Red YJ Build

To finish up getting everything ready for the Ranch (leaving tomorrow morning), I had to knock out a couple things. While they are complete, some of it will get redone or added to after this shake down run.

Center console built but needs additional panels and the switch panel will be replaced with a much nicer unit
Cowl armor has been painted quickly so there are some orange peel areas that will get sanded and redone later
Torque converter spacers were removed and now it's spinning without vibration
Skid plate is installed with a 1" spacer to allow clearance between the skid and t-case
Top, carpet, and doors installed

there are still some bugs to work out. It's got a backfire happening on the 1-2 shift which, I believe, is causing a P0300 code. There are also some codes popping up related to evap items that will need to be turned off. But, even with these issues, she's out of the garage and headed to the ranch!

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Well the shake down run as far from a success. The rig only made it until about 10pm Friday night. List of problems include, but not limited to:

Bad knock sensors (replaced at GER and mounted externally)
Bank 1 O2 sensor not happy and dumping all the fuel into the cylinders
Broken passenger hub (replaced with a spare)
Broken driver rear axle shaft
Leaking driver front coilover

It needs some tuning and 35 spline rear shafts. Once I get the rear axle and coilover rebuilt, I’ll take the rig to @Chris_Keziah and let him do some driveability tuning.

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adamk said:
Well the shake down run as far from a success. The rig only made it until about 10pm Friday night. List of problems include, but not limited to:

Bad knock sensors (replaced at GER and mounted externally)
Bank 1 O2 sensor not happy and dumping all the fuel into the cylinders
Broken passenger hub (replaced with a spare)
Broken driver rear axle shaft
Leaking driver front coilover

It needs some tuning and 35 spline rear shafts. Once I get the rear axle and coilover rebuilt, I’ll take the rig to @Chris_Keziah and let him do some driveability tuning.

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Don’t feel bad. Mine is still waiting for gears and driveshafts in my garage collecting dust :D
 
To get the rig back together quickly, so that @Chris_Keziah can start playing with the tuning, I've ordered 35 spline chromos and a spool to put in the rear (thanks @tobaccoroad4wd). I'm also planning to have the front coilovers rebuilt either by myself or someone else (still TBD). The ARB will go up for sale and I'm debating selling everything associated with it (compressor, lines, switches, solenoid (+spare), and ring gear spacer). My goal is to have everything done and back together before mid October so another shake down run can take place before heading back to GER at the end of October. This is going to be a tight deadline because I have a couple weeks I'll be traveling for work so hopefully I can pull it off.
 
Well the rear end has been put back together. I had intentions of pulling the coilovers and replacing the O2 sensors but got side tracked with family life and another project. I'll hopefully be able to get the O2 sensors replaced and the rig down to @Chris_Keziah this week. Then I'll pull the coilovers for a rebuild.

The new project followed me home last Sunday. It's a '95 4 cylinder manual with 139k on it. There's some pretty bad bottom end noise that I've pointed to a rod bearing at cylinder #1. I've found a replacement motor and need to make the trip to VA to pick it up but, in the meantime, I'm going to slap a set of rod bearings in this one and see what happens. This one will stay stock for a little while and just be used for zipping around town. I do have the idea of taking the AC system left over from the LS swap and installing it in this thing.

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Finished replacing the rod bearings in the 4 banger. To say they were trashed is an understatement. This also means the crank is junk. Because I already had the rod bearings and oil pan gasket, I proceeded with changing them anyway and buttoned it up. First fire up and test drive went well with 40 psi of oil pressure at hot idle. However, there is a massive oil leak from either the rear main or oil pan gasket. Judging by how quickly it was spitting oil, and the fact that the entire underside was covered when I bought this thing, I’m pointing to the rear main. Not going to bother replacing it since it needs a motor anyways.

All that said, what’s the bets on how long this thing lasts? I’m saying it doesn’t make it to its first oil change (3k miles).


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It’s got at least 6k miles
 
Damn. I bet it was knocking louder than a dude named Matt when I was making out with his girlfriend in the backseat of my pathfinder with 5% tint.
 
1stgenxxx said:
Damn. I bet it was knocking louder than a dude named Matt when I was making out with his girlfriend in the backseat of my pathfinder with 5% tint.
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:(
 
I’d throw a rear Maine seal in that thing and ride out. Might be shocked at how long it would last
 
I’d say 2100 miles and it windows the block
 
77GreenMachine said:
I’d throw a rear Maine seal in that thing and ride out. Might be shocked at how long it would last
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If this was a 4.0 I'd totally agree but the 2.5 is not a 2 piece seal. It requires pulling the trans to replace and I'm not sure I want to do all that work for something I know is going to eat the rod bearings very quickly.
 
Small update. With the help of @Chris_Keziah we’ve found some of the problems with the big Jeep running rough. First finding was burnt plug wires from making contact with the headers. 3 wires replaced and a tune update made it run/drive much better. Found I don’t have enough fuel pump as the injectors are hitting 103% duty cycle on wot. Larger fuel pump ordered and will be delivered tomorrow.

Little Jeep got some more attention and we’ve decided to keep it. Seats were replaced with a pair of corbeau RS. A new to me motor has been sourced and I’ll be headed to pick it up this weekend. Plans for this little thing include a 2-3” lift, an 8.8 swap/regear, and some 33ish tires. Simple rig that will cruise down the road and tear up Uwharrie. Nothing hardcore for this one.

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adamk said:
Small update. With the help of @Chris_Keziah we’ve found some of the problems with the big Jeep running rough. First finding was burnt plug wires from making contact with the headers. 3 wires replaced and a tune update made it run/drive much better. Found I don’t have enough fuel pump as the injectors are hitting 103% duty cycle on wot. Larger fuel pump ordered and will be delivered tomorrow.

Little Jeep got some more attention and we’ve decided to keep it. Seats were replaced with a pair of corbeau RS. A new to me motor has been sourced and I’ll be headed to pick it up this weekend. Plans for this little thing include a 2-3” lift, an 8.8 swap/regear, and some 33ish tires. Simple rig that will cruise down the road and tear up Uwharrie. Nothing hardcore for this one.

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Run it till it blows
 
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