What have you done to your rig today?

[jeepin' jen]

I watched @Mulishajoe install a new fuel pump, battery, & rear bumper on the Jeep today. I lost count of how many times he said "f- a Jeep." But at the end of the day, all those f-bombs paid off & it fired right up.

 

[Mulishajoe]

I watched @Mulishajoe install a new fuel pump, battery, & rear bumper on the Jeep today. I lost count of how many times he said "f- a Jeep." But at the end of the day, all those f-bombs paid off & it fired right up.
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So I guess your not slummin' with a sami not that you have a running jeep.lol Still a ways to go before it leaves the yard but it's a start.

 

[skyhighZJ]

So I guess your not slummin' with a sami not that you have a running jeep.lol Still a ways to go before it leaves the yard but it's a start.

I’d go slummin with a sami long before I was caught dead in a Barbie mobile. Yeah I said it. What?? Jeep “wrangler” platforms are for girls. Barbie said so. Oh, wait it 2022 and I can’t assume gender specifics. Meh, fuck it!!

 

[BigSouth]

New to me 08 Rubicon. Did an oil change, installed K&N filter, added new LED headlights, installed a stubby bumper to flat tow with, and threw on a HF 12K winch because it was on sale for Prez day.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Iron dukes never die though.

If I'm not mistaken, this truck has had...four motors in it? Granted, it does have 265,000 on it. I think at least one of them was because the oil pump quit. The current motor is bored .040" over, if I remember right.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Well, I was trying to post this next update last night, but fell asleep on the couch as soon as I got home and sat down. Pretty typical...and I sleep better sitting up anyway since all of my back issues started.

Here we go. Got up Saturday morning and started by firing up my buddy's pressure washer again. I hit that early 90s vintage UWS toolbox and the very bottom lip of the truck bed that I couldn't get to when it was sitting on the ground. While it was drying in the sun, I finished my back porch (north side of the house) because it was good and filthy.

Rolled over to the shop, put some adhesive foam under the sides, mounted the toolbox, and loaded it up with some tools and various items.

From there, I ran in to Havelock to grab some lunch, headed to Walmart real quick, and went on base to the hobby shop because I didn't feel like doing the trans and rear end while laying on the ground.

-Did the ol' drain and fill on the trans. Smelled like it had ATF in it and NOT much. Probably drained a quart out. It was lowwww. Filled it up with about 2.5 qts of Pennzoil Synchromesh. Still shifts like butter!

-Popped the cover off the rear end. That gear oil smelled like deathhhhh! Everything looked good, aside from what was probably years of condensation collection, but nothing rusty, crusty, or loose in there. A can of brake cleaner later, I RTV'd the cover cover back on, and filled it up with 2 qts of some high quality Fram 80w90 from Advance Auto.

-While I was under the truck and things were draining I cracked the rear bleeder screws and let them gravity bleed until them showed fluid. Looked everything over while I was waiting. Took a few pictures. Lowered the truck down, bled the rears like 3 times each, and the fronts once or twice just to get rid of some old fluid. It stops on a dime now Pun intended! See what I did there?

Forgot to unbolt the fuel pump/gauge ground to see if that would make the gauge work any better, but I do that Sunday. It's still easy to get to with the bed on. The pump works fine and I think the gauge is just sticky from sitting for so long. It's worked its way up to ¾ so far. I'd certainly like for it to work as I have no idea what kind of mileage this thing gets yet.

I snagged the change-a-ball off my dad's truck and got rid of the two balls that were bolted to the rear bumper. I think I checked the tire pressures and let a little out to get them all the same. I think that was about it for the day. Today (Sunday) I'll pick up the new oil pressure sending unit, install that (hopefully the gauge will read then), clean the gas gauge ground/reinstall, check the front wheel bearings, possibly repack them for good measure, pull the IAC out to inspect/clean that, and lube the throttle cable. The pedal is a little stiff.

It's come a long way. Lots of little stuff. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though! I'll mod the collector on the exhaust manifold and run a new exhaust as my next expendature. Gotta let that massive powerplant breathe, but I'll still be thrifty with it. I think a new cat is 45 bucks and I'll grab some kind of decent muffler. I'll likely run a single 2.5"

 

[Wes]

The current motor is bored .040" over, if I remember right.

I stand corrected. No need for a blown 502

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Exactly. It might have 93 horsepressures now! I did see a guy on YouTubes throw 18 lbs on one of these. It ran a blazing 14 something quarter mile!

 

[R Q]

Same here!

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Got the old gas tank out, cut out the busted brake like that was (of course) behind the gas tank, made a new one, new rear brake hose, new gas tank in, new in-line fuel filter, new feed/vent/return hoses from the tank to the hardlines at the frame, and then bolted the new tires and rims on it. It fired right up. It's amazing how they'll do that as soon as you send some gas up to them.

Then I pulled it around to the front of the house, filled it up with water, and drove it to the end of the road and back! Oil pressure gauge, volt meter, and wipers don't work. They're likely a related issue and I'll dig in to that at a later date. I'm working on replacing the parts that I have and/or bought at the moment. After that, I'll start troubleshooting, but not before a good pressure washing...especially while the bed is still off.

Runs good though. Nice and quiet. I can't believe it doesn't have an exhaust leak somewhere around the manifold

Shocks, tune up parts, water pump, hoses, belts, and fan clutch tomorrow.

Why not put a 4.3 in it? It's plenty of motor for it and parts are available. and it was a stock motor. Vortec block with a Edelbrock carb manifold or just go all Vortec with headers, cam and a chip. I think I've for a block here for you if you want.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Because it has a 2.5 in it that runs If it ever dies, I'll throw a 4.8 LS in it. Reliable, plenty of power, reallllly good on gas, plentiful, and cheap.

The 4.3 wasn't an S10 option in 1985. They didn't use them until 1988. If I did a 4.3 swap it would require me to change the same amount of stuff as an LS swap. Motor mounts, radiator, transmission, driveshaft, etc and an LS doesn't weigh much more than a 4.3. I also don't do carburetors if I can help it and I'm real familiar with LS stuff.

I've thought about this a LOT over the last 13 years.

 

[jeepinmatt]

Why not put a 4.3 in it? It's plenty of motor for it and parts are available. and it was a stock motor. Vortec block with a Edelbrock carb manifold or just go all Vortec with headers, cam and a chip. I think I've for a block here for you if you want.

I knew a guy with a 4.3 in a 1990ish model one back in high school, and it was a tire spinning machine. Ran an 8.8 pass in the 1/8th mile at Shadyside bone stock.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

I did swap out the idle air control motor today. Runs better than it ever has. Definitely had some carbon built up in the IAC bore. The picture of the bore was with the front camera and too close, that's why it looks like I took it with a potato.

Also went to Lowe's to return some stuff and picked up some Penetrol. It's getting a rub down tomorrow. I'm sorta excited to see how it looks!

 

[Croatan_Kid]

I knew a guy with a 4.3 in a 1990ish model one back in high school, and it was a tire spinning machine. Ran an 8.8 pass in the 1/8th mile at Shadyside bone stock.

My dad wound up going for the 2.8/5 speed in his 93 because you couldn't get a 4.3/5 speed in a RCSB. Only a long bed.

My cousin had a 4wd S15 4.3/5 speed ECSB '91, I think. It would move pretty good for what it was, but 31s sucked up most all the power it had.

 

[sammi_davis]

392 bead locks and bfgs went on today with a little help from the kids.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

I got the last bit of super annoying things fixed today...somehow. Also scored some free parts!

Stopped by my aunt's house and her husband gave me a set of door weather stripping, window channel felts, and the beltline mouldings I wasn't going to bother with them, but since I got some for free, I might as well. It'll give me an excuse to fix the regulator in the passenger's side door.

First thing when I got up today, I went out and rubbed it down with the Penetrol. It looks good and will be better after a second coat and a wipe down with a dry rag. The stuff dries really nice, isn't sticky, doesn't attract dust, and water runs off it like a duck's ass. From what I read, it'll last a year or more before you need to do it again. For 9 bucks, I'm sold. I only used a few ounces the do the whole truck. The key is to always wipe uniformly downward to make it look good and not atrract the eye to wipe marks or imperfections.

Then went over to the shop to mess with a few things. I tightened the alternator belt AGAIN. I think it's broke in and done stetching out now. No more 80s GM alternator squeal at start up. Next, I cleaned the hell out of the frame ground for the fuel pump/sending unit. The pump worked fine, but the sending unit/gauge did not. That must have been it because it works now and the pump sounds a little better. A win/win situation.

Fiddled with the blower motor. I had gotten it working when I drove it years ago. I moved the ground from a bottom screw to the top one that is MUCH easier to get to. Then I took off the little vent hose and shot some WD40 on the bearings. Lo and behold, I have a functioning blower motor and don't have to depend on the forced air through the cowling to give me heat!

I guess messing with all those grounds jump started the oil pressure gauge and voltmeter too. They suddenly started to work. It was a welcomed, yet unexpected side effect. I was shickled titless! It was a good day!

Oh, and I got smart and hit the grease zerk on the driveshaft. Who would have thunk...no more driveline vibrations! It's the little things, really

I snagged the headlight bulbs out of the parts truck as they were in better shape than the ones in it. I think I'll probably do an H4 housing conversion though. I found some nice, glass lensed ones on eBay that have the same looking lenses as an H6054, but obviously with replaceable bulbs. They're like 55 bucks for the pair, with bulbs, AND there's a 15 dollar off coupon.

Lastly, I texted @77GreenMachine and told him I did it for Dale!

 

[Croatan_Kid]

I forgot that I vacuumed it out for the first time ever. Again, the little things

I'll fill up tomorrow before I head down to SC. Probably not a good tank to base gas mileage on. It idled a lot after working on some things and when the IAC broke it basically idled at ¾ throttle. So, I'll see how it does on the trip, while I'm there, and on the way home. Whatever it winds up being will be good enough to drive 14 miles round trip to work when I'm home.

5th gear would be amazing. Glad it at least has 3.42s and not 3.73s or 4.10s!

 

[paradisePWoffrd]

I have a part time DD ZJ 4.0L, that started running ~10deg hotter than normal when driving on backroads, but not on the highway or city. After some troubleshooting I deduced that the radiator must be stopped up. Since I was having to replace the rad, I decided to also replace the fan clutch, water pump, thermostat, and add a trans cooler too. Since I was going to add trans fluid, I also decided to change the trans filter and add a pan with a drain plug. Everything came apart and went back together fairly smooth.

I decided to drive it to work yesterday. Drove to work great, temp never got to 210 on the gauge. When I left work, the fuel gauge was close to empty, and after ~1mi it started missing. I got into the gas station and put gas in it. Made it about another mile down the road before I noticed the temp gauge was climbing and it was starting to run rough. Pulled over and called Dad to bring the trailer. After letting it cool off for a bit, it cranked back up, but struggled to fire, and didnt want to idle under load.

While i was waiting for it to cool, I checked a few things: Radiator was full of fluid, upper hose was hot, lower hose was warm but not as hot as upper hose, rad was cool, heater hoses were barely warm. This check leads me to believe that the thermostat did not open. Either that, or there is a huge air pocket in the top of the block.

Let it cool overnight, and went out this morning and it fired right up and idled in gear, but it has a miss in it for sure. Going to check the plugs, as I feel like they might have got fouled from the fueling. I guess running the tank low could have also potentially clogged an injector?

Any suggestions or other things to check?

 

[93redzj]

Did brakes and rotors on the Tahoe the other day and noticed I was in need of a new wheel hub. So ordered one and got around to installing that today. That thing was IN there too, beat the hell out of it for a few minutes before it finally came out. I forgot the dust shield at first but it’s in there now. Working on this thing is becoming a huge task, every 30 minute job on it turns into 3 hours

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Well, filled it up with gas this morning. The first tank worked out to 16 mpg, but there was a LOT of idling and then the issue with the IAC valve.

Anyway, headed out for Beaufort, SC and ran it down 95. I ran mostly 70mph, but sometimes 75 for a little bit. 70mph is somewhere around 3100 rpm. I haven't measured the tires, but math says they're 26.25" tall and I used 26" even for my equation.

Made it all the way to Beaufort and filled up at my favorite Parker's just before you get to the hotel. Get this, 20.5 mpg! That's not too bad for what it is.

I also got fed up with the craptastic Gates belts I got from RockAuto and went to Advance and got some new Daycos. I think the ones I got were basically V shaped rubber bands. I tightened them yesterday for the fourth time and after I filled up with gas, they squalled and hollered and made racket for a solid 5 minutes. I could stretch them by hand. New belts, problem solved. It's like comparing canvas Cahartt jeans to yoga pants. Yall get the picture. Stretchy vs rugged and stiff.

I even got a few looks on the road for my sweet paint finish and likely because I was only going 70. It did good though. Coolant temp and oil pressure were solid.

I did get a paper clip and read the codes though. It's the old school blinky thing. It does 1, then 2 blinks a total of 3 times to signify it's starting the process. Then you'll get something like 3, a pause, and then 5. That tells you it's a code 35. Sorta simple and it shows each code 3 times. At the end it does 1, pause, 2 again to tell you it's done.

Here's the results...I think.

Codes:
15 - coolant sensor, low temp
21 - TPS error, high voltage
35 - IAC problem/idle error
44 - O2, lean condition
25 - IAT sensor, high temp
33 - MAP, high voltage low vac

I'm going to try to reset the ECM and go from there. It has a new IAC and it did have a decent vacuum leak for a while. I'm thinking I'll do the carb cleaner vacuum leak test just to check. I also think they could all very well be related. We'll see how it plays out.

Anyway, here it is 370 miles later in the hotel parking lot. I'll probably give it another coat of Penetrol tomorrow and then wipe it down with a dry rag. Hopefully it'll even out and look even better.

FWIW, the 4.8 swap with a T56 and a bolt-in S10 8.5 "Big Ten" is very prevalent in my mind. The kicker being the price of a T56. It'll be the most costly part of the swap, but keeping a 3.42 gear, these same tires, and the double OD (6th gear is .63!)...this thing will be a damn good cruiser if it ever happens. 1950 rpm at 70mph will get some killer mileage!

 

[NCJeeplover]

FWIW, the 4.8 swap with a T56 and a bolt-in S10 8.5 "Big Ten" is very prevalent in my mind. The kicker being the price of a T56. It'll be the most costly part of the swap, but keeping a 3.42 gear, these same tires, and the double OD (6th gear is .63!)...this thing will be a damn good cruiser if it ever happens. 1950 rpm at 70mph will get some killer mileage!

You have to swap a NV3500 in there. Your like a spokesperson for that by now! Not to mention damn near 1/10 the price of a t56.

 

[cranbiz]

Anyone got a source to get a NV3550 rebuilt? Friend has one that keeps popping out of 5th. National in Hickory doesn't do them anymore.

 

[paradisePWoffrd]

Did brakes and rotors on the Tahoe the other day and noticed I was in need of a new wheel hub. So ordered one and got around to installing that today. That thing was IN there too, beat the hell out of it for a few minutes before it finally came out. I forgot the dust shield at first but it’s in there now. Working on this thing is becoming a huge task, every 30 minute job on it turns into 3 hours

Did you coat with antisieze before sticking the new one in, so you wont have to beat it out in a yr or 2?

 

[93redzj]

Did you coat with antisieze before sticking the new one in, so you wont have to beat it out in a yr or 2?

Well I like to self inflict pain and heartache, so nope I didn’t take that step. Just wiped it out a little guess I’ll just be cussing myself later down the road

 

[Croatan_Kid]

You have to swap a NV3500 in there. Your like a spokesperson for that by now! Not to mention damn near 1/10 the price of a t56.

I thought about that too, but that 6th gear double OD ratio is You can also mod a T56 to retain a cable drive speedometer. I kinda want to keep the factory dash/gauges...even if it's probably a bad idea. It'd be a little cheaper in that aspect. I guess I could see if NV3500s ever used a cable speedo. I fear it may not fit in the transmission tunnel though, unless I used an older one from a 4.3. Definitely something to consider.

Time to do more researching

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Anyone got a source to get a NV3550 rebuilt? Friend has one that keeps popping out of 5th. National in Hickory doesn't do them anymore.

I'd think the Jeep community would have a place they use.