transfer case drop

98zjstroker

98zjstroker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2009
Location
concord nc
ok i have a 98 zj that im getting ready to lift. i was going to go with a 6.5 inch lift. its got 150,000 miles on it and was worried about vibration and death wobble that everyone keeps talking about. ive read online that you need to replace your cv axles and possibly axle yoke and / or transfer case yoke. ive also heard that you can put a transfer case drop to rid the problem. what would you guys recomend to fix any vibration or death wobble? where would i even get a trasnfer case drop bracket for that high of a lift from if thats what is needed?
 
only do a transfer case drop if you absolutely have to.

I would say look for a SYE ( slip yoke emlimation) kit for transfer case.

if yo udo that and put on a good lift you will be less likely to have vibration issues
 
Transfer case drops lower the crossmember supporting your transmission which takes away from ground clearance which is something you want when offroading.
And to find a slip yoke eliminator you'll need to find out which transfer case you have.. If you have a Grand Cherokee then it is probably a np242 or np249. The bad thing is that no one makes a reasonably priced full slip yoke eliminator for either of those. Maybe you got lucky and have a np231 but with your mentioning of cv shafts then I doubt you do. For a np242 you have the option of doing a hack-n-tap slip yoke eliminator from ironrockoffroad.com. But with a np249 your best bet is to swap in a np231 because all wheel drive and big tires don't get along and also no one makes a slip yoke eliminator for the np249.
Personally I would swap in a np231 out of an XJ or YJ and put a slip yoke eliminator in that from advanced adapters because they are easier to service and find parts.
 
thanks man. price doesnt seem to bad to save alot of heart ache. so with this kit replacing the cv joints wont be nessassary correct? just the drive shaft which it comes with. and it is not AWD just have option of 2x4, part-time 4x4, fulltime 4x4low and fulltime 4x4 high. if that helps
 
You will still want to get rid of the front cv axle shafts. They will not hold up well to any tire larger than stock ones. Just swap in axle shafts with u joints instead from another grand Cherokee or Cherokee wih abs. According to what you said you do have an np242. That should be all you will need.
 
do i have to do that right away or can i stick with the cv joints till i can afford to do all that swapping? i will only be running 31 or 32s. thats it. how hard is it to do all the swapping out.
 
Swapping out the shafts is simple. Just go to Pullapart and remove the 3 13mm 12pt bolts that attach the hub assembly to the steering knuckle and pull the hub out which has the axle shaft attached and swap that into yours. Now too difficult. You'll be fine with that size tire and CV shafts for street driving but they will not last long off road and you will eventually have to change them anyways.
 
probably something i should have dont before, but i looked under my jeep and to my surprise found no cv joints but did find a couple hub assemblies. :shaking: i assumed that it would have cv joints from what i was told. so with that said im guessing im in better shape. did the 98 grand cherokee come like this as an option or am i being an epic failure when looking under my jeep? will i still need the slip yoke eliminator kit to rid vibraition? i plan to get it anyway cause it sounds like a good thing to have i just wanted to know if i could hold off for a little while after the lift gets put on or if i should have the slip yoke eliminator kit on hand because there is still a possibility of bad vibration
 
it will have hubs/unit bearing no matter what, by cv shafts do the axle shafts have a rubber boot or a u-joint at the end of them? and if your only wanting to run 32's a 6.5in lift is a little over kill, you can get away with a good 4.5in short arm and some light fender triming, and a Sye will only fix vibrations caused by the lift but has no effect on death wobble thats all front end/ steering components
 
coming from another zj owner thats running a 6" lift with custom long arms on 35's.
go with a 4" rough country lift,adjustable front track bar,good steering stabilizer,33s of your choice and save your penny's for a 8.8 swap in the rear!
find a real alignment shop that understand's how a suspension works (not the punk that only know's red/green on the machine at firestone) and have them set castor to 5-6deg. and toe in 1/8". it will drive nice and as long as you dont have any worn steering parts.
you do not need a sye on a zj! but if you ever want a 231 so you can install one I plan on removing mine soon to reinstall a 242.
 
novacayne75 said:
coming from another zj owner thats running a 6" lift with custom long arms on 35's.
go with a 4" rough country lift,adjustable front track bar,good steering stabilizer,33s of your choice and save your penny's for a 8.8 swap in the rear!
find a real alignment shop that understand's how a suspension works (not the punk that only know's red/green on the machine at firestone) and have them set castor to 5-6deg. and toe in 1/8". it will drive nice and as long as you dont have any worn steering parts.
you do not need a sye on a zj! but if you ever want a 231 so you can install one I plan on removing mine soon to reinstall a 242.
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so your saying i wont have vibration when lifting my ZJ after lifting it? even if i dont put an sye in it?
 
johnbizzle02 said:
it will have hubs/unit bearing no matter what, by cv shafts do the axle shafts have a rubber boot or a u-joint at the end of them? and if your only wanting to run 32's a 6.5in lift is a little over kill, you can get away with a good 4.5in short arm and some light fender triming, and a Sye will only fix vibrations caused by the lift but has no effect on death wobble thats all front end/ steering components
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i will have to take a better look when i get a chance too.
 
what id do is get rid of the cv's, put in the ujoint axle shafts, get a np231, put it in there then do the sye and cv driveshaft
otherwise the absolute minimum you can do is ether the hack and tap, or lower the tcase and/or lengthen the driveshafts. however by the time youve spent the money on a drop kit, and lengthening the drivelines you would have been better off just doing a sye.its only a little bi more expensive and it inclreases the strength of the transfercase signigicantly. just be sure if u pick up a 231 that its a 23 splint input. i actually have a spair. i picked up my sye kit and cv driveshaft for 400 bucks.
 
well i looked and i do not have cv joints. only u joints. which is good. my question is will i need the sye kit still to stop lift vibration. or should i just install the kit and see how it drives? the only issues i have been able to read about with vibraition issues is for zj with cv joint. never heard about vibraition issues with ujoints. just wanna do it right the first time. thanks for all the help
 
If you have the 242 id leave it, it doesn't have as much aftermarket support as the 231,and as far as i know the the only Sye available for it is a hack and tap.
 
if you have the 242 then do the hack and tap, if you have the 249, then go with a 231 and sye. if you want to do it right the first time then measure your drivehafts detirmine if theyll need lengthening. if the need to be lengthened then i wold just go straight with the transfercase mods. if you lengthen the shafts and you still have the vibration then your out however how much u spendt having it done.
 
84jimmy said:
i will only be running 31 or 32s. thats it. how hard is it to do all the swapping out.
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Why are you installing a 6.5" lift kit to run 31"-32" tires?

I'd go with a 2" lift if that is all the tire you are going to run. Then you won't have to worry about SYE, driveshafts, etc and the rig will be much more stable.
 
well i was going with a 4inch suspension and then a 2inch bb lift. or the 3-1/2inch suspension with a 3 inch bb lift. ive seen a set up with it and like how it sits. will get away alot cheaper that way then with the 7 inch long arm kit that cost +$1500 which is the only other bigger lift ive scene. I really dont need the long arm kit for where ill be and what ill be doing. give mad props to you guys that do all that but not my thing so it seems like a waste of money for me since i would never use it to its potential. i will probably go with 32-33s in the end but i plan on doing the kit it two diff occations. so at first depending on if i get the bb first or suspension i will need 31-32. i dont want anything bigger cause im avoiding doing any cutting or triming. should have probably explained better in the begining. this jeep wont ever be pushed as hard as alot of you guys and will still be a DD. which is why i was worried about vibration. i have about 8 miles hwy to go to work. slight vibration i can deal with for a little while till i can afford the sye kit or something. but alot of vibration or unsafe vibration isnt exceptable with my daughter in it. so i would have to do the sye and 4inch lift at once. which is what i was trying to find out mostly. How bad it would be(vibration) and how to fix.
 
gt500swim said:
im actually selling a 2 inch lift for a grand cherokee right now.. easy to install and you dont get the drawbacks.
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what kind of bb lift is it(brand)? does it come with shocks? are they in good...and usable condition or will i have to get new shocks. and most important. how much $$$$$
 
i think its skyjacker if i remember correctly... yes it comes with shocks theyre in good condition. may need new bushings but i think i have some... and askin 125 obo. theres a post in the "parts for sale" section. im definitely open to offers
 
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