BigTuna117

Today I adjusted my steering gearbox. It was feeling a little sloppy lately, but a 1/4 turn brought it back to where it should be!

Well, it looks like I'm gonna have to back out, sadly. I know I already paid, but something has come up that has me grounded here for that weekend. Consider my $20 an ORP donation!

Welcome!

I came across a curious problem today and promptly fixed it. Back when I installed the upper control arms and the new axle bushings, I had to buy my own hardware. Not too long ago, Core 4x4 started offering a hardware packet in their kits as an extra. I contacted them and had them send me out new nuts/bolts/washers for the upper control arm/axle bushing connection. I found that the old hardware I had previously installed was bent up and probably not useable anymore. Turns out, I made the rookie mistake of using 8.8 (equivalent to Grade 5 in SAE) hardware in their previously. D'oh! The good news is that the new hardware is much sturdier, being a 10.5 set (Equivalent to Grade 8or 10, or automotive grade). We shouldn't have any more issues from down there.

Well, been a couple of days with the new mounts on. It makes a bit of difference, as the old mounts were snapped and completely worn down. the engine "jitter" that I've come to know is completely gone now. The new mounts are pretty firm, so there are some vibes felt, but only really noticeable so far around 2K RPMs. Once you hit 2200, it settles back down. Very manageable. With any luck, that should be the last set of rubber bushings I need to replace for a while. The A-Arm still has some life left in it, so now I can get on to other projects that I've been planning for a better part of the last year!

This set was one of the first 10 production sets. They made 10 production sets because they weren't sure if they'd sell, and wanted to "test the waters" as it were. They sold out of all 10 in less than a day. Needless to say, they've put it up on their side for round 2, and have started development on a WJ 4.0L set, and on beefed up Trans mounts.

So, not too long ago, I picked up these super beefy motor mounts from IronMan4x4Fab: They'll go on Wednesday. I'm pretty excited to get rid of the saggy OEM ones. In other news, I appear to have blown one of the "connector" fuses on the dual battery system. Replacements are incoming, but I'm guessing it probably shorted the last time I had it in the shop. I will investigate more tomorrow. The Jeep also got a fresh new transmission pan, given the old one got dinged in my recent transfer case mishap. While I was at it I saw fit to replace the filters, and it now has an actual gasket. If I ever have to drop the pan again, it will be much easier, as the new pan has a drain plug. no more ludicrous covering myself with ATF!

We have charcoal on clearance at work. I'll grab a couple of bags for the event!

I was thinking of getting a MOLLE First Aid Kit to throw on there. As you can see, I already have my machete mounted on there. I may change that and just use a shoulder strap for the machete, but for now it works. I was also thinking of getting a MOLLE camera case for it since it has Molle straps on the sling strap. I'm just not sure what I should put inside it. Despite looking so small, it has a ton of space inside. The pouches REALLY expand. I may dedicate one of the smaller compartments to wires (charging wires, etc. But the rest is pretty much vacant. There is a spot for a water pouch, which the designers claim isn't for a water bladder, but seems suspiciously perfect for one. I may remove the machete just to make the pack more "public friendly" but I'm not sure if it would be great to haul such a big pack around anyways. As for the ammo cans, I was actually gifted a smaller one as well, and I have that chock full of Ammo and stuff for my Ruger. Using the large can for tie downs and such probably isn't a bad Idea.... I'll have to see how it fits. I have a TON of bungees and ratchet straps.

So recently I was gifted a few things. One of which was a Yukon Outfitters Overwatch Tactical Sling, and the other was a really big ammo can. So I'm trying to figure out what to put in them. Any suggestions?

I can officially say that I plan to be there. Just waiting for the time off request to go through, and then I'll be sending the payment your way.

Well, the Jeep got New front lower control arms. Core 4x4 Fab CAs just like the upper and lower rears. The stock bushings were fatigued and cracked enough to warrant replacing them. The factory, stamped sheet metal arms themselves were dented and rusted pretty well. The new, thicker control arms oughta hold up better.

Happy Birthdaaay!

Welcome!

SO the Jeep continues to have A/C shenanigans! So The Compressor died as well, (Internal seal failure), So I ended up just replacing the Liquid line, Hi-pressure line, and compressor all in one go. -But- When they sell you the liquid line, generally they are supposed to either tell you (or sell you) a system flush for the A/C. When the compressor grenades, it spreads tons of metal shavings throughout the system, hence the flush. Since I wasn't told about the flush, we charged 'er up, and we were working good for about a day. Then the new orifice tube clogged up and the pressure spiked. The good news is, the relief valve on the new compressor works, so the distinct smell of freon alerted me to the problem. So, yeah. Chemical flush is in the A/C system's future. And yet another new liquid line. At least they're not super expensive. The good news is, she's healthy otherwise. Just waiting on some new front lower control arms, since I pretty much wallowed out those (and dented one of the arms) in Moab. They were the last stock set of arms on the Jeep, so hopefully having full bushings again will mean that it'll ride better.

Thanks Everyone! The WJ is doing well, waiting on a pair of new front Lower Control Arms. Other than that an no A/C currently, she's running well!

Excellent article! Congrats, Diane!

A few months later, but another Moab vid!

It's assembled by A-1 Driveshaft in Wisconsin. Woulda done Carolina driveline or Tom Woods, but that had it pre-made in stock and I needed it asap! All in all it's a very beefy driveshaft, it probably weighs a whole 5-10 pounds heavier than the previous shaft. The fact that everything is greasable (including the ball joint inside the double cardan) is pretty handy too!

Well, the shenanigans continue! On the hottest recorded weekend of 2016, I am without A/C... again. The orifice tube (essentially a $2 plastic-and-metal screen which DaimlerChrysler decided to fully integrate into the liquid line) clogged up, and overpressured the compressor. Blew one of the internal seals to smithereens. So now I am waiting for a package to arrive with a new liquid line, High pressure line (because it's the last original line, might as well replace it while I'm replacing parts), and a new compressor from Denso. Hopefully they arrive soon so I can get it fixed soon. It's brutal driving around with no A/C in this heat!

Happy Birthday, G!

A 242 swap is in the future. In fact, this recent... breakage only delayed my hunt to get it done. If my 247 hadn't gotten... explodey, I would've probably had the swap completed by now. It certainly is a great upgrade.

Soo Pretty, Soo Shiny! Wanted to show off the new driveshaft. it features greasable EVERYTHING (including the ball joint in the double cardan end), and a full length spline in the slip joint. I'm pretty impressed. It's a beefy propshaft! So, the Jeep is driveable again. I have an acceleration clunk and driving wobble, I think the bushings in the front lower control arms are finally toast. So, I suppose that'll be the next project!

The funny thing about this is: This was actually going to be my next project. A good friend of mine (UnderlyVerbose on here) was gonna both sell me a 242, and teach me how to rebuild it myself. Will still be doing this, but the added expense of replacing the front yoke & drive shaft means that it'll have to be bumped back a few months. I actually spent more obtaining a front driveshaft than I did on the "Donor" 247J transfer case and all the fluids- another friend of mine had one lying around, and sold it to me for $100 given the crappy situation.

Yeah! We borrowed a floor jack and propped the transfer case on that. from there, it took 3 hands to maneuver it into place and one hand to align the splines. once that part was done it was all downhill from there. In other news, I found out today that the "exhaust manifold rattle"that I've been trying to get at for the last few months isn't actually a manifold rattle. The heat shield around the manifold has broken itself free on once side, so at least it's not as critical as a manifold leak. I'll still try to fix it of course.