HOW TO: Old Man Emu 2" Lift Installation Write-up With Pics

60207 Views 12 Replies 2 Participants Last post by a49erFan, Aug 22, 2008

AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · Aug 21, 2008

Parts List:

Front Springs OME991
Front Struts N188S
Rear Springs OME993
Rear Struts N190

Installation Instructions for Old Man Emu Lift Kit for 2006-2009 Jeep Commander

Tools Needed:
1. Strut Spring Compressor Kit. Available for rent at most larger parts stores.
2. Air or electric impact wrench. Necessary for turning of spring compressor kit.
3. Impact Socket set, both Metric and Standard. A regular socket set will work, but you will need some deep sockets.
4. Large hammer
5. 2 Ton Jack or larger, with the most lift height you can find.
6. Minimum of 2 Jack Stands for vehicle support.
7. Grease; any type will do.
8. Protective Gloves.
9. Eye Protection.
10. Two large screwdrivers or other tools for prying the strut clevis open.
11. Cut off tool.

Please examine entire instruction booklet before proceeding with installation!!!!!

Make sure you don’t start till you have the required jack stands. The vehicle will have both tires off the front and off the rear at the same time. In the event of hydrolic jack failure, support is needed to protect your vehicle.

Section 1: The Front

The first half we will be doing is the front. This is usually the most time consuming part.
1.First pop the hood, and disconnect the negative terminal of the battery.
2.Locate the coolant reservoir, and disassemble.

This is held to the vehicle by 1 plastic nut that is removable by hand, and 1 bolt.

3.Move to the other side of the Vehicle and begin to remove the fuse and relay boxes. There are no bolts holding these on, only the tricky little tabs that you use a screwdriver to release. Be patient with these, and don’t force them, as that can cause the brittle plastic to break.

Set them aside to reveal the plastic shroud that they mount to. Then that needs to come off. These steps will reveal the 4 nuts and studs that hold the strut to the body.

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #2 · Aug 21, 2008 (Edited)

Driver Side Strut Nuts:

Passenger Side Strut Nuts:

4. Loosen the lug nuts on the first of the front tires, Jack up, and remove tire.

Support that side of the vehicle with a jack stand. Repeat other side (Order doesn’t matter)

Get your tools ready for the next steps. You will need all mentioned at the beginning of this document.

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 21, 2008 (Edited)

5. Begin on whatever side you want. The first step is to remove the front sway bar linkage from both sides. You only need to remove the bottom bolt.

6. Next, remove the bolt and nut that hold the strut fork to the swing-arm.
7. Once that is removed, you can now remove the nut that holds the ball joint in place. It may be necessary to hit the stud in upward motion to separate the A arm from the hub assembly:

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 21, 2008 (Edited)

Once broken free, it will look like this:

Ensure that there is minimal stress on the brake lines to avoid costly damages.

8. Use the hammer to begin working the strut fork off of the old strut. This will take some force to get it off, but it will eventually break free:

Broken Free:

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 21, 2008 (Edited)

9.Now it will be easy to remove the strut assembly. Have 1 person wrench the nuts off the studs in the engine bay, while 1 person holds the strut assembly from falling on the brake line.

Old Strut VS. new Strut:

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #6 · Aug 21, 2008 (Edited)

Now I will explain how to disassemble the strut assembly for those that want to do it themselves. It is possible to take your old struts and the new parts to a shop and have them assemble them for you for a small fee (one call offered $15 per strut).

10. Follow the directions provided with the spring compressor to slightly compress the spring. Not a lot of tension is needed to remove it, because it is already under some tension.

11. After the spring compressor is secure and compressed, use a socket and impact wrench to remove the top nut from the threaded shaft of the strut. The shaft may spin, but with a high speed impact wrench, we had no problem.

****It is very important to make sure the spring compressor is firmly in place. Before completely removing the nut, make sure there is not a lot of tension on the upper stud plate. If there is, depress the compressor more to prevent the plate being projected outward.****

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #7 · Aug 21, 2008

12. It may be necessary to tap the plate upward to release it from the spring…Just be sure to tap away from yourself and others.

You will need to reuse the top plate, the yellow bump stop and the two rubber spacers that the spring rests on, so hang on to them.

Now that the strut is free, you can back the spring compressor off. Go from side to side, and be sure to allow enough room for the socket to fit between the threaded rod and the side of the spring.

13. Once the compressor is removed, it is time to begin reassembling the new parts. First install the rubber spacers as shown, and then note the direction of the bump stop.

Note the height and thickness of the of the new spring:

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #8 · Aug 21, 2008

14. Compress the new spring. Be sure to install the compressors rods so that the hex top is closest the bottom of the spring (furthest from the flat side of the spring). This will make it easier to remove the spring compressor later.

Compress the spring far enough that the top sets below the top of the strut rod when loosely mounted on the strut.

When you think you have it close, test fit the plate, and see if there is enough visible thread to start the top nut.

If there is, tighten the nut down so that there are about 3 or 4 threads past the top of the nut.

It is VERY important to make sure that the little tab at the bottom of the strut is centered PERFECTLY on the small side of the top plate. See picture for reference:

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #9 · Aug 21, 2008

15. It is now safe to remove the spring compressors. Power tools are very handy at this moment.

Also make sure the bump stop is seated inside the cup, on the underside of the top plate. If you don’t, you will hear a clunking noise every time the strut is pressed and then extended.

Repeat this process for the opposite side’s strut.

16. Now you can start to reassemble the front end. Follow the directions in reverse, starting with number 7. One trick that worked well for us on number 7 was to take 2 large screwdrivers and tap them into the slot on the strut fork. By applying pressure in opposite directions, we were able to make the opening wider to make installation easier. Another thing that helped was to apply a small amount of grease to the bottom of the strut before hammering into place.

Once all bolts are double checked for tightness, the tires are on, and there are no tools or people under the vehicle, it is safe to remove the jack stands.

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #10 · Aug 21, 2008

Section 2: The Rear

The rear is a little bit less involved than the front, but offers different kinds of obstacles to tackle. We are basically detaching all the parts that hold the axle in place, so we can flex it in one direction so much that the spring will come out without having to be depressed.

Jack stands are just as important here as the front…in not more-so.
Knowing this, and keeping safety in mind, lets get started…

1. Jack up one side of vehicle, and remove tire. Place jack stand under axle, closest to the pumpkin. This is done because we will be lifting the other side higher than the jack stand.

This shows the articulation of the axle needed to remove the spring. Once fully jacked up, the axle should clear the stand on the left. Don’t do this yet, because you must remove some parts first.

2. Remove the bolt that holds the linkage for the rear sway-bar, and do this on both sides. Then remove both old shocks (weather you will be replacing or not). It is always a good idea to put the bolts back in their holes so you don’t loose them.

With those parts removed, it is time to start jacking up. Refer to the picture from #1 for jack placement. Jack the axle up as high as the jack will let you.

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #11 · Aug 21, 2008

3. Once the jack is as far up as it can go, go to the opposite side, and see how easy it is to remove the spring. It may be helpful to have one person try to lift the vehicle with a foot on the hub, while the other trys to shimmy the spring out.

If this fails, it is possible to take a shortcut to the next step before you remove the spring.

4. Grip the yellow bump stop with 1 hand and pull towards yourself till it comes off. If the spring is not yet removed, use a screwdriver to pry it out.
Next, take a socket with an extension and remove the bolt and cup shown below:

If the spring is still installed, you can remove the cup to make it easier to take the spring out. (Same for reinstallation of cup):

Installing the rear spring:
-Set the rubber spacer on top of the spring .
-Put the yellow bump stop inside the spring so it can be installed after it is set.

-Slide spring into place and make sure the rubber is flat and flush to body.
-Slide the cup through the spring with one hand as shown.
-Just like taking it out, Re install the cup and bolt so the spring, and rubber spacer all line up.

Hold the bump stop in place and use leverage to pry into the cup that you just installed.

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AJGuy84

Discussion Starter · #12 · Aug 21, 2008

6. Install the rear shocks after the springs are completely installed. Make sure to install the wider part of the shock up, so that it can protect the seals from the elements better.

7. Level out the vehicle/axle, so it will be easier to install the rear sway bar. You may need to use the hydraulic jack to raise the axle up to align the eye with the hole to install the bolt.

Once the bolts are all tightened, and double checked for proper fitment, install the tires.

Check for tools and extra parts under the vehicle and remove the jack stands.

Stand back and marvel at your new, awesome lift kit, because you are DONE!

Take it for a test drive and listen for weird sounds. Likely sounds will be a clunking sound from the front or rear.

Possible causes for sounds:

-Front bump stop is not inside the cup on bottom of stud plate.

-Front sway bar linkage is not tight enough. This may periodically need to be tightened. You will know when it needs it, because you will hear it.

-Rear shocks are not installed tight enough, and are rattling around in their brackets.

-Bushings could be failing (not related to lift, but still a possibility).

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a49erFan

· #13 · Aug 22, 2008

This thread was created as a "HOW TO" thread, for discussion on this mod please go to the following link:

http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5714

If you have an idea for a "HOW TO" thread please PM me.

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