Like; does it have motor mount spacers or did they move the fan shroud? That will help with your transmission shifter and you will also want to get a transfer case linkage drop bracket so you can put it in 4x4 without it popping out of gear. or,
If you want to wheel it a few times a year you will be more pleased with getting a SYE installed with a new cardian drive shaft (slip shaft) and removing the transfer case drop. You will also need rear upper adjustible control arms to piviot your rear pinion upwards to get it in-line with your new drive shaft. Removing the transfer case drop will help alot with your transmission and transfer case shifters. It will basically make your whole drivetrain move up about 2 inches closer to where it was from factory.

Last question: That noise could be alot of things common to a Jeep that has seen some offroading, so I'll narrow it down a bit. If your alignment guy said the camber is out on one wheel I would guess you have a bad unit bearing or bad ball joints causing the noise. You can check this buy lifting your front axle up with a jack until the tires come off the ground. Then hold the tire at the top and bottom and shake it really hard. If it wobbles in that up and down direction that should be your problem. You also said it happens when you turn hard, so that could be caused by the u-joint in the axle shaft being worn out or your tire rubbing on the fender or the lower control arm. Whatever the case also be sure to double check all tie rod ends on the steering linkage and on the track bar. Like I said this is all common wear stuff to a Jeep that gets wheeled. Good luck and take pics or videos and upload them on here if you have any more trouble, that will help us with identifying problems.
 
Thanks Joe J.

As soon as I get home from work I will check the ball joint as you described. I searched a little more and found some older posts talking about the vague symptoms of lifted TJs. Seems like a lot of parts interact and MUST be correct. I actually thought the new spring and shocks would eliminate some issues, or potential issues, but this is all new to me. I'm also very pleased to learn of other mods that might have been done by PO (I'd never have checked the fan shroud!). My better half drives this TJ every day, and she really doesn't want to hassle with it, just wants it right and easy to drive. Actually, she won't drive it at all if it clunks and grinds. If she's not happy, no one is happy. It might make sense for me to visit local shop and have all basic wear parts replaced (that sounds expensive as I type it out!).

Interestingly, when she drives it she describes the pedal as shuddering during left hand turn and says she can feel it thru floorboard...

As for how we will use the TJ, we've already camped out of it (fire roads and easy 4-wheeler trails) and done some nice backroads tours last summer and fall. The highway driving was awful with worn out mud tyres and a sacked factory suspension on budget spacers. In truth, my XJ is more convenient with packing gear and MPG, but the top down is more fun in the TJ and we've had a lot of good times with this Jeep.

My 15 year old would like to visit Uwharrie, and my brother has a nice side-by-side we can wheel as well, so I may eventually drop the $$$ on SYE and other mods you mentioned. I've actually considered selling one of my dual sports to fund this TJ...decisions, decisions.
 
Thought I'd add a follow-up:

In my original post I used the word "disappointing" referring to this installation. I gotta correct that to say that I really like the BDS 3" kit and it is a major upgrade to the PO's budget boost (spacers and body lift). IMO, this lift is the minimum in acceptable quality level and the price is economical for entry level Jeepers. The ride is compliant but obviously firm enough for any trails my family might tackle. I think my "disappointment" was more in my own lack of understanding. If I had known what I know now (I say that a lot lately) I would have bought the springs and shocks but not used the BDS "box kit" and instead bought a SYE (no tcase drop), new shaft and a quality adjustable track bar (no relocation bracket, but it works fine) and some other front sway system (Currie perhaps). When I wear these new tyres out, I will making some upgrades.

The other thing I wish I'd prepared for was the possibility of a front end rebuild. With a little better planning I'd have just rebuilt all the wear items. If anyone asked my opinion now, I would strongly advise anyone that they plan on tackling the wear items just for good measure. Note: my TJ has 130,000 on the clock and was wheeled by PO- this advice probably doesn't apply to newer Jeeps!

I also complained about the shifter issue. As many of you already knew, tcase drop and BL occasionally combine to make TJ shifter unusable. The final solution was to trim rear of through hole in tub and to remove the factory shifter boot (this TJ has the big, bulky rubber accordion boot). I replaced the bulky boot with a suede leather boot from Pep Boys. Yes, it looks kinda European, kinda tuner, but it works really well, especially with red stitching :)

I am pretty happy with the shifter now and when I make the next mods I won't have one that's all bent up since I was able to avoid this.

Last comment: I did have the pleasure of visiting Alex Reed at Carolina Truggies. He took a lot of time away from a project to show me his shop and to explain what was happening with my TJ. He also answered some questions about my XJ and I will certainly be spending some money with Alex while working on these two Jeeps. In fact, the only "disappointing" thing at Carolina Truggies was my own lack of available funds! I highly recommend a visit to CT and support the folks who support this sport!
 
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