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Where was your car built?

Where was your car built?

I remember one day overhearing some one bashing another guy over him not buying an American car. He was complaining that the fellow with the Nissan that he was taking jobs away from American workers. The argument ended when I pointed out that the Nissan was built right here in Tennessee and the fellow doing the complaining drove a Chevy built in Mexico.

These days it can be confusing as to what constitutes an American car. I know for sure my Jeep was built in the USA. The 1 in the fist digit of the VIN number confirms it as well as the door tag that says “Made in the USA.” Surprisingly, my Eagle Talon that is really a Mitsubishi is also “Made in the USA.”

If your VIN starts with a 1, 4 or 5 then your car was built in he USA. If it starts with a 2, then in Canada. A 3 means Mexico. A 6 would mean Australia. J is for Japan and K for Korea. Wikipedia has more details.

Here is an interesting video that points out the seeming contradictions about what we consider an American car and what we consider a foreign made car.

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Replacing the electric fan on a Jeep Cherokee

Replacing the electric fan on a Jeep Cherokee

It is funny what wears out after 340,000 miles. The electric fan on my XJ has been making a noise all summer. I can always tell when the AC compressor kicks in because the fan is so noisy.

When the Freon got low and I needed to top it up, I really did not want to listen to the noisy fan while I waited for the can to empty. So I looked around at the parts Jeeps and found one with a good fan.

All I had to do to remove it was remove the two 8mm headed bolts at the top, disconnect the wire and lift it off the locating tabs. To reinstall it in my Jeep, I first disconnected the radiator overflow hose to make it easier to slip into place. One side of the fan is wider than the other and you have to warp it just a bit to get it to slip in and lock the tabs at the bottom. After a couple of tries, I got it to slip into place properly.

I tightened up the bolts, put the hose back on and connected the wire. When I turned on the AC again, it was much quieter.

If you are buying a new fan to replace yours, look into the later model fan with the curved blades. These drop right in place in your older Jeep. They are supposed to flow more air and run quieter.

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Summer Safety Slogan

Summer Safety Slogan

This summer I have had more than my fair share of injuries in the shop. It may be the heat. It may be the humidity. Louise Hay suggests that accidents and injuries are responses to anger and heat can trigger the emotion of anger.

So far this summer, I have burned my ankle with hot metal and injured my shoulder when a heavy drive shaft fell on it. In the first case, I was not wearing the proper protective equipment. In the second case I was simply not taking proper precautions.

I have read psychological reports that suggest that the summer heat has an effect on mood. In some cases the heat can cause depression. In other cases it has been links with an excessive feeling of mental fatigue. We have all observed that tempers flare more as the temperature rises.

I am sure dehydration plays a role in increasing accidents as well. I can see my own mental function start to fade and my muscle coordination also diminishes when I am dehydrated. These factors could easily contribute to accidents and injuries.

So in the summer heat my advice is to slow down, take more breaks and drink plenty of fluids. Take an extra amount of time to visualize the job process including things that could go wrong and take measures to prevent their occurrence. Wear the proper protective clothing even if it is hot.

If you fail to take proper precautions to deal with the added stress of summer heat you will then need to head my favorite safety slogan: “If you are gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough!” Have a safe summer.

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Installing Air Shocks on a Jeep Cherokee

Installing Air Shocks on a Jeep Cherokee

I have been running the Gabriel Hijacker air shocks on the rear of my Jeep Cherokee for 15 years or so. But the bags have developed leaks and no longer stay aired up. I searched for replacements but I could not find a replacement listing for the High Jackers for my Jeep. I did however find a listing for the Monroe Air Adjustable shocks.

I got my set through Amazon, although Advance Auto carries them as well. They are sold as a set of two so don’t get confused when ordering.

The Monroe shacks came with all the air lines and fittings needed to install them. There were also some extra bolts in the box that are not used on the Cherokee. I guess these shocks are also used in other applications.

The toughest part of changing the rear shocks on a Cherokee is removing the upper bolts. These are little 8mm bolts with 13mm heads. They are exposed to road salt and are in a hidden pocket in the unibody. So they are easy to break. I always begin by tightening them just a bit. This seems to help break the corrosion bond. Then I carefully work them out. I use a 3/8 ratchet with lots of extensions so I can get a good feel of how the bolt is turning. If it sticks, I run it back in a bit.

You can help loosen the corrosion by spraying something like PB Blaster or Liquid wrench into the space above the bolt. It is difficult to get to the actual bolt however.

If, you do break a bolt, there are several ways to fix it. You can drill through and put a nut on top or weld on a bar pin eliminator made out of an old sway bar bracket.

I was able to get all four of my bolts out intact. I then removed the lower 18mm nut and slipped the old shocks off the pins. I removed the old air lines from the High Jackers.

The Monroe shocks seemed a tad shorter than the Gabriel shocks and I had to lift the axle just a bit to make them reach. I started the top bolts first and then set the bottom on the pin. I put bolted up both shocks before attaching the air lines.

The new shocks came with a complete air line kit. I elected to retain my old air lines however. At first I had trouble getting the lines to seal at the shocks. After a couple of tries I noticed that the installation kit had O rings in it. Once I installed the O rings the old lines sealed just fine in the new shocks.

The air shocks give me adjustability and just enough lift to help keep it off the bump stops. It also helps to adjust for the trailer tongue weight as well.

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Converting from 4wd to 2wd temporarily

Converting from 4wd to 2wd temporarily

I have found several temporarily convert a Jeep Cherokee to 2wd. Some times it is chasing a noise or vibration. Other times it is working around a damaged part. In this most recent case, it is waiting for proper gears to arrive to complete a re-gearing. Whatever your reason, here is the procedure I used.

First remove the front drive shaft. Depending on your reason for converting to 2wd, this may be all you have to do.

If you need to concern yourself with the rotating assembly, either obtain some 2wd stub shafts or some normal outer shafts. If you have broken a U joint on the trail you probably have an outer shaft with the ears broken that you can use. I used the 2wd stubs shafts from the ZJ I just scrapped. I keep them in my trail spares just in case.

Remove the hubs and replace the axle shafts with the stub shafts. Be sure to torque the 36mm nut to 175 ft lobs to set the bearing preload properly. Reinstall the hubs and brake assembly.

In this most recent case, the carrier is out of the diff. So I put on the cover and stuffed some rags in the pinion end and tapped in an old seal to keep most of the trash out.