Jeep Stuff

[Duck Vader]

It is tempting for the price. But don't want to turn into dirty Steve over here.

[Duck Vader]

Also, when I get rid of the volt, I am going to probably end up buying some aftermarket skids. Did some research last night and although factory skids are decent, aftermarket ones tend to be better. Going to at least get a gas tank and transfer case skid. Might look into oil pan/engine skid as well, but those are harder to come by it seams.

[Duck Vader]

Maybe I should buy that old XJ and do this with it:

[Chris GTO TT]

Do it!

[ChargerX3]

Yuck. I wouldn’t buy a pre 97 XJ anyways.

[TheHarleyMod]

Hans has a jeep?

[Duck Vader]

Few updates over the last month or so.

Picked up a used SSB CB radio for cheap - actually a really nice one - so hooked that up and put a magnetic mounted removable wilson antenna on. So far I have hear people up to about 5-7 miles away or so. Will be interesting to see how far I can hear out in more open areas.

Noticed the other day that there was a very small leak on the transfer case. Cleaned it off to see if I could find the source. A few days later there was just a few drops on the case, but it looked like it was coming from where the speedometer gear goes in. Took that out and the o-ring was in bad shape. Torn and damaged. Replaced that today so we will see if that clears up the leak.

With all the rain recently I decided it was time to get some good floor mats. Was going to go with weathertech but the rugged ridge ones have good reviews and was able to pick up a pair for 1/2 the price. They are set to be delivered this weekend. I will review them when I get them.

As you know my tires were rubbing my lower control arms. There are basically 5 fixes for this. 1 - smaller tires, 2 - different wheels, 3 - smaller control arms, 4 - wheel spacers, 5 - adjust steering stops.

Cheapest of course is adjust the steering stops, but I didn't want to lose my turning radius. It is one of the things I really do like about the Jeep. So decided to go the next cheapest route and picked up some spidertrax wheel spaces I found on sale. Installed them today. Just 1.25" so not much difference in stance. Will see how they feel when I go to the gym tomorrow.

Lastly the jeep died on me last night at the grocery store. Came out, turned the key, and nothing happened. Lights came on, radio came on, etc., but no engine turn over. First thought was bad starter. I hooked up my jump pack and the battery was at 12.1 v and it did nothing to start (figured it wouldn't but worth a shot). So swapped the starter relay with another one - nothing. Finally pulled the fuse for the starter and boom - blown. Since it is a 22+ year old heap I always carry spare fuses. Swapped it out and fired right up.

However I think this is the 2nd fuse to go for the starter in the last year or so. Going to have to keep and eye on that. If I keep blowing them I will need to see if I can trace down the issue. All my grounds look good, connections are clean and tight, and I don't see any frayed wires. It is a "cheap" autozone/orielly starter in there - don't remember where I got it at the moment, so it might be on its way out. Might have to look into finding a mopar one or something eventually.

Next projects will eventually be to fix the a/c and after taxes, depending on the returns, look at skids and perhaps lockers.

[Duck Vader]

Fuse blew again. Going to check wiring again. If nothing noticeable I might take out the starter.

Is a reman Mopar worth it or would something with a lifetime warranty from napa or oreillys be good enough?

[ChargerX3]

They are probably all oem rebuilds anyways.

[Duck Vader]

Hbl is bad.

Started multiple times with no issue. Put on the HBL and after a few seconds heard the pop.

[Duck Vader]

Found this. Not sure if that is what was causing the short but cut it out anyway and cleaned it up.



Checked wiring on the other side and one of the mirrors. Didn't see anything else.

Don't want to test it out since I don't want to waste any more fuses. Lol

So for now I'm going to avoid using the heated mirrors and rear defrost.

[ChargerX3]

That’s the rear defrost plug. Don’t cut it.

[Duck Vader]

I know that.

HBL is rear defrost. I cut out the bad spot, cleaned the ends, and put it back together with a connector, heat shrink, and electrical tape.

[Duck Vader]

Also removed rear hatch panel and looked at the wire for the other side. No other frays or cuts in the wire

[alienviking]

Burn it.

[Duck Vader]

Few updates.

Contacted auto ventshade about my missing piece on the drivers window. It fell off years ago. I was just asking if I could buy a single piece to replace it. They asked for my address and sent me an entire set for all 4 windows for free.

As a result of it falling off I also lost the outer window trim at the time. Found one for cheap on ebay that worked perfectly.

Still waiting on the arrival of the pieces, but was really surprised by their customer service.

Noticed a rattle the other day on the exhaust. Climbed under the heep and gave it a few smacks. Noise coming from the stock catalytic converter. Heat shield is solid so assuming the rattle is from inside the cat. Time to replace that before it gets worse and causes issues. Had a coupon for quadratec so picked up a direct fit flowmaster cat for $100 shipped. Getting here next week. Also going to put in a new O2 sensor while I am at it. I bet the one in there now is rusted in place.

Other than that, still been getting about 15.5 mpg average per tank. Will be curious if it goes up with the new cat.

Also debating on doing this: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/cowl- ... ost2369175

[Duck Vader]

The more i think about it the more I want to do a V8 swap. Lol.

[ChargerX3]

I hope you are taking into consideration the added height of you bigger tires for the mpg. Your jeep travels much further per rotation of the wheel.

V8 swap? You kidding. Get even worse gas mileage and have to swap out a bunch of stuff. I always liked the HP and especially the torque of the 4.0L. If power is an issue have you properly regeared for your tire size and economy needs.

[Duck Vader]

I have a speedo gear replaced in the transfer case. Accurate mph so accurate mpg.

V8 is just for fun. Not practical by any means. But a fun project.

[Duck Vader]

New cat is delayed. Ups says weather delay.