THe NAC Lots-O-BFG KO2 Thread

[themangeraaad]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

they probably pulled the axle to install the gears. maybe something got screwed up in the swapping in/out process

idk if they pulled the axle but they def would have had to pull the tie rod so I am not surprised that the steering is off a bit... I'm just not sure what to think of it right now. I don't feel like just a having the allignment off should make the steering that sloppy and pull that bad.. Guess I just gotta look at it tomorrow when I have the light, give it a quick alignment (and all over sanity check) once I have some light tomorrow. I mean I hit a couple pot holes that made me feel like I was all over the road. who knows. I just feel like I had a 30-40 degree dead spot, and it seemed like there were some occasions where the steering felt OK and others where it felt real bad. like a couple times it felt like it was real sloppy then I hit a pot hole or frost heave and suddenly it started turning :dunno: Maybe it was just that bump steer turned it a bit more than I was before and passed some 'threshold' where it would start responding better. Or maybe tearing it all apart was the final breaking point to old sh*tty TREs and they just gave in and turned to junk when they were pulled off and re-installed. Now I feel like I should update my steering; just gotta figure out what I want to do.

 

[foxwar71]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

1st pic: mmmmmmm i <3 metallic green gear paint.

2nd pic: pinion contacting carrier

3rd pic: looks like the gears built up a little heat from the crappy bearings/loose conditions :dunno:

 

[Begster]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

mark,

1st pic: mmmmmmm i <3 metallic green gear paint.

Yep

2nd pic: pinion contacting carrier you can see it in the last pic too.

Ya, that is what I thought when I was looking at the pictures.

why did you open it up in the 1st place? hearing funny noises?

Pinion bearings were shot. It was moaning terribly, and when I took the shaft off to swap the case, I could feel the play in the bearings.

3rd pic: looks like the gears built up a little heat from the crappy bearings/loose conditions :dunno:

Ya, that was my initial thoughts.


What do you guys think I should do about the carrier bearing preload? I don't think just adding an extra shim or two equally per side would hurt.

 

[cmelo]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Here we go again. Mark is going to give up. I see it now. How long do you guys give him until he starts talking about selling everything that reminds him of jeeps to build up funds to buy a minicooper, a closet worth of pink lacoste polos and a pair of aldo shoes.

 

[asp]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Ya, that was my initial thoughts.


What do you guys think I should do about the carrier bearing preload? I don't think just adding an extra shim or two equally per side would hurt.

reset from scratch

 

[cmelo]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

reset from scratch

My vote is for the lazily adding random shims

 

[foxwar71]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

just do the new bearings

 

[RCman]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

just do the new bearings

X2.
If you must then add 2-3 thou per side to help tighten up the preload.

 

[xjbump]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Scott, axles stayed in the vehicle and the steering was not touched. She was up on the lift for a couple weeks with the diff. part delays with everything extended. You also have a few leaks, hows the steering box/pump?

 

[Begster]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

reset from scratch

Ya, no.
I don't have any dial indicators or calipers here. This thing is getting wheeled out of my garage tomorrow so I can prep for unibody stiffners.

If I'm going to do new gears, I'll go 4.88's and I don;t feel like regearing 2 axles right now, let alone waiting another 5 months for it to get done.

My vote is for the lazily adding random shims

Wow, I actually agree with you.

just do the new bearings

Yep, thats the plan.

X2.
If you must then add 2-3 thou per side to help tighten up the preload.

Ya, thats what I was planning on, 3 thou per side.

 

[themangeraaad]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Scott, axles stayed in the vehicle and the steering was not touched. She was up on the lift for a couple weeks with the diff. part delays with everything extended. You also have a few leaks, hows the steering box/pump?

I have leaks? Can't be true Care to elaborate on what/where so I can fix then?

And yeah, I knew she was up on the lift so I kindof factored that in (though I did think that the tie rod would have to be dropped from the drag ling to install the gears... my bad).. but I didn't think it would have that much of an affect on the steering. There is definitely a noticeable difference in handling before/after the regear and I don't think it's something that would have changed due to the axle swap or locker. Don't get me wrong I am not giving Bob any sh*t on this one... I am more inclined to believe that if anything it is just a poor/old alignment plus old/sh*tty parts causing my issues. Hope to have that fixed by the end of the wkend

Right now I am just working on figuring out what is wrong in the drivetrain that gave me the strange coasting sounds I was hearing. Will be making several drives around town and such tomorrow to continue the break in... going to try and figure it out when I have some light.

Ya, no.
If I'm going to do new gears, I'll go 4.88's and I don;t feel like regearing 2 axles right now, let alone waiting another 5 months for it to get done.

5 months?!? Mine took 2-3 weeks which I thought felt like forever... but that was because parts weren't playing nice. :laugh: Where are you getting 5 months from?

Edit: And because I don't feel like searching I will ask here .. for installing a SYE, the rear pinon should be set to just a hair lower than the line pointing towards the output yoke, right? I gotta pick up some shims soon so I am trying to figure my angles out.

 

[kastein]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

yeah, don't blame you. cool. well have fun. i want to do something other than work on my jeep alone

hahaha, that's what I did!

I'm torn on whether or not I should rent a trailer to get the Jeep from the shop. It has no rear brakes. I have driven before without rear brakes just fine but that time around I had an e-brake in case the fronts gave out. Now I don't have an ebrake either. I'm thinking I may trailer it.

FIRI, I've been driving the MJ without rear brakes for weeks now, it stops fine it's just that you go from no brakes to full lockup in about an inch at the bottom of the pedal instead of a couple inches at the top of the pedal. Not the best but works.

SWEET

i needs motor mounts

might as well swap the entire engine while i'm in there

hahaha, I've got a set of crappy Korean/Indian engine and tranny mounts if you want em to get by for a while, I'll let em go real cheap. Bought them on rockauto using the "find lowest price and add to cart" method. Think they cost me ~30 bucks per set for tranny+2x engine mounts, I'll let em go for like ten bucks or a six pack

2.5/AX4 swap.

Got it for you as long as Ken would give it up.

I'll give you motor mounts if you don't take mah air compressor, I mean engine :eyes:

think i can replace a motor mount without a floor jack?
like use a scissor jack and 4x4 block o wood?

might be sketch

do it, the worst that can happen is the engine will fall on you right? Put Ross on speed dial first

i've had actually a really good day today. my interview this morning went really well, and i should be getting a call monday or tuesday about going out to check out their facility in Harvard MA and talk to some of the higher ups. the location in Harvard where they're hiring a mech. engineer does almost all TARDEC work, and has done a lot of work on carnagie melon's CRUSHER (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qDo6ehxKds). would be totally rad.

i also got an email / phone call to set up a phone interview for monday with Cummins, for a potential job designing diesels. worrd.

and.. to top it off it's beautiful outside and i'm firing up the grill.

ahhhh

:thumbup: hope you get the job


So I got the entire frontend out of the MJ in like 2-3 hours, not too bad IMO given the number of rusted nuts and bolts I had to deal with and the fact that that's the first frontend I've ever pulled without a sawzall. Discovered after doing this that new calipers come with new slide bolts, hold down clips, and everything else, EXCEPT new banjo bolts, and no auto parts store around here has those for some reason, looks like I'm reusing the old ones. New axle is in partially, the UCAs are bolted up, the springs are in place but the retainer clip bolts stripped out, the steering is all in place, track bar is in, shocks are half in... gotta pick up bolts for the bottom ends tomorrow and figure out if I'm grinding the bushing sleeves down on the WJ LCAs and putting them in or being lazy and using the stock ones. Also having trouble with two of the bolts on the damn anti sway bar.

Took a bajillion pics with my crap camera, hopefully some of them came out, will post them tomorrow probably in the thread I have going in mod tech.

 

[cmelo]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Scott, axles stayed in the vehicle and the steering was not touched. She was up on the lift for a couple weeks with the diff. part delays with everything extended. You also have a few leaks, hows the steering box/pump?

Not too mention that if you are aware of what was done then the work was probably done by Bob and if the work was done by Bob then it was done well :thumbup: If he had touched the steering rest assure it would better than it was before. I don't plan on ever dropping my Honcho off somewhere to get work done but if I did it would be to Bob. :yelclap:

 

[themangeraaad]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

FIRI, I've been driving the MJ without rear brakes for weeks now, it stops fine it's just that you go from no brakes to full lockup in about an inch at the bottom of the pedal instead of a couple inches at the top of the pedal. Not the best but works.

Based on the more recent posts I think it is safe to assume that I have already applied the FIRI rule. Now I am more concerned about the funny noises the transmission and/or transfer case makes under coast and/or deceleration, that plus the steering that handles like poop.

I think I will continue to follow the FIRI rule throughout the weekend as I "figure out what my issues are" aka 'break in the gears'. The Jeep stops and quite frankly... 4.88s work quite well for down shifting.

I really just want to have these gears broken in so I can beat on them a bit. I have been (and plan on) babying it through the first 400 miles, then pushing them a bit harder up to 500.. then changing fluid, and driving harder along wing some towing for another 500.. then changing fluid and calling it a day. But it's so hard not to just beat on it now :laugh3:

 

[cmelo]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

So I got the entire frontend out of the MJ in like 2-3 hours, not too bad IMO given the number of rusted nuts and bolts I had to deal with and the fact that that's the first frontend I've ever pulled without a sawzall. Discovered after doing this that new calipers come with new slide bolts, hold down clips, and everything else, EXCEPT new banjo bolts, and no auto parts store around here has those for some reason, looks like I'm reusing the old ones. New axle is in partially, the UCAs are bolted up, the springs are in place but the retainer clip bolts stripped out, the steering is all in place, track bar is in, shocks are half in... gotta pick up bolts for the bottom ends tomorrow and figure out if I'm grinding the bushing sleeves down on the WJ LCAs and putting them in or being lazy and using the stock ones. Also having trouble with two of the bolts on the damn anti sway bar.

Now that I have done it a couple of times by myself I can confidently say that YOU SLOW:moon:

I had an axle out and back in in just a few hours with breaks. IN THE DARK:guitar:

Then slapped the old axle back in the XJ a few weeks later in what couldn't be more than a hour and a half. :farmer:

GET AT ME DAWG :firedevil

 

[themangeraaad]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Not too mention that if you are aware of what was done then the work was probably done by Bob and if the work was done by Bob then it was done well :thumbup: If he had touched the steering rest assure it would better than it was before. I don't plan on ever dropping my Honcho off somewhere to get work done but if I did it would be to Bob. :yelclap:

As I said I am not blaming Bob for any poor work. He didn't trust my Jeep enough to take it for a test drive so he never would have run into any steering pull or other issues :laugh3:

I am going to figure out the issues myself and if I can't figure it out then MAYBE I will give Bob a call just to ask about exactly what he did so I can narrow it down... I know I didn't have this pull before bringing it in since I drove it for 3 hours at highway speed... but as I already said I would put $$ on it being sh*tty TREs that just broke down and died when the rig was put on the lift.

Part of me is thinking I may start working on making some brackets to relocate my steering... Could get interesting but could also be a cheap (though time consuming) solution to raise my steering a bit and do a full crossover setup.

 

[cmelo]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

If Bob was uncomfortable driving your jeep then something HAS to be wrong. Call him up ask for his advice and do exactly what he tells you. Bob is the man. I have called him up more than once to ask him some stuff and he always gives no bullshit advice.

 

[cmelo]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Plus, F*CK YEAH HE'S MCLOVIN...

 

[themangeraaad]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

If Bob was uncomfortable driving your jeep then something HAS to be wrong. Call him up ask for his advice and do exactly what he tells you. Bob is the man. I have called him up more than once to ask him some stuff and he always gives no bullshit advice.

From what I heard he didn't test drive it because I had no rear brakes (which I already knew about, and I don't blame him for not driving it). I will be driving and inspecting the vehicle all wkend so hopefully I can figure it out otherwise I will give him a call and ask for his advice. Steering isn't complicated... there are only so many places sh*t can be sloppy... I'm pretty sure I can figure it out given enough time to look at it.

 

[xcalibur223]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Ugh I really hope the guy I'm going to look at his jeep still has it currently registered or else AAA won't tow it back to my house. I'm also hoping for as little rust as possible. Don't want 750 bucks down the drain ha.