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Great American Jeep Rally is September 15th in Ellington CT. Who's going?
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Aug 11, 2012 21:32
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commissargribb posted:$900 is the limit of what I can spend. What is this? '91, 4.0/AX-15, no frame behind the rear shackles, driver's side floor & rocker comprised of steel plate bolted over crash damage and rust.
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Aug 11, 2012 21:39
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kastein posted:Great American Jeep Rally is September 15th in Ellington CT. Who's going? I'd really like to but I'm pretty sure this is dead smack in the middle of my september drill. Yup- it is.
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Aug 11, 2012 22:09
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Were I back in NE I would, unfortunately I'm still in El Paso/Ft. Bliss.
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Aug 11, 2012 22:21
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http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/doing-right-rear-bumper-swing-out-build-1316921/ This looks loving awesome.
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Aug 12, 2012 02:21
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I was hoping those of you versed in Jeep repair could give me an honest opinion. To be short: two years ago my uncle purchased a 160,000 mile 1996 XJ for $500 as part of a "mechanic's special". It was actually at a mechanic's shop and was up for sale from an owner abandoning it there. A kid owned the Jeep and managed to snap the bolts leading to the engine mounts, so my Uncle was able to extract the snapped bolts from the engine and mount everything back up. A new distributor later and the XJ ran just fine. He took it off-road a few times and then it sat, unused, for the better part of two years. After bugging him enough about it, we transported it over to my house. Giving it a thorough cleaning I thought the exterior was doing well enough that it would be worth stripping the interior out, giving the floors a coat of truck bed lining and just have a fun, functional off-road truck that could serve as a winter beater. Going into it I know that it needs new hard brake lines running to the rear, a new muffler, and a new power-steering pump as the old one has seized (despite the seized pump the engine starts and runs just fine. The 4.0 is a loving BRUTE and gives no poo poo about the seized pump, it just chose to power through it and skid the serpentine belt). A few days ago I was checking the body out and sort of remarking to myself that it was a relatively solid beast despite living in the Northeast for its entire life. Maybe a quarter-Sockington of rust at max. Not half bad, right? But today I got under the thing to take a look at the state of the under body, checking the "frame rails" or whatever they're called that's part of the uni-body. That's when I looked at the foorboards. "Funny", I thought, "That's the weirdest looking undercoating I've ever seen."  Except it wasn't undercoating. That's the pad of the carpet.   I know that aftermarket companies make floor pans for XJs. Hell, Parker Steel is right down the road from me and they sell them for $68 a piece. I also happen to own one of these:  And it does a fine job at repairing stuff like this. However, from you Jeeping die-hards (or those of you "fortunate" enough to run into this before) what do you think of replacing the floor boards? The passenger side rear also has a hole, so I'm assuming all four need replaced which should run me about $280 for the parts. Is it worth it? Would I be better running the $500 special to the junkyard and get $500 in scrap from it? Before I get any further into this thing I'm trying to look at it from a pragmatic standpoint. It's not like I have $1500 into accessories or upgrades, or a glorious Dana 44 up front and Ford 8.8 in the rear. The thing's about as stock as it can get. The chassis and engine are old, and honestly the vehicle's going to spend the majority of the rest of its life bouncing through the Pennsylvanian back-woods. I'd say the only upside to this so far is that the frame rails look solid except for the part touched by the brown cancer. Any opinions or advice from people who've been here before would be greatly appreciated. (I apologize for the poo poo pictures but it's basically pitch black out here right now and I was guessing where the camera was pointed).
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Aug 12, 2012 02:51
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It's gonna be a wheeling jeep? gently caress it, throw new floor pans in it, redo the rear with stop signs, license plates, or 16ga from Home Depot (the contours are nowhere near as annoying to duplicate), make it pass inspection, and wheel the gently caress out of it. Hell, I wheeled my 96 for an entire year with floors way worse than that (holes in the same spots, but basically 2 feet long and 8 inches wide, I could see daylight between the plastic kick panel trim and carpet), and it was great, because I simply didn't care what happened to it, I knew it was on its way to the junkyard next anyhow. Scrap's going nowhere but up, you won't care about scratching this one up, and you can get a few hundred out of parting it out before scrapping it and after having fun with it, then get another hundred or two for the shell at the scrapyard. 96 is a bastard year so some things are annoying, like the fuel level sender is unobtainium, but otherwise they're fairly solid. 8.25 or 35 out back?
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Aug 12, 2012 03:48
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If I could loving weld I'd never haul a jeep to the yard.
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Aug 12, 2012 04:05
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kastein posted:96 is a bastard year so some things are annoying, like the fuel level sender is unobtainium, but otherwise they're fairly solid. I appreciate the information. What else is bastardized about the '96? I know that Jeep officially did not produce the Wrangler that year in preparation to the switch to the TJ, so I just thought the XJ would be holding everything constant from '95 and before. Also, no clue as to what's in the rear. I'm guessing a 35 but I haven't had time to look at the diff cover. I've been concentrating on clearing the squirrel nests out of the engine bay and tearing the moldy carpet up. I'll let you know tomorrow. Godholio posted:If I could loving weld I'd never haul a jeep to the yard. Yeah I hear you. I just gotta be honest, I have no welding ability, which is why I wanted to try screwing up on superficial crap on an off-road Jeep first. I just wasn't sure if this level of rot was "too much". Looks like it's staying here!
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Aug 12, 2012 04:26
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hmmm... things changed on a 96. Interior: all 100% the same as a 95 with only the most superficial changes. Significant changes from 96 to 97, though. Exterior: same. Drivetrain: * transfer case rear output design changed between 95 and 96, new design isn't quite as good for an offroad rig but installing an SYE makes it exactly the same as an SYE'd 95 and earlier. * first year of the new belt routing and power steering pump / tensioner setup - a significant improvement. Instead of having to loosen 3-5 bolts under the power steering pump and then break the tensioner bolt, you now only have to loosen one easy to reach bolt before breaking the tensioner bolt. * first year of the returnless fuel system with the fuel pressure regulator at the pump. * first year of the steel valve cover. More annoying to replace the gasket, but on the up side it doesn't fail as often. * first year of the 29 spline 8.25 rearend - only in very very late builds though, almost all 96s have either the dana 35 or the 27 spline 8.25. Electrical: * ECU is the first year of the OBD-II JTEC (jeep truck engine controller) which is somewhat of an improvement. OBD-II is supported to the bare minimum required by federal law for a 96 model year vehicle. * almost all sensors are the same electrically but got new plugs. Stupid, and makes replacing parts annoying, because some were changed mid-year. Always check the shape of the plug and the shape of the pins (flat vs round) before buying the new part. * fuel level sender assembly is a single-year part that is pure unobtainium on the aftermarket, anyone who says they can sell you one will send you a 91-95 unit that won't fit or work. Dealer or no dice - or get one from a junkyard in the south with no rust on it. * first year of the new 10 blade improved cooling fan - last year of the old style connector for it. * first year of the new fusebox design - a significant improvement. * first year of the downstream O2 sensor for cat efficiency monitoring. * first year of the MAP sensor being mounted on the throttle body, a minor improvement. * last year of the TCU being easily bypassed for manual control of transmission shifting (with no check engine light issues.) * last year of the old-style gauge cluster with individual wires for each gauge signal, which significantly eases swapping a nonstandard engine in without aftermarket gauges. * almost all connectors and wiring harnesses change, so really only a factory service manual will set you straight. I have one if you ever need info from it, because I used to own a 96. Fuel/air/exhaust: * first year of the fuel pressure regulator at the pump, last year of the metal gas tank. This results in the sender assembly being impossible to find. * first year of the round-peg exhaust hangar/bushing at the transmission crossmember. Also, first year of the downpipe being welded to the cat, instead of having a 4 bolt flange connecting the two together. Basically the fuel level sender and the electrical are the only real gotchas. The rest will bolt up one way or another, you just have to know what years to pull parts from and be careful when ordering sensors. Hell, you can bolt a 97-01 plastic fuel tank in and wire up the pump with no problems if you can't find a 96 sender, that's what I did. My fuel gauge didn't work right after, but it didn't work before either, fuel gauges are like politicians. aaaand that's enough jeep spergin' from me for a bit. Not sure I got everything covered, there are probably a few minor changes I forgot about in there. kastein fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Aug 12, 2012 |
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Aug 12, 2012 04:57
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That jeep is fine. Just booger weld what ever realestate signs you can steal from around town and then wheel the loving thing. XJ's with no floors are no big deal. As long as the unirail exists I say they're good to go.
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Aug 12, 2012 14:32
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Hey guys, I'm in the market for a new Jeep. My current is a '92 Sport with 5-speed, but I got an injury at work that precludes me from driving a straight drive with any alacrity anymore and I'm wanting a little upgrade after it was broken into and my stereo was stolen. I have a family friend who owns a small dealership and he's willing to help me out by purchasing one out of area for me. I'd prefer black or that dark green, '99 to '01. What I'm seeing in my price range is mileage in the 150k area. Interiors mostly look alright, don't care about leather or electric seats particularly, just something comfortable that isn't already ragged out. Full disclosure: my current Jeep isn't 4 wheel drive. I know..but I had to have a vehicle and the deal was alright. Anyway, rust is eating away at the spring perches on the front and rocker panels and on the one hand I'd love to give it to a good home, but doubt anybody would really want to deal with a 2 wheel drive, so will probably wind up parting it out at a later date. I'm loathe to "upgrade" to something with more miles than mine, but mine also has alot of years and the crappy southern Virginia winters under it's belt and I don't have the know how or the equipment to do right by it at the moment. After having to buy what I could afford instead of what I wanted, I'm willing to "compromise" on this Cherokee. I'd had my eye on a 2004 WJ with the 4.7, but I just can't realistically buy one right now and I love the Cherokee anyway, so yeah..should I really be wary of dropping 3500 on a jeep with 150k on the dial or what because that seems pretty par for course these days.
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Aug 12, 2012 20:30
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Installed a new ignition coil in the Cherokee to eliminate the CEL. Whoever decided switched from cheap wires to a $105 coil is a loving bastard. Took it for a pretty rugged drive to make sure it was indeed inflicted with Death Wobble before I spent the time swapping the steering damper. Got it up to 65mph and I got make one good shake out of it. Hit a few potholes on purpose with the same result. She's driveable as far as I can tell so I'm going to proceed with the trade in tomorrow without loving with it anymore.
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Aug 13, 2012 02:21
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My favorite thing from this thread so far is the word "boogerweld."
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Aug 13, 2012 17:38
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Astonishing Wang posted:My favorite thing from this thread so far is the word "boogerweld." See also: "birdshit".
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Aug 13, 2012 20:45
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I have a lift question for you guys. I'm looking to put a little bit of a lift on my 07 JK and I'm told for this sort of thing you get what you pay for. So with that in mind, I think I have settled on an Old Man Emu 2" suspension lift. Any of you guys know anything about it? I've read that its a great quality, but its a touch pricey and I wanted to be sure I'm not overpaying for the name. Also, it has the option of selecting a light duty spring set or a heavy duty spring set. They are the same price, but I don't know what the difference would really be. Any thoughts on that? Here's a link for some specifics: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16090_02X2_PG.htm
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Aug 14, 2012 00:12
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Crawled my JK over some cars on Saturday... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KIc4SLNNrI 4" Teraflex longarm kit, 5.13 gearing, 37" MTZs. (Bumpers are on order, waiting for 4mo now). Bonus pics not including crushing cars...I don't have many super awesome action shots, because I'm the one who likes to take pictures, and I'm also usually the one driving when those things are happening. flexing at Hollister SVRA  at the top of Signal Peak near Fordyce, CA 
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Aug 14, 2012 00:17
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kastein posted:A crap-ton of awesome information. Seriously, this is great information. Thank you very much! The rear axle's an 8.25, thanks for pointing it out. I got a few more pictures of the interior of the XJ. The floor panels look bad but the seat mounts and such are okay.   I could stand to weld some additional medal across a few of the supports as the metal bracket that you bolt the rear part of the seats into is looking weak and has a rust hole in it.  The only other thing I'm worried about is the lack of metal in the passenger side under the door jamb. Not sure what the hell I can weld the floor pans to there, so I'm probably going to have to get some sheet metal and burn it in there somehow.  Or be manly man and throw a slab of 2" x 6" steel in there and call it a rocker panel. You're all absolutely right - I can't scrap it. Not when the exterior is still respectable like this after a light scrubbing from 2 years of sitting under a bunch of trees out in the weather.  Also WAY TO GO PREVIOUS OWNER:  (Excuse the massive pile of poo poo in the trunk, forgot to take the picture before putting it all back in.) Sheet metal screws and silicone ahoy. Bonus points for going through all that trouble to put the metal in and seal it, yet not loving paint the metal at all for rust inhibition purposes. A can of krylon wouldn't have killed you, bro. Also, wood screws to hold in the plastic trim, very nice.
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Aug 14, 2012 04:53
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I went with 2x4 square tube on mine. Looked almost stockish when painted.
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Aug 14, 2012 10:45
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Pirate 4x4's topic of the month on boatsides and sliders. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=707178 Or you could just cut it out and but in a square tube. Seriously, that XJ is far from dead. Cheapo mig and you're good to go.
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Aug 14, 2012 12:41
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Make sure none of those screws went into the gas tank! I would go with 2x6, it keeps your doors a little further from trees/rocks. 1/4 wall if you want to never worry again, you can dent 3/16 or 1/8 and it's only about 20lbs lighter for both sides IIRC. Rather than trying to save those seat mount brackets while redoing the floors, you can buy them new for quite reasonable prices. I'll look the part numbers up later if I get a chance.
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Aug 14, 2012 16:38
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Ace of Space posted:So with that in mind, I think I have settled on an Old Man Emu 2" suspension lift. Any of you guys know anything about it? I've read that its a great quality, but its a touch pricey and I wanted to be sure I'm not overpaying for the name. Also, it has the option of selecting a light duty spring set or a heavy duty spring set. They are the same price, but I don't know what the difference would really be. Any thoughts on that? Great quality, a touch pricey as it's imported from Australia. Stock vehicles should run LD unless you plan to haul heavy loads regularly. If you have armored or plan to armor the hell out of it with aftermarket winches, bull bars, skids, and bumpers, HD will deal with the additional weight. If you pull up the application guide, it usually (but not always) lists the additional weight ranges where they recommend HD.
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Aug 14, 2012 20:20
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Help me goons your my only hope! So a few days ago while driving I had alot of steam coming from under the hood and a horrible squealing noise. Luckily I got the Jeep home and after a look under the hood I found that all of the coolant had pissed itself away. I put some water in the reservoir and turned on the engine, it immediatly squirted all over the place from the water pump area. I couldn't see exactly where it's leaking from but I'm assuming the water pupm is buggered and needs replacing. I've watched some vids on youtube and instructions elsewhere and think I can do this myself (mainly for financial reasons). I plan to order a new pump from autopartswarehouse.com However my experience in these things is limited, I'd have to do the work in an underground parking garage and my tools are also limited. I don't have a torque wrench or breaker bar so what are my chances of doing this job without loving up? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Edit: Its a 2003 Jeep Liberty Sport 3.7
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Aug 14, 2012 20:24
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Purple Gromit posted:Help me goons your my only hope! You NEED a torque wrench if you hope to put the water pump back on correctly. And get a repair manual of some kind, there's a pattern to follow when torquing the water pump back on so that it sits correctly (and doesn't crack as it's made of cheap, brittle cast metal).
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Aug 14, 2012 21:07
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Make sure you don't reuse the belt, too.
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Aug 14, 2012 21:50
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Stick the old belt under the drivers seat as an emergency spare. Saved my rear end once, though I did get lucky because I had the tools to change it with me. A cheap toolkit for emergency use isn't the worst investment either.
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Aug 14, 2012 22:12
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Molten Llama posted:Great quality, a touch pricey as it's imported from Australia. Do light duty springs tend to be softer/less stiff?
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Aug 14, 2012 23:54
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Thankd for the replies. As luck would have it Canadian Tire have a Torque wrench for $50 this week, so it looks like fate is telling me to give it a try. I've got a socket set and it looks like my shopping list is 1/2 inch torque wrench some RTV new belt coolant water pump Am I missing anything? One quick question, some of the water pumps say they are for "VIN K" and some dont. Is there a meaningful difference there? This is after selecting the make, model and year of my Jeep on the website. e.g. http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/s...ngs+Best+Seller
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Aug 15, 2012 01:17
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Get a gasket to go on the water pump, don't just goop RTV on it and hope it holds (it probably won't). If you have trouble maneuvering the pump on with the gasket in place, use a very thin strip of RTV to hold the gasket on the pump.
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Aug 15, 2012 01:58
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The water pumps I was looking at come with a gasket, the rtv is going to be extra. That's what the guides I am going by recommend.
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Aug 15, 2012 02:18
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A gasket scraper will make life easier, and not the razor blade holder kind. I like to hit the mating surface with a bastard file if the gasket was particularly stubborn. I like to replace hoses while I'm in there too. You've got to yank them off half the fittings in the first place, the coolant's already drained, and if they've never been done they are almost 10 years old at this point. Hose clamps too, those are cheap. A 1/2" drive wrench is probably not the best idea. Water pump bolts should be less than 30ft-lbs, probably in the 15-20ft-lb range. A 3/8" drive would be a better bet. I like to use a beam-style 3/8" torque wrench: good accuracy, good price, and a good fit for a starter toolbox.
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Aug 15, 2012 02:54
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I use a brand of RTV sealant called "right stuff" for all my water pump needs. Its a little more expensive than regular RTV, but its much more tacky and less messy, does a great job of holding the gasket in place during install. Dont forget to 'burp' the cooling system. i dont know if the liberty had a bleeder screw, some cars do. Similar to brakes, air can get trapped in the cooling system when its drained and refilled. I have my own way but it might not be 'safe' to explain it to a first timer, so look online or in your shop manual for the coolant bleed procedure.
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Aug 15, 2012 03:06
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You guys really bust out the torque wrench for water pump bolts?
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Aug 15, 2012 05:06
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I've noticed a lot of AI is pretty proud about their torque spec practices. Yeah, you want to evenly tighten anything with a gasket and RTV to ensure a good seat, but IMO if youve done enough of them you should know when its tight enough and when tighening it more will strip threads/crack parts. Then again this was recomendations for a newbie water pump install, so he might need the spec to ensure tight enough/no damage. Raw_Beef fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Aug 15, 2012 |
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Aug 15, 2012 05:32
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I work in aviation so I torque spec EVERYTHING 
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Aug 15, 2012 05:50
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Professor Awesome posted:I work in aviation so I torque spec EVERYTHING As well you should. If aviation tech work was done at the same general standard as auto, that statistic about flying being the safest way to travel wouldnt be true for very long i imagine. Not that im a slipshod hack or anything, but you know what i mean, we've all seen some awful work on cars that just barely made it into the shop. Planes like that make the 6:00 news. In a field. Of fire.
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Aug 15, 2012 06:04
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fps_bill posted:You guys really bust out the torque wrench for water pump bolts? I torqued my Mazda's oil drain bolt to 8 ft./lbs. like the service manual says.  I'm probably due for a water pump, thermostat, and hoses on my XJ soon. Are there any tricks or gotchas with the 4 liter engine?
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Aug 15, 2012 06:09
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commissargribb posted:Do light duty springs tend to be softer/less stiff? As I understand it, the physical difference is in spring rate. But yeah, the end result is that the heavy duty springs can ride like a buckboard if you don't actually have the appropriate added load. The light duty springs are set up to ride and handle similarly to stock.
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Aug 15, 2012 08:05
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mod sassinator posted:Are there any tricks or gotchas with the 4 liter engine? Apparently, they require a certain level of abuse or they get bored.
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Aug 15, 2012 12:46
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| # ? May 22, 2024 09:30 |
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I've been planning on selling my XJ to get a 5.9 Limited '98 Grand Cherokee for car towing and off road abilities, but recently stumbled upon a 2002 Dodge Durango 5.9 R/T for under 5 grand and it seems like a pretty good deal. I'm having a hell of a time finding out what kind of 4WD system is in the Durango though. Does anyone know if it shares any parts with its Jeep siblings? I can see that it has a 4Hi and 4Lo lever, but does the system mimic Quadra-Trac or Quadra-Drive? Or is it something entirely different? Or anyone have any experience with Durangos in general?
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Aug 15, 2012 19:13
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