Jeep Commander Differential Mount Replacement

This video will show how to replace the top differential mount bushing in a Jeep Commander or Jeep Grand Cherokee

[@finnishfatman]

Why are people always doing it like this... at first I thought this was the way to go, but then I went to this mechanic who literally used 1 hour to change all of the front end bushings, without removing wheels, axles... anything other than front driveshaft and the bushing bolts. He just rotated the whole thing downwards and the bushings were easily accessed like that. Switched them and put the whole thing back together. This method just seems like 100% waste of time, compared. And mind you, he said he'd never worked on any Jeep before that one, since there's a Jeep dealer/shop in my town that usually takes care of Jeeps, but apparently they had one of these wasted-time mechanics who didn't know anything about Jeeps (he literally didn't know what the issue was when I explained it to him...). So yeah, waste of time to remove wheels or anything really =) That mechanic was pretty good at addressing the situation and work with it (he browsed the underside of my Jeep WK, which is same as commander, for few minutes before starting to work).

[@jonriver]

yes, this is the easier way for sure. I don't think they thought about it but this way also works just more work

[@finnishfatman]

@@jonriver Yeah. And to be completely honest, I've done some unnecessary work in the past and quite surely will do in the future as well :D Many issues could have many ways to approach them and in the end, it's the outcome that matters really.

[@jabsage155]

Matthew thank you so much for taking the time to make this video much appreciated very informative so keep making your videos thank you

[@jasonbrown1237]

Love the video buddy, thank you for posting it

[@aldee3018]

hi saw your video and just wanted to let you know that you don't have to remove the cv joints or even bring down the diff. all you have to do is use two transmission stands also disconnect the drive shaft and once you've taken out the bolts that hold the diff in place you disconnect the harness for the electronic diff just let the stands hold it in place and then lower it just past where the bushings bolt in and flip the diff over now they are at a point where you can work on removing the bushings more easily. you can use strap to make sure the diff stays in place over the course of the bushing replacement.

[@ericwilkes238]

I was looking for that video .

[@Stevielinguine]

Facts?

[@jjohn662]

Thank you for posting!!

[@lulundb]

Very nice presentation

[@Giorobot]

Thanxs man excellent video I was very irritated caz i couldn't pull it out am a decent skilled mechanic but you thought me something new

[@Reptilven]

thank you, now I know what is that noise and what is my mechanic talking about.

[@rickpelland3768]

Very cool, subbed

[@robertmatejka8306]

Krásny vlčiak...

[@slickmouf879]

You're going to be replacing them every year or two if you don't put the heavy duty polyurethane bushings in by Jeep perf. They are in Cairo Egypt and they're what everybody runs on their Jeep commanders they sell the regular duty polyurethane ones but those only last about 3 years make sure you get the heavy duty ones that are used with lifts. If you don't believe me look on the Jeep Commander forum or the Jeep Commander Facebook page everybody swears by these bushings and they last a whole lot longer than the factory OEM black rubber ones. Hope this helps I went through three sets of black rubber ones with my 5.7 hemi before I even got my lift whenever I put my lift on I put those heavy duty polyurethane bushings from Jeep perf on there and they are still going strong three and a half years later haven't had to replace them anymore. It will make the differential a little stiffer but you won't have to replace them as often and they will stay in the test of time. They are orangish red

[@lstruggy]

How much for the polyurethane ones from Cairo Egypt? and what’s the estimate labor for this job? Have 06 jgc Laredo 3.7 v6 just hit 211k and I get that this noise also

[@lstruggy]

Bro if I go to my local mechanic what’s a fair price quote for this work done I have the bushings already

[@3DTwinkies]

Am I to assume this is about the same as the jeep grand Cherokee 2001? It makes a loud clunking/screech sound when changing from d to r. Or back.

[@finnishfatman]

If you don't drain the diff, will it leak from the right hand side, or just from the left? Also, is there any way to do this without dropping the diff (as in keeping the axles where they are)?

[@yael717]

for me the difficult thing was to put the oil on the differential if you have a video or any exam it would help me

[@Anomaly369]

Is there pros and cons about removing the cv axle I herd they can get stuck or is there a trick in this video looks like they just pop out

[@tisoy909]

I have dropped my front diff without disconnecting the knuckles struts from the lower control arms. Might have saved some time.

[@akaredcrossbow]

Did you have to remove the axle nuts to get the cv axles back in to the differential? Thank you!

[@Shrek_2452]

Nice job , you made it look easy. I so need to get mine done. What do you think a job like costs ? Would you recommend an upgraded bushing , maybe polyurethane?

[@audiophiliac1221]

If you do it yourself it will only cost you the price of the bushing and 2 qts of gear oil. At a shop it would cost $500 - $800. First time I ever did it I believe it took me about 6 hours. I have always used MasterPro bushings because its safe to assume the bushing will last another 100k miles. If you are planning on lifting it and doing some serious off roading I would recommend an upgraded bushing set for sure.

[@D-RAIL_oOIIIIIIIOo]

@@audiophiliac1221 can this be done without draining the diff oil?

[@lstruggy]

@@audiophiliac1221 just curious what happens if I don’t replace mines?

[@yerwrng]

You took apart half the front end ? ...why ? All you need to do is put the jeep on a couple cheap ramps remove the drive shaft and the 3 mounts then the pinion can be swung straight down witb shafts still in the differential . I prefer leaving the diff in since the tires are still holding the jeep up not jack stands .

[@jhitt79]

If the bushing let’s go, can you drive it home if you only need to go a few miles or does it need to be towed? I’m thinking about buying one that needs this repair done and I don’t feel like towing it.

[@lstruggy]

Updates?

[@jamesspears2635]

Thank you, I have an 07 with the same problem. Can you give me an idea of what I can expect to pay for this job ?

[@Mark-wp4lw]

Labor alone, maybe $300-$400ish. My advice would be to have a shop do them all, not just the front, and purchase the good aftermarket poly bushings that many websites have and if you leave it up to the shop, they'll just replace them with OEM shitty parts and charge you as much for them as the poly ones cost.

[@byronhoda7564]

Mine is the 4.7 and just broke today while driving on the highway. Felt like it was going to throw the front driveshaft. How long did it take from start to finish?

[@lstruggy]

Was everyone ok? Sounds like a serious stuff to take care of did u get it done and estimate?

[@johndeloach503]

How can I replaced a stripted 8mm bolt

[@sergiodalessio1350]

where can I find aftermarket bushings for the Commander?

[@josejoe3972]

Creative Steel, Jeeperf, to name a few

[@tjrs4147]

I have an 05 JGC with the same set up underneath im having a problem with it not moving when put into gear. When it is in drive the front drive shaft is spins which it shouldnt, so im thinking the problem is in the front diff, but what. Any suggestions.

[@pieterh69]

Did you get it figured out? Im having the same problem with my '08 Jeep Commander.

[@tjrs4147]

Pieter Holloway

[@tjrs4147]

Pieter Holloway No havent had any luck so far i had it towed to shop and of course its working like nothing is wrong, have u found the issue?

[@pieterh69]

@@tjrs4147 I replaced the CV Shaft almost two weeks ago and it's been working just fine. Turns out the splines on the very tip of the shaft where it goes into the diff were worn down just far enough that the diff couldn't grab it perfectly. So I would recommend pulling out your CV shafts to inspect them. Otherwise, check the gears in the diff for wear

[@alfredovera8836]

Can you fix my ???

[@digitalzeta1975]

How did you know that you had to change that part? Was it making noise?

[@audiophiliac1221]

loud clunk in front end when you put it in gear

[@Mnhajaj]

@@audiophiliac1221 is just a clunk when shifting P to R/D or does also cause clunking going over bumps ?

[@dmlong47]

mine would klunk in slow traffic only when goin 5 to 8 miles and hour or slowing down on a turn and then hitting the gas... though it was my trans mission the whole time

[@jeffl1944]

If the fucking thing was bolted to the diff it would be easier lol