Jeep – Page 41 – The Jeep Guru

February 18, 2011February 18, 2011

Noisy water pump XJ

I have been hearing a rattle in my 91 Jeep Cherokee for a while now. I thought it was in the exhaust at first. But as it got louder, it was clear it was coming from the front of the engine.

I pulled off the idler pulley but the bearings in it were fine. I replaced it and reset the belt tension. The noise as defiantly coming from the front of the engine.

I got my mechanics stethoscope and began listening. The noise seemed to be the loudest at the water pump. I have never had a water pump bearing fail with out it leaking first. But that sure seemed to be the case this time.

I tried to ignore it for a day but the noise just got worse. I stopped by Autozone and verified that I had a warranty on this part that I had replaced in 2007 according to their record. I picked up a new pump and some antifreeze.

I was still skeptical but when I removed the belt and turned the pump by hand I could feel the bad bearing. I removed the pump using the procedure I have practiced way to many times.

I put the old pump in the vise and the noise was very clear when the pump was rotated.

I installed the new water pump and refilled the radiator. I found leaving the heater hose off the water pump allowed the air to bleed quickly.

Once I started it up it ran nice an quiet. The only casualty was that I broke by fan shroud while moving it around to get to one of the bolts. I will have to fix that before summer.

I took the old water pump back to Autozone this morning and got my money back. It was a very simple exchange. They had all the info in their computer.

If you want to get a 4% rebate on purchases from Autozone, use this link to buy online and pick up at the store. http://tinyurl.com/6fpp7se

February 17, 2011February 21, 2011

1979 Jeep Wagoneer

I am working on a Jeep Wagoneer. It was delivered to the shop Saturday. It arrived minus the front drive shaft which looks like it broke and damaged the transmission pan on the way out.

The Jeep has the Borg Warner Quadratrac transmission so it won’t move unless both axles have traction. There is an emergency override that is supposed to lock the center differential but switching the switch in the glove box has had no effect on the transfer case. I suspect vacuum lines are loose or broken.

I got the missing parts and reassembled the drive shaft last night. I was hoping to be able to drive it into the shop. Well after a lot of effort to get the drive shaft in place with the truck on the ground in front of my shop, I found that the truck still won’t move. It looks like the damage to the transmission pan has caused it to loose all the fluid.

I guess I will have to drag it in to the shop and remove the pan to repair the leak. The engine runs rough when it revs. Maybe bad gas or maybe a clogged filter.

UPDATE: I put the Jeep on the lift last night to look at the transmission leak. There was no fluid it he transmission so even with the front drive shaft installed and the engine running, the Jeep would not move. I used my XJ to tow it in front of the barn door and then let it roll into the stall.

It took me a while to find all the cross member bolts and get ti out of the way to see the damage. It looked like on corner of the pan was simply bent down. However when I dropped the pan, I noticed that part of the sealing flange of the transmission is missing. The drive shaft did quite a bit of damage on its way out. I was able to straighten the pan, but I am still considering options on how to make it seal.

UPDATE: The Wagoneer was running well and the transmission repair was holding so I took it back home. The owners seemed happy to be able to drive it for the first time since they bought it.

February 7, 2011February 22, 2011

Jeep Parts, Supplies and Tools – Recommended sources

One of my favorite suppliers of Jeep parts is Crown Automotive. They carry most of the parts you would normally go to the Jeep dealer to get. The parts seem to be excellent in quality and I can get then quickly form the Georgia Warehouse. You can only get Crown parts from a Crown Distributor like me. Most of the stuff that Quadratec sells, I can get from Crown. Hit the contact button to the left and let me know what you need.

For parts that I need right away or are so cheap that shipping eats up any savings, I buy from my local Advance Auto Parts store. I use the web site to get exactly what I am looking for. I can buy online and pick up the parts at the store to take advantage of internet only specials.

I also shop Ebay for Jeep parts both new and used. Recently I got the exhaust system I was looking for at a substantial discount over the catalog cost. I even ended up purchasing from the same vendor just from their Ebay store instead of their website.

One of the old time standbys for parts and tools is JC Whitney. I have been buying from them for many years. They used to have paper catalogs where you could find all kinds of parts and tools not available anywhere else. Now with the internet, you can find the stuff other places, but JCW.com continues to be a great resource.

For Jeep tires, I buy from Tire Rack. I have tried buying from other suppliers but I always need up back at Tire rack. Their price, shipping and speed of delivery make them my number one choice. They have low cost street tires and high dollar performance and off road tires. For any type tire, I now shop Tire Rack first and last.

For other hand and specialty tools, I have been surprised at what I can find at Amazon. I generally think of them as a book seller, but they also carry a lot of specialty tools at good prices. I have included Amazon links to many of the tools I reference in my articles so you can see what I am talking about.

For performance parts, wheels and exhaust, I like to use Summit Racing. They have lots of stuff that no one else has plus they have great prices. They have fast shipping and a great return policy.

For Diablo 2011 Wheel Styles
Rage | Reflextion X | Chrome Rims w/ paintable inserts
URL: http://www.customwheelzntires.com

February 1, 2011February 1, 2011

BF Goodrich AT tires review

BF Goodrich AT tires review

I just installed my forth set of BF Goodrich All Terrain radials on my Jeep Cherokee. I have tried a few other tires over the years but I keep going back to the BGF AT tire.

The tread life has been excellent. The traction in rain, mud and gravel has been excellent. Puncture resistance has been excellent as well. I have only lost one tire due to a sidewall puncture and that one took a lot of abuse before it leaked.

I like the smooth quiet ride. Of the four I just mounted, only one need a small amount of lead to balance it. The other three were fine. That shows me the quality of the rubber casting is top notch.

In the past I have been disappointed with the traction on snow and ice although I never got stranded. They just did not perform as well as real snow tires in the same situations. I have read that the latest version that I just mounted has better snow and ice traction so I look forward to trying them out.

The BFGs have a very aggressive side lug for an AT. That really helps them in mud and gravel. In fact the edges remind me of Rally Racing tires. The square edges give excellent traction in dirt and gravel.

These tires also respond well to being aired down off road. Will lower pressure, they wrap around rocks and get traction like a true off road tire. The carcass has strong sidewalls that handle a lot of abuse. I have only had one sidewall failure and that was when I was forcing one into a sharp rock trying to overcome a driveline failure.

When aired up to street pressure, these tires handle like sports car tires. I have been amazed at how well they grip on off ramps and other cornering situations. The tread is very stable and does not squirm as much as Mud Terrain tires or other All Terrain tires. I find the lack of tread squirm comparable to most all weather street tires.

The BGF AT tires give a nice aggressive look to my daily driver Jeep. They look great wrapped around my Grizzly wheels. The traction gives me the confidence to hit a trail or muddy back road at any time. I can air them down and tackle some of the tougher climbs if need be. I save the really rough stuff for my dedicated off road Jeep, but I really like having the added traction that the all terrain tires give me for the occasional off road use this Jeep sees. But my light off roading might be considered extreme by some people who haven’t seen where my off road Jeep goes.

Overall, I really like the BFG AT tire and will continue using it on my street driven Jeep. They work well in every situation I am likely to encounter.

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO Tire

January 15, 2011January 15, 2011

Cat back Exhaust for Jeep Cherokee XJ

Cat Back Exhaust for Jeep Cherokee XJ

My old exhaust was crumbling apart. The tip had fallen off behind the holder and the muffler had a huge crack in the bottom. It rattled and rumbled.

I ordered the Dynomax system from Summit Racing through their Ebay store. It arrived in just a couple of days after I ordered. I had to laugh at the UPS man struggling with the huge box coming in my office door.

I began by lifting my Jeep and using a reciprocating saw to cut the muffler loose from the catalytic converter. There were a lot of old welds here so it was pretty messy. I cut the muffler to get room to work to clean it up.

The clamp at the rear hanger broke when I tried to unbolt it. I just twisted it out of the way. With both ends loose I was able to remove the muffler and tail pie as a unit from over the axle.

I used a variety of metal working tools to clean up the end of the cat. I cut off the bulk of the old pipes and weld beads with a torch. Then I used a 7 inch grinder to clean up the slag. I finished with my 4 ½ inch grinder fitted with a flap disk.

When I finished the reducer include in the kit slipped smoothly and snugly into place on the cat. There was a small hole in the pipe coming out of the cat so I elected to weld this joint closed rather than use the included clamp.

Next I slipped the muffler into place. I supported it on a stand while I fit up the tail pipe. It took some wiggling to get the tip to line up where I wanted it between the spring and the trailer hitch. When I finally got it in place I used a ratchet strap to hold it in position while I put a tack weld between the muffler and the tail pipe.

To get the rubber donut to connect properly with the hanger welded to the tail pipe, I removed the two bots that hold the hanger to the body. Then I slipped the donut over the hanger on the pipe and then I reattached the hanger using the bolts. This seemed easier than wrestling with the heavy rubber, which was cold and inflexible.

I then tightened the clamp on the rear hanger making sure the pipe was still positioned where I wanted it. I then installed the clamps at each end of the muffler. I rotated them so that the base of the clamp would face to the side. This gives maximum ground clearance and protects the ends of the bolts from damage.

Muffler clamped in palce - Jeep Cherokee

With all the clamps in place, I removed the support and gave it a good shake to make sure it was positioned where I wanted it. I then lowed the Jeep and started the engine. I raised it back up and checked for leaks. Finding none, I was ready for a test drive.

Cat back system complete - Jeep Cherokee

The Dynomax system has a nice throaty rumble without being loud. I am very happy to have my exhaust gasses exiting from behind the Jeep again instead of from underneath.

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