biggman100

Ok guys, i did a bit of research, as well as talking to a rep at both Redline and AMSOIL, and here is where they directed me to, product wise, for the AX15: AMSOIL recommendation, using a direct quote from the link the rep sent me to: Manual Transmission, AX15 (5-SPD)......GL-5, All TEMPS......75W-90 SEVERE GEAR 75W-90 Synthetic EP Lubricant (SVGQT) 75W-90 Synthetic Long Life Gear Lube (FGRQT) SAE 80W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube (AGLQT) Redline recommendation, from talking to the rep, and from people i have talked to the last few weeks online and in person: MT-90 75W90 GL-4 Gear Oil Offers quicker shifts, perfect synchronizer coefficient of friction Safe for brass synchros, as it lacks the reactive sulfurs found in most GL-5 oils that cause damage High performance gear protection and longer synchro life Eliminates notchy shifting, even when cold Satisifies the gear oil viscosity requirements of 75W, 80W and motor oil viscosities of SAE 40, 10W40, and 15W40 Recommended for GL-1, GL-3, and GL-4 applications, as well as where most special synchromesh fluids are specified

Moses, we did it again, and got kind off topic by switching from one vehicle to another. The Dakota i was referring to in this, my old 1991 4x4, i owned back in 1997, and it was the first time i had ever done a ball joint on one of those trucks, and it was the last time i tried to press an upper one out of a Dakota. I agree though, if the control arm is threaded for the ball joint, and those threads get messed up in any way, the ONLY proper fix is to replace the control arm, no matter what vehicle it is on.

The upper one is threaded, and the lower one is a standard press in on the 1988 to 1996 dakota, and after i pressed out the threaded ball joint on my 1991, i decided it was better to just find a good used upper control arm, instead of trying to just force a different ball joint in the ruined control arm.

It would be the 8034. AutoZone, which has a repair manual on their website (that is basically the Haynes manuals they carry in store reproduced for their site), and also when looking up the ball joint on their site, says that you need the C-3561 tool to remove the upper ball joint. I didnt know until your last post that the OTC number corresponded to a Miller Tools number, as AutoZone labels all their tools as Duralast, and Autozone said the tool for that ball joint wasnt available to them, at least not in my area. Now that i know which tool it is, i can start looking to see who has it, and what it costs. I did notice on the Miller Tools website some of their tools are quite pricey, especially if it is for a one time or occasional use.

CJMall, welcome to the forums. I dont know if this would apply in your situation, but i heard that having a bad transmission mount, or missing bolts in the mount, or having the skid plate not completely bolted on properly, can cause the transmission to twist a bit on its mount, and that can cause it to not want to shift properly, especially in 2nd, 4th, and reverse. Granted, this is second hand information, but i have heard this from enough people, and after you posted this question, i did a search on it, and several members on other Jeep forums said pretty much the same thing. As for the type of oil to use, most i have talked to recommend either a synthetic 10w-30, or redline MTL, or redline MTL90. One person i talked to, although it was about a Dakota with an AX15, which according to Moses is similar enough to the Jeep AX15 for this purpose, said that even Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep has changed their recommended fluid for all manual transmissions, except the NV3550, to either regular synthetic motor oil, or the redline products. Moses or one of the other members on the forum may have further insight on that.

On the Dakota, when i pressed the upper ball joint out, i ended up having to replace the control arm, because it ruined the threads in the control arm, and the ball joint wouldnt thread back in. I saw the socket shown in the how-to you posted, and I posted a question in the Dodge truck section about that socket. After seeing what you posted about how to remove the ball joint, i put my press on it, and didnt even have to put a lot of pressure on it, and the ball joint popped right out. I wont know until tomorrow as to how well the new one goes back in, because the parts store didnt have the new ball joint in stock, so it had to be ordered.

When i first went to replace the studs last night, i was working on the side of the road and just trying to get the Jeep home. I figured that just using the lug nuts against the wheel would seat them in the flange on the hub. I didnt expect it to end up actually destroying the threads on the new studs like it did. I didnt think of using a socket to protect the stud threads and support the flange. The "tubing" i used was actually a heavy gauge 1 inch piece of black iron pipe i had left over from a water supply project i did for a barn awhile back. The c-clamp seemd to work perfectly. The studs all look like they are fully seated, but just in case they arent, now that they are in and i dont have to worry about the press not putting them in straight, i plan on using the press, with the pipe to cover the threads, just to make sure they are all the way in the hub.

Thank you, Moses. I knew i could count on you for the right way to do this. I have the haynes manual for the jeep, but their instructions for it werent too clear, the photos or diagrams are almost useless for the ball joint procedure. I have a ball joint remover/installer set, which is similar to the 6289A Bosch set shown on the Miller tools site, but until i knew for sure how the ball joint came out, i didnt want to try and just press it out and break something else. I made the mistake once of pressing out the upper ball joint on a 1991 Dakota, and then found out it was a thread in type, and didnt want to make the same mistake again.

Moses, we were discussing broken studs in another post, and you posted a link to a how to that brought up another question i have had for awhile now. The link to the how-to is: http://www.4wdmechanix.com/HD-Video-Tool-How-to-Using-the-OTC-7394-Hub-Puller.html. About half way down, you show a tool to remove the threaded upper ball joint in Chrysler and Dodge vehicles. Is that tool, the OTC 8034, the same one you would use for the second gen (1991-1996) Dodge Dakotas? I have replaced a few of those ball joints, and what i usually do is use a long pipe wrench to get them out, because none of the places i have ever worked for, or the parts stores around here, list a tool or carry a tool for those ball joints. The pipe wrench isnt always the most successful, because i have rounded off the ball joint head a couple times when the pipe wrench slipped. I have searched a few tool suppliers online the last few years, but none of them seem to know whether the tool they carry for Chrysler ball joints will specifically fit the Dakota. I couldn't see buying it and having it not work.

This is one i cant seem to get a direct, positive, and useful answer on. I am working on a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo AWD that snapped the lug studs while driving and then subsequently destroyed the front ball joint. I have the new ball joint, and it looks to be a press in, but i cant tell if it presses out from the top of the A-arm or the bottom. Because everything in the front is aluminum, i dont want to try and press it the wrong way and break anything. There is a lip on the bottom of the ball joint, but at the top it has two tabs folded over the A-arm, so im not sure if i am supposed to push the tabs back in and then press it out from the top or not.

The wheel hub/bearing assembly were replaced about 2 months ago, and then the studs snapped while they were driving it yesterday, which is what leads me to believe someone over torqued the lug nuts severely. After reading what you said about the studs being pressed in, but not finding a way to seat the hub on my press and have it contact the entire back of the stud, i tried using a c-clamp, and a small piece of tubing on the front of the hub, and it worked perfectly. Im teaching my nephew how to do some of this stuff, so after i showed him how i did the first one, i left him to do the rest. Ill see how well he does in a few minutes.

Ok, i thought this one would be pretty simple. I got a call last night that a friend lost a front wheel on her Grand Cherokee, and after going to check it out, found that all the lug studs had broken off, which tells me someone way over torqued the wheel. As i was trying to replace the studs, which i did by using an old steel wheel i had, putting the studs in the spindle, and then drawing them in by tightening the lug nuts against the wheel, it stripped 2 of the new studs, as well as destroyed the threads on the new nut. I have replaced lug studs many times this way, and never had an issue before, so my question is, are they just making the studs of a cheaper quality, or is there another way those studs are supposed to be taken out and pressed back in? Admittedly, i don't do a lot of work on Jeeps, but i didn't think they would be any different than studs on any other vehicle i have done in the past.

After talking to a few guys who have actually used POR15, they say dont use it if you intend to use any type of automotive paint over the top of it. The paint will eventually peel off, because POR15 is designed to convert the rust, seal the material, and "paint" it as well. A small, 2 person shop that has been in operation almost 40 years recommended Picklex 20 instead. He said that it not only converts the rust, but also seals the surface and preps it for any type of primer and paint you wish to use. After going to the Picklex website, i did find that they say you cant use any type of "self etching" primer with their product, but that any other paint and primer can be used over the top of Picklex 20, which they highly recommend as a finish step. They also say you can apply paint without any sanding or prep work once the Picklex 20 has cured. Their website is http://picklex20.com/ for anyone who wishes to check it out. If you read the FAQ section at the site, it also says it can be directly welded to, and helps with splatter issues, as well as being a good base for powder coating, and thermal coating applications, as well as being able to be covered with heat paint, and ceramic paint, and can withstand a continous 2000 degree f.

Moses, according to the manufacturer, POR15 is intended as a replacement for paint, and SHOULDN'T be painted over. I finally got around to reading up on it on their website though, and after some of the cautions from their site, such as not letting even a drop of moisture to get in the can, and how easy it is to ruin it before use, im not sure if i want to bother with it. This is the link to their directions for using POR15: http://qr.absolutecoatings.com/QR-assets/downloads/POR15/POR-NoReadDirections.pdf That direction sheet says only opaque paint should be applied over POR15, and not to mix paint or coloring to it. It also specifically states if you are perspiring, and one drop of sweat gets in the can, the can is ruined.

I did read the story you posted the link to, and found it interesting on a few points. Besides being a trained rescue diver, i am also an apprentice machinist, or at least i was for awhile, and i see a lot of valid applications for thermal coatings, the main one being frame and underside vehicle protection, but if the manufacturers did that, then the vehicles would never rust out, and no one would be buying new ones. The one thing i found lacking though, was that they never specified how well the metal was protected under the "blisters", and whether any type of rust, even if it was just surface rust, was present. I have a friend who is a maintenance machinist on an oil rig in the gulf of Mexico. I talked to him last night, and he said every rig he has worked on, either in the gulf, or overseas, had been thermal coated below the waterline, but since that part of the rig isn't part of his job, he didn't know how well the coating held up.

A friend of mine got ahold of several gallons of POR15, at an estate auction. I have never used it, but after reading the container, that seems to me like it would be comparable to, or even better than paint. I'm still weighing that as a possible option, as he said that because of how much of it he has, and how much we do for each other, that it wouldn't cost me anything to get a gallon or two. My concerns are how long it will last overall, and how durable it is. I don't want to use that, only to have to paint it in a couple years anyway. The salt isn't so much the issue in the northeast, its more based on lack of care. My 1988 Dakota, with 210000 miles, was bought from an older gentleman right near the NY/PA border about 10 years ago, and because he took the time to wash it frequently, and waxed it, and basically kept it clean, the only spot of rust it had when i got it was on the rear wheel wells, which were very easily fixed with sanding and repainting. For comparison, my wife's 1996 Subaru, with 109000 miles, was bought in northeast PA, and had a couple of pretty bad spots right above the rear wheels, that only showed up after i washed it the first time. 4x4 trucks here are the worst for rust, because people use them as winter vehicles and don't wash them, or do any rust prevention at all, which is why i go south to buy vehicles anymore. The scariest part of it is NY and their lack of concern for rusty vehicles. In NY, as long as the frame isn't rusted 6 inches in front of or behind a suspension point, the rest of the frame can look like Swiss cheese, and it still passes inspection. My father in law has co-owned a repair shop for almost 30 years, and he has had trucks on the lift for inspection that have looked like they were ready to bend in half, but because where the suspension points are weren't rotted, he had to legally pass them. In Pa on the other hand, if there is any hole in the body or frame bigger than a dime, it wont pass inspection, so when a vehicle in PA starts to rust, they send them to NY to sell.

After seeing some of JJs examples, And Moses way of describing the difficulty level, i would also like to add that the difficulty rating should also be set for each vehicle, as some are much harder than others to complete the same job on. An example of this would be the power steering job. Although i have never done one on a Jeep, i have seen them done, and i have done many of them on other vehicles, and for the Jeep JJ has, the power steering pump, as Moses stated, would fall into a #2 difficulty rating, but today i did one on a 1999 GMC savanna with a 4.3l, and i would rate that closer to an 8.

I don't actually subject my vehicles to anything as extreme as you guys do, so i wouldn't need the ground clearance that his has, but the width would still be beneficial for stability on the road. My thoughts about a set up like his were more along the lines of, depending mainly on the weight factor, something we could take when we go camping that we could tow behind the Subaru, and in turn save a bit of fuel over taking the truck. But that would come down to overall weight, stability on the road, how easily it pulls, things like that. My other thought was that we could tow something like that behind the car, and tow the boat or the jet skis behind the truck. As it stands now, i either have to make 2 trips when we go camping, or leave the jet skis and boat home, so im always looking at feasible ideas to make things easier.

Your comment about powder coating, and the unseen negative effects, also sounds like what a dry dock worker at Bethesda naval base told me in the mid 1990's. I asked why they were still slathering on gallons of anti-fouling paint, and he said that it was because the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Army found that to be the best below the water line protection available for ocean going ships. It is interesting that you mention thermal coatings, as one of the largest thermal research facilities is in NY, at New York University at Stony Brook, and i know a couple guys who went to school there, and for awhile, that was all they talked about. Now both of them work for companies that do thermal coating in Texas. Someone else mentioned using spray on bed liner type coating for the frame, but im concerned about that having a negative weight effect, which might in turn lower fuel mileage. The consensus so far, after the comments here, and what others said when i powder coated the frame in the other truck, is that it would be better to just sand blast it clean, primer and paint it.

I should clarify one thing. The winch and bumper i plan on using aren't actually new. i keep saying they are, but what i mean is they will be a new addition to the 94, but were originally mounted to the 91, and i only took it off to put on this truck because i don't use the 91 on the road anymore, and i have to travel almost 45 miles to help my step dad recover logs for their wood stove. With that said, i tried to mount the bumper on the 94, but because of the bend in the frame, the bumper wants to push the grill back, and i tried to be a little forceful and shove the bumper back the last 1/2 inch or so, and it cracked the bottom of the grill, and still wouldn't allow the bolts to line up right. Because of what i plan on using it for, i don't like the idea of just adding an extension to the bumper to line it up properly, which someone else locally suggested, because im worried about that causing other issues. The new bumper did have adjustable mounts, but when i put it on the 91, i made the mistake of having the mounts welded to the bumper, so i don't have much room to play with there either. I think my best bet, as you and Rarecj8 suggested, is once the truck is apart in the spring, bend the frame horn back, and then have a brace welded to the frame to strengthen it, so it is one less worry i have later on down the road.

JJ, i would like to add to this if i may. I doubt the air bag and CC are related. I just finished some major work in the spring on a 99 cherokee that a guy bought basically sight unseen. After replacing the engine, fixing a shift solenoid in the transmission, and replacing almost everything in the rear brakes, the ABS light, and airbag light were both on. The airbag light was traced by the dealer to a faulty sensor in the front. The ABS was a bad wheel bearing and sensor. Anyway, after all that was fixed, the CC worked for 2 days, and then just quit one day. After checking fuses, wiring, and a bunch of other stuff, i sent it to the dealer, who traced it to a bad brake light switch. I'm not saying that is the issue with yours, but the dealer i took it to said that is common on a lot of the 1997 to 2002 Jeeps, so it is worth looking into. Now as for the air bag light, that is on a different circuit entirely than the CC circuit. i wouldn't suspect the clock spring, unless you know for sure that someone has had the steering wheel off, and did it improperly. The best bet would be to find a scan tool that will test the air bag system, or have it checked by a dealer. In the case of the 99 i did, i had the dealer scan it, and give me a diagnosis, and then i did the repair myself, which is what i usually do on systems my scanners wont read. The issue i have found with a lot of the pre 2001 vehicles is that most scanners are spotty on ABS and air bag tests, even the scanners i have, so i have found it is just less of a headache to have it checked by a dealer. My Snap On MT2500 could probably be updated to do those vehicles, but this is the first Jeep i have worked on in years, so i cant see spending the money for that upgrade.

Moses, you are absolutely right about vehicles from the rust belt. The 2nd generation Dakota is getting harder and harder to find in the northeast, due mainly to severe rust issues, and not much of a following for them. Common problems are rotted cab mounts, and rotting in the frame around the rear spring mounts. I was fortunate to find this one where i did, in the shape i did. I searched for several months for one that wasn't falling apart, and that was also a 5 speed. My other 3 are all automatic, only one of which i would trust to ever drive on the road, and that is because i replaced the frame, which was completely sandblasted and powder coated, and also rust proofed the underside of the cab and bed, but, as that is a 1 year only vehicle and has a couple major transmission issues, we only use it as an around here work vehicle, until i either upgrade to a newer transmission and engine, or have the one in it rebuilt. Next spring, i plan to completely strip the 94, and powder coat the frame, and basically do the same thing i did on the 91, which is why im looking now at the best option for the existing frame. I do know of a place i can get a rust free frame, but that takes a 3 day trip, including a day stripping the other truck, which is what i did on the 91, so id like to avoid that this time if i can.

Rarecj8, that would make sense as to the purpose of the winches. I was born and raised in southern California/Nevada/New Mexico/Texas, and traveled to Washington state frequently from New Mexico in my late teens (albeit by the most scenic routes i could find), and i remember there being signs on Donner pass about chains being required in winter. As for your tent trailer, my wife saw that, and now she is after me to see about either finding or building one. Those aren't as popular on this side of the country as they seem to be out your way, and as a result, aren't as easy to find. May warrant a trip out west or down south after i sell the tow behind, if i cant find one on this side of the country. Around here, pop up style are more prevalent and much more readily available.

Rarecj8, actually, because the bend is in front of the front suspension attachment points, it doesn't hurt the alignment or tire wear at all. I had to replace the idler arm, pitman arm, shocks, and right inner tie rod end, and after it was done, i had an alignment done, and the shop said there wasn't any issue with getting the alignment straight at all, and since they did it, the truck is perfectly straight with no wander, and before the alignment, there was considerable wandering from the front. The reason i want to pull the frame back straight is simply because of the fan shroud issue, and the winch and tube bumper, which i already have, but the new bumper wont line up good enough to put it on, until i pull the frame out some. The fan shroud is an issue, because the overflow bottle attaches to the shroud, and not to the core support or inner fender, and right now my overflow bottle is a gallon milk jug that is attached with zip ties and bungee cords, and i would like to remedy that. Now, about selling the truck and starting over, that isn't always a viable option, at least for this truck. The reason being, NY uses salt on the roads in the winter, and there aren't a lot of 2nd generation (1991-1996) Dakotas left that aren't all rotted away. I actually drove 150 or so miles south, into southern PA to find this one, but in the northeast, those trucks are getting harder to find. When it comes to pick ups, the 2nd gen dakota (i own 4 of them) is about the only truck i prefer to drive, so even if the frame wasn't fixable in any way, and did cause unrepairable issues, some will scratch their head and say why bother, but i would go to a salvage yard where i know i could get one rust free, and just replace the frame, before i would get rid of the truck. I have a 1991 Dakota that 2 years ago i did replace the frame on, and even as big a job as it is, it was worth it to me. Moses, the truck does have an airbag, but right after i got it and found the damage, i had it checked by a local dealer. As you know, i have small children, and the last thing i need is for an airbag to accidentally go off with one of them in the truck (airbag systems make me nervous, after some of the things i have seen happen with them at a body shop i worked for). The bumper on it looked like it was straight, except for a small bend in it, because before i got it, the guy i bought it from took the bumper off, bent the bumper mount, and put it back on so it looked straight. I hadn't thought of reinforcing the frame, but that does make sense, especially since i plan on adding a winch to pull logs with. The guy im having do the frame work does do welding as well, so having him weld in a reinforcement shouldn't be an issue. The crush in the frame doesn't seem to cause any kind of obstruction in any way, or any driveability issues at all. Since i bought the truck and put it back to what i call "road worthy" status, such as the aforementioned front end parts, alignment, brakes, tune up, the usual neglect work, i have put 2500 miles on it, and it runs and drives just fine with no issues.

When i bought my 1994 Dakota, i noticed that the fan shroud was missing. They had rigged an overflow bottle on the core support. When i tried to put a new fan shroud on it hit the fan, so after some searching, i found that the frame was bent right behind where the core support mounts to the frame, which in turn pushed the radiator and core support back a bit. The reason i didn't notice it at first was because they had also made sure to realign the headlights, as well as replace the grill, so all i noticed was that the bumper was bent in. The bend is in front of where the front suspension mounts to, and after talking to a frame shop and alignment shops, the bend won't affect normal driving, and according to them, it isn't critical that it even be repaired. But i don't like having the overflow bottle mounted with bungee cords and zip ties, plus i have plans to eventually install a tube style bumper with a hidden winch, and with the frame bent like it is, the bumper won't attach properly. The frame shop wants what i consider an extremely large amount of money just to pull the frame back, so, after talking to a couple people, their suggestion is to heat up the frame where the bend is, and straighten it back out. My concern is, would heating up that area of the frame stress the metal to where it would weaken it? Also, is it possible the frame would just bend again over time? I don't want to straighten out the frame, only to put undue stress on the new bumper from the frame trying to bend again. I have attached a pic of where the frame is bent. The black piece in the pic is the bottom of the core support where it meets the frame.