[[email protected]]

I want to upgrade some weak components on my jeep. I have a 2000 tj and have read that tj's are known for having weak u joints. Is this true? If so what joints are reasonably priced and are of good quality? Also what other parts are known for being weak links and where should i start. I got my jeep with 60K miles and it now has 75K. I am worried that i will be out on the trail and something is gonna break. Again where should i start?

 

[4Jeepn]

I want to upgrade some weak components on my jeep. I have a 2000 tj and have read that tj's are known for having weak u joints. Is this true? If so what joints are reasonably priced and are of good quality? Also what other parts are known for being weak links and where should i start. I got my jeep with 60K miles and it now has 75K. I am worried that i will be out on the trail and something is gonna break. Again where should i start?

Your u-joints are fine. Tell us more about your jeep and what it has on it.

 

[bluvikng]

go to your local auto/parts store, and get a couple of extra u-joints to keep with you when you trail ride. With the guys and gals that I have wheeled with, they usually break an axle, pretzel a tie rod, twist up a steering knuckle, and that is about it. But it never hurts to have a spare u-joint. Just wheel it till it breaks, then fix and replace with stronger components.

 

[[email protected]]

I have a 2000tj with 31inch procomp mt's with spare, hi lift, intake. Nothing to extreme. I use it everyday, so dont want to go overboard. The reason i was asking was because i read an article once in 4 wheeler about tj's and certain weak links associated with different years. I think the 2000 model was known for weak ujoints and a couple of other things that go out regularly but can't remember what. This was the reason i was asking. One more question and this is off the topic but here goes. Does ya'll know where i can get a cheap trunk box for behind the seat? I dont care if its used either. Thanks fellas...

 

[bluvikng]

I does know, Quadratec sells them for under the rear seat. Is that the one your looking for? Check out this site, they have them for under the seat, and behind the seat, and every place else imaginable.

Here is the link: https://www.quadratec.com/products/product_search.php?pg=2&cn=Consoles,+Security+&+Storage&c=88

 

[JeepCrawler98]

Your u-joints are fine - in fact they're the same part for all years of TJs. The weak point if you go four wheeling is usually the tie rod, and it's a good idea to isntall some diff armor and rocker guards as well if you haven't already - a little extra protection is all a Jeep really needs if you're gonna wheel it near-stock.

 

[SurfnSnow]

Your u-joints are fine - in fact they're the same part for all years of TJs. The weak point if you go four wheeling is usually the tie rod, and it's a good idea to isntall some diff armor and rocker guards as well if you haven't already - a little extra protection is all a Jeep really needs if you're gonna wheel it near-stock.

So true. I've seen 2 bent tie rods on the trail and I'm saving up for the Currie steering system. I know you can get the big daddy tie rod for around $80

 

[Blwndr83]

I have a 2000 TJ and my u-joints are bad. My husband works at autozone and is going to get us new ones.

 

[1BLKJP]

If you wheel it often then it's a good idea to start having spare parts. I've just recently picked up a whole set of front inners and outers to carry with me and I'm going to pick up some rear shafts next.

As David said the TJ ujoints are fine. The problem that usually happens in that case is that ears on the axle shafts start to weaken which allows the ujoint caps to come loose and cause failure. However I would say that not many people that break a ujoint on the trail also don't take out the ears on that shaft also. This is why it's not too smart to put high dollar joints in the stock shafts. If you get some chromo's or something then yet because they can hold up. Of course axle wise having a Dana 35 is going to be the weakest link of your drivetrain.

Another good idea would be to have just a couple 1310 ujoints for your driveshafts. They aren't necessarily a weak link, but it's something that can fail.

Another failure point can be your control arm brackets. These can have a tendency to tear on you.

Also as others mentioned the tie rod/drag link assembly is not the strongest in the world. Replacing it with a Rock Krawler, Currie etc... is the best way to combat this breakage. I believe guys also will swap in a Grand Cherokee tie rod in place because it's stronger.

Other than that and some good armor to protect the expensive things your jeep is pretty resilient to failure and most of the OEM parts have lasted you 75k miles so far so replacing them with new OEM parts should net you at least that much time out of them.

Regular maintenance is the key.

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for all the responses. One question i do have is where do ya'll keep all these spare parts, where your on the trail? As far as the box BLUVIKNG has shown us yes i have seen these before ans yes they are what im looking for but 120.00 is way to much for that little thing. I was just curious if anyone else found some sort of junk yard or website where you can get these at like 50.00 used. Or if anyone has fabed something similar? Thanks again.

 

[SurfnSnow]

I don't carry any spare parts. My thinking is this, if it's weak it'll break, and that's the time I'll upgrade that part, but a little of preparedness doesn't hurt either. Meaning if I have the money, I'll upgrade the parts to hopefully hold up to the wheeling I'm doing at the time. You have to think about how hard you're going to wheel your rig, because if you're going to wheel it hard then there are other things to upgrade along with the u-joints

 

[bluvikng]

Thanks for all the responses. One question i do have is where do ya'll keep all these spare parts, where your on the trail? As far as the box BLUVIKNG has shown us yes i have seen these before ans yes they are what im looking for but 120.00 is way to much for that little thing. I was just curious if anyone else found some sort of junk yard or website where you can get these at like 50.00 used. Or if anyone has fabed something similar? Thanks again.

My friend that carries everything with him that I was telling you about, has a locking retangular box that he got from TSC (Tractor Supply Co.). He took out his back seat, and installed one of these. It fit perfectly between the wheel wells. He got the black one.
http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=3&paID=1020&sonID=759&page=1&productID=17569

 

[JeepCrawler98]

I carry all the tools I need to fix ANYTHING on the Jeep (though they may not obviously be the optimal tools - they would get the job done). In addition, I carry spare u-joints, TRE's, and depending on the trail - axle shafts. I also carry the basics such as RTV, JB weld, ductape, bailing wire, several ratcheting straps,e tc. The tool box itself is not as big as you would think - it's about as wide as the tub of the Jeep, and about 12" deep and about the same tall. Carefully packaging what goes where can really shrink down on the size of things. The box I use is a military suprlus rocket box - which you can get for about 20 bucks. They're tough, AIR tight, and with a fresh coat of non-*******/drab-green paint, such as a hammered finish dark grey, look great. Locks can be added easily, and you can bolt them to your floor as well.

One thing I SHOULD carry but really dont is extra fluids - I just hate the mess they make, and they never come in good sturdy containers. 3 quarts of coolant, 4 quarts of engine oil, a big jug of gear oil, 2 quarts of auto tranny fluid for the t-case along with 4 quarts of syncrhomesh for a temporary fix on the AX-5 = shitload of fluids. Add in the suggested backup of 5 gallons of gas and 1.5 gallons of water per person per day and it's just too much.

If you have a steady group you wheel with - you can coordinate who carries what. One guy can carry half of the tools, another the other half, another spare parts, and another some more (by that time you're at a crew of 4 - you really don't want to go any bigger on a hard trail). One of the benefits of wheeling with vehicle similar to you is that parts are interchangable. Remember that with most of the four-wheel-drive suggested 'bring along lists' is that they're HUGE and cover any type of situation in any type of terrain; they almost have you bring the kitchen sink from your home. Over time you can start to trim down a bit once you know what you need - depending on your driving style and the type of wheeling you do. If you keep your vehicle in tip top shape and only go wheeling when things work right you're not gonna be blowing up any engines or cracking your frame in half. If you keep a responsible foot - chances are you won't blow up your tranny and t-case either. The stuff to prepare for is that the things that commonly break; I wouldn't bother rebuilding an engine on the trail, just strap it out (wheeling with a small group is MUCH more important than how many jeeps you can build from scratch out of the back of your trunk for this reason)