New-to-me 2008 JKU, help me identify lift, broken coil spring

[plext0r]

Hi guys,
I just bought a Jeep for my son a couple of weeks ago. We've installed Teraflex swaybar disconnects and a tranny cooler; the rest is as we received it. I believe it has a 4" or higher lift, but it appears to have stock control arms, so I'm not sure. I just crawled under the Jeep tonight to try to get part numbers off the springs and shocks and found I have a broken passenger side spring.

I cannot find anything stamped on the spring, but it appears there's a bump stop spacer with M03758 on it. The only reference I've found is to a Procomp lift kit. The Jeep has Procomp P315/75R16 tires, by the way.

The rear shocks are Skyjacker H7067S which I believe are for a 4-5" lift. The fronts are RC 2.2's but I cannot determine the part number. I see a 32103 near the shock shaft, but I'm not sure if that's significant. I'm trying to determine what I need to do to fix the coil and how much of the Jeep has stock parts (i.e. drag link, track bar, etc). Thank you for any assistance!

 

[thardy]

I would suggest picking up a full new set of shocks and coils. It does appear to have stock control arms based on the upper I can see. It definitely has a dual steering stabilizer, which is not stock.

Honestly, it kinda looks like the previous owner just pieces things together and rather poorly. If it were my Jeep, I would probably just end up buying a new lift kit so that I knew everything thing was done properly.

 

[mcsjk]

The bracket for that dual steering stabilizer is made by Rough Country. But Rough Country doesn't sell Skyjacker shocks, and all of their springs are grey, not black. So I agree with Trevor, I think it's pieced together and would suggest buying a new kit and replacing everything the previous owner installed.

 

[plext0r]

I would suggest picking up a full new set of shocks and coils. It does appear to have stock control arms based on the upper I can see. It definitely has a dual steering stabilizer, which is not stock.

Honestly, it kinda looks like the previous owner just pieces things together and rather poorly. If it were my Jeep, I would probably just end up buying a new lift kit so that I knew everything thing was done properly.

Thanks for the advice. I'm not a shade tree mechanic like a lot of you; I'm using this Jeep as an opportunity to learn a little. How tough would it be to do this myself? My son has friends who have installed their own OME lift kits, so I could probably use them for a little help. I imagine I'd need to rent a spring compressor or is it possible to remove these just by jacking up the frame and letting the axle droop with the sway bar disconnected?

Since I'm already running 35" tires (which measure about 33.5" on the Jeep), I think it makes sense to stick with the 4" or 5" lift, right? Or should I back it down to 3"? My son won't like it, but I want something that's going to last without breaking the bank. This Jeep already has 140K miles on it.

 

[thardy]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not a shade tree mechanic like a lot of you; I'm using this Jeep as an opportunity to learn a little. How tough would it be to do this myself? My son has friends who have installed their own OME lift kits, so I could probably use them for a little help. I imagine I'd need to rent a spring compressor or is it possible to remove these just by jacking up the frame and letting the axle droop with the sway bar disconnected?

Since I'm already running 35" tires (which measure about 33.5" on the Jeep), I think it makes sense to stick with the 4" or 5" lift, right? Or should I back it down to 3"? My son won't like it, but I want something that's going to last without breaking the bank. This Jeep already has 140K miles on it.

It should be possible to do it without a spring compressor. I hate those things. For 35s, I would definitely go down to 3", trust me when I say that you want to keep the rig as low as possible. It keeps it much more stable. What kind of budget would you be looking at?

 

[plext0r]

It should be possible to do it without a spring compressor. I hate those things. For 35s, I would definitely go down to 3", trust me when I say that you want to keep the rig as low as possible. It keeps it much more stable. What kind of budget would you be looking at?

There is no budget set aside since this was a surprise. I was hoping the Jeep would hold up as we purchased it just a few weeks ago and my son has taken it wheeling once or twice, but nothing super crazy (I've gone along a few times). I'm taking the Jeep to a local lift shop in Raleigh next week so they can evaluate the issue. They told me over the phone they would put it on a lift, try to read the spring part number and hopefully be able to order something in a couple of days. When I get there, they can tell me if the whole lift is a piece of crap or if replacing just the front springs would be an acceptable, less-costly option. I'd rather not spend another grand or two on a new lift kit at this time. :thumb:

 

[SFNick]

It looks like you have a drop pitmen arm. I would definitely replace that with a raised track bar mount or with a adjustable track bar.

 

[plext0r]

It looks like you have a drop pitmen arm. I would definitely replace that with a raised track bar mount or with a adjustable track bar.

Interesting. Since I don't know what the stock pitman arm looks like, I had no idea this was a dropped one. I've read on various forums that these should be avoided and this makes me wonder if it's contributing to the driving issues I've seen. Since deflating the tires to 30 psi, I've noticed driving is pretty good, but it seems imprecise and I keep two hands on the wheel at all times; it tends to wander a little especially on highway speeds. I was planning to purchase a Rancho Drop Bracket / Correction Bracket before finding the broken spring since I hadn't planned to invest in adjustable control arms.

I wonder how the previous owner handled the drive shaft issues considering the 5" lift. I don't feel vibrations or rattling when driving. Since I'm not super familiar with Jeeps, I'm not sure what to look for with regards to problems. Here are a few more pics.

 

[SFNick]

That's a aftermarket driveshaft. Should work fine with your setup.

 

[SFNick]

Just a quick side note. I've helped 2 people replace Rough Country shocks, like the ones installed on the front of your jeep, & on both occasions the shocks were blown after only 10k miles. I would check your front shocks. But as far as steering goes there are some great write ups on here to help diagnose the issue. I would definitely start by replacing the Drop pitman arm & if you are staying at that height getting a draglink flip kit with raised track bar bracket. That will tighten things up a bit.

 

[plext0r]

Just a quick side note. I've helped 2 people replace Rough Country shocks, like the ones installed on the front of your jeep, & on both occasions the shocks were blown after only 10k miles. I would check your front shocks. But as far as steering goes there are some great write ups on here to help diagnose the issue. I would definitely start by replacing the Drop pitman arm & if you are staying at that height getting a draglink flip kit with raised track bar bracket. That will tighten things up a bit.

Understood; I've not read much good about Rough Country shocks or lift accessories in general. Thanks for the idea of removing the drop pitman arm, etc. I assume I just replace it with a stock one? I've read about the draglink flip kit and raised track bar bracket. I had no idea this Jeep had a 5-inch lift when I bought it, but now that it's there, might as well take advantage of it assuming I don't have to install a whole new kit.

 

[plext0r]

I took my son's Jeep to Super Trucks Plus in Raleigh today and Chris looked at the broken spring. He said this is a 3.25" Rough Country lift, but some other spacer at the top of the spring (probably Procomp). This is how the roughly 4" lift was accomplished.

He quoted me $125 to replace the spring with another one from RC (plus one hour labor) or replace both and run through an alignment. I really want to steer away from Rough Country and asked him about possible upgrades. He said the whole RC budget kit was $399 plus installation or I could get the X-Series for about $1,200 plus labor. If I wanted something better, he was suggesting Zone or BDS with all 8 control arms. This gets expensive quick, so the BDS 1413 kit with fully adjustable control arms, FOX shocks upgrade, etc. would be about $2,500 plus installation. Adding two track bars if the stock ones cannot be used would be another $300.

My son has a friend with a lifted Toyota FJ on Old Man Emu and he found the 4" OME JK kit at AEV's website for about $1,500. I see Northridge4x4 offers what appears to be an older OME 3" kit with JKS track bars, etc. for about $1,700. Now I'm at a quandary. If I'm going to spend upwards of $1,500 on a new lift kit for this JKU, what would you recommend? I notice the OME kit does not include any control arm upgrades, but appears to have some funny washers to help correct caster. Thanks for your advice in this situation.

 

[MR.Ty]

I took my son's Jeep to Super Trucks Plus in Raleigh today and Chris looked at the broken spring. He said this is a 3.25" Rough Country lift, but some other spacer at the top of the spring (probably Procomp). This is how the roughly 4" lift was accomplished.

He quoted me $125 to replace the spring with another one from RC (plus one hour labor) or replace both and run through an alignment. I really want to steer away from Rough Country and asked him about possible upgrades. He said the whole RC budget kit was $399 plus installation or I could get the X-Series for about $1,200 plus labor. If I wanted something better, he was suggesting Zone or BDS with all 8 control arms. This gets expensive quick, so the BDS 1413 kit with fully adjustable control arms, FOX shocks upgrade, etc. would be about $2,500 plus installation. Adding two track bars if the stock ones cannot be used would be another $300.

My son has a friend with a lifted Toyota FJ on Old Man Emu and he found the 4" OME JK kit at AEV's website for about $1,500. I see Northridge4x4 offers what appears to be an older OME 3" kit with JKS track bars, etc. for about $1,700. Now I'm at a quandary. If I'm going to spend upwards of $1,500 on a new lift kit for this JKU, what would you recommend? I notice the OME kit does not include any control arm upgrades, but appears to have some funny washers to help correct caster. Thanks for your advice in this situation.

Damn that's a lot of money for some lift kits. First, I suggest a 3" or 3.5" lift while the JK still has the 315s.

Rancho 3" sport kits are about $500-$700 without shocks. You'll still need to get and adjustable track bar or drag link flip and lower adjustable control arms. I'm assuming that the Jeep already has bump stops, and longer brake lines.

I also suggest you save on labor and do it yourself.

 

[thardy]

Damn that's a lot of money for some lift kits. First, I suggest a 3" or 3.5" lift while the JK still has the 315s.

Rancho 3" sport kits are about $500-$700 without shocks. You'll still need to get and adjustable track bar or drag link flip and lower adjustable control arms. I'm assuming that the Jeep already has bump stops, and longer brake lines.

I also suggest you save on labor and do it yourself.

^this! Or another option would be to call Offroad Evolution, tell them what you're dealing with. I would pick up a set of Plush Ride Coils and then whatever pieces they would suggest.

 

[plext0r]

Damn that's a lot of money for some lift kits. First, I suggest a 3" or 3.5" lift while the JK still has the 315s.

Understood. We have no plans to increase tire size on this vehicle since it would tear up the Dana 30 front axle.

Rancho 3" sport kits are about $500-$700 without shocks. You'll still need to get and adjustable track bar or drag link flip and lower adjustable control arms. I'm assuming that the Jeep already has bump stops, and longer brake lines.

What's the main difference between their Sport and Trail kits besides the name? It appears the trail kits come with some of the control arm upgrades. I'm leaning toward a minimal expense, so the 3.5" sport kit with new shocks sounds like a good idea and we can add the Rancho drop brackets to the existing control arms. In the future, we could replace the upper and lower control arms. Also, I wonder if I could keep the existing track bar since the previous owner added some sort of drop bracket. In fact, the guy today pointed out where it was welded in place instead of bolted. :grayno:

I also suggest you save on labor and do it yourself.

It seems a daunting task for me having no experience, but my son's friends are willing to help out and they've installed lift kits on various vehicles. I just want to make sure it's done right. :yup:

 

[thardy]

Being that you already have a lift, my suggestion would be to pick up a set of 3" plush ride coils ($189.99 a pair) and a decent set of shocks for now. Those are easy enough to swap out. Then have an alignment done and replace control arms, drop pitman arm, etc as you can.

 

[plext0r]

So it appears I missed the Rancho rebates by a week? Their 3" sport kit was looking especially attractive with a VISA rebate card. I'll give Offroad Evolution a call and I'm also considering the Rancho 3" kit. I found the AEV pro's and cons thread and understand Rancho is highly recommended by Eddie and others as well as the EVO stuff. A full EVO kit seems crazy expensive, but maybe Currie or something else would be a good fit. Still investigating...

 

[Rccrwlr]

So it appears I missed the Rancho rebates by a week? Their 3" sport kit was looking especially attractive with a VISA rebate card. I'll give Offroad Evolution a call and I'm also considering the Rancho 3" kit. I found the AEV pro's and cons thread and understand Rancho is highly recommended by Eddie and others as well as the EVO stuff. A full EVO kit seems crazy expensive, but maybe Currie or something else would be a good fit. Still investigating...

Even without the rebate the 3"ranch sport kit is a great deal. Trail kit will get you arms if you want them.

 

[plext0r]

I got ahold of Drew @ Offroad Evolution and he told me various things. First, he said the EVO plush coils would not work with my existing shocks since they're junk and I'd float all over the place. He doesn't even recommend the Rancho 9000XL shocks with the EVO plush; he'd recommend the King 2.0 or 2.5 which I believe are well outside my budget. I asked about Rancho's kit and he said they're not bad, but the basic kits don't include adjustable lower arms which I'd need to keep the 3" or 4" lift. I asked about adjustable upper arms and he said they don't do anything for my needs; I need adjustable lowers and steering correction.

EDIT: If you look at the drop bracket someone welded into place for the track bar, is that going to interfere if I want to add an adjustable track bar and raise it at the axle side?

If you look at my rear springs, they appear bent and do not drop straight down. How much of a problem is that? Can you tell if the rear track bar is stock or was raised at the axle? Thanks.

 

[ChaosNein]

It is important to keep recommendations and opinions in prospective. Based upon our conversation, it is my opinion that the EVO Plush Ride Coils be run with a properly valved shock like the KING 2.0 or 2.5 as they will "control" the softer coil and allow for a much better ride. This does not mean that one can not run a Bilstein or Rancho shock with the EVO Plush Ride Coils as we have plenty of customers doing so.

It seems by these pics that you do have steering correction (Drop Track Bar Bracket and Drop Pitman Arm) so all you really need is FR Lower Adjustable Control Arms to allow for adjustment in your caster.