My '01 XJ - A Work in Progress

[bzauche]

I like that spectre kit! You will love those injectors! I put the 703s (same specs as the 784s just has a different part number for the different connector style) and my Jeep became a much better driver. Saw some performance gains, smoother idle, better mileage, and better cruising on the highway. I have done nearly every bolt on basic bolt on performance modification and nothing gave me as good of results as the injectors.

Make sure to clear the computer's memory so that the Jeep can learn the new injectors and give you the best performance benefits out of them.

I love it too! I haven't driven it yet (except out of the garage), but I love the sound. Overall, the injector, o2 sensor, and intake installations were fairly straight forward and easy. Even a newbie like me felt confident doing them! I did clear the memory via the battery terminal for 30 second, headlight on, off, method. It fired right up after everything was said and done. I will be driving up to Dahlonega from Cumming in a few hours so hopefully I will be able to feel a little bit of a difference! I think next on the list will be a tailpipe and flowmaster, just to make sure I'm getting everything out of it that I can.

 

[Ben824]

Be patient while the computer learns the injectors. Some people (like me) see good results right away and some take a few days to really get te hang of the injectors. If you get a flowmaster get the 50 series. It sounds better than a 40 series cuz it has a special tuning chamber in it that cuts out the high pitched river sounds that the 4.0L can make and leaves you with just the low grunty sounds. I get lots of compliments on my exhaust. Rustys has very cheap cat-back systems that u can put on in your own driveway with a saw zaw and some hand tools.

 

[bzauche]

Be patient while the computer learns the injectors. Some people (like me) see good results right away and some take a few days to really get te hang of the injectors. If you get a flowmaster get the 50 series. It sounds better than a 40 series cuz it has a special tuning chamber in it that cuts out the high pitched river sounds that the 4.0L can make and leaves you with just the low grunty sounds. I get lots of compliments on my exhaust. Rustys has very cheap cat-back systems that u can put on in your own driveway with a saw zaw and some hand tools.

Yeah I definitely don't expect an MPG boost until the computer sorts itself out. It ran amazing on the first crank, and all the way up to Dahlonega, so I'm looking forward to the next few weeks. The injectors and intake certainly added a "seat of the pants" feel, and I love the sound of the intake at WOT. Talk about beastly. I was thinking about the Flowmaster 44, but I'll check out the 50 as well. Performance Curve has crazy good prices on tailpipe/muffler combos. You can get the pipe and a Super 44 for $105. Unless there's a huge difference between the 44 and 50, I might just go with the 44.

 

[bzauche]

Well, a couple of quick updates to keep the ball rolling. First, I got my Spectre kit, 784 injectors, and new o2 sensors installed without any problems!

It freed up a little bit of space in the engine compartment...now I need to figure out how to fill it!

I also picked up a couple of small goodies from Amazon:

My old horn went kaput, so I grabbed these based on reviews:

I keep a headlamp or two in my center console, but I figured I needed something a little bit more significant. I searched for LED Flashlight, and this was just about the top rated one. Cheap, durable, and VERY bright!

And everyone knows it's a good idea to keep a knife handy, so I grabbed this S&W. It's cheap, but it will serve its purpose!

I also got that trailer hitch D-ring that you see in the first picture. I repaired my dented and rusted rear bumper a few days ago, and I plan to clean up my hitch, so the D-ring will be a great addition!

Between my full-time summer job and a contracted house painting job (just 3 rooms) that I'm doing, I am hoping for a handsome payday this week, so hopefully I'll be able to get a few more things! I know upgraded exhaust is near the top of the list, along with hood vents, floor mats, and suspension! Stay tuned!

 

[bzauche]

I installed Hella H4 conversions yesterday after work and used them for the first time tonight...what a difference! Definitely the best $100 I've spent on the XJ so far. I went with the basic 55/60W setup with no wiring harness upgrade or anything like that, and I can tell a huge difference. I might get an upgraded harness eventually!

 

[bzauche]

First off, I would like to go ahead and apologize for the cell phone pics in this post. I was too lazy to get out my real camera...

Moving on...

I had the day off and decided to take the plunge and take off my side molding. Overall, it was a pretty easy task. My method was as follows:

1. Heat end of molding with hair dryer
2. Begin to pull bottom of molding away from the body
3. At this point, peel off the entire bottom of the molding
4. Peel off top of molding and toss piece aside
5. Remove adhesive with fingers
6. Clean whole area
7. Use 3M adhesive remover to get rid of all remaining residue
8. Use polishing compound to remove all deep dirt and stains
9. Clean!

Overall, I am very happy with how clean it turned out, and I really dig the look!

Oh, and here's a shot of the Hella H4 conversions!

After going through my finances again, I am not sure how likely a suspension makeover is for this summer, unfortunately. BUT, this does not mean the mods will stop until further notice! I plan on getting new floor mats, new U-joints for both driveshafts, new sway bar bushings, new exhaust, and possibly new motor mounts, as well as some small things like painting my emblems black, re-painting my front bumper and hitch, and re-painting my hood. I still need to get a quote from DPG for the OME springs, but they might just have to wait...

 

[bzauche]

Well, I am off work today, and Brown Santa happened to drop off my parts from Quadratec about 30 minutes after I woke up! Needless to say, a day of no plans quickly turned into a productive Jeep day.

Quadratec shipped these FAST, and for free! (Call them and tell them you're a forum member, and you'll get free shipping.)

The loot:

Daystar Sway Bar bushings:

M.O.R.E. Steering Box Brace:

My naked steering box and old stock sway bar bushings:

I got started right away! The only "power tool" part of installing the brace was enlarging a pre-existing hole to 7/16", which took about 2 seconds.

One of the BEEF hardware assemblies involved in the brace:

Brace in place with hardware still loose:

Tighten down the clamp end first!

Brace hardware tightened down:

I found that it was easier to access the clamp bolts with the sway bar dropped, which was handy because I had to drop it for the bushings anyway!

New bushing and bracket in place:

Old bushings. I know they aren't necessarily goners, but for the low cost, I thought it would be worth it to replace them.

Both components installed!

Overall, both jobs were quite easy. It definitely helps to have the right tools though...I had to make a run to AutoZone to pick up a 15/16" socket and 1/2" drive ratchet to make tightening down the big bolt a lot easier.

First impressions are good! I think my dead spot has definitely subsided, probably because of the combination. It was a short drive, but I could definitely tell a difference.

 

[bosco01xj]

I see more and more people adding steering box braces. What are the benefits of adding the brace?

 

[Ben824]

I see more and more people adding steering box braces. What are the benefits of adding the brace?

Basically its main benefit is preventative maintenance in that is braces the steering box from weakening the frame rail that VERY commonly happens on XJs with larger wheels and tires. Doesn't even need to be very large tires. Even a 31" tire can eventually put enough stress on the frame rail to cause stress cracks, I know from experience. A brace takes some of the pressure off of the frame rail. I have 33s and when I sit under the Jeep and watch the frame when someone turns the wheel I can actually see the frame shift slightly. I have the C-ROK frame plate brace that sandwiches the inner and outer sides of the frame right there at the steering box. I actually noticed a tighter steering response with doing this! Which says a lot for the condition that my frame was in. I also welded up the little cracks that had began to form and I plan to buy or build some sort of additional brace that ties into the other frame rail like the M.O.R.E unit here that bzauche installed.

 

[bzauche]

Basically its main benefit is preventative maintenance in that is braces the steering box from weakening the frame rail that VERY commonly happens on XJs with larger wheels and tires. Doesn't even need to be very large tires. Even a 31" tire can eventually put enough stress on the frame rail to cause stress cracks, I know from experience. A brace takes some of the pressure off of the frame rail. I have 33s and when I sit under the Jeep and watch the frame when someone turns the wheel I can actually see the frame shift slightly. I have the C-ROK frame plate brace that sandwiches the inner and outer sides of the frame right there at the steering box. I actually noticed a tighter steering response with doing this! Which says a lot for the condition that my frame was in. I also welded up the little cracks that had began to form and I plan to buy or build some sort of additional brace that ties into the other frame rail like the M.O.R.E unit here that bzauche installed.

Very well put! I plan on getting an actual frame brace as well eventually, whether it be its own piece or part of a new front bumper. While I only run 31s and don't do a bunch of crazy stuff, I felt that it was a justifiable expense to prevent any further problems!

 

[bzauche]

Yesterday and today I worked on my driveshafts (can't get the front one back together for some reason), along with a few other things. I cleaned up my hitch a little bit, will be painting it tomorrow, and installing the D-ring to finish it off. After I got the rear driveshaft u-joints replaced, greased up the t-case splines real good, and replaced the rear pinion seal, I decided that it was about time for a good ol' wash and wax. It's cleaner than I think it's ever been right now, except underneath...good old Georgia red clay.

Tomorrow marks the first time in a long time that someone else's hands will be working in the XJ. I'm dropping it off bright and early at the muffler shop to get a Magnaflow 2.5" cat-back system put in. I would have ordered the kit from Performance Curve, but my shop is doing it for not much more. I'm going to try to get a before and after video for reference purposes.

 

[bzauche]

I picked up the XJ from the muffler shop today, and boy am I pleased. The Magnaflow, 2.5" piping, and CAI combo sounds siiiick to me. I took a before and after video that I'll post later.

When I got home, I went right to work on repainting my trailer hitch and installing the D-ring.

After I was done with the hitch, I decided that the plain steel exhaust pipe looked out of place with the black/white color scheme, so I roughed it up, the hit it with high heat primer and high heat satin black paint.

Overall, I am VERY pleased with today's outcome and the look of the rear end.

Oh, and here's yesterday's projects. New rear DS u-joints and new rear pinion seal.

 

[bzauche]

Not much to update recently as I've been at school since August 5th and haven't been home since. I'll be headed home next weekend though, and the plans are to:

Replace both D30 U-joints with fresh Spicer 5-760x's
Change oil
Change transmission fluid

So exciting! Ok, not really.

Other than that, nothing much is planned for right now. I was looking around today and noticed that my motor mounts are a little weird. The rubber isn't necessarily degraded, but there is almost enough space for me to put my finger in between the rubber and the metal. Is that normal? I've been thinking about Brown Dogs for awhile now...

I was also taking a look at some frame stiffeners today, and I really like the H.D. Engineering offroad ones. Hopefully once I get a little extra cash I can order those and get them welded on...everyone says they make a big difference!

I'm eyeing an upgraded tie-rod and some Bilstein's as well...time to prioritize!

 

[Ben824]

Not much to update recently as I've been at school since August 5th and haven't been home since. I'll be headed home next weekend though, and the plans are to:

Replace both D30 U-joints with fresh Spicer 5-760x's
Change oil
Change transmission fluid

So exciting! Ok, not really.

Other than that, nothing much is planned for right now. I was looking around today and noticed that my motor mounts are a little weird. The rubber isn't necessarily degraded, but there is almost enough space for me to put my finger in between the rubber and the metal. Is that normal? I've been thinking about Brown Dogs for awhile now...

I was also taking a look at some frame stiffeners today, and I really like the H.D. Engineering offroad ones. Hopefully once I get a little extra cash I can order those and get them welded on...everyone says they make a big difference!

I'm eyeing an upgraded tie-rod and some Bilstein's as well...time to prioritize!

Are the u-joints giving you trouble? Unless you are having problems with the them I recommend leaving them alone. They are a bit of a pain to get changed out not as easy as driveshaft joints. And like I said of they are not showing problems you really are just wasting money to tinker on your Jeep. I replaced both of mine last fall at just over 200,000 miles because one joint that had been replaced by a shop years ago was going bad and fast. It was making noise and when turning at lower speeds it would bind and drag on the jeep and make it feel like it was jumping. Anyways I replace the crappy Japanese joint and the other factory Spicer joint. The caps of the Jap joint were filled with rust, grease was completely gone, and two of them were black inside from the needle bearings burning. The factory one on the other side was perfect! Plenty of grease in it moved freely when I first pulled the shaft. I only replaced it because I had already done all the work to get it out and had the new joint sitting there. Your Jeep is newer than mine with less miles and I would hate to see you spend money and time to replace something that is perfectly fine.

As for motor mounts yah that's not necessarily good to be able to fit your finger in between the rubber and the metal but if the rubber isn't torn then you don't really have a major problem. However the rubber still degrades over time which it why you have that gap. It's vibration absorbing properties have diminished alot! I replaced my transmission mount with another OEM style one and there was almost a 1 1/2" difference in their height! I triple checked that it was the right one because of that and it was.

Brown Dog mounts have probably the best reputation on this forum which I am sure you have figured out. Speaking from a person with experience with polyurethane mounts, if you go with the poly mounts you will get noticeably more engine vibs in the Jeep. They are the most noticeable at idle in traffic and it drove me nuts being the ADD person that I am all the rattles and creaks that my Jeep could possibley make were happening sitting in traffic. I finally had enough and swapped back factory mounts. I have seen a lot of good reviews for the rubber Brown Dog mounts so I plan to pick up a set of those when mine go bad. I also plan to eventually get a set of their engine block mounts too since I have personally seen the bolts in the block for those mounts fail before on a regular 2WD daily driver and it was BAD! So those are on my list too!

Glad to see you are still taking care of that pretty Jeep! Good luck man!

 

[PacificEd]

Man, that is one nice looking Jeep. You have really taken a lot of time to do things right.

 

[bzauche]

Are the u-joints giving you trouble? Unless you are having problems with the them I recommend leaving them alone. They are a bit of a pain to get changed out not as easy as driveshaft joints. And like I said of they are not showing problems you really are just wasting money to tinker on your Jeep. I replaced both of mine last fall at just over 200,000 miles because one joint that had been replaced by a shop years ago was going bad and fast. It was making noise and when turning at lower speeds it would bind and drag on the jeep and make it feel like it was jumping. Anyways I replace the crappy Japanese joint and the other factory Spicer joint. The caps of the Jap joint were filled with rust, grease was completely gone, and two of them were black inside from the needle bearings burning. The factory one on the other side was perfect! Plenty of grease in it moved freely when I first pulled the shaft. I only replaced it because I had already done all the work to get it out and had the new joint sitting there. Your Jeep is newer than mine with less miles and I would hate to see you spend money and time to replace something that is perfectly fine.

As for motor mounts yah that's not necessarily good to be able to fit your finger in between the rubber and the metal but if the rubber isn't torn then you don't really have a major problem. However the rubber still degrades over time which it why you have that gap. It's vibration absorbing properties have diminished alot! I replaced my transmission mount with another OEM style one and there was almost a 1 1/2" difference in their height! I triple checked that it was the right one because of that and it was.

Brown Dog mounts have probably the best reputation on this forum which I am sure you have figured out. Speaking from a person with experience with polyurethane mounts, if you go with the poly mounts you will get noticeably more engine vibs in the Jeep. They are the most noticeable at idle in traffic and it drove me nuts being the ADD person that I am all the rattles and creaks that my Jeep could possibley make were happening sitting in traffic. I finally had enough and swapped back factory mounts. I have seen a lot of good reviews for the rubber Brown Dog mounts so I plan to pick up a set of those when mine go bad. I also plan to eventually get a set of their engine block mounts too since I have personally seen the bolts in the block for those mounts fail before on a regular 2WD daily driver and it was BAD! So those are on my list too!

Glad to see you are still taking care of that pretty Jeep! Good luck man!

I have had a rattle/vibration/pretty loud noise coming from my drivers side wheel area for quite awhile, but I just recently was able to get underneath and see if I could figure it out. Everything I shook didn't budge except my drivers side axle shaft at the u-joint. The passenger side one wouldn't rotate at all, but the drivers side one has some play; I can rotate it a little bit just with my fingers. Here is a link to a video I took of the noise. Skip to 0:25, turn up your speakers and listen close. Video

The video was taken at low speed. It doesn't make any noise at regular/highway speed...

I really don't know what else it could be coming from. I have the maintenance records for the Jeep almost all the way back to the original owner, and I don't see anywhere that says they've been replaced. At 168k miles, I figured it'd be good to replace them even if they aren't the problem. Any other ideas on the noise though?

If I get Brown Dogs I will definitely get the rubber mounts, mainly because it's my DD and not a trailered trail rig. I completely understand some people's need for the poly mounts, but I am not looking to throw the comfort factor out the door.

Man, that is one nice looking Jeep. You have really taken a lot of time to do things right.

Thank you so much! I would have loved to have been able to buy a stock one and build it up from there, but I'm in college and on a very tight budget so it made more sense to buy one that was already somewhat modded. I have worked hard on it for the past year and I'm really liking how it's turning out. Far from perfect, but good enough for me!

 

[Ben824]

I have had a rattle/vibration/pretty loud noise coming from my drivers side wheel area for quite awhile, but I just recently was able to get underneath and see if I could figure it out. Everything I shook didn't budge except my drivers side axle shaft at the u-joint. The passenger side one wouldn't rotate at all, but the drivers side one has some play; I can rotate it a little bit just with my fingers. Here is a link to a video I took of the noise. Skip to 0:25, turn up your speakers and listen close. Video

The video was taken at low speed. It doesn't make any noise at regular/highway speed...

I really don't know what else it could be coming from. I have the maintenance records for the Jeep almost all the way back to the original owner, and I don't see anywhere that says they've been replaced. At 168k miles, I figured it'd be good to replace them even if they aren't the problem. Any other ideas on the noise though?

If I get Brown Dogs I will definitely get the rubber mounts, mainly because it's my DD and not a trailered trail rig. I completely understand some people's need for the poly mounts, but I am not looking to throw the comfort factor out the door.



Thank you so much! I would have loved to have been able to buy a stock one and build it up from there, but I'm in college and on a very tight budget so it made more sense to buy one that was already somewhat modded. I have worked hard on it for the past year and I'm really liking how it's turning out. Far from perfect, but good enough for me!

Well then from the noises I heard in that video and the symptoms you described I would say those a very similar to mine and that you most likely have a bad joint. I will tell you for me the hardest part was actually removing the joints from the shaft. The caps just did not want to come out. So be prepared for a lot of beating and may want to get yourself a mini sledge hammer to really get some force to knock them out. Your XJ is a little newer with less miles so they may not be as stuck in there but be prepared for them possibly being tough to get out.

 

[bzauche]

Well then from the noises I heard in that video and the symptoms you described I would say those a very similar to mine and that you most likely have a bad joint. I will tell you for me the hardest part was actually removing the joints from the shaft. The caps just did not want to come out. So be prepared for a lot of beating and may want to get yourself a mini sledge hammer to really get some force to knock them out. Your XJ is a little newer with less miles so they may not be as stuck in there but be prepared for them possibly being tough to get out.

Ok, well that's reassuring that you think it could be a bad joint as well. The Spicers are already on there way so the swap is happening either way. I'm expecting them to be tough to get out, so we'll see how it goes. Thanks for the help! I'll update with how it turns out.

 

[01yellowxj]

I love the white on a XJ. I have had several colors but white and the blue are my favorite.

Mine will look similar soon, your picture makes me want to get it done faster.

 

[bzauche]

I love the white on a XJ. I have had several colors but white and the blue are my favorite.

Mine will look similar soon, your picture makes me want to get it done faster.

I love white XJ's as well! It blows my mind that my XJ motivates people...I've never seen it as anything special, but I am so happy to know that my hard work is paying off!