Jeep – Page 52 – The Jeep Guru

June 1, 2010June 1, 2010

Jeep Cherokee on Rail Bed

XJList Spring Fling Day 2

Day two in Harlan dawned wet and foggy. We slowly crawled out of our tents. I found Scott Paulman working with a leaking bead on his XJ. He used his Highlift jack to break the bead and clean the debris that had collected there. We tossed it in the back of my Jeep for a run down to the air supply at the bottom of the hill. There we reseated the bead and filled it with air.

Frosty treated me to some of his farm fresh eggs cooked on a propane grill. We said good bye to Adam as he headed out to attend to other obligations for the weekend. Then we started planning the day. One of my favorite trails from our last trip to Harlan was Rail Bed and I was ready to run it again. So we decided to go there first and work our way back through the park.

Wayne Klotz junior and senior arrived and unloaded and next Jennifer and Janice arrived. We lined up the Jeeps and headed up the Putney Trail. The overnight rains had made the trail a bit slick in places and this provided a great warm up for things to come.

About half way up the mountain we met a pair of off roaders coming back down. There day had ended early with a broken rear drive shaft on their Wrangler. Getting past each other took a while on the narrow trail especially with one of the Jeeps being injured.

At Middle Fork we all took a run up one of the play hills and headed on out to The South side of the park. We really appreciated all the new signs that Harlan County parks has added. Good use of the grant money in my opinion.

We found Rail Bed and somehow, I ended up in the lead as we poked around for the way in that does not require going up the water fall. I switched on my front locker and headed up the rocky trail.

My favorite thing about Rail Bed is that it is all rock. No mud mixed in. And the rocks are big enough to be challenging but not so big that they overwhelm my 33” Maxxis Buckshots.

At the end of the trail, I noticed that the ground around the last big rock had really eroded away compared to the last time I was here. I elected to take the easy way out and skip the last boulder. Well, the easy way out is not so easy any more either. There is a name sake piece of rail road track that has been uncovered by the erosion right at the apex of the climb threatening to slice the tires of any one who stays in the ruts. I gave it one try but I slid into the ruts right at the rail and I decided to drop back down.

The second option for and easy out is to squeeze by a tree on a very narrow ledge. This is made even more challenging by a strategically placed rock that the bottom that prevents lining up the way you would prefer and by a root at the base of the tree that requires a bump right where you don’t want to bump. Also, should you miss, there is about an eight to ten foot drop on to the rock you are trying to bypass below.
I picked my way up carefully and made it past the scary part just fine. I parked and went back to watch the others coming up behind me. I missed most of the action but I got back just as Wayne was taking the bypass exit. I spotted him around the rock and he chose the narrow ledge as well.

Next up was Jenny enjoying the traction of her new rear Lock Right locker. I spotted her around the rock and she took off up the hill. She may have bounced on the tree root or the ground may have given way, but for what ever reason, she suddenly found her left front tire dangling over the edge. See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_grDOT3o3LA

She held firm on the brake pedal while I ran up to get my winch cable. Wayne Sr. took my cable and hooked on to her front tow hook as I held by brake and spooled in the cable. The tire slid back to the bank but was firmly hung on the root s and would not pull back over the lip. The Klotzs grabbed her tow strap and quickly secured her B pillar to the tree for extra stability.

We tried to have be back up to pull the front tire back onto the surface but that caused her rear tire to slip over the edge making for an even more serious situation. Neal Hoover realized we needed another winch ASAP so he made the run up the cut with the piece of rail track partially blocking it. He made and incredible drive up the hill and turned just at the right moment to miss the tire slasher and pop up over the crest. He got his winch cable connected to the back of her Jeep and she was again stable.

Janice held the brake in Neal’s Jeep while I held the brake in mine. I could not see well from the seat of my Jeep so I handed my winch controller to Neal. He held his wireless remote in one hand and worked my winch with the other. Matt remarked that he looked like he was playing X box winches as he maneuvered Jenny’s Jeep.

After some tense moments she was finally back on stable ground. She drove up the rest of the way parked and ran to find a place to pee.

Next in line was Matt. As he approached the tree on the ledge he started to slip on the tree root as well. When his spotted motioned for a turn to the left, he just shook his head no. His spotter called for a bump and again he shook his head no. Eventually he carefully powered his Jeep over the root and up to safety.

Next, the guys with larger tires decided the safe way out was to go over and around the last boulder. They all made it out just fine.

After we all calmed down some we headed to the nearby lower rock garden to play around.

It was there we saw a very strange contraption. It had the body of a XJ, the grill of a CJ and the frame and engine of something Fordish. It seemed to be abandoned there.

Next, we headed up to a new trail called Killin’ Time. Neal got caught between a rock and a hard place and several of us decided to abandon the run and go watch from the nearby road. When Josh made his run he got hung at about he same place as Neal did. Neal climbed in the back of Josh’s Jeep and gave a demonstration of how active ballast works as a traction aid. Neal jumped out and Josh made it up the rest of the trail.

Next we found our way to Profanity. This somewhat difficult climb was made even nastier by the wet slippery mud. I was near the back of the pack and watched as several Jeeps made the climb. As the trail was getting more and more torn up I decided to take the parallel climb along with Jenny. About that time, Wayne popped the bead on his rear tire and had to back down. I went back down and assisted with getting his tire changed.

As we were getting ready to move on, Jenny noticed her power steering was not acting right. We popped the hood and saw fluid every where but in the reservoir. There was no apparent leak in the hoses so we collected fluid form the group and tried it again. Evan looked in to see if he could see the leak as Jenny turned the wheel. Fluid sprayed out everywhere as he jumped back. The source of the leak was found and it was the pump shaft seal.

We told her not to steer more than necessary and headed back up the trails. Back at Middle Fork, Jenny asked Evan to drive her Jeep back down trail 45 as he power assist was coming in and out and she did not want to battle the tricky trail 45 without it.

Back at camp, Evan loaned Janice and Jenny his BMW for a parts run while he and I started removing the damaged power steering pump.

New members Ron and Tracy had arrived at camp by this time so the rest of the group took them out to see some trails before dark. They found a beautiful vista on a trail we had never explored before.

Even and I had the pump off before the girls got back with the replacement. When they arrived we were ready to pop it back on when we saw the new pump did not have a pulley, just instructions on how to reuse the original one. Instructions like, “Do not use a hammer!” We tried several methods to remove the old pulley but eventually decided to we had to have the correct puller. Evan and I headed back to town to take advantage of Advance Auto’s loan a tool program.

Back at camp and armed with the proper implements, Evan removed the old pulley and pressed it on the new pump.

We got it all bolted back up just about dark and left the filling and bleeding for morning. We settled in by the campfire for and evening of food and fellowship.

May 30, 2010June 1, 2010

Jeep Cherokee in the Lion’s Den

XJ List Spring Fling in Harlan

The Yahoo Groups XJlist once again had their Spring Fling meeting in Harlan, KY. I found it interesting that there was never any real discussion this time about where to go, Harlan was the instant unanimous choice.

Black Mountain in Harlan offers great camping, miles of trails and generally a perfect setting for a gathering of friends. But this time, Harlan offered one other enticement – Lion’s Den!

After seeing Lion’s Den for the first time last year, Josh started modifying his XJ to be ready for the challenge. On May 20, 2010 he got his chance.

My trip began early that morning heading north on I 75. The trip was going uneventful until just before the Lafollette exit. I began to feel a vibration I suspected was from the trailer. At first it was only at high speed but as I drive through Lafollette, it got worse. I pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot to check it out. I quickly noticed that there was a large chunk of rubber missing from one of the tires. This was the tire I had chosen to as a spare from an earlier tire failure.

I quickly jacked up the trailer and swapped on the spare only to find it was a little low on air. I pulled out the battery compressor that my parents gave me for Christmas and aired it up. 30 minutes later I was back o the road to Harlan.

I stopped at the Campground office to pay for camping and get a permit and a new map. Then I headed up the steep rugged road to the campground. This road has always been a challenge, but the recent heavy rains had it rutted out more than before. I put the Suburban in 4 low and pressed on. I could here my ramps bouncing, but I knew that if I lost momentum, there would be a scary trip backwards to deal with, so I just kept pressing on and up. Just as I was entering the campground, I met Neal on his way down. I was glad he noticed me and made room so I did not have to back off.

As I got ready to unload, I noticed that one of my ramps had not made the trip and I hoped it was on the trial up the mountain. I don’t need ramps to unload anyway so I dropped Scuffy off and headed down to look for it. Also, I also noticed that the map I just bought was not in the handful of stuff I left the office with.

I drove slowly down the road looking for my ramp and I was beginning to get worried when I saw it poking out the back of Evan’s Jeep. Thankfully Kevin had noticed it and picked it up on his way down to get a permit. I got my map and we all headed back up to camp. Evan helped me set up my tent while we waited for Scott P to arrive.

With the gang there for the day we headed out to the trails. Knowing that rain was predicted for later in the weekend, I suggested that we head straight to Lion’s Den. There was no argument so we studied the map and found the quickest way there.

Trail 45 that leads from camp to the top of the mountain makes for a good warm up. It is steep, narrow, rocky, muddy and has huge drop offs along with very tight switchbacks. We then made a run along the ridge on trial 15. The infamous stair steps on trail 15 now have a by pass. Good thing too as they have really been eroded out.

At the intersection of 15 and 12 some of us continued on the part of the trail that was blocked last time. Adam and I noticed trial 12 above us and a muddy climb connecting the two so he gave it a go. Adam made it up so I decided to give it a run. I was very pleasantly surprised at the traction I got from my Maxxis Buckshots and I made it up the hill easily.

Once we were all up, we headed on to Lion’s Den. We did pause briefly to play on a hill climb that I think is called Grace Trail. Part of us headed over the mountain peak by the radio tower while others went around on the lower trail. We all met back up at Lion’s Den.

As we were walking the trail to see just what Josh was up against, we heard the whine of Frost’s turbo on his Toyota. He was headed into the mouth of the Lion’s Den. Just getting into the entrance was a challenge due to the mud and huge rocks. As Frosty let his rig cool, Josh made his way into the entrance. But now he had to dodge a suitcase size rock that Frosty moved on his way up.

XJ Entering the Lion's Den — Josh enters the Lions Den in his Jeep Cherokee

The most prominent feature of Lion’s Den is a huge boulder that over hangs the trail where the vehicle has to make a four to six foot drop. The drop is less near the boulder but due to the overhang you scrape your roof. The drop is less away from the boulder but if you slip off the outside of the rock there is a long drop off the mountain into the trees.

Frosty and Josh made the scary drop both relatively uneventfully. Although I am sure it was much scarier from the driver seats. And knowing that this is the point of no return adds to drama.

Jeep Cherokee in the Lion's Den — Josh moves along through the Lion's Den

The next obstacle in Lion’s Den is a narrow squeeze. There is a ten foot tall boulder beside a tree with only about four feet between them. Even the narrow Toyota and the XJ will not fit. To pass through you have to place a tire either on the tree or on the rock. Or maybe a bit of both.

Toyota squeezed — Frosty makes it past the squeeze

Toyota Truck moves through the Lion's den — Frosty moves to the next obsatce in Lion's Den

Frosty made several tries using just his wheel power but eventually he decided to pull a winch cable. We strapped him to the peak of a rock in front of him with also gave an up pulling vector to the cable. With the assistance of the winch, Frosty made it through the squeeze but not without some damage to his custom doors.

Rock overhanging XJ — Josh's chop made clearing this rock a bit easier.

Josh learned form Frosty’s passage and lineup up a bit differently for the squeeze. Josh made good use of his new exo cage but still managed to hang his spare tire on an overhanging boulder. We had to remove it from the carrier for him to pass through.

Just past the squeeze you have to make a hard left turn. Again there is an overhanging rock and depending on how you land after the squeeze, you may be tucked will under it. Both Frosty and Josh used their winches to assist in making the turn. Josh’s stinger proved to be a slight hindrance here but it held up well to the abuse from the rocks.

XJ Jeep Cherokee squeezed — Josh works his way through the squeeze

Jeep XJ Cherokee narrow — Josh picks his way along the narrow ledge

Jeep cherokee XJ lions den rock — Josh lines up for the exit rock

The exit of Lion’s Den is a huge rock that is too tall and narrow to be driven over. Frosty and Josh tried different lines but both resorted to a winch cable to get them over when they both ended up on their cross members with all four tires in the air.

Jeep XJ exits Lions Den — Josh exits Lions Den

There was much rejoicing as we celebrated the victory of the Lion Tamers. All the engineering and fabrication time were made worth while by the successful passage through the Lion’s Den.

May 30, 2010May 30, 2010

The Red Jeep Chronicles – Flat tire in the rain

Today, Will and I were repairing a broken radiator hose on his Jeep Cherokee. We decided to take the red Jeep to town for the parts run.

Less than a mile from the house, I heard a whirring noise form the left front tire. I also felt a sudden pull to the left. I looked out the window and the left front tire was completely flat!

I stopped in the road and backed in to a convenient field entrance since this road has no shoulder. I flipped up the seat and discovered that the jack I expected to find there was missing!. I had a spare but no jack.

Just as Will and I decided to just walk to the house, it started to rain. And rain very hard. We were just beginning a conversation with the folks sitting on their porch at the next house up the road when we had to dive for cover in the Jeep.

After the rain calmed down a bit, we decided to ask the folks there for a ride to the house. The fellow was nice and drove us the mile or so down the road.

At the house, I picked up the floor jack and the trailer spare. I also got a long breaker bar and a set of deep well sockets.

Back at the Red Jeep, I noticed that the tire was not just flat but the tread had separated and the sidewalls had split. I am glad I was doing only 30 mph or so when I heard it. The rim was not damaged.

I was really glad I had brought the breaker bar and sockets as the lugs were very hard to get loose. But after some struggling they all come loose and I was able to swap on the spare. About that time, the rain quit.

Will tossed the torn tire into the back of my Jeep and drove it home while I drove the Red Jeep. I guess Scott will be shopping for a set of tires before he can sell it now.

May 13, 2010

How to Find a Bad Fuel Injector

If your fuel injected Jeep is running rough like it has a miss on one cylinder, the trouble may be a bad fuel injector. Fuel injection is great when everything is working correctly but sometimes trouble shooting the system can be like shooting in the dark. You can’t just remove the air filter and look inside like you can with a carburetor.

I have been working with a 1989 Jeep Cherokee six cylinder recently. The truck did not run when it came to me and I did not know its history.

One I got it running, it had a distinct miss of a dead cylinder. I first checked to make sure it was getting spark to all the plugs. I did this first by using my in line spark tester. This tool flashes when the coil sends fire to the plug. All six were flashing. I then pulled the spark plugs out one at a time and visually inspected them. They all looked fine and all looked the same giving me no clue which one was the trouble cylinder.

On older engines, you could simply remove the plug wires one at a time to see which one did not make any difference in the way the engine runs. However, I have found that you can’t do that on modern electronic ignition systems as the power in the spark plug wire will give you a very uncomfortable zap if you try to remove it while the engine is running. So I don’t use that method on modern engines.

Next I checked the fuel pressure at the fuel rail by connecting my fuel pressure tester to the fitting on the rail. The pressure was within specifications so I moved on to testing individual injectors.

To check the injectors, I used a mechanic’s stethoscope. I placed the tip of the stethoscope on each injector body and listened at idle. On the injectors that worked correctly, there was a very distinct ticking sound. On the injector that was giving trouble, there was no ticking sound. I moved the stethoscope back and forth between injectors a few times to get a clear image of the sound that it was supposed to make when it was working.

Before removing the fuel rail to change the injector, I tested the electrical signal to the injector. I made a simple test lamp using a parking light socket and bulb and plugged it into the wiring harness. Since the light blinked, I knew the injector was getting power and must be stuck or bad. You can also purchase a noid light that will plug into the harness, but for a quick check you can make a simple test lamp like I did.

To test the fuel injector firing coil you can use an ohm meter. Simply disconnect the wiring harness from the injector and place the probes across the two contacts of the injector. An intact coil will read around 15 ohms. However, as seen on this Jeep, an intact coil does not mean the injector works.

Once you have located the injector giving trouble you will have to remove the fuel rail to replace it. See my other articles for how to replace an injector or repair a leaking injector.

May 10, 2010May 13, 2010

Update on the Red Jeep

The Red Jeep Saga Continues….

Sunday I drove the red Jeep to my mom’s for Mother’s Day. On the way there I decided to stop to get her a card. I stopped at a Dollar Store near her house.

When I got back to the Jeep, it turned over slowly at first and then not at all. I did not have any tools or even jumper cables with me. So, I called my Dad to come rescue me.

When he got there, we connected the jumper cables but it made no difference. The starter would not turn at all. I tried the old trick of whacking it with a big wrench, but it would only give a partial turn before it stopped again.

This being a starter that had failed before, I was not entirely surprised. So we pushed the Jeep to across the parking lot away form the door and headed over to steal the starter from Scott’s Jeep that he has conveniently stored at Dad’s garage. We took the battery along to charge it just in case as well.

Having recently written and article on how to change a Jeep starter I was able to very quickly pull the starter of Scott’s XJ Wagoneer and head back to the Dollar General Store parking lot.

Back at the store, I swapped in the other starter while Dad reinstalled the battery above me. It all went very smoothly and quickly. There is plenty of room to work under the Jeep without even having to jack it up. And these are both stock height.

As Dad connected the battery cables, I hit the key. Nothing! We both looked at each other kinda stunned. We had even tested the other starter after taking it off Scott’s Jeep.

I found the one jumper that I had left in the console and began to trouble shoot the starter circuit in my head. My plan was to bypass the starter relay and see what happened. When I reached down to to pull the trigger wire off the relay so I could jump it, I saw it was already loose. It had gotten knocked off when the battery was removed or replaced.

I reconnected the green wire and tried the key again. This time it spun over like it should. We both commented that the engine sounded like it slowed down when it cranked.

After Dad and I cleaned up, I gave Mom her card and sat down and had a nice chat with them. Since we have been playing with old cars and Jeeps for a long time, these adventures don’t really surprise us anymore.

[phpbay]Jeep Starter, 10[/phpbay]