JT4x4
The Mud Pit => Wrenching => Topic started by: kirksjeep on July 05, 2009, 01:52:13 AM
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The XJ "refurbish" is going ok, but has given me a few problems. The first was simply getting the oil filter off. I tried two strap wrenches, punching a screw driver though it, and eventually got it off by beating a few notches in the edge of it and tapping it off. The rubber seal was smashed on their pretty good. The valve cover gasket is a lot different then the one on my YJ, it took a while, but no problems. The spark plugs were ok, but the coil rail was a PITA to deal with. The transmission fluid, transfercase fluid and rear diff all went pretty quick.
The coolant change had a little surprise for me. Since the radiator is not the original, I am guessing that at one point the P.O. poured some stop leak into the over flow tank??? I found a 2" thick gunk at the bottom of the over flow. I ended up pulling to over flow out and scraping out as much as I could and then rinsed it out until it was clean. I used compressed air to blow the lines clear.
Next up is front and rear shocks and all new brake fluid. After that I'll save the worst for last with the front axle U-joints. So far it looks like the P.O. had the fluids changed. The worst looking was the brake fluid, it looked like oil.
I still have the interior, stereo, "new" rims, and some exterior work. I sold the beater Jetta today for $250 so I have a few more $$ to fix up the XJ.
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seems like a lot of work, but seems satisfying.
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good luck bro, sounds like you got yur werk cut out... and i saw it...!
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Today I knew I wouldn't have much time to work on the XJ since I promised my kids I would take them to Sub Fest (bracelt day). I decided to tackle the rear shocks and 10 minutes into it, I had snapped all four of the upper shock mount bolts :'(. I did a little searching on JeepForum and I guess it is pretty common. I just knocked out the welded nuts with an air chisel and picked some new grade 8 nuts/bolts/washers up from Home Depot on the way home from Sub Fest. I Fished some bailing wire through the holes and out the access slot, attahced a bolt with a washer on the wire and pulled it back out the hole. After I put the shock in place I slid anouther washer on and then a nut. On the drivers side the access to the top of the nut is longer then any wrench I had so I used a pair of channel locks to hold the bolt end while I tightened the nut. The passenger side is easier and I could get a wrench on the bolt head.
It was a pretty easy fix for a OH SH** moment ;). I also tried bleeding the rear brakes to get some fresh fluid down to the wheel cyclinders, but the brake bleeders are gummed up. I pulled them out and they look pretty bad. I'll go buy some new ones tomorrow.
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i've had those rear shock bolts snap more then once. it really is common. g;ad the fix is pretty easy huh?
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Those rear upper shock mounts are a pain. I've broken mine off too, but I just cut two holes in the rear flooring and put them in from the top. I put a hinge on both sides so I can open them back up if the need ever arises again.
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Those rear upper shock mounts are a pain. I've broken mine off too, but I just cut two holes in the rear flooring and put them in from the top. I put a hinge on both sides so I can open them back up if the need ever arises again.
The cutting the hole in the floow was the back up method and the way I would have went if this wouldn't have worked. The idea of the hinge is a great idea I would have never though of that. I just put monroe gas matic shockes with a life time warranty so hopefully they will last a while, unless it gets lifted some day ;).
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I put a hinge on both sides so I can open them back up if the need ever arises again.
unless it gets lifted some day ;).
you mean UNTIL :P
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Today I kncoked out the front shocks, steering stabilizer, drained the front diff and pulled the drivers side shaft. I was working on getting the old U-joint out when I had to stop becuase the guy is comming by to pick up the Jetta. My pile of parts is down to 2 U-joints and some diff fluid. After the Jetta is gone I'll be headed back out to try and make more progress.
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Yesturday I waited at the DMV for almost 3 hours to get temp tags and when I got home I got the drivers side axle shaft in and did the passenger side too. I used my spare shaft from my YJ since it had a new U-joint in it, and I was tired. I filled the front diff and took it for a test drive. At about 60 MPH I have a vibration out the the left front, so I am thinking a tire balance and an alignement are probabaly needed. The engine has a lot of power left and the tranny shifts smooth. After ridding the Liberty for 7 years, the XJ feels more like a truck the the KJ.
I still have a lot of work to do, but atleast I can drive it to work when it rains. I am on the look out for some 30x9.50 AT's. I was going to find the matching 225/75/15 BFG Long Trail, but one of them has a pretty good slice in the tread and another is showing some cracking. I might settle for some 235/75/15 AT's if the price is right. New they are about the same price.
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already looked around alot. u can only fit 235's on there.
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I found these same tires and these are the rims I picked up. Just imagine this Jeep in Green, w/o the roof rack, and more dinged up.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t69/Brendan2717/Jeep%20in%20action/100_1758.jpg)
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already looked around alot. u can only fit 235's on there.
Jeep Forum and Jeeps Unlimited both say you CAN run 30x9.50x15 tires, but BFG AT's and MT's are known for rubbing the front sway bars. The Goodyear GSA's ( A.K.A. the Get stuck Anywhere tires) are rounded and if the front turn stops are adjusted there are no problems. The pic above is w/ 30's and NO lift.
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well then im gonna go kick the guy at sears in the nuts cause he and a few other ppl have told me i couldn't run 30's. then again it could because i have flat leaf springs.
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well then im gonna go kick the guy at sears in the nuts cause he and a few other ppl have told me i couldn't run 30's. then again it could because i have flat leaf springs.
Places like Sears will only install stock size tires, or maybe one size up. Some places will install a bigger size if you already have that size on your Jeep. Our Liberty has a 2" lift and when we go get tires I have to take them out in the parking lot and show them that 31's will fit. I had to sign a statement last time saying that the tires I purchased were not the recommended size and I could not return them for being the wrong size.
Do you really think the guys that work in Sears are Jeep experts? No, they look in a little book and if the book doesn't say it will fit then they tell you it wont fit.
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thats true.
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already looked around alot. u can only fit 235's on there.
30x9.5 fits stock i put 30x9.5 geostar radial at's on my 87 bone stock with even saggier springs then yours. with the offset of your rims they will rub the control arms.
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I took the XJ for it's first longer drive today( about 120 miles). I spent a few hours yesterday fixing the "no buS" guage issue, which is when the the ABS light and Check engine light come on, all the guage needles stop working and the odometer just says "no buS". I cleaned all the contacts, slightly bent the pins for better contact and put it back together. It all seems to be working. I also found that the rear main seal has a moderate leak, which will need to be fixed at the next oil change. Hopefully I can get the "new" tires and rims on the Jeep Sunday.
It still needs a lot of TLC, but it is getting there.
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the rear main is an easy project, just don't let it go to long, oily messes suck when you have to work under the truck.
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Today I put my 30's on, and wow they make the XJ look a lot differnt. The Rear are all the way under the flairs, and the fronts stick out about a 1/2". It rides a lot better with balanced tires, no more vibrations ;D.
Tonight I pulled the front bumper off, straightened it the best I could and bent the mount back into place. I also heated the the drivers bumper cap and got most of the dent out of it. I sprayed the the passenger side bumper cap with some bumper black paint, and got about half the drivers side one done when I ran out of paint. I managed to spray the edges, so all I have to do is mask it off, but it can be done on the truck. It is now looking like a $2K XJ ;D.
While at Walmart I picked up a fire extinquisher, after seeing Roger's friends ZJ burn down I thought it was a good idea. I need to find a good place to mount it, but like Roger I am thinking about screwing it into my Sub Box. I am also looking into how to make the cubby in the right rear usefull. On the Liberty they used a bungy net and I am thinking of doing the same to my XJ.
I bought some Bars Leak rear main seal fix, just to get me through until I do my next oil change. If it works I'll let everyone know, becuase I know we have a few guys that need a rear main seal. I saw it on Trucks today, and since it is guarnateed not to clog, I decied to give it a shot.
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on quadratec they have a sub box that goes in that cubby.
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kirk btw the harley got sold to buy the house.... i know sucks but shit happens..
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on quadratec they have a sub box that goes in that cubby.
Yea, but for a budget ride I am going to use the sub I have already and use the cubby to keep some small stuff in.
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kirk btw the harley got sold to buy the house.... i know sucks but sh** happens..
Sounds like you made a good decision. It would be nice to have both, but if I had to choose I would have made the same choice.
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kirk btw the harley got sold to buy the house.... i know sucks but sh** happens..
Sounds like you made a good decision. It would be nice to have both, but if I had to choose I would have made the same choice.
Having a yard and the space for my kids is more important right now, I'll downgrade to a sportster probably next spring.
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kirk btw the harley got sold to buy the house.... i know sucks but sh** happens..
Sounds like you made a good decision. It would be nice to have both, but if I had to choose I would have made the same choice.
Having a yard and the space for my kids is more important right now, I'll downgrade to a sportster probably next spring.
Sporsters are chick bikes ;). Look for used touring bike, like a Road King and sell the idea to your wife, since she will be able to join you for rides and be comfortable. It worked for me, and then I bought a Solo seat. ;D I also had to get a passenger pad, but most of the time it's just the Solo seat.
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kirk btw the harley got sold to buy the house.... i know sucks but sh** happens..
Sounds like you made a good decision. It would be nice to have both, but if I had to choose I would have made the same choice.
Having a yard and the space for my kids is more important right now, I'll downgrade to a sportster probably next spring.
Sporsters are chick bikes ;). Look for used touring bike, like a Road King and sell the idea to your wife, since she will be able to join you for rides and be comfortable. It worked for me, and then I bought a Solo seat. ;D I also had to get a passenger pad, but most of the time it's just the Solo seat.
http://www.zippersperformance.com/catalogue/showproduct.asp?cat=865&prod=2063
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The Bars leak rear main seal stuff, did slow the leak a little, less mess in the driveway and I havn't had to add as much oil, but it did not seal completely. It might work better for a smaller leak. When I get back from my motorcycle trip to Milwalkee, I'll start the rear main seal project.
I think I found my electrical problem to the rear hatch (rear wiper, defroster, electric lock), the harness from the body to the liftgate is torn a little and inside I can see atleast 3 broken wires. I started wiring my amp, and if I can get to it, I'll try to fix those too.
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I started wiring my amp, and if I can get to it, I'll try to fix those too.
ahhh priorities...
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I managed to get the amp/ sub installed and I think I fried the amp. It worked great and then I herd the alternator hum for a minute and then nothing. It was an old amp that was in my Jetta and subjected to the moisture of my leaking trunk. I'm going to trouble shoot a little, but I really think it is fried. If so, I'll be looking on craigslist for a small amp.
I also fixed the wires leading to the liftgate. I had three busted wires, both of the big ones for the defroster and one for the rear wiper. I also had two wires that had the insulation removed for the rear lock. It was a pretty tight place to work, but I managed to pull enough wire into the body to splice and soilder in some new wire. I replaced the blown fuse for the rear wiper, and now I have a working rear wiper and washer. The rear defroster still doesn't work, but I think the problem is in the switch now. It has no ilumination light and I don't get an on light either. The relay clicks, so thas not the problem. The switch is a failry common failure. I am bidding on a switch panel on ebay and right now it is still $.01 with $7.00 shipping. A new swtich is almost $30 at a dealership.
I did win an owners manual on ebay for $.01 and $7.69 shipping. All the others I have seen sell for $20 or more. I think once I get the back bumper in a little better shape (paint the ends, bang out the dents, fresh paint/clear/buff) and fix the the front seat, and the rear main seal, the Jeep would would defintly be "fair" and close to "good." In fair condition the Jeep's KBB value would be $3800 and I only have $2000 into it with all the new/used parts.
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Sounds like you're making good progress. I'm making a run to autozone at lunch to have them test my battery. For the past 3-4 days it has turned really, really slow and then picked up speed to start. It's either the battery or my starter is getting weak and it takes a few cranks for it to pick up speed and turn the XJ over.
For some reason my sub isn't getting power all of a sudden. I have it wired with the blue wire with the radio directly to the ignition so it comes on anytime the key is turned on. I need to pull the radio out and see if that wire came loose. The green power light blinks on every now and then so I'm guess the wire came loose behind the radio somehow without interupting the power to the radio.
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kirk why don't you just put on those rear end caps that i gave you off of my jeep?
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While at Walmart I picked up a fire extinquisher, after seeing Roger's friends ZJ burn down I thought it was a good idea. I need to find a good place to mount it, but like Roger I am thinking about screwing it into my Sub Box. I am also looking into how to make the cubby in the right rear usefull. On the Liberty they used a bungy net and I am thinking of doing the same to my XJ.
mount the fire extinguisher in there!
(http://i32.tinypic.com/2ex7m6p.jpg)
or better yet shove the extinguisher under your drivers seat and do the subwoofer in there
(http://i32.tinypic.com/287dok7.jpg)
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i mounted the fire extinguishers right to the c pillars in mine. easy access you just have to open the back doors and it's right there, better yet when you have the windows open you can reach right in.
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kirk why don't you just put on those rear end caps that i gave you off of my jeep?
I am, but I am going to pull my rear bumper, beat the dents out, piant/ clear/ and buff it, and then put the new caps on.
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I made a cargo-bungie net thing for the little cubbie on the passenger side, similair to the KJ. My fire extingquisher wouldn't fit in there, it was just a little too big. I ended up zip tying the mount under the spare tire, so it is easy to get to, and out of the way.
The gauges are acting up again and I think I am going to have to go to the dealer and buy new plug that was made after all of the 97-01's were having problems. The TSB says how to do it, and that it should take a dealer .6 hours for the work. It sounds like a little soidering and and that is it.
Here is the TSB- R.J. you may want to print this- it will happen to YOU
NO: 08-15-99
SUBJECT: Erratic, Intermittent Cluster Operation/Intermittent Air Bag Warning light.
DATE: May 21, 1999
THIS BULLETIN SUPERSEDES TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 08-20-98 REV. A, DATED OCTOBER 2, 1998, WHICH SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM YOUR FILES AND NOTED IN THE BOUND TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BOOK, PUBLICATION NUMBER 81-699-99003. THIS IS A COMPLETE REVISION TO THE PROCEDURE.
OVERVIEW:
This bulletin involves installing a repair harness containing a revised instrument cluster connector.
SYMPTOM/CONDITION:
Some vehicles may exhibit an intermittent illumination of the air bag warning light or an intermittent tachometer or speedometer drop out. An Airbag Electronic Control Module (AECM) fault code -"No Cluster CCD BUS " message will be present.
DIAGNOSIS:
Using the DRB III®, read and record all active and stored fault codes in the AECM. This condition is caused by minor oxidation of the BUS circuit terminals at the instrument cluster connector. Electrical terminals will show signs of oxidation, which will appear as darkened lines or marks on the cluster male terminals. These often appear as gray or black marks rather than the appearance of oxidation or corrosion usually associated with higher current carrying circuits. This condition will set a "NO CLUSTER CCD BUS" message. The fault code will usually be stored and not active. THIS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WILL NOT ADDRESS FUEL OR OIL PRESSURE GAUGE ISSUES. If this fault code is present, either active or stored perform the Repair Procedure.
PARTS REQUIRED:
Qty Part No. Description
1 05016261AA Cluster Connector Patch Harness
1 04856975 Electric Contact Cleaner
2 04778570 Heat Shrink Tubing
REPAIR PROCEDURE:
THIS REPAIR IS COMPATIBLE WITH DAIMLERCHRYSLER'S MOBILE SERVICE PROGRAM AND DOES NOT REQUIRE HOISTS OR OTHER FULL SERVICE FACILITY SPECIAL EQUIPMENT.
Disconnect the negative battery cable.
Remove the instrument cluster using the procedures outlined in the appropriate servicemanual.
Inspect the male terminals of pins 1 & 2 on the instrument cluster connector labeled CNB (See Figure 1). The oxidation will appear as gray or black lines or marks on the terminals. If any signs of oxidation are present, remove them by gently scraping the terminals with a small flat bladed screw driver until the oxidation is gone. Use of a magnifying glass may be helpful (See Figure 2). Use caution when performing this operation. Do not apply excessive force to the terminals to avoid bending them or damaging the cluster or terminals. Do not use a sharp tool, knife or sand paper, which could remove the protective plating from the terminals. Do not use any cleaner other than p/n 04856975. Other chemical cleaners could damage the instrument cluster.
Clean the male terminals with Electrical Contact cleaner, p/n 04856975. Apply the cleaner sparingly holding the cluster with the connector facing down to avoid excessive amount of cleaner from entering the cluster.
Remove the green cluster connector from the bracket.
Using wire cutters, remove the instrument cluster harness connector from the harness. Remove only the connector containing the BUS circuit (See Figure 1). This connector is labeled CBA on the cluster. Cut the wires as close to the insulator as possible.
The new connector must be soldered onto the harness. This operation requires a technician who is skilled at soldering to avoid a cold solder joint. Position the harness and align the wires with the patch harness, matching the color codes match the main wire colors.
NOTE: THE XJ INSTRUMENT PANEL CONTAINS ONE MORE CIRCUIT IN THIS CONNECTOR THAN THE TJ. CUT THE UNUSED WIRE CLOSE TO THE CONNECTOR ON TJ MODELS.
Stagger cut the main harness and patch harness wires so that the solder joints will be 1/2 inch apart. Remove 1/2 inch of insulation from the wires. The new harness will have a dark blue with no tracer. This will mate with a dark blue wire with a green tracer on TJ and with a dark blue wire with a white tracer on XJ.
Slide a piece of heat shrink tubing over the wires and twist the wires together for each respective circuit.
Solder each circuit using rosin core solder. Be sure to heat the wire enough to allow the solder to melt when it comes in contact with wire. Do not use acid core solder.
Position the heat shrink tubing over the solder joints and shrink the tubing using a heat gun.
Install the connector to the bracket.
Install the instrument cluster.
Connect the battery cable.
Verify correct operation of the cluster.
POLICY:
Reimbursable within the provisions of the warranty.
TIME ALLOWANCE:
Labor Op. No. Time
08-90-90-91 0.6 Hrs.
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haha i'll print it out when i get access to a printer. so your gonna do it yourself vs having the dealer do it?
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haha i'll print it out when i get access to a printer. so your gonna do it yourself vs having the dealer do it?
Of course, it's just wires. My YJ has only been to a shop for the front end allignement after I lifted it, thats it. The KJ has only been in a shop for warranty work, thats it. It will most likely take me more then .6 hours, but I would doubt it would take me much more then 1 hr.
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so this is the thing i start to follow when my gauges start to take a dump correct? i shouldn't do it now just over the airbag light right? btw read in the fender flare section kirk, you might be able to offer advice there.
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There are several good rightups on Jeep Forum and NAXJA about the airbag light. Sounds like most of the time it is the clock spring, and depending on the location of the clock spring, it may be covered under a recall. Do a google search for 2000 Cherokee Recalls and see what comes up.
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There are several good rightups on Jeep Forum and NAXJA about the airbag light. Sounds like most of the time it is the clock spring, and depending on the location of the clock spring, it may be covered under a recall. Do a google search for 2000 Cherokee Recalls and see what comes up.
clock spring is mounted under the steering wheel. it's a wound cable system, like a "clockspring" that allows electricity to flow to the air bag and steering wheel for the horn and other buttons on the steering wheel to have a path of electricity where you can still turn the wheel.
doug, just pull the air bag fuse anyway. if your wheeling and you hit something hard enough, it may blow off. i've had it happen before and air bags hurt when you land on your bumper backing down a rock face to get a better line. just disable the air bag system all together.
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would that clockspring also be a reason my horn doesn't work?
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would that clockspring also be a reason my horn doesn't work?
yes
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hm.... might b onto something haha. ;D
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hm.... might b onto something haha. ;D
might b
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On my lunch break I ran over to Linder Jeep in New London and purchased an Oil Filter adaptor o-ring kit. The adaptor is definitely my biggest leaker. I also ran into Autozone to buy the shortest T-60 torx bit I could find to pull it off the engine. There isn't much room between the frame horns and the adaptor bolt, maybe 2- 2 1/2". I am going to try and knock this out tomorrow.
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i've always used a gearwrench on the hex of the torx to get those out. the ratchet doesn't fit very well.
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i've always used a gearwrench on the hex of the torx to get those out. the ratchet doesn't fit very well.
The torx I bought is pressed into a chrome piece that attaches to a socket. It looks like I could get the torx part out and them use a ratchet wrench to pull it out. I really don't know what else I would use a T60 for??? In 15 years of owning and working on Jeeps I have never needed one before this.
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i've always used a gearwrench on the hex of the torx to get those out. the ratchet doesn't fit very well.
The torx I bought is pressed into a chrome piece that attaches to a socket. It looks like I could get the torx part out and them use a ratchet wrench to pull it out. I really don't know what else I would use a T60 for??? In 15 years of owning and working on Jeeps I have never needed one before this.
gm used them for years on they're w-body cars for the front caliper brackets. there's a few more uses but i forget what they are.
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The O-ring change went surprisingly easy. I pulled the oil filter, and covered it up since I was going to re-use it. I punched the bit out of the socket and used a 10mm wrench over the bit and an old lacrosse pole over the wrench to break it loose. Once loose I used a 10mm ratchet wrench to pull it all the way out.
The large o-ring that seals the adaptor to the block was hard as a rock and completly flat. The o-rings on the bolt looked ok, but since new ones came in the kit I replaced them too. Before I put everything back on I cleaned everything real well and then bolted everything back up. I added a little oil to make up for the little bit that came out when pulling the filter off.
I took the Jeep for a test drive, to check and see how it worked. The temp gauge never even made it to 210, so it looks like the overheating problem is fixed. When I got back from the 15 min test drive, the first thing I noticed was no buring oil smell. ;) I crawled under the Jeep and couldn't find any oil leaking at all. I'm going to keep a close eye for leaks but with a little luck the rear main seal is ok and the oil filter adaptor was the leaking so much oil that it made it look like a rear main seal. I doubt I'll get that lucky, but it has cut the leak down significantly.
I also added my "Mall Crawler" sticker.
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The O-ring change went surprisingly easy. I pulled the oil filter, and covered it up since I was going to re-use it. I punched the bit out of the socket and used a 10mm wrench over the bit and an old lacrosse pole over the wrench to break it loose. Once loose I used a 10mm ratchet wrench to pull it all the way out.
The large o-ring that seals the adaptor to the block was hard as a rock and completly flat. The o-rings on the bolt looked ok, but since new ones came in the kit I replaced them too. Before I put everything back on I cleaned everything real well and then bolted everything back up. I added a little oil to make up for the little bit that came out when pulling the filter off.
I took the Jeep for a test drive, to check and see how it worked. The temp gauge never even made it to 210, so it looks like the overheating problem is fixed. When I got back from the 15 min test drive, the first thing I noticed was no buring oil smell. ;) I crawled under the Jeep and couldn't find any oil leaking at all. I'm going to keep a close eye for leaks but with a little luck the rear main seal is ok and the oil filter adaptor was the leaking so much oil that it made it look like a rear main seal. I doubt I'll get that lucky, but it has cut the leak down significantly.
I also added my "Mall Crawler" sticker.
When I get my 4wd switch tuesday, want to go out for some stock truck wheeling?? stock makes it so much more fun :D
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When I get my 4wd switch tuesday, want to go out for some stock truck wheeling?? stock makes it so much more fun :D
Sorry, trying to keep this one working. This Mall Crawler will only see 4wd when it snows.
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When I get my 4wd switch tuesday, want to go out for some stock truck wheeling?? stock makes it so much more fun :D
Sorry, trying to keep this one working. This Mall Crawler will only see 4wd when it snows.
i can feel ya on that.
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i'll do it! but it's gotta be kinda light wheeling cause i plan on either tuesday or wednseday driving it down to nj for the long trip to hawaii.
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i'll do it! but it's gotta be kinda light wheeling cause i plan on either tuesday or wednseday driving it down to nj for the long trip to hawaii.
you've already conquered all of the trails at the mall though
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true. we need another mall then.
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true. we need another mall then.
i have some nice lines through the meriden mall you can try :D
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it wouldn't suprise me.
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Today I got tired of my drivers side wiper stopping 3" too high when I shut them off. It would eventually drop all the way down, and then pop back up at highway speeds. I was hopping it was the teeth on the wiper are, but when I pulled the arms off they were fine. I ended up pulling the wiper motor and the mechanism out from under cowl. I found that the shaft that connects the wiper arm to the mechanism had started to wobble out it's slot where it connects to the mechanism. I put down two tack welds and not it works like new. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish, and now won't annoy me while driving down the road.
It's the little things that make me happy ;).
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It's the little things that make me happy ;).
I fixed the tailgate on the jimmy today. the little plastic clip that holds the actuator to the release handle broke off. some zip ties and 20 min and that made my simple day :)
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me and paul changed my tps ( i didn't have the torx bit) and now no more stumbling on the freeway ;D..... now on to the clunk noise >:(
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i told you to tighten your trans mount and it will go away.
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but that requires me to actually do work. ;D
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I ordered a Hidden Hitch today. www.carpart.com has them on sale for $100.40 and offered free shipping, but did include a $3.99 heavy item fee. I also ordered the T-connector for the lights so I don't have to hack mine up. The connector was on sale for $25, so my total was $128 and change. I have been looking on craigslist and ebay for a while and this was the cheapest I have found so far for a new hitch and about the same as a used hitch. There is one is Mystic, but it is the smaller MOPAR hitch and I would have to pull it, and she wanted $75!!! For $30 more I get all new hardware, a new hitch and I don't have to mess with anyone elses crap. ;)
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I ordered a Hidden Hitch today. www.carpart.com has them on sale for $100.40 and offered free shipping, but did include a $3.99 heavy item fee. I also ordered the T-connector for the lights so I don't have to hack mine up. The connector was on sale for $25, so my total was $128 and change. I have been looking on craigslist and ebay for a while and this was the cheapest I have found so far for a new hitch and about the same as a used hitch. There is one is Mystic, but it is the smaller MOPAR hitch and I would have to pull it, and she wanted $75!!! For $30 more I get all new hardware, a new hitch and I don't have to mess with anyone elses crap. ;)
Good deal. I'm going to albany to get the hitch for my jimmy sat. It's already off, and it's factory :D
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So the Hidden Hitch that is estimated to take 30 min to install, took about 4 hours!!!! I snapped the bolt in the passenger side nut strip, and then had to remove the bumper to repair the nut strip. Then one of the tabs for the bumper bolt snapped and had to be ground off. The two upper bolts for the rear bumper are a true PITA, they are way up inside the bumper and there isn't much room. Since I had the bumper off I decided to fix the big dents in the rear bumper. I beat the dents out as best as possble and used a litte bondo to clean it up a little. Tomorrow I'll spray the color and the clear then wet sand and buff. It should look ok from 10 ft away. ;D.
The only easy part of the job was hooking up the wiring, it was a plug in set up with the amp to power the trailer lights.
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Kirk, they write their estimates in a perfect world when everything goes right. They should automatically add 2 hours to any hitch or part that is being installed on a Jeep because something always goes wrong. You can count on it.
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The bumper and bumper caps are back on. The bumper turned out ok, not great, but better. I had a few spots where the primer didn't harden and when wet sanding the primer it peeled up like goo. The clear was still a little soft when I was mounting it, and some dirt was pushed into it when attaching the rubber strip to the back. It still needs to be wet sanded and buffed, so it might look better after that, but I have to wait another day for the clear to dry. I think the high humidity slowed the cure times.
I also found that the drivers side, under the bumper cap had been hit pretty hard. The damage isn't visible with the cap on, but the paint was chiped and it was starting to rust. I cleaned it all up with a wire brush and hit it with some Rustoleum paint to keep it from getting worse.
I also won a switch block (defroster, rear wiper, cig lighter, 12V power) from ebay for $10 with shipping. I am hoping that the defroster switch is good, since a new one is $29 at the dealer. The part is comming from NC, where they don't use the deforster as much as up here. Now I just need to win the passenger side mirror I am bidding on and I'll be set. ;)
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Good luck with the mirror.
I have a little over a day left on the auction. I also am bidding on a power steering pump bracket for a 97+ 4.0L, so I can finnaly get the new intake manifold on my Jeep.
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in the words of tim allen...argh argh argh
I won the power steering pump bracket w/ pully for $26 with shipping. The cheapest I found by calling around to the local junk yards was $50 at M&J.
Now I just need to win the mirror. ;)
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The intake swap is going on the yj?
I have an intake from a 99 XJ that is the newer design. There are a lot of write ups about it, and if you search the wrenching section from a while back you'll find the links I posted. It was dyno tested on a ZJ to give 15 rear wheel HP. Thats a pretty good gain for the $$. I picked up the intake manifold and power steering pump from a pick-n-pull back in MD, but the bracket had a slight bend in it so I passed. So far I only have $65 into it, and all I need is the intake manifold gasket, throttle body gasket and a new belt. So for under $100 I can gain 15 RWHP, not bad.
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I've been chasing some electrical gremlins in my Instrument Cluster since I bought my XJ. After lots of reading I cleaned the connections for the cluster several times and every time it would work for a few days and then the cluster would stop working again. Last week I bought a new connector that is recommended in Jeep's TSB 08-15-99. I spliced in the 10 wire connector just like the TSB called for, and it still didn't work. I posted some stuff up on Jeep Forum and all indications led to a bad instrument cluster cuircuit board, which is what I was thinking. Anyway, I bought one off of Ebay from a 99 with unknown mileage ( it was less then 1/2 the price of all the rest). It showed up today, and after a few screws it was in, and I now have gauges again!!! It has 130K on it, so I wrote down the mileage of my old cluster and the exact mileage of this one, in the event I ever sell the XJ. The gas and volt meter needles are a little sun faded, the low washer fluid light came on which is not on the 00-01 models so I pulled the bulb, and I lost the back hatch open warning which was only on the 00-01 models. Some of the warning lights are in a little different location, but no big deal. I'm just excited to have working gauges again.
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I've been chasing some electrical gremlins in my Instrument Cluster since I bought my XJ. After lots of reading I cleaned the connections for the cluster several times and every time it would work for a few days and then the cluster would stop working again. Last week I bought a new connector that is recommended in Jeep's TSB 08-15-99. I spliced in the 10 wire connector just like the TSB called for, and it still didn't work. I posted some stuff up on Jeep Forum and all indications led to a bad instrument cluster cuircuit board, which is what I was thinking. Anyway, I bought one off of Ebay from a 99 with unknown mileage ( it was less then 1/2 the price of all the rest). It showed up today, and after a few screws it was in, and I now have gauges again!!! It has 130K on it, so I wrote down the mileage of my old cluster and the exact mileage of this one, in the event I ever sell the XJ. The gas and volt meter needles are a little sun faded, the low washer fluid light came on which is not on the 00-01 models so I pulled the bulb, and I lost the back hatch open warning which was only on the 00-01 models. Some of the warning lights are in a little different location, but no big deal. I'm just excited to have working gauges again.
Kirk, your windshield washer fluid is low :P
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Kirk, your windshield washer fluid is low :P
better check the blinker fluid also.
Every time I see Andy's Jeep I remind him his windshield washer fluid is low since his dummy light is permanently on.
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It has been a while since I did any work to the XJ, but I finally won a passenger side mirror on ebay for $22 shipped. While swapping out the mirror I noticed that the electrical connection for the passenger side window and door lock weren't even connected. Since I know my passenger side door ( and the whole side of the Jeep) was re-painted, I am guessing that when the work was done they never re-connected the electrical stuff. So now I have a good mirror and it works, and the passenger side window goes down. The door locks still don't work, but I can work on that some other time.
I also didn't have passenger side running lights. I thought it was just the front, so I tore apart the front end and dash before I decided the check the rear :P and noticed that that rear light didn't work either. It turns out in some other electrical trouble shooting I placed fuse 23 ( right side lights) in fuse 24 spot (spare). :P So now the lights work too. I adjusted the head lights too, and wow what a difference at night.
The last thing I did was add OBA in the form of a $7 electric compressor on clearance at Walmart ;). It is small, but should work in an emergency.
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So the past two weeks have made me re-think the idea of buying a $1500 Jeep. First I would be driving and all the sudden the volt meter would spike to 19+ volts. I would shift into N, cut the engine and drift over to the side of the road, re-start the engine and back to normal. It got to the point where I could only drive 4-5 miles before it would do it. After some research I replaced the Alternator, which turned out to be slightly larger and required the bracket to be modified, and turned an hour job into a 2 hour job and all on a day where I had to drive back here to NH. :-[
I thought my electrical problems were fixed but then my battery would be dead after 2-3 days of not driving the Jeep. My first though was that my Alternator fried the Battery with the High Volts. After Autozone tested the battery and I found out they are all idiots there( differnt story) I eventually took my battery back home and did some trouble shooting for a short. I read about pulling the negative cable off and placing a test light between the negative terminal of the battery and the negative cable, if the light it bright there is a short. Sure enough I had a short. I jumped inside the Jeep, shut the door, and started pulling fuses until the light went out. Turns out it was the fuse for the power locks. I remebered pluging in the connections for the passenger side door a few weeks ago. I pulled the door pannel off, and disconnected the wires for the lock, and the it also made the light go off. So I found my short, my power locks still don't work, but I found my short ;)
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Sounds like you've been busy troubleshooting the XJ. I don't envy that kind of work at all. I hate electrical gemlins.
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When I was down in MD for the weekend I hit up my favorite place, the Pick-N-Pull. I picked up the interior panel for the rear hatch with handle (mine never had one), the rear hatch sill plate (mine was cracked), rubber stoppers for the rear hatch (mine were shot), rear ash tray (never had one), fuse panel door with replacement fuses (never had one), and a drivers door door check (mine was shot) all for $30. When I called around for the rear hatch panel the cheapest I could find was $50.
The new rubber stops keep the hatch from rattling and the new interior panel has a lot of insulation which has cut the road noise in half!!!! For my long drives the XJ is much nicer.
I also changed the oil/ tranny fluid and swapped out the two main ground wires for 4 gauge wires to match the stock + wires. I have no idea why Jeep used 4 gauge for the + cables, and 6 gauge for the - cables???? The headlights are a little brighter and it seems to start a little easier so I would guess it makes a difference :).
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dude my 88 xj had 30 inch hankook mts stock no problem rear hit off road but i had flat leafs my new xj fits 30s to i might through some on untill i get my lift.
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dude my 88 xj had 30 inch hankook mts stock no problem rear hit off road but i had flat leafs my new xj fits 30s to i might through some on untill i get my lift.
I have 30x9.50 Goodyear GSA's on TJ 15x8 alloys and they work fine for on road use. The GSA's are a fairly rounded tire compared to a BFG. I am still planning to lift it and throw on the 31 MT's I have waiting in the garage, but the XJ is simply a Mall Crawler.
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dude my 88 xj had 30 inch hankook mts stock no problem rear hit off road but i had flat leafs my new xj fits 30s to i might through some on untill i get my lift.
I have 30x9.50 Goodyear GSA's on TJ 15x8 alloys and they work fine for on road use. The GSA's are a fairly rounded tire compared to a BFG. I am still planning to lift it and throw on the 31 MT's I have waiting in the garage, but the XJ is simply a Mall Crawler.
haha i remember you saying before no lift, now there's a lift? hm..... i see another project jeep coming along.
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dude my 88 xj had 30 inch hankook mts stock no problem rear hit off road but i had flat leafs my new xj fits 30s to i might through some on untill i get my lift.
I have 30x9.50 Goodyear GSA's on TJ 15x8 alloys and they work fine for on road use. The GSA's are a fairly rounded tire compared to a BFG. I am still planning to lift it and throw on the 31 MT's I have waiting in the garage, but the XJ is simply a Mall Crawler.
haha i remember you saying before no lift, now there's a lift? hm..... i see another project jeep coming along.
he ended up with my old 31 MTs so I think that changed his mind :D
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dude my 88 xj had 30 inch hankook mts stock no problem rear hit off road but i had flat leafs my new xj fits 30s to i might through some on untill i get my lift.
I have 30x9.50 Goodyear GSA's on TJ 15x8 alloys and they work fine for on road use. The GSA's are a fairly rounded tire compared to a BFG. I am still planning to lift it and throw on the 31 MT's I have waiting in the garage, but the XJ is simply a Mall Crawler.
haha i remember you saying before no lift, now there's a lift? hm..... i see another project jeep coming along.
he ended up with my old 31 MTs so I think that changed his mind :D
I can't let my wife have a bigger lift and bigger tires then I do! It will still be a DD ;)
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Kirk you are missed, whens the boat due to come back to rotten Groton?
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Kirk you are missed, whens the boat due to come back to rotten Groton?
It is looking like late January at the earliest, but most likely mid February :(. I've been able to make it home for a night or 2 most weekends, but even that is about to end with the work load ramping up :-\. At Least I still have the forum to keep in touch with you guys ;).
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Well I know this is the job that you wanted, so hopefully the sacrifice will pay off in the end
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With winter coming (already a few cold mornings) I figured I should fix my heater blower problem. My blower would only run on 1 and 4, so low or super high which kind of sucks. It is a common problem on 97-01 XJ's and TJ's and from what I have read, 90% of the time it is the blower motor resistor. A new resistor set me back $40 ( after military discount). To get to the resister I had to find it first, and once I lowered the glove box door I found it down and back against the inside firewall. I had to remove a small plastic panel where the passenger side courtesy light is ( 3 small bolts 2-8mm, 1-7mm). The resistor is held in by 2 -8mm bolts and simply the wires simply unplug. As soon as I pulled it out I saw why it didn't work. It was covered in a layer of nasty dust and the one side had corroded away :-\. I plugged the new one in, bolted it up and now all 4 speeds work.
The good thing is that I was able to do all this with the small tool kit I have up here in ME. For all the XJ and TJ guys you might want to pull your resistor out and wipe it off, just to make sure yours keeps working.
On another note, it has been 1500 miles since my last oil change ( only 16 days ago :-\) and it looks like I have not burned or dripped any oil ;D. Pretty good for an engine with almost 198K miles.
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That's good info Kirk. Right now all 4 speeds work, but that would be good preventative maintenance. The problem with my heat is that I have the slides for controlling the temperature and I think a cable or two have come loose or frozen up. It sits at halfway, but it's way too hot and if I pull it to go colder you can tell that there is no resistance at all. It won't go to the warmer side at all. I have to turn my heat on and off because it gets too hot even at low speed.
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yay! now i can fix mine if i ever go to colder weather or fix my ac. ;D