My Cherokee keeps making a popping sound when I turn. A friend told me it was the u-joint. Does the whole front axle have to come out to change it? Is the u-joint pressed into the axle?How Involved Is It To Change Front U-Joint On 96 Jeep Cherokee 4WD?
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on the bottom/centre of the leaf spring is a little button that slides into the top of the axle. having this button on the bottom of both springs is what centres the front axle. the U-joint hold the axle and spring together
what you need to do for this job is secure the front wheels so they don't roll back and forth when you release the front axle from the spring. then lift up the forward end of the frame till the spring holding the frame to the axle stops bending. set the truck down there on a jackstand so this way there's not too much weight pressing down on your axle when you're working on it but the tire and front axle are still resting on the ground, securely blocked from rolling around..
then you can cut the U-joints off with a grinding wheel. don't even bother trying to undo those bolts. just make sure all the wheels are blocked and the thing is in park and you have good jackstands. when it's secured, try rocking it so you know it's not gonna tip off the jackstand or anything and find some level ground to work on. also disconnect the battery and bleed the fuel lines dry if you're working near your fuel system. safety's the most important thing. i did my whole springs this way and the U-joints too took me a day for each side.How Involved Is It To Change Front U-Joint On 96 Jeep Cherokee 4WD?
Before you go and start ripping things apart that may not be at fault, get it diagnosed by a professional.
It will probably cost you about $40 bucks to have it looked at.
Not only are you going to save a bunch of money replacing parts that weren't bad to begin with, but time as well.How Involved Is It To Change Front U-Joint On 96 Jeep Cherokee 4WD?
It's not a U joint it's a CV joint.... Buy a haynes manual for your vehicle and it will tell you all about it in the troubleshooting section...How Involved Is It To Change Front U-Joint On 96 Jeep Cherokee 4WD?
idk about the u joint but my jeep was making the same noise and it turned out to be the tierod... i hope this helpsHow Involved Is It To Change Front U-Joint On 96 Jeep Cherokee 4WD?
If you're sure it's the Ujoint in the axle it's not too hard but it is a good deal of work. First remove the tire, brakes, then the hub, open the differential cover and remove the axle retaining clip and slide the axle out. Then you can press out the u-joint and press in the new one and reassemble. Pretty straight forward and if all goes well maybe 3-4 hours I'd guess. You can get hand operated u-joint press kits from harbor freight tools for about $20 and it'll do the job. Or find someone with a shop press. Definitely get the Haynes manual it'll have pictures. Double check the tire rods and make sure everything that has a grease fitting is greased and that may solve your problem.
Anyone who thinks a Cherokee has a CV joint in the axle doesn't know the first thing about solid front axles.
