Front end refresh

[slippery]

Ive had an issue in the past with that solenoid gumming up with old oil. Since you said you were servicing everything for longevity, maybe open it up with the metal tabs at the top and clean it out. Or better yet, replace it.

[Windex]

Thanks for the replies guys, I've removed the solenoid and given it and the intake oil screen a does of brake clean. As the old original diff didn't show any signs of significant wear (surprisingly) I'm going to refit it and tear down the other one and see if I can get to the clutches for future cross referencing.

[Windex]

Well it took some time to chip away at all the tasks but I've got it all back together, the biggest challenge was getting the diff hoisted back into its home, I used a bunch of ratchet straps and a floor jack and some four letter words to get it there.

Took the car down to get an alignment and the shop and they raised concerns about the new joint being different to the old one so I came home on Friday night to double check everything again (I'm getting fast at removing the steering knuckle). From what I can tell they are the same dimensions, just a different design, both are from Moog. The shop recommended I pull that one out and get one that is like the other design but I'm not super keen on that just due to many of the alternate replacements not looking any different other than boot design.

Any thoughts guys?

[ren0vator]

Originally Posted by Windex

Took the car down to get an alignment and the shop and they raised concerns about the new joint being different to the old one so I came home on Friday night to double check everything again (I'm getting fast at removing the steering knuckle). From what I can tell they are the same dimensions, just a different design, both are from Moog. The shop recommended I pull that one out and get one that is like the other design but I'm not super keen on that just due to many of the alternate replacements not looking any different other than boot design.

Any thoughts guys?

I can see why the wheel aligner baulked.
The ball joint doesn’t look like it’s properly seated.
it looks OK to Jeep owners but we’re not normal compared to say Toyota mechanics ��
If it turns/spins/moves your wheel alignment, and lower control arm,
are ruined and no one wants to take that risk.
It’s just the stooped castings on the control arms,
Cheers

[Windex]

Originally Posted by ren0vator

I can see why the wheel aligner baulked.
The ball joint doesn’t look like it’s properly seated.
it looks OK to Jeep owners but we’re not normal compared to say Toyota mechanics ��
If it turns/spins/moves your wheel alignment, and lower control arm,
are ruined and no one wants to take that risk.
It’s just the stooped castings on the control arms,
Cheers

Thanks for the reply! I'm definitely a amateur spanner thrower but when I pressed it in to the level of the split ring only I wasn't happy with it not sitting on the 'seat' of the ball joint so I decided to press it the rest of the way to the seat. This allowed the snap ring to seat all the way into its groove but obviously had it well clear of the arm on the low side. All the other aftermarket ones I've found use the snap rings so I'm pretty sure I'll have the same issue if I swap in a different one. Sadly I let the professionals scare me into pulling it back apart to double check instead of backing myself, the upside is I can now get the knuckle off in less than 15 mins.

[ren0vator]

Originally Posted by Windex

I pressed it in to the level of the split ring only I wasn't happy with it not sitting on the 'seat' of the ball joint so I decided to press it the rest of the way to the seat. This allowed the snap ring to seat all the way into its groove but obviously had it well clear of the arm on the low side.

Yep that's it
Make sure the snap ring is seated hard against the control arm
Very unlikely to encounter any issues then
Cheers

[Windex]

Originally Posted by ren0vator

Yep that's it
Make sure the snap ring is seated hard against the control arm
Very unlikely to encounter any issues then
Cheers

Looking at it I don't know how I could get that snap ring seated the whole way around the joint due to that damn casting, it's currently resting on the LCA on the inboard side, but there is miles between it on the outboard side, I guess I could press it out further but that means the lower side doesn't 'seat' on the bottom of the LCA. Think the best option would be to find some with the lip that you bend out rather than the snap ring type.