Project first timer

ATC1128 said:
The oil leak has gotten worse 😣. The oil fill cap is so tight I can't get it off by hand and the valve cover gasket I put in didn't hold up. I knew it wouldn't, I shouldn't of gambled it lol. Oh well, so I might do the oil filter adapter and the valve cover on Friday. That should clean it up a little and see if my oil pan gasket and rear main are good.

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How'd the valve cover gasket not hold up? Those don't really do a whole lot, so if you're getting blowby leaks out of that I'd think you'd have a slightly bigger issue?
 
freerider15 said:
How'd the valve cover gasket not hold up? Those don't really do a whole lot, so if you're getting blowby leaks out of that I'd think you'd have a slightly bigger issue?
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The gasket was much wider than the one I took out and the valve cover doesn't sit flush against the head in the rear.

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Yes!!!! And that's what I thought and even debated with the guy at the auto part store but he assured me it was correct. Should have just gone with my gut. 😩

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Well redid my valve cover gasket, with the right gasket this time. So, should be good there. I washed everything down to help narrow down the rest of my leaks lol. Within a week oil was in every nook and cranny from the bad gasket. With the everything clean and the appropriate valve cover, it still looks to be the oil filter adapter. Small leak for now but I'll probably change it coming up. I'll take it to the shop so I can un-attach the engine from the motor mount and actually get a breaker bar in there. Just an idea just seems like it would be easier to get leverage and not have to make a tool. But let me know of any tips or tricks. Also you can see the bolt that snapped in the head 😠. Probably take care of that at the shop too.
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So the XJ is running pretty well. I would say it's running the best it's ever ran since I've owned it but....... that would surely cause something the break or fail in the near future. I took it for a drive this weekend and I wanted to put the cooling system to the test (not just to work and back home). So I drove from Colorado Springs to just south of Denver on I25 to get an idea of how it would preform on the highway as I have to drive it to Moab come October. We hit a little traffic before turning around and heading down Rampart Range Road (from north to south). Drove Rampart and dozens of side roads to 67 which took us to Deckers, CO. We hung out in the Platte River for awhile enjoying the cool water, being in the jeep with no a.c. in 95 degree weather isn't the most comfortable. An hour and a half later we arrived home and the the jeep did great. Between highways speeds, mountain roads and the few hill climbs I did, the jeep never got above 215ish and the aux fan cooled it down shortly after. With the oil leak subsided and the cooling system working as it should I'm ready to get out and explore some trails away from the springs and get some good camping in.
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So sitting in the garage looking at the XJ trying to figure out what to do next. There's no shortage of things to do but prioritizing what comes next becomes the issue when you don't have money just laying around. I made a list.

Bump stops.... I've been prolonging this because 1. I'm not 100% sure how to without a ramp or jack that can lift the axle high enough but I'm not worried about it I'll read up on it or I'm sure someone will share advice 😊. 2. It's been such a miniscule task compared to my other endeavours. 3. As of yet, I haven't been truly "wheeling."

Shocks.... my shocks are just place holders and are long overdue for an upgrade. Not sure which ones to get. So as long as they preform great on and off road don't really care about who makes them.

Armor.... need gas tank and T-case skids at a minimum. Thinking about fabricating my own belly skid but have never done so before and have very little fabricating skills. Always willing to learn though.

Lighting.... XJ lighting is awful but it's an easy upgrade just need the funds. I do wanna use a fuse block though to keep everything nice and organized.

Roof rack or tire carrier.... I know I want a roof rack to store camping stuff but I don't know if I want a cheaper Amazon rack i.e. Rola or a more high end rack i.e. JCR, FrontRunner etc. Likewise, I'm unsure if I want a tire carrier bumper. They seem great but I already have a rear bumper and I don't wanna change my approach angels and some rear carriers won't allow gas tank skids. Justifying a roof rack is easier because I would gain so much more utility out of it; However, getting the spare tire out of the back would free up alot of space (we have 3 dogs we take camping). I refuse to put my tire on my roof as I don't wanna mess with my COG. I thought a about designing a removable tire carrier in the back with the JCR bed mount. When the wife and dogs come camping with me I don't do hard trails so the spare could stay at the house, hints why im leaning towards the removable design. But have to do more research.

Drawer system.... I'm no carpenter but how difficult could building drawers be??? Don't want anything fancy just a rectangle. I never have my rear seat up so I would build it all the way to the rear of the front seats and secure it to the floor. Drawers and compartments would allow for a clean look and a place to store all my spare parts, tools and equipment. Additionally, it'll keep stuff from sliding around when wheeling.

For now the list will stay on the tool box. I'm sure I will add and take away as time goes on. If you have any suggestions and/or advice I am all ears.
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Belly skid I personally would look at this
http://www.stinkyfab.com/trail-proof-crossmember-t-case-skid-jeep-xj-mj/

Shocks, will depend on how much you want to spend. Dostech makes some decent shocks that aren't a fortune, Bilstiens are nice but $$$. OME also makes some good shocks.

A company (think detoursusa, but they are shutdown) used to make something like this. It was a carrier that mounted into your trailer hitch. You would lose some departure angle but is removable
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Drawer system wouldn't be hard at all. Really will depend on how in depth you want it to be. A basic rectangle would be simple or you could build it to fit flush with the interior. Plus would be fully utilizing your space vs the box leaving some gap.
 
smokeyyank said:
Belly skid I personally would look at this
http://www.stinkyfab.com/trail-proof-crossmember-t-case-skid-jeep-xj-mj/

Shocks, will depend on how much you want to spend. Dostech makes some decent shocks that aren't a fortune, Bilstiens are nice but $$$. OME also makes some good shocks.

A company (think detoursusa, but they are shutdown) used to make something like this. It was a carrier that mounted into your trailer hitch. You would lose some departure angle but is removable
80-img_0146_d1a6d7e5393b30147c9e0b3c13769c68a9e4c252.jpg


Drawer system wouldn't be hard at all. Really will depend on how in depth you want it to be. A basic rectangle would be simple or you could build it to fit flush with the interior. Plus would be fully utilizing your space vs the box leaving some gap.
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Thanks for the link. I've never seen that skid and looks like what I need. I just have to look at my current crossmember. But that does give me good ideas.

As far at the drawers go I will take some measurements and see what I come up with. I have a full auto workshop at my disposal I just need to find somewhere or someone with wood working tools lol. Maybe I can draw something up and go from there.

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Stinkyfab just released it but will probably be the route I take if I ever get around to it.
 
So order some new shocks should be here around the 21st. Shocks are easy but something that is starting to bother me is my steering components. Went camping this weekend and was looking at the jeep and the steering is to tiny. But with that I have some questions/concerns.

The PO owner relocated the trackbar to over the axle. Trackbar is much beefer with heim joints on both ends and the angles seem to be really close to where they need to be. I don't run a stabilizer and I have no issues regarding bump steer or death wobble. I was thinking about doing OTK but it doesn't seem like I have much to gain from it, especially in the ground clearance department. Am I missing any other benefits to OTK (specifically to my case)?

I'm looking at the JCR 1-ton OTK and UTK. I also want to avoid bump steer and death wobble since I do DD it.

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It would help your angles line up a little better. But if it works right now, leave it. That factory steering setup is trash and if you’re not wobbling around, don’t mess with it. :roflmao:
That’s my .02
 
in4aride said:
It would help your angles line up a little better. But if it works right now, leave it. That factory steering setup is trash and if you’re not wobbling around, don’t mess with it. :roflmao:
That’s my .02
Click to expand...
Ya I'm kinda in the same mindset. I just worry that I could break it wheeling then I'm SOL.

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