The Frog Blog

[FlexdXJ]

Hey, just popping in to wish you and your family a happy thanksgiving, Kelly! Don't eat too much!

 

[rocknxj]

Hey, just popping in to wish you and your family a happy thanksgiving, Kelly! Don't eat too much!

Thanks, man. We are taking the trailer to the Bay Area today for a T-Giving camping trip and dinner will be minimal so no chance of eating too much this year ha ha. Crap. I don't think I even get a pie.

Enjoy your day. Go Niners!

 

[srmitchell]

Sweet pictures. Looks like your km2's are holding up strong.

 

[rocknxj]

Yeah, they are doing well. No sidewall cuts and all of the lugs are holding tight. They are wearing pretty good too, and for serving as my DD, they are turning out even better than expected.

I got around to washing the rig today and discovered I totaled my driver's side horn with my KM2's. I ran Prairie City without bump stops since my stock stops are gone and I have not replaced them yet, so I ended up stuffing my driver's side tire into the well enough to decimate the horn. It's a good thing they don't work anyway (same as airbag and cruise control) so I won't have to poke around Pick and Pull until spring (I'm a fair weather picker).

 

[FlexdXJ]

It's a good thing they don't work anyway (same as airbag and cruise control) so I won't have to poke around Pick and Pull until spring (I'm a fair weather picker).

Clockspring! :eyes:

 

[rocknxj]

Clockspring! :eyes:

Yeah, it is probably the clockspring. I might get around to it one day when everything else is fixed.

 

[Alex E]

Dang, that table top looking thing looks fun. I almost want to make the 2.5 hour trek out to PC just for that. I could drive up and down that thing from every angle and not get bored, its a like a good look'n...never mind, NICE JEEP!

 

[100K XJ]

How do you like that new JCR rear bumper??

 

[rocknxj]

How do you like that new JCR rear bumper??

How do I like it? It's ok I guess. Overall it's not bad for the price but it is sort of void of any real style and a bit flimsy on the sides, as evident by the tweaked metal from rocks on Deer Valley and the Rubicon, but it's probably worth what I paid. The only real complaint is not being able to utilize the safety chain bracket because they welded it too high inside the bumper, which prevents me from using threaded safety chain links, but since I stopped towing with this Jeep I don't really care.

I still need to drill out the mounting holes so I can get the bumper to align with the matching JCR side protection. I wish I did not have to do that, but I'm a man and I drive a Jeep so that sort of thing is expected. In retrospect, I would have preferred your rear bumper. I think your front and rear hardware is about the best non-winch bumpers I've seen.

Thanks for asking, Kev.

 

[trailmaster6536]

Yeah, it is probably the clockspring. I might get around to it one day when everything else is fixed.

I did tackle the exhaust manifolds on the 98 and 99 using a combination of your dismantling process you recommended and some other suggestions. I found one of the biggest helps was removing everything the FSM said to remove but also to remove the auxiliary fan which made the PS pump and belt removal go like a hot knife through butter. The biggest pain was getting the right combination of extensions to get the bolts all torqued properly and in sequence. First one was 4.5 hours. Second was 4 hours; drawing the new studs into the exhaust flange at the outlet was a mother with no rattle gun laying on the floor.

Fitting the revised version of the exhaust manifold with the accordion on the long runs went without any fitment problems whatsoever. I did toy with getting an aftermarket Dorman and even a Banks but concluded that I did not want any additional problems that would require adjustment after the fact. Since these are being kept stock and intended more for snow and non-rock crawling activities, I was more focused on getting things within original spec. The crimped down pipe was even more astonishing looking down the pipe. Playing around with the flexing geometry, it is easy to see where the factory crimp provides the needed clearance with the front drive shaft as the shaft pivots up with a stock height.

During the process, the TB got a good cleaning as did the mating surfaces and orifices. I also did a thorough cleaning of the injector ports. Put it all back together and was very much pleased with the results.

Over the course of the following days I started to detect some roughness. No codes and the idle did not creep up or down. Just a slight vibration. I did also change out the motor mounts the same weekend. Sorry, no Brown Dog mounts for these two.

I had it in today for the Pan and Rear Main Seal (that level of mess with liquids is more than my property manager will tolerate) and I had my trusty mechanic look as the roughness issue.

Two related items came up. One was to get rid of the Champion Platinum plugs I had put in several months ago and two was to un-carbon the motor (AKA Sea Foam but in this case Mopar approved materials). The platinums do not have as hot of a spark as a copper core and was a primary contributor to the carbon build-up.

Going out to buy some things to fix my bad. Best is not always best.

Cleaned and ready for the new gasket

The Crimp

Nice new shiny things on 98 - notice the clean ports.

Injector Port: Yuk.

Nicely cleaned up intake manifold. Shiny too! Look at them thar ports!

Un-yukked injector ports. Injectors now seating nicely.

Exhaust Manifold mounted on 99.

Bolt up went well and I spent a good amount of time on the torque sequence. My mechanic noted that many of the repairs that come from other shops have to do with a lack of attention or ownership of a torque wrench.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[rocknxj]

Thanks for the entertaining write-up and detailed pics, Bill. This has me missing the warm days of summer, as I hate wrenching in the cold and I tend to get lazy and work on easy junk in the garage like building shelves and crunching my plethora of accumulated aluminum cans. I agree with your assessment of the factory crimp on the downpipe. At 5.5" of lift, I still manage to strike my new mandrel-bent downpipe on my front d/s and noticed I knocked a zerk free during one of my last outtings. At stock height, the crimp would be absolutely necessary.

What else can I say? Nice purty Jeep parts = happiness. Good job at restoring your fleet of XJs back to factory specs. While I do my best to destroy an otherwise fine vehicle, it is guys like you that give our Cherokee-killing species a future in the XJ wheeling world. Thanks, man.

 

[rocknxj]

The kid is coming home for Christmas and will be here Wednesday night. Time permitting, we'll hit Prairie City before he heads back to Mississippi and play on the rocks. I was hoping for a snow run by the time he gets here, but unless a weather-related miracle happens, it'll be a dry brown Christmas.

Since I've been working long hours and come and go in the dark, I have been commuting with the beloved WK. Seat heaters cranked on full, surround sound blaring, cup holders full, and hemi blazing, baby! I drove the XJ today for the first time in awhile, and man, what a POS (kidding). Seriously though, I missed her and she felt great. I forget how loud and obnoxious a lifted Cherokee can be.

The odometer will roll to 155,555 miles on the way home today, probably somewhere on Hwy 65 near Lincoln. I guess that means I'll be putting up with this loud, uncomfortable, creaking, pile of glorious machinery for another 150,000 miles. Largest question for 2012 will be to move to a long arm lift, keep as is and drive until it falls apart, or sell and move to something else (TJ, LJ, WJ). Decisions, decisions. I guess it all depends on how long I remain employed in this f'd up world.

 

[connor0770]

Hey Kelly, how long is he gonna be in town for? I wouldnt mind doing a little wheeling at PC before it gets muddy. Still have yet to play out there yet with the new set-up.

As far as wheeling... do you want a rock crawler or a weekend warrior/rubicon rig?
Rock crawler, i would consider TJ or Lj, although obviously an XJ can be one as well.

Weekend wheeler, keep the XJ. You will honestly miss the room. Id say if you put it on LA's and 35's you would be a happy camper. Just my 2 cents though.

 

[playwithit]

Kelly,

You do know every time someone in the SC sells a XJ a kitten dies? Keep it, get a new commuter with all the money your saving with not having to feed the human garbage disposal. Then build up the XJ, it will be allot more fun on the trail.

Enjoy the holidays with the family, especially Kevin.

 

[srmitchell]

Kelly,

You do know every time someone in the SC sells a XJ a kitten dies? Keep it, get a new commuter with all the money your saving with not having to feed the human garbage disposal. Then build up the XJ, it will be allot more fun on the trail.

Enjoy the holidays with the family, especially Kevin.

Yeah, mines staying, so his better too.

 

[100K XJ]

Hey all, I'll be in town and free I believe the 26th-28th? I need to double check when I get home though. PC sounds awesome!

 

[rocknxj]

Keeping my Cherokee depends on my current job situation. That being said, I'm now in the mode of making reasonable repairs and parts swaps. One area of concern is wheel replacement. I have a few ideas to stay under $100 per rim, but if you were to buy new wheels, what would they be? Keep under the price limit.

By the way, 5 steel soft 8's will be for sale soon.

Thanks

 

[srmitchell]

DUBs, duh

 

[XJensen]

Keeping my Cherokee depends on my current job situation. That being said, I'm now in the mode of making reasonable repairs and parts swaps. One area of concern is wheel replacement. I have a few ideas to stay under $100 per rim, but if you were to buy new wheels, what would they be? Keep under the price limit.

By the way, 5 steel soft 8's will be for sale soon.

Thanks

Mickey Thompson Classic's, hands down.

 

[connor0770]

DUBs, duh

hell yea