Tag: Jeep

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Jeep Cherokee Fuel Pump Replacement

Jeep Cherokee Fuel Pump Replacement

This weekend while on an off road trip, Jenny’s Jeep began to experience the symptoms of a bad fuel pump. Her jeep would stumble and die at idle. It would only run if the rpms were kept over 1500 and it was low on power. It was also surging as the fuel pump lost pressure. It was making only 20 psi or so and that was simply not enough to keep the fuel from boiling in the hot fuel rail. It was a struggle, but we got her Jeep out of the woods under its own power and got it back to my shop.

Fist, we used the failing fuel pump to pump the remainder of the fuel from the tank. I used my fuel pressure tester attached to the fuel rail test port to pump the fuel into a can. I made a jumper wire and attached it to the fuel pump relay socket to force the pump to run.

Once the tank was empty, I disconnected the lines from the fuel pump assembly and disconnected the wires. I also disconnected the tank vent lines.

Next, I rigged up a lift to support the tank as I lowered it from the Jeep. I then loosened the tank support straps. After lowering the tank a couple of inches I was able to reach above the tank and loosen the filler and vent lines from the tank. I then removed the tank support straps and lowered the tank out of the Jeep.

With the tank out, I stood it up and cleaned the mounting flange for the pump assembly with a wire brush. I used a hammer and screwdriver to move the clamp ring off the pump. Then I carefully removed the pump from the tank taking care not to get dirt in the tank. The filter sock fell off and had to be retrieved with a gripper tool. Often the tapered grommet for the pump assembly will stay in the tank as well. If so, this has to be fished out. This one came out with the pump this time however.

To test the pump, Jenny made up a container for fuel and reconnected the pump to the lines and wires. The last time I worked on this Jeep there was a leak in the line between the pump and the tank outlet. This time however, there was no leak; the pump simply was not making pressure. Cold it would make only 30 psi not the required 48 psi. When the pump got hot it made less pressure. We measured 20 psi when the Jeep was trying to get home the day before.

We then tested the used replacement we had available. It easily made more than enough pressure. And still no leaks. The mounting bracket in this tank has been modified slightly in an off roading mishap so I had to adapt the new pump to fit. After some mixing and matching of parts and some creative routing of the expensive high pressure hose, I got it to fit. Jenny also had to put a wrap or two of Teflon tape on the pump inlet to get the filter sock to stay in place.

I carefully cleaned the pump mounting surface and the O ring. I then set the pump in place and tapped the retaining ring back into position.

We then lifted the tank up into the Jeep. With the tank almost in place I reattached the filler and vent lines. This was the most difficult part of the job by far. Once the lines were reattached, I lifted the tank the rest of the way back up and reinstalled the straps. I actually forgot to tighten the fuel line clamps before driving it. I should have tightened them right after I reinstalled the lines and attached the wires.

We put the fuel back in and ran the pump on the jumper a moment to prime the system and get air out of the lines. When I heard the regulator squeal, I knew the air was being purged. Jenny’s Jeep started right up. It stumbled a moment while the computer adapted to having the right pressure at the injectors again but it settled down quickly.

A quick test drive showed it all worked fine. With the exception of the loose clamps on the fuel lines I mentioned earlier. I had to tighten them in the street because I was afraid they might pop off if we drove it back to the shop.

Her fuel pressure is back in spec again. Hopefully this pump will last a while. The whole job took about four hours start to finish.

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XJ List Spring Fling 2009

May 2009 Trip to Harlan, Ky

The semi annual meeting of the Yahoo Groups XJlist was held once again in Harlan, Ky.

We began the trail runs Thursday afternoon by doing some exploring. Even though the group has been to the park many times before, there are still places we have not been. We began by looking for some places that we had seen on YouTube. First we went in search of Pinball and Railbed. Our maps were somewhat hard to interpret and these trails were not marked but we soon figured out which ones were which.

Still being a bit cautious after Adam’s tumble at the end of the last trip, the group decided to avoid the steeper climbs and try Railbed. Railbed begins with a vertical water fall and then proceeds up the hill in a boulder filled gully. No mud, just a lot of rocks. Neal tried the waterfall in his XJ with lockers and 35 inch swampers. There just was not enough room to get his XJ into the correct position to climb the steep slick face of the waterfall.

We all took the bypass and headed up the rocky trail. The loose large rocks made lockers a must for the climb. We each tried different lines and eventually we all made it up the trail. This was one of the most fun climbs of the trip. We noticed the big piece of rail road track buried in the dirt beside the trail. This is where the trail gets its name.

We moved up to the nearby lower rock garden where we have played many times before. While I was waiting and watching I was surprised when a fellow in a Chevy Avalanche showed up. After talking with him for a few minutes, I discovered he was in charge of parks and recreation for Harlan County and is basically the guy in charge of the park.

We discussed the future plans for the park and I learned his goal is to make Harlan County the premier off road destination on the east coast. The new permit money goes directly to the park maintenance and improvement fund. The permitting system was instrumental in getting the land owner to agree to the long term lease needed to get grant money to further improve the park. Turns out he is a avid off roader himself and has personally carved out many of the trails on the mountain. I feel good about having him in charge.

We did some more exploring and learned how some of the trails interconnect. Not a bad warm up for day one.

On the way back down the mountain to camp, I noticed my voltmeter suddenly drop. Back at camp, I tested to find that sure enough my new alternator had quit charging. Ironically, I bought it right there in Harlan last fall. I quickly pulled it off the Jeep while my burger was cooking on the grill.

After a quick snack, I borrowed Jenny’s Jeep and drove into town for a completely no hassle swap at Advance Auto. It was sprinkling rain when I got back so Jenny draped a tarp over my Jeep so I could keep working. Just as I was trying to align the bolts, I heard a loud noise and felt something stinging my legs. I realized it was not just raining but hailing. I quickly dove into my Suburban and waited out the storm.

When the rains finally slacked off, I hurried to finish the job before dark. Long summer days are nice. I got it all back together and tested before settling in by the fire to catch up with my friends who I only see twice a year.

Friday morning, we awoke to find very slick and wet conditions. Harlan gets very slick form these sudden thunderstorms. Even the road up the mountain, Trail 45, becomes a serious obstacle when it is wet like this. We took time to remind each other of the danger and agreed to have fun anyway but to watch out for each other on the trail and pay close attention to our radios.

Our fist challenge was trail 15. This is fondly know to our group as the Slip and Slide after we had to come down it late one evening after getting caught in a sudden thunder storm. We headed up the slip and slide hill.

The second climb of trial is punctuated by a small two rock step. It really does not look that intimidating. However, because of the steepness of the climb the near ninety degree turn just before it, it is difficult to arrive that the first rock with enough momentum to get over it. The rocks are also deceptively simple looking.

Neal, after having quite an interesting time there last trip, decided to winch up. Evan and Kevin made the climb using lots of throttle and even with out the benefit of lockers made the climb easily. There was plenty of drama associated with the speed but his Bilstein shocks served him well as he hopped over the last two rocks. I thought I had plenty of momentum to make it over the crest but to my complete surprise, I simply bounced off the first rock and stopped between them. Even flipping the switch to the front locker was not help and I found myself in a very scary slide backwards just as Neal had done last year.

I quickly regained control and backup for another run. Again I bounced on the first rock and slid backwards. Knowing a unlocked Jeep had just made it up just aggravated me more. I backed up again and using all the traction my Maxxis Buckshots could find and the torque of my Titan Stroker, I blasted up the hill with plenty of speed to carry me over both rocks. I was glad the stock lower control arms were up to the task of continuing to locate my front axle.

We did a bit more exploring of the park and made another trip up Railbed just for fun. We had planned to get in Mason Jar before dark but when we arrived there was a large group of Toyota Truggies there. We really expected them to make short work of the gate keeper at Mason Jar with their large bead locked tires and flexible suspensions.

However after nearly an hour of watching and waiting, they had only one truck past the gate keeper and it was stuck at the second rock. We decided to call it day and try Mason Jar the next morning.

The story of Mason Jar will continue in the next post.

[phpbay]Jeep Cherokee, 5[/phpbay]

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Limiting Beliefs

While we were off roading in Harlan, Ky this weekend we met some very interesting other people on the trails.

It was interesting to see how their beliefs about what they were capable of effected their results.

On the Mason Jar trail we met three different groups. The first group we encountered had very nicely built rigs. They all had bead lock wheels and very large tires. They all had exo cages and big axles. We expected them to easily run up the trail that we had run before in our XJs.

However, they seemed to have lots of trouble. The first rig had an electrical failure before the first rock. The second one had a bit of trouble getting over the first few rock in the entrance but came to complete stop at the second set of rocks. We waited a long time to see how he got over. He was pulling winch line when we left but it did not seem like he was going to get over even with the winch.

We left to try again the next morning.

Based on what I saw there, I was a little worried about whether we could make it at all. But I was committed to giving it my best shot.

Adam and Neal made it in just fine and after some work at finding the right line made it over the second set of rocks just fine. See the video of Neal here.

After seeing the XJs make it over, I once again believed I could do it also. I knew that I had expert spotting and caching from my friends. I also knew if all else failed, I had my winch.

With a little spotting from Jim, I made the first rock easily even using what Jim called “a less than optimum line.”

When I got to the second set of rocks that had stopped the buggy on 37 inch tires and bead locks, I trusted my spotters and after some maneuvering to get properly lined up, I was able to hope my Jeep right up on the rocks. My 33″ Buckshots scrambled for traction and then pulled the back of my Jeep right up the rock. Then I scooted up the muddy hill afterwards. My belief in my abilities grew quite a but after that climb.

Another group that we met along the trail really impressed me. I don’t really know the best term to describe them. Lets just call them old codgers. These two Wranglers were piloted by some guys with some miles on them. One of them seemed to be a bit hard of hearing because when Neal told him he could go around us he laughed and said he though we called him a “gourd head.” They were each accompanied by a female of similar vintage in the passenger seat.

What struck me was that they were sprinting up and down the rock as fast as the youngest and fittest of our group. They certainly had not limiting beliefs about their age.

When it came time to watch them drive their their rigs, they really impressed me. They had no doubt at all that they could make the climb. They obviously had years of experience and made the climb look easy.

They certainly were not ready for a rocking chair in a retirement home. They were playing and having a great time. I hope to be doing that when I get their age.

Charles Filmore suggested that the way to stay young was to stop thinking old thoughts. I did not see any evidence of old thoughts among that group.

Many times we limit our progress due to our beliefs. Today I am working on a proposal for a client that at fist I did not see anyway I could do. But after thinking about this weekend off road, I decided to think differently. I have emailed the client to see if there are options that will make it possible for me to fulfil his specs with the resources I have at hand.

I am setting larger goals. I am doubting my limits instead of my abilities. I am moving forward to face even bigger obstacles.

“If you can do one thing you thought was utterly impossible, it causes you to rethink your beliefs.” Tony Robbins

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Commitment

Life Lessons from Off the Road

Commitment

Last weekend I was riding in my son Scott’s Jeep. He was heading into a big mud puddle of unknown depth. Naturally he was very anxious about driving through the puddle as we were in his very nice XJ Wagoneer and we were alone.

As he entered the puddle to check the depth and bottom conditions he felt it start get squishy. I realized that his indecision was about to get us stuck.

It was at this moment that I realized an important lesson in life. When you are heading to any obstacle in life, you need to make a decision and commit to it. Either you go into the puddle committed to get to the other side no matter what or don’t go in at all.

Approaching a puddle of unknown depth with too much speed can be disastrous as well. One of my wheeling partners demonstrated this technique in Harlan, Ky once. However, in his case, he had plenty of support to get his Jeep out of the water and running again after he sucked water into his engine.

When attacking any obstacle in life you must approach with enough momentum to carry you safely through. However, you must also use good judgment so that you don’t overshoot your target or incur damage from proceeding too fast.

When I was building my first race car for autocrossing, I was very disappointed to learn that a suspension setup that was good for autocrossing made the car way too twitchy to enjoy on the street. If I wanted to build a competitive car for racing, it was going to have to be trailered to the track. It would get very little use between races. I was going to have to make a huge commitment to build the car I wanted to race.

Rally racing demanded an even greater commitment. Not only did my Jeep have to have a roll cage and lots of other safety features that rendered it useless for street driving, I could not make the modifications I wanted to make due to class rule restrictions. I also had to get a reliable tow vehicle that would haul a whole race team across the country.

Travel time alone amounted to a huge commitment with rally racing. Not to mention the ever increasing entry fees. The need to buy a head and neck restraint was a bigger commitment than I was willing to make since two of them would have cost more than the race car itself.

Making the commitment to convert my race Jeep into an off road Jeep was not easy for me. However, once I made the commitment, I have been able to enjoy my investment much more than I ever thought possible.

Click here to read about how the RallyJeep was converted to Scuffy the off road Jeep.

When driving off road, you have to be committed to getting through no matter what. You have to be committed to allowing for body damage. If you have a vehicle you are not willing to dent, don’t take it off road. Dents and scrapes are part of the game. That is why I built Scuffy, because I was not willing to bang up my daily driver.

Having a dedicated off road truck makes the commitment much easier. Dents and scratches are seen as battle scars or marks of honor rather than degrading like they are on a street car.

If you approach an obstacle without commitment, you are more likely to fail. To get up a step muddy hill, for example, you have to approach the bottom with enough speed to generate momentum needed to carry you to the top. You can’t timidly ease into it and then accelerate as you feel better about the climb. Trying to power over the top is a good way to end up on your top as I saw at the extreme rock crawling competition.

The pro rock crawlers call it a deceleration climb. They commit to the climb, generate momentum and then use just enough power to the wheels to keep the truck climbing without spinning or tipping it backwards.

I also saw how commitment was needed on the descents. Those who crawled up to the absolute edge and tried to ease over were pitched sideways as one tire lost traction before the other. They ended up cart wheeling down the cliff. Those who committed to the fall were able to travel straight down and land on their suspension to absorb the bumps and bangs and drive off the course.

I often like to walk a trail before I commit to run it. This helps me assess the obstacles and help me decide if my truck and skills are sufficient to the task. Knowing the skills of those with me also helps me know what level of commitment I am willing to make.

The Mason Jar trail in Harlan, Ky requires a great deal of commitment just to enter the trail. You either have to cross a house sized boulder or maneuver through a narrow off camber bypass. Once past these, there is no good way to turn around, you are committed to running the trail.

In life we are faced with obstacles all the time. If we stay timid and try to avoid any damage, we will be stuck in the safe and boring ways of doing things. If we want to seek adventure and riches, we have to be willing to accept a few bumps and dents along the way. Those who are not willing to make a commitment and be willing to suffer the potential consequences will have to be content to stand back and watch the other more adventurous people reap their rewards.

Anyone who has ever achieved a goal has had to take a risk and make a commitment. Commitment keeps you moving toward your goal despite the consequences. Just like getting to the other side of a mud puddle, if you want to make it through a sticky situation in life or business, you have to begin with momentum.

In life, like off road, commitment means having the momentum to carry through. You may get some dents and scrapes along the way, but if you have made the commitment to achieve your goal, the journey will be just as exciting as actually achieving the goal.

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Extreme Rock Crawling

Extreme rock crawling
Extreme rock crawling

The WE Rock extreme rock crawling championship series made a stop in Dayton, TN this weekend. I went by on Friday night and saw part of the tech inspection process. I got to get a close look at how the buggies are built. I talked to a couple of drivers and builders who gave me a great tutorial of the sport.

I returned Saturday to watch a few of the later runs. The guys going backwards off the cliff were pretty amazing. There must be some huge bonus points for the the risk they were taking. Most did not make the fall without some damage.

There was one climb that I never saw anyone complete. When I arrived they were using a forklift to extract a stuck buggy. Later I saw one roll and get winched by a Cherokee stationed at the top. A few others tried and failed as well.

I still have a lot to learn about the sport but is was very entertaining to watch. I am really surprised that there is a place this close to home to see this kind of action.

For more pictures see Extreme Rock Crawling