- A/C drain has stayed dry and system survived a brutal summer
- Ground down my winch plate for new WRG fairlead, need to order safety thimble
- Now that it’s finally cooler and top down whether I can paint my rollbar covers.
- Need to rotate tires.
- Washed and waxed.
RED02TJ 2.0
- Thread starter red02tj
- Start date
Had some downtime before I started my new job so taking care of some odds and ends.
- New fan clutch to help fix the high idle temps
- Replaced the steering gearbox again (under warranty) from RedHead since the first one was weeping from the top bolt holes
- Got the WRG thimble and fairlead installed + bonus learned how to splice a line.
- Up next is the Themocure flush since the fan clutch didn’t bring temps all the way down.
Been a busy few weeks.
- Thermocure
- New Tstat
- New Tstat housing (took 2 tries)
- eBay/Amazon warehouse lottery for new top and windows
- JKS quick disco ready to be installed
- Spring retainer clips ready to be installed.
Winter notes:
- Spring retainers installed
- JKS quick disco installed, still need to drill the frame holes for storing and had to add new cotter pins, what a shitty design.
- Oil change
- Tstat still leak free
- When I pulled the sway bar to install the discos I saw some growing rust under the sway bar bolts and winch plate. Pulled the bumper, winch plate, wire wheeled, rust olem rust gel (not a great product) then painted with rust reformer and a krylon enamel top coat.
Operation Agate > Camel.
Ever since I picked up this jeep I’ve wished it had Camel interior like my first one. I’m not a good painter and knew I’d never be happy with the results + the Agate was in really good shape with only ~35k miles so I’d mostly come to terms with it.
Last week I found a guy selling a complete Camel interior + roll pads and visors.
Gave it a good wipe down and currently pulling my dash.
Ever since I picked up this jeep I’ve wished it had Camel interior like my first one. I’m not a good painter and knew I’d never be happy with the results + the Agate was in really good shape with only ~35k miles so I’d mostly come to terms with it.
Last week I found a guy selling a complete Camel interior + roll pads and visors.
Gave it a good wipe down and currently pulling my dash.
Final interior changes.
I’m digging the black/tan combo and think I’ll keep try Agate half door cards (for now)
- Washed and swapped in the Camel rollbar covers.
- Painted the soundbar cover
- black bestop console cover armrest.
- Proper rocker switch for the KCs.
- Some heatgun magic to smooth out the worst of the scratches
I’m digging the black/tan combo and think I’ll keep try Agate half door cards (for now)
Good on you for trying something different.Final results on the joying headunit install (I went with the 7in single din) and with relocated MagSafe charger run to add a fuse in glovebox. I really wanted wireless CarPlay and nothing on the windshield.
Thanks to some advice from @en480c4 I notched the metal retaining sleeve and I was able to get it flush with the trim.
Blew my clutch master cylinder backing down the driveway, which is double annoying because I had already replaced it with the LUK kit last year. New one is O’Riles but @John Cooper said it was good and FWIW the Master Cylinder does look beefier.
Spring Break projects:
1) ZJ steering (tie rod & drag link, the joints look pretty beat up) planning on keeping the stock trackbar for now which still looks good.
2) deciding if I really need a new P/S steering pump, when I got it, the fluid looked like this and during cold starts (under 30) it was making loud screechs, I’ve obviously flushed and changed the fluid but I think the damage may have been done.
3) trying to keep up with @PRNDL and probably moving my new amp out of the glovebox
Thanks to some advice from @en480c4 I notched the metal retaining sleeve and I was able to get it flush with the trim.
Blew my clutch master cylinder backing down the driveway, which is double annoying because I had already replaced it with the LUK kit last year. New one is O’Riles but @John Cooper said it was good and FWIW the Master Cylinder does look beefier.
Spring Break projects:
1) ZJ steering (tie rod & drag link, the joints look pretty beat up) planning on keeping the stock trackbar for now which still looks good.
2) deciding if I really need a new P/S steering pump, when I got it, the fluid looked like this and during cold starts (under 30) it was making loud screechs, I’ve obviously flushed and changed the fluid but I think the damage may have been done.
3) trying to keep up with @PRNDL and probably moving my new amp out of the glovebox
ZJ steering replacement this past weekend. The PO had previously replaced the control arms and steering damper but the tie rod and drag link were original and pretty loose.
I hadn’t planned on replacing the steering damper since it was already the Monroe but I mushroomed the threads, even when using a puller. I couldn’t find the stud/bolts anywhere so for $27 I just got a new one from Amazon.
Did the DIY alignment yesterday and was able to get the steering wheel centered this afternoon. I need a highway shakedown but I can feel a difference in the neighborhood and especially when hitting our speed humps, everything feels less squirrelly.
Track bar bushings look good but like almost everything else rubber, with only 36k miles it’s mostly sat for 20+ years and probably has dry rot I can’t see. Replacement will wait until I can get my neighbor to help.
Two open items:
1) still can’t find the source of my “clank” usually only happens at a hard stop when going down hill (like a driveway) and on the front drivers side. While doing the ZJ replacements, I checked the track bar, bumper and winch plate, shocks, body mounts, brake dust shield, MML, and cat pipes. Nothing I could reproduce by pulling on or jumping on the bumper and no shiny spots.
2) what I think is a new “tinkle like broken glass” sound while only under acceleration. Pretty sure it’s not lifter tick, I don’t hear it at idle and I don’t hear it when revving the engine, did a soapy bubble test on the mainiffold/cats no obvious leaks. Possibly related to the AT-205 RMS snake oil which didn’t work but if that was going to cause an issue, I’d think I’d hear it all the time. May do a weekend oil change just in case.
I hadn’t planned on replacing the steering damper since it was already the Monroe but I mushroomed the threads, even when using a puller. I couldn’t find the stud/bolts anywhere so for $27 I just got a new one from Amazon.
Did the DIY alignment yesterday and was able to get the steering wheel centered this afternoon. I need a highway shakedown but I can feel a difference in the neighborhood and especially when hitting our speed humps, everything feels less squirrelly.
Track bar bushings look good but like almost everything else rubber, with only 36k miles it’s mostly sat for 20+ years and probably has dry rot I can’t see. Replacement will wait until I can get my neighbor to help.
Two open items:
1) still can’t find the source of my “clank” usually only happens at a hard stop when going down hill (like a driveway) and on the front drivers side. While doing the ZJ replacements, I checked the track bar, bumper and winch plate, shocks, body mounts, brake dust shield, MML, and cat pipes. Nothing I could reproduce by pulling on or jumping on the bumper and no shiny spots.
2) what I think is a new “tinkle like broken glass” sound while only under acceleration. Pretty sure it’s not lifter tick, I don’t hear it at idle and I don’t hear it when revving the engine, did a soapy bubble test on the mainiffold/cats no obvious leaks. Possibly related to the AT-205 RMS snake oil which didn’t work but if that was going to cause an issue, I’d think I’d hear it all the time. May do a weekend oil change just in case.
Got my 8yr old to record some video while in the driveway and was able to track down the source of my clank, was a loose axle side control arm.
80 miles on the highway for the camping trip was a good shakedown for the ZJ conversion, no wobbles and vibes, just need to tweak the steering wheel centering.
I switched back to the O’riles conventional HM and the RMS has been dry, as well as the “tinkle” is gone. If the RMS leaks again, I give up.
80 miles on the highway for the camping trip was a good shakedown for the ZJ conversion, no wobbles and vibes, just need to tweak the steering wheel centering.
I switched back to the O’riles conventional HM and the RMS has been dry, as well as the “tinkle” is gone. If the RMS leaks again, I give up.
- Fine tuned my steering wheel centering
- Got a deal on an Amazon open box Instatrunk (yeah they are cheaper on FB) but this came with all the HW, no rust, and no 3hr drive
- LJ spiderweb so the kids got more coverage in the back.
- Got a used Mopar P/S pump, pulley, and lines that was taken off at ~75k miles when they upgraded to PSC but somehow the pulley broke on the way home. @PRNDL I’m leaving my lines in, so if these new to me ones can help, you’re welcome to them.
- Since I was already pulling the original belt and replacing the P/S pulley, figured it was a good time to do the drive belt, idler, and tensioner as well, all of which is on the schedule after this weekends 3rd grade daddy/daughter camping trip.
Thanks for the offer! Its on the weekend plan to dig into my PS leak. I'll let you know what I find.
I have the regular TJ spiderweb shade, but the longer LJ version is appealing. This also reminds me I need to replace the bungee balls that came with it. They are already stretched out.
New to me P/S pump (70k takeoff), pulley, and the gates belt kit (belt, tensioner, idler pulley) only mistake was putting the old idler dust cover back on, ran it for about 30sec before I realized it wasn’t spinning. Some scuffing on the pulley/belt..
And new APDTY top windshield gasket.
And new APDTY top windshield gasket.