Jeep Thread: Mine smells like gear oil!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Jeep Thread: Mine smells like gear oil!

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

tonedef131 posted:

OP, why can't anyone spell Comanche right? When I am searching for parts on ebay I have to spell the name of my truck wrong to get any search results. No one on the internet can resist putting two "M"s in there.

Must be a bitch when you need to do work on you're breaks. :v:

# ¿ Feb 16, 2008 01:00

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 23:12

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

ZippySLC posted:

Now, reading the JK forum, I've found that people are having issues with the swaybar disco not reconnecting. I haven't tried it on mine yet (oh, yah, I bought an Unlimited Rubicon the other day) but I'm sure it's probably broken on mine as well. It's a Jeep thing...

I've seen a good design where the lever arm on one end is attached to the torsion bar using an old manual locking front hub. I'm sure you could easily rig up an electrical system if you wanted a dash push-button activation.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2008 01:37

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

wolrah posted:

It is certainly amazing what people will try to tow with their little cars.

Clearly with a properly set up vehicle towing a trailer weighing more than your vehicle is fine, pretty much any tractor-trailer rig or dual rear wheel pickup towing a large fifth wheel falls in to this category, but those are typically being driven by people who know how to tow, properly load their trailers, and don't drive like idiots.

Compare this to the average person who hitches up a U-Haul trailer to their daily driver...

I've had to explain to many friends why it's not a smart idea to tow much more than a few ATVs behind pretty much anything FWD. They immediately come back saying that's why they got a SUV, then I have to explain how their CR-V or Highlander is a really tall car and if they wanted to tow RWD and a solid rear axle should have been priorities.

Interestingly, because of when I passed my driving test (after mid '97), UK law won't let me tow anything heavier than my tow vehicle (Trailer max laden weight must be less than tow vehicle kerbweight), and I'm restricted to a total rig mass of 3.5 tonnes (only exception is if the trailer's under 750kg, in which case I'm allowed 3500kg plus trailer). To go outside these limits, I have to take an additional test, which raises my licence limit to the "old" one (7.5 tonnes, trailer mass > vehicle mass allowed).

I can understand why they do it (to stop the aforementioned towing idiocy), but it's bloody irritating to have to sit down and work it all out if I want to tow something, and doubly so given that it's the trailer's maximum laden weight, not it's actual weight that counts - so if I have a trailer with a 2-tonne capacity, I still can't tow it with my 1.6 tonne 4x4, despite it only actually carrying a tonne or so at the time.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2008 22:48

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Tossed_Salad_Man posted:

While I'm looking here is a D35 uh oh.

Honestly, what's with the whole semi-floating axle thing? Why not use full-floaters? There was something about the semi-floating rear axle on my SJ, with the wheel mounted on the brake drum, which was mounted on the halfshaft flange, that made me go :gonk:

# ¿ Jul 1, 2008 23:45

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

spiralbrain posted:

LIES!

Seriously, like someone else mentioned, the Jeep is THE most off road capable vehicle that comes right off the production line. The only thing that comes close is the FJ.

*In the USA.

quote:

I like to compare it to going out and mountain biking (because the two sports share some similarities). Know the vehicles limits, know your limits and you should be fine.

My technique for both seems to involve randomly hitting bits of terrain and saying "dude" a lot.

# ¿ Jul 2, 2008 18:40

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

spiralbrain posted:

Yes The Defender is pretty badass. But throw me a decision between a 2008 Rubicon and a 08 Land Rover Defender and its a hard choice.

In terms of "I want to go off-road", which is the sense in which I meant, yes. But in terms of "I have to pay for it out of my own pocket and daily-drive it", the Jeep has a real advantage, especially now there's the LWB version. Though the base model is CRD/manual only, and the Rubicon is V6/auto only, which seems a bit backward to me.

Hmm, the Jeep USA site lists a RHD Wrangler as a standard model, and it undercuts the UK base model by $16,000. Interesting...

VVVV: My posts tend to be very :britain:

-flavoured. Yeah, the UK Rubicon is petrol/auto only, in a country where the majority of serious offroaders swear by manual 'boxed diesels. What's that about? :confused:

InitialDave fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Jul 2, 2008

# ¿ Jul 2, 2008 22:41

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

spiralbrain posted:

Can you get the defender in a stick??

**Interesting tidbit, the engine that is in the new defender is also out of a minivan!! haha!!

Defender is manual only unless you go for an aftermarket conversion, and the only engine is the Ford diesel - It's from a Transit, which is more a normal panel van than a minivan, and with the anti-stall system is apparently very, very good.

# ¿ Jul 3, 2008 00:10

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Jack_Handey posted:

Guess what guys, I killed a 4.0 today. I loving hydrolocked it and threw the #1 rod straight out of the oilpan. Anyone want to buy my Jeep for parts?

Actually, we're mostly wondering how the other five cylinders are running.

Also, The Happening was hilariously bad.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2008 19:18

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Scrubed posted:

Bleah, it's a bumper and I really don't off road or rock crawl much. No need.

What is this word "need" of which you speak, and why is it of any relevance to whether you purchase upgraded Jeep components?

# ¿ Aug 24, 2008 23:57

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

SNiPER_Magnum posted:

Obviously fake because otherwise it would be driving straight up the side of the mountain.

That sounds like the Land Rover ad where they showed a 90 winching itself up the face of a dam.

# ¿ Sep 9, 2008 18:17

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

spiralbrain posted:

If Jeep made a hybrid wrangler (X, Rubi, whatever) that used a diesel engine, I think a lot of people would be all over it. How long have Jeep enthusiasts been begging for a diesel engine from the factory?? (I mean in the US) *sigh*

I expect Jeep to be getting a lot of correspondence that basically boils down to "Sell us a J8 you cuntmonkeys".

# ¿ Sep 27, 2008 00:59

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Legitimate posted:

Well, I'm about to go do this, and could use some feedback- basically is this a crazy idea:

Buy the Lexan at the Home Depot in town, I'm not going to get the expensive version used in race cars for this cheapo project. Use butcher paper to draw a template then overlay it and cut out with say a dremel with cutting bit? I also have a jigsaw. Then, I was going to drill the holes for the upper hinges on the roof. Thoughts?

Are you buying Lexan (polycarbonate) or Perspex (acrylic)? You really want the former, it'll be a lot more durable. A metal-cutting blade in a jigsaw should cut it just fine.

# ¿ Nov 15, 2008 01:05

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Gavitron posted:

I've got a stupid question; when you're that deep in water, does the cabin fill up too? While I'd love to ford a 3' river, I'm loathe to flood my jeep. (At least until it's 5 years old, and line-x'd)

If you've got a bit of a bow wave, it creates a trough behind the bumper that helps stop you filling the engine bay or interior with water. See how the level dips down near the door? It takes a certain amount of time for the water to get past the door seals etc anyway - get stuck any you'll slowly find your feet getting damp. And this is not fun.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2008 21:44

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

I just found out that Tamiya are bringing a YJ Wrangler model back into their RC range, this time on their CR01 rockcrawling chassis, to supplement the 40-Series Toyota and Unimog models already available:
http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=58429

# ¿ Dec 13, 2008 23:50

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

xopher.white posted:

Can someone post a pic of what the gently caress a pizza cutter style wheel looks like? Yes, I GISed it, but I get a variety of results, including kitchen implements. Also, can you post a wheel source saying that they sell pizza cutter wheels?

It's kind of subjective, but it basically means a thin tyre, like the Land Rover standard 7.50R16, or a 33" tyre that's only 9.5" wide, as opposed to a big fat flotation tyre.

# ¿ Jan 11, 2009 23:40

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

jonathan posted:

Also, can anyone describe the mechanical principle behing remote swaybar disconnects ? I'm failing to envision a sturdy reliable mechanism to achieve this.

It's like the vacuum front axle disconnect: The bar is in two pieces, and a solenoid-activated splined collar links the two together or separates them when you push a button. There was a big thing when they first cam out with people buying up spare ones from dealers to go on older Jeeps, because the parts inventory had the entire assembly listed for some ridiculous price (like $80) by mistake.

I've seen someone make a very neat manual one using a manual locking front hub on one end of the bar. Googling has shown that Skyjacker do this for their Rock Lock anti-roll bar.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2009 14:57

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

grzydj posted:

Also, is there a way I can permanently engage the hubs by moving the lever over manually? I would imagine that'd cause some driveline drag, but I can't imagine it'd hurt anything. The old beast only sees a few thousand miles a year anyway.

http://www.4x4posi-lok.com/app_jeep.html

# ¿ Jan 18, 2009 21:42

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Rvrnd. Riot posted:

I'm planning to test drive this tomorrow:

http://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/1007707144.html

What say you guys? Good deal if it runs well?

Can't you get Wranglers for this kind of money in the US?

# ¿ Feb 19, 2009 23:25

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

I actually think the Wranglers are more appealing myself, that's all.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2009 00:19

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

BigKOfJustice posted:

Its nice, I thought it was a J8 at first, but all the guys turning normal vehicles into "military" style vehicles tend to go a bit overkill on the army markings. [ie. no step everywhere, etc].

Does the US not paint the rear diff cover? A lot of UK military stuff (e.g. Landies) have a white diff with a convoy light aimed at it for night manoeuvres - all other vehicle lighting is switched off, and you just follow the dimly-lit diff housing of the truck in front.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2009 23:19

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Doctor Zero posted:

Of course, this means that I'll have to drain and drop the tank to even see what the problem is. It doesn't look too hard. Anyone who ever swapped fuel tanks have any tips?

Yes (though not on a GC). They're heavy, awkward lumps of metal to manoeuvre when you're under the car, but it's perfectly doable. An extra pair of arms will help.

I think you're right about rust, perhaps from packed dirt holding moisture on the surface. My friend's Toyota leaks around the flange where the filler pipe attaches, as corrosion has pushed the seam apart so the rubber seal doesn't. Something like that where the pump fits sounds likely, and probably wouldn't affect the performance of the pump.

# ¿ May 22, 2009 16:12

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

BigKOfJustice posted:

Did jeep ever release a diesel wrangler? Or was it just the liberty/cherokee?

Yeah, we get the 2.8 CRD here in the UK.

# ¿ May 23, 2009 14:51

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Tossed_Salad_Man posted:

Red or blue loctite? don't say red, don't say red.

If you can figure a way to target it without setting everything aflame, heat helps.

# ¿ May 28, 2009 22:47

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Sits on Pilster posted:

The battery cables on my truck have been increasingly unreliable/corroded lately. I'm talking about me randomly having to take them off the battery and roughly polish using sandpaper or one of those cylindrical wire brushes in order to get my truck to start. Considering it's 19 years old, spent most of its life in Hawaii (salty air) and likely has the original cables, I was thinking about replacing them.

Is this a relatively easy/fast do-it-yourselfer? I don't have too much free time but could probably find one afternoon this weekend.

It's an extremely easy thing to do, but make sure the connection points are all clean as well. In fact, you could well find that just cleaning up the connections on the motor end and all the earths as well as the battery posts could solve the problem without new cables.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2009 13:41

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Valgarv posted:

Tempted to go buy one of those pre-done wiring harnesses. Wtf do I do now?

Either run an ignition-switched live from elsewhere, or splice the switched and permanent together so it's always on.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2009 23:27

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Tossed_Salad_Man posted:

I imagine the later. Do I just call a locksmith and say I want a key made or what?

A lot of the automotive lock barrels I've seen are rebuildable with any combination of tumblers (actually shaped rings), spacers etc. If they're like that, a shoebox of old barrels and plenty of time will let you make up any set you want.

# ¿ Sep 1, 2009 23:00

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Philip J Fry posted:

They were still made in China until 2005 and I've seen a handful of them imported here in the US.

But yeah, I don't get what he's trying to say either since XJ's have always carried their spares internally due to the hatch design.

I think he wants an external wheel carrier because he doesn't want or can't fit his spare in the back, and because of the hatch, he wants a bumper-hinged one. Range Rover Classic owners have similar problems.

There are off-the-shelf rear bumpers with wheel carriers available. It's just a question of how much you're willing to spend.

# ¿ Oct 1, 2009 21:39

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

GanjamonII posted:

Thought Id post a quick follow up on the noise.

If it quietened down with the rear axle rebuild, then it probably would have needed doing at some point anyway, even if a large proportion of the noise was from the front. Seeing as they're doing you a good deal on the pair, I wouldn't get too wound up about it, as it's costing you less overall than it would otherwise, but I agree, it would be worth asking "Are you sure? Could you double check?" questions next time something like this comes up.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2009 11:12

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

incredibull posted:

It's because you're not a "professional". You'll never run into this on the trail, but average people seem to think that if you're not screwing them at $150 an hour, you're going to break their car and leave them stranded. I had one stuck person turn me down last year for this very reason.

Yeah, but to be fair, I've met quite a few people who honestly don't know how to safely use their recovery equipment, so their concern is somewhat valid.

You should be careful, though, TSM - I know you're experienced enough to effect a proper recovery, but don't forget that the towing eyes on road cars aren't really up to the same standard as those on a 4x4. Even doing everything perfectly, you could well cause damage if the car's got itself properly hooked up on something under the snow.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2009 16:33

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

ManicJason posted:

Is the front driveshaft still powered when the t-case is in 2wd, just with the axle disconnected? Does the vacuum disconnect the hubs or something magical of which I am ignorant in the pumpkin?

Ok, your vacuum disconnect is a half-arsed way for them to implement free-wheeling front hubs. With the t-case in 2wd, there's no drive to the front propshaft, and so the axle is turned by the wheels, rather than the wheels being driven by the axle. Seeing as this adds rolling resistance, it's a minor fuel consumption increase, and you can get rid of it by making the front hubs rotate freely of the halfshafts, so it's just like a 2wd front end. Instead of doing this, the vacuum disconnect effectively "breaks" one halfshaft, so that side isn't driven by its wheel - while the other side is, it should in theory just spin the planet gears inside the diff, rather than rotating the entire assembly and the front propshaft. It's not quite as good as locking hubs because it's not a full disconnect and can be failure-prone, but on the other hand manual hubs mean getting out the truck and auto ones don't always switch instantly. 50/50, really.

With the truck not wanting to go back to 2wd, this is really common - with the slight difference in axle rotational speeds going around corners etc, the difference in propshaft rotation front and rear has to be resisted by the t-case keeping them locked firmly together in 4wd mode. When you put it back in 2wd, if the mechanism has this "wind up" jamming everything together, it really won't want to come apart. It happens in most part-time 4wd systems, and normally if you just back off the throttle as you shift the t-case, it'll make it a bit smoother as the torque transferrals through the drivetrain change. If it's really stuck together, stopping and going into reverse for a few feet as you shift should do it.

You can get a similar thing with the centre diff locks on permanent 4wd systems. It's nothing much to worry about, but a good demonstration of why you shouldn't use 4wd on high-grip surfaces, where you never get wheelspin to relieve the built-up internal loads.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2009 13:03

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

giundy posted:

I'll follow that up with this dumb question, the marks on my front hubs have warn off, which way do I turn them to lock and how do I know they're locked?

You know, I couldn't actually tell you for sure, as I don't own a Jeep, so I don't know which they use, but the freewheeling hubs I've seen, and the ones fitted to vehicles I have owned, have been clockwise to lock, anticlockwise to free off.

Simplest way to be absolutely sure is jack up a wheel with the truck in 4wd, and try to turn it. If you can, it's free, if you can't, it's locked.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2009 22:35

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Doctor Zero posted:

I guess that extra 2" makes a world of difference. I'm 6'2" and feel okay in my WJ. Either that or you have some seriously long legs. Sorry it didn't work out.

No, when you've got a bit of an rear end on you, it pushes you forward in the seat a bit, which means you encounter legroom issues a skinnier person of the same height wouldn't. Same with having big thighs that get uncomfortably close to the steering wheel.

I definitely have more "effective" legroom in cars now that I've lost weight, even though my height hasn't changed. I used to find it a complete pain if a car had a centre console that curved around the driver, as I couldn't sit with my legs slightly splayed (think the traditional Fiat driving position) to clear the wheel. Supposedly bigger cars, with more luxurious interiors, were often less roomy for me than small tinboxes with fewer accoutrements.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2010 20:23

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

WildFoxMedia posted:

Maybe instead of be so quick to sell of the Grand Cherokee I should focus on losing weight, cause you know, that whole not being fat thing would be awesome in addition to having more room.

I took my sweet time to decide to lose weight, but once I got into it, I actually found I enjoyed the challenge, and I've changed my lifestyle a hell of a lot.

I'm not going to fill up a car forum with weightloss crap, but look into low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets. Eat small meals of 2-300 calories every few hours. Drink as much water as you can cope with. You can probably trust (most of) Watch & Weight to offer good advice, but they do give people poo poo if they think they're going to be half-hearted about things or completely ignore what they say.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2010 21:07

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Tossed_Salad_Man posted:

http://www.quadratec.com/products/p...r+Hi-Lift+Jacks

Look everyone you can bling up your Hi-lift so they can find all the brain matter and teeth stuck to it when it kills you. AND it will look really nice mounted on your casket.

The treaded "foot" doesn't seem such a bad idea, but the rest is just :ughh:

You could probably just chrome plate the thing for less money than buying those bits anyway.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2010 14:55

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Tossed_Salad_Man posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Nv_4ZEtm0

GODDAMN

Hahaha, excellent use of fiddle brakes!

With the addition of a perspex panel and a castor of some kind, he could probably drive like that for quite a while.

VVVV: I was wondering that too, though I guess if the pickup's near the back of the sump, it'd still be submerged.

InitialDave fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Feb 12, 2010

# ¿ Feb 12, 2010 16:07

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

jonathan posted:

What kind of tires are those ? They look kinda like those narrow Interco tires, LTB's or soemthing.

Simex, or a copy thereof. They're the off-road tyre of choice for extreme use on this side of the Atlantic.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2010 00:25

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

They also seem to last a ridiculously long time from what some people report.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2010 23:32

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Rhyno posted:

As for the driver's speaker wires, pretty much every Cherokee owner I know has had his driver side speaker fail on him. Mine's been out for 3 years.

It's probably because that's the door that gets opened most, so you're more likely to have a wire either break or short out.

# ¿ Mar 20, 2010 17:00

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

sanchez posted:

Can you make the ABS come on with dry pavement? If so, brake upgrades won't do anything for you.

It's not all about instant stopping power. Even fairly lovely brakes will lock the wheels up. But try doing it twice...

While rear discs really don't add a great deal to your stopping power, they do have an advantage for 4x4s in that they don't collect gloop inside them like drums can.

PBCrunch, your first stop should be checking that your braking hardware is in good condition in the first place. No point in worrying about upgrades if you've got grooved discs, lovely pads and ancient brake fluid running through a leaky system that's full of air.

# ¿ May 20, 2010 22:45

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 23:12

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

trouser chili posted:

As they get older the Jeep understands the need to begin self-lubricating it's chassis. This prevents rust.

You can always spot people new to the world of Land Rovers when they look at part supplier adverts and ask "Why would they sell just the rear half of the chassis?"

# ¿ Jun 14, 2010 19:52

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