Operation Phoenix

FarFire70 · Jun 13, 2026

macleanflood said:
Ok...pan pulled. Crosshatching on cylinders looks great. Most of the crank and rod bearings look great. Two have finger nail catches. We're trying to find bearings on a Saturday in Seattle.

View attachment 693840 View attachment 693841 View attachment 693842 View attachment 693843 View attachment 693844 View attachment 693845 View attachment 693846 View attachment 693847 View attachment 693848

-Mac

What a fun weekend project! Enjoy!

Hope you had luck on the bearings today.

But - you're giving me anxiety with that bolt organization on the floor. I am having 'flash-forwards' of me (or any one of the other wild people I call immediately family) wondering through that accidentally and ruining it. Most likely me......

macleanflood · Jun 15, 2026

Ok...pulled the pan, pulled the oil pump and girdle and all the bearing caps. In addition to the scored crank three bearings had deep finger nail can catch scratches. .001 mains. Lip on the rear main seal was mostly gone. Had everything torn down by 1 pm Saturday and spent the rest of the day driving around trying to find parts. O'Reilly's had Clevite bearings. Nobody had a Luk clutch. Ran to three hardware stores looking for 1/2-29 threaded rod and a bearing to make a crankshaft installation tool.

My crankshaft measured out the same...think the mains were 2.50 and the rods were 2.10. Got everything installed Sunday morning.

Meanwhile got visitors...

@pc500 figured the best way to avoid traffic and grab dinner...

And so Sunday afternoon I broke the clutch fork retaining clip. So we couldn't attach the transmission. Swung in the rebuilt bottom end engine and reconnected everything...

Hopefully this morning we'll get a clip and I can install the AX-15. Might need to borrow another trolley jack from a neighbor.

Since it looks like nobody is going to be ready to wheel until Friday at the earliest I'm probably going to get things buttoned up here and head home.

Want to swap my steering box and install a cheap Amazon fin cooler. I called Derale the other day and they've discontinued all theirs.

Button up a few things before Creek and Trail.

-Mac

bbaldwin237 · Jun 15, 2026

macleanflood said:
Ok...pulled the pan, pulled the oil pump and girdle and all the bearing caps. In addition to the scored crank three bearings had deep finger nail can catch scratches. .001 mains. Lip on the rear main seal was mostly gone. Had everything torn down by 1 pm Saturday and spent the rest of the day driving around trying to find parts. O'Reilly's had Clevite bearings. Nobody had a Luk clutch. Ran to three hardware stores looking for 1/2-29 threaded rod and a bearing to make a crankshaft installation tool.

View attachment 694203
View attachment 694202
View attachment 694201
View attachment 694200
View attachment 694197
View attachment 694196
View attachment 694195
View attachment 694194

My crankshaft measured out the same...think the mains were 2.50 and the rods were 2.10. Got everything installed Sunday morning.

Meanwhile got visitors...

View attachment 694198
View attachment 694199

@pc500 figured the best way to avoid traffic and grab dinner...

View attachment 694193

And so Sunday afternoon I broke the clutch fork retaining clip. So we couldn't attach the transmission. Swung in the rebuilt bottom end engine and reconnected everything...

View attachment 694192

Hopefully this morning we'll get a clip and I can install the AX-15. Might need to borrow another trolley jack from a neighbor.

Since it looks like nobody is going to be ready to wheel until Friday at the earliest I'm probably going to get things buttoned up here and head home.

Want to swap my steering box and install a cheap Amazon fin cooler. I called Derale the other day and they've discontinued all theirs.

Button up a few things before Creek and Trail.

-Mac

I'll be heading over Wednesday ready to wheel Thursday. Rick said if he made it he would be in Wednesday to wheel Thursday too.

macleanflood · Jun 15, 2026

View: https://youtu.be/lbtEl1NwcTU?is=SP0Hh6LXf9-Q9fzP

macleanflood · Jun 16, 2026

Buttoned up everything yesterday with @pc500 's Jeep. Got the new clip from O'Reilly's and some grease...jacked up the transmission and it slid in easier than I expected. Guess after a dozen times you get the hang of it. Bench pressed the 231 back on...driveshafts...skid plate was spread out, possibly from jacking it up from below but a $100 not beaten on the rocks version was located for a later install.

Engine runs great but the oil pressure sensor was bouncing from zero to 80. @pc500 is getting a gauge just to verify. Everything sounds perfect and you can see oil circulating through the fill hole on the valve cover. Exhaust still needs hooked up.

Got home late last night.

This morning I got up, dropped my rear track bar and rebuilt the JJ. I had previously smashed up the washers. Used the Currie tool and a rebuild kit. Noticed a lot of play in the end and ran to town for a jam nut...that fixed everything up. Tightened a rear lower control arm.

Steering is much much less wandering. No longer thinking I need to replace the box.

Then ran out this afternoon with my truck and Jeep and we pulled a Mazda Tribute up 120 feet off a steep embankment above the railroad tracks. Took two months for the FS to get us permission. Cat was cut off... probably stolen, stripped and dumped.

-Mac

NashvilleTJ · Jun 17, 2026

macleanflood said:
Buttoned up everything yesterday with @pc500 's Jeep. Got the new clip from O'Reilly's and some grease...jacked up the transmission and it slid in easier than I expected. Guess after a dozen times you get the hang of it. Bench pressed the 231 back on...driveshafts...skid plate was spread out, possibly from jacking it up from below but a $100 not beaten on the rocks version was located for a later install.

Engine runs great but the oil pressure sensor was bouncing from zero to 80. @pc500 is getting a gauge just to verify. Everything sounds perfect and you can see oil circulating through the fill hole on the valve cover. Exhaust still needs hooked up.

View attachment 694628 View attachment 694629 View attachment 694630 View attachment 694631

Got home late last night.

This morning I got up, dropped my rear track bar and rebuilt the JJ. I had previously smashed up the washers. Used the Currie tool and a rebuild kit. Noticed a lot of play in the end and ran to town for a jam nut...that fixed everything up. Tightened a rear lower control arm.

Steering is much much less wandering. No longer thinking I need to replace the box.

Then ran out this afternoon with my truck and Jeep and we pulled a Mazda Tribute up 120 feet off a steep embankment above the railroad tracks. Took two months for the FS to get us permission. Cat was cut off... probably stolen, stripped and dumped.

View attachment 694632
View attachment 694633 View attachment 694634 View attachment 694635

-Mac

Mac - I'm starting the think you need to build an off-road wrecker.

You do great work. Thanks for keeping our forests clean.

macleanflood · Jun 17, 2026

NashvilleTJ said:
Mac - I'm starting the think you need to build an off-road wrecker.

Why when I have world largest and only off-road recovery dump trailer? =)

A boom would be nice.

But who needs a boom in the land of trees.

-Mac

GoldenGorilla · Jun 19, 2026

Ran into these guys in the Needles in April.

Was a 4 door JK. Stillhas the minivan motor. Nice fellas

FarFire70 · Jun 20, 2026

macleanflood said:
View attachment 694631

See! I told you someone would walk through this and scatter all the hardware...

Oh damn. I should actually read and not TikTok these posts with just the pics....

Congratulations on the incredibly quick work and a smooth running engine! Hope the oil situation isn't a cam/OPDA issue - can't recall if you posted on that specific part but a consideration.

macleanflood said:
View attachment 694633

It's too funny how I saw this pic in another thread and, at a glance without seeing the actual quality of vehicle/trash nor noticing the specific Jeep, I can see a wild wilderness winching and go: That's a Mac post.

I mean that entirely as a badge of honor to you on your efforts and how much you winch!

macleanflood · Jun 21, 2026

Just got back from the 44th annual running of Creek and Trail with @Woodrow It's a ~40 mile easy trail the FS allows open once a year... couple of 3 maybe 4 rated obstacles. Nothing challenging but good company and camping and wheeling make for good times. Met new flat fender friend Alan and fellow TJ owner (but no forum presence yet!) Dana.

Minor trail carnage. Ignition pin broke at the trailhead. I thought it was the switch because I could get accessory, off, run but not start. Tried bypassing the clutch switch. Then put it in run and jumpered the starter solenoid. I got to repeat that several times that day and the next.

Turned out to be a broken ignition pin.

Next up...after running the trail we bombed down a slightly rough logging road to Sourdough camp...where we spent the night...and I couldn't shift out of four low.

Next morning after everything cooled off I discovered my Stienjager shift cable had sproinged for lack of a better term and the end and the middle seperated and jammed up the cable. Ordered a Savvy. Disconnected the shift cable and used a wrench to put it into 4 high.

The easy way out to O'Brien was closed by a damaged bridge... necessitating a many hours detour into California...and we decided to head back up the coast cause gas was closer, the drive was slower and the views much better than bombing up I5.

Stopped in Brookings and said hello to @TJ4Jim and checked out his recently painted TJ and airplane project.

Grabbed fish and chips from. The Crazy Norwegian and parts at O'Reilly's and bombed home drag racing diesel trucks towing massive trailers in the passing sections.

Threw a few misfires...first ones since the engine rebuild...used to a frequent and then persistent problem. Cleared the codes, no reoccurrence.

Screenshot_2026-06-21-14-21-34-33_b9c66f921be6b9ee18febc2ed6906538.webp

Monitored IATs on the way home. Temps in the high 70s low 80s.

Screenshot_2026-06-21-16-10-26-00_b9c66f921be6b9ee18febc2ed6906538.webp

Screenshot_2026-06-21-15-43-53-42_b9c66f921be6b9ee18febc2ed6906538.webp

Screenshot_2026-06-21-15-43-48-67_b9c66f921be6b9ee18febc2ed6906538.webp

Screenshot_2026-06-21-15-19-05-15_b9c66f921be6b9ee18febc2ed6906538.webp

Parts are here for my power steering cooler. So that's next!

-Mac

TJ4Jim · Jun 21, 2026

macleanflood said:
Just got back from the 44th annual running of Creek and Trail with @Woodrow It's a ~40 mile easy trail the FS allows open once a year... couple of 3 maybe 4 rated obstacles. Nothing challenging but good company and camping and wheeling make for good times. Met new flat fender friend Alan and fellow TJ owner (but no forum presence yet!) Dana.

View attachment 695523 View attachment 695524 View attachment 695525 View attachment 695526 View attachment 695527 View attachment 695528 View attachment 695529 View attachment 695530

Minor trail carnage. Ignition pin broke at the trailhead. I thought it was the switch because I could get accessory, off, run but not start. Tried bypassing the clutch switch. Then put it in run and jumpered the starter solenoid. I got to repeat that several times that day and the next.

Turned out to be a broken ignition pin.

View attachment 695521

Next up...after running the trail we bombed down a slightly rough logging road to Sourdough camp...where we spent the night...and I couldn't shift out of four low.

Next morning after everything cooled off I discovered my Stienjager shift cable had sproinged for lack of a better term and the end and the middle seperated and jammed up the cable. Ordered a Savvy. Disconnected the shift cable and used a wrench to put it into 4 high.

The easy way out to O'Brien was closed by a damaged bridge... necessitating a many hours detour into California...and we decided to head back up the coast cause gas was closer, the drive was slower and the views much better than bombing up I5.

Stopped in Brookings and said hello to @TJ4Jim and checked out his recently painted TJ and airplane project.

Grabbed fish and chips from. The Crazy Norwegian and parts at O'Reilly's and bombed home drag racing diesel trucks towing massive trailers in the passing sections.

Threw a few misfires...first ones since the engine rebuild...used to a frequent and then persistent problem. Cleared the codes, no reoccurrence.

View attachment 695534

Monitored IATs on the way home. Temps in the high 70s low 80s.

View attachment 695535 View attachment 695536 View attachment 695537 View attachment 695538 View attachment 695539

Parts are here for my power steering cooler. So that's next!

-Mac

How was The Crazy Norwegian, decent meal..

macleanflood · Jun 21, 2026

TJ4Jim said:
How was The Crazy Norwegian, decent meal..

Awesome! Portions were a bit small...got Rock Fish. No seating available inside so we sat out on the patio. Fast service!

-Mac

FarFire70 · Jun 21, 2026

macleanflood said:
Just got back from the 44th annual running of Creek and Trail with @Woodrow It's a ~40 mile easy trail the FS allows open once a year... couple of 3 maybe 4 rated obstacles. Nothing challenging but good company and camping and wheeling make for good times. Met new flat fender friend Alan and fellow TJ owner (but no forum presence yet!) Dana.

View attachment 695523 View attachment 695524 View attachment 695525 View attachment 695526 View attachment 695527 View attachment 695528 View attachment 695529 View attachment 695530

Minor trail carnage. Ignition pin broke at the trailhead. I thought it was the switch because I could get accessory, off, run but not start. Tried bypassing the clutch switch. Then put it in run and jumpered the starter solenoid. I got to repeat that several times that day and the next.

Turned out to be a broken ignition pin.

View attachment 695521

Next up...after running the trail we bombed down a slightly rough logging road to Sourdough camp...where we spent the night...and I couldn't shift out of four low.

Next morning after everything cooled off I discovered my Stienjager shift cable had sproinged for lack of a better term and the end and the middle seperated and jammed up the cable. Ordered a Savvy. Disconnected the shift cable and used a wrench to put it into 4 high.

The easy way out to O'Brien was closed by a damaged bridge... necessitating a many hours detour into California...and we decided to head back up the coast cause gas was closer, the drive was slower and the views much better than bombing up I5.

Stopped in Brookings and said hello to @TJ4Jim and checked out his recently painted TJ and airplane project.

Grabbed fish and chips from. The Crazy Norwegian and parts at O'Reilly's and bombed home drag racing diesel trucks towing massive trailers in the passing sections.

Threw a few misfires...first ones since the engine rebuild...used to a frequent and then persistent problem. Cleared the codes, no reoccurrence.

View attachment 695534

Monitored IATs on the way home. Temps in the high 70s low 80s.

View attachment 695535 View attachment 695536 View attachment 695537 View attachment 695538 View attachment 695539

Parts are here for my power steering cooler. So that's next!

-Mac

Looks like a very fun ride - plenty of technical spots.

My ignition switch went out not too long ago, too. Stranded me at a gas station just 5 miles down the road. I bought both the Ignition Lock Housing and the Ignition Starter Switch - only my housing was broken, like you, but I figured 'while inside' to update both.

The original OEM switch will be in my Jeep as backup, since you can still start the Jeep with the Keys and a working starter switch. It looks like 'hot wiring' since you have to tear into the column, but it still required the key.

Just a thought, since you're regularly out in the woods - that's a crappy part (starter switch) to go if you are alone...

macleanflood · Jun 21, 2026

FarFire70 said:
Just a thought, since you're regularly out in the woods - that's a crappy part (starter switch) to go if you are alone...

Nah I know enough about the wiring and relays to jumper enough stuff.

I will be adding a lone wolf 6000 starter switch to my emergency kit and verifying I have a T10 torx driver or socket.

-Mac

Apparition · Jun 22, 2026

macleanflood said:
I will be adding a lone wolf 6000 starter switch to my emergency kit and verifying I have a T10 torx driver or socket.

I keep a multi bit screwdriver in my glove box that I had to buy at a home depot when my switch failed in their parking lot specifically for this reason.

macleanflood · Jun 22, 2026

Power steering cooler...bought some 3/8 aluminum tube, a straightener, a bender. My brake flare tool does 37 degree flares...so adapters from NPT...cheap aluminum tube heatsink from Amazon.

Noticed the reason I have space behind my winch is because my Warn bumper sits 2" forward of the frame rails.

-Mac

GoldenGorilla · Jun 22, 2026

macleanflood said:
Just got back from the 44th annual running of Creek and Trail with @Woodrow It's a ~40 mile easy trail the FS allows open once a year... couple of 3 maybe 4 rated obstacles. Nothing challenging but good company and camping and wheeling make for good times. Met new flat fender friend Alan and fellow TJ owner (but no forum presence yet!) Dana.

View attachment 695523 View attachment 695524 View attachment 695525 View attachment 695526 View attachment 695527 View attachment 695528 View attachment 695529 View attachment 695530

Minor trail carnage. Ignition pin broke at the trailhead. I thought it was the switch because I could get accessory, off, run but not start. Tried bypassing the clutch switch. Then put it in run and jumpered the starter solenoid. I got to repeat that several times that day and the next.

Turned out to be a broken ignition pin.

View attachment 695521

Next up...after running the trail we bombed down a slightly rough logging road to Sourdough camp...where we spent the night...and I couldn't shift out of four low.

Next morning after everything cooled off I discovered my Stienjager shift cable had sproinged for lack of a better term and the end and the middle seperated and jammed up the cable. Ordered a Savvy. Disconnected the shift cable and used a wrench to put it into 4 high.

The easy way out to O'Brien was closed by a damaged bridge... necessitating a many hours detour into California...and we decided to head back up the coast cause gas was closer, the drive was slower and the views much better than bombing up I5.

Stopped in Brookings and said hello to @TJ4Jim and checked out his recently painted TJ and airplane project.

Grabbed fish and chips from. The Crazy Norwegian and parts at O'Reilly's and bombed home drag racing diesel trucks towing massive trailers in the passing sections.

Threw a few misfires...first ones since the engine rebuild...used to a frequent and then persistent problem. Cleared the codes, no reoccurrence.

View attachment 695534

Monitored IATs on the way home. Temps in the high 70s low 80s.

View attachment 695535 View attachment 695536 View attachment 695537 View attachment 695538 View attachment 695539

Parts are here for my power steering cooler. So that's next!

-Mac

Similar to the IATs I was seeing over the high CO passes on I-70. At the highest elevations at WOT I'd dip to 90°F.

Somewhat disappointing for me considering the effort of the Cerakote.

With the exhaust leaks I was fighting on the way back, I'm not yet sure if that is accurate.

macleanflood · Jun 26, 2026

Pulled my center console and bedrug mat out of the front in anticipation of a new Savvy shift cable arriving this afternoon. It's insane how much debris is under the mat.

Then I dropped the skid plate to start pulling the brackets and found this...

View: https://youtu.be/BG8gIw4eHhI?is=W2YrQ2SylijNeiLi

Ordered a yoke from Tom Woods $100 shipped. Don't think it's the bearing...note the nut not moving.

I should do what @Woodrow keeps telling me to do and order an Atlas...but even if I did that they wouldn't be here for two months.

Oh and I'll repost these pictures from over in the Umpqua National Forest. Dodge Diesel down quite a steep embankment. Waiting for permission to recover from the authorities.

-Mac

FarFire70 · Jun 26, 2026

macleanflood said:
Pulled my center console and bedrug mat out of the front in anticipation of a new Savvy shift cable arriving this afternoon. It's insane how much debris is under the mat.

View attachment 696538 View attachment 696539

Then I dropped the skid plate to start pulling the brackets and found this...

View: %5BURL%5Dhttps://youtu.be/BG8gIw4eHhI?is=W2YrQ2SylijNeiLi[/URL]

Ordered a yoke from Tom Woods $100 shipped. Don't think it's the bearing...note the nut not moving.

I should do what @Woodrow keeps telling me to do and order an Atlas...but even if I did that they wouldn't be here for two months.

Oh and I'll repost these pictures from over in the Umpqua National Forest. Dodge Diesel down quite a steep embankment. Waiting for permission to recover from the authorities.

View attachment 696540 View attachment 696541 View attachment 696542
View attachment 696544

-Mac

Is that normal - needing approval? Or is it because it could be a potential accident site?

That'll be a heavy pull. Will you offset with snatch blocks to lessen the load or bring in additional heavier equipment?

macleanflood · Jun 26, 2026

FarFire70 said:
Is that normal - needing approval? Or is it because it could be a potential accident site?

That'll be a heavy pull. Will you offset with snatch blocks to lessen the load or bring in additional heavier equipment?

Yes it's pretty normal. Forest Service has a form we fill out with the vin number. We have to provide 5-6 pictures of all sides, plates, vin. Then they'll send someone out to tag the vehicle. Sometimes it takes a few days. Sometimes months. The new LEO captain thinks we're a nuisance...since we're basically forcing them to do a job they're trying really hard to ignore.

Interesting thing about this truck, allegedly as the story goes...the truck wrecked in early March. Someone else reported it to the county sheriff, who sent search and rescue volunteers to clear the vehicle. Apparently they never reported it to the Forest Service or both agencies got into a "not it" battle and did nothing.

First thing we're doing is pulling the driveshafts. It's in gear.

We'll run double line pulls at a minimum and more likely a three or four way. Two trucks...mine with a 12k, another volunteer with a 15k pulling through a path through trees to the left. Then two TJs perpendicular to the pull path providing stablization, roll, pitch and yaw.

Once up we will drag, roll or whatever about 2 miles to the main road and load it into my dump trailer. Three trucks, two jeeps.

Savvy shift cable arrived. Got it installed. Made a video for folks to use and reference.

View: https://youtu.be/Njux1I_mWns?is=56C2oiQl_xhcD0Mq

Figured out what was wrong with the Steinjager. Nuts. Specifically one...and a connector body...they fell into the cup under the shifter and jammed the operation. While the Stienjager looks like crap...the boots are rotting off...the crimps are failing...it works okish.

When tightening the cable on the bracket I decided a 15/16" crows foot would be a perfect fit. My small set ends at 7/8 and my big set starts a 1". Grr.

Finished laying down closed cell foam under the foot wells. Probably should have pulled the seats. Hopefully that'll help cut down on some of the heat.