Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator

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JMT said:
These Jeeps can be a real pain. Sometimes I go over the edge with frustration. It’s like a real love relationship. I hope you get it sorted.
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The most frustrating thing for me is I can take the TJ, with 186K on it, out and it is absolutely perfect. Handling, braking, and ride are better than any other Jeep I've had. I climb in the LJ, with 105K on it, take it for a ride, then come back home ready to stick a "For Sale" sign on it. I'll get it sorted out eventually, but, as you said, the process is not a pleasant journey. :cautious:
 
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Irun said:
The most frustrating thing for me is I can take the TJ, with 186K on it, out and it is absolutely perfect. Handling, braking, and ride are better than any other Jeep I've had. I climb in the LJ, with 105K on it, take it for a ride, then come back home ready to stick a "For Sale" sign on it. I'll get it sorted out eventually, but, as you said, the process is not a pleasant journey. :cautious:
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Trying to look for positives, at least you didn't sell the TJ a while back when you were thinking about it.
 
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Your front end problem seems solvable with testing, experimentation, logic. Hang in there.

But it's the rear end that baffles me. You should have plenty of weight on it already, with an LJ, hardtop, and armor. It HAS to respond to changes in the shocks, but of course, it doesn't. As with some humans, some Jeeps defy logic. Sorry, I have no suggestions. But I'm curious to see what you find.
 
Irun said:
The most frustrating thing for me is I can take the TJ, with 186K on it, out and it is absolutely perfect. Handling, braking, and ride are better than any other Jeep I've had. I climb in the LJ, with 105K on it, take it for a ride, then come back home ready to stick a "For Sale" sign on it. I'll get it sorted out eventually, but, as you said, the process is not a pleasant journey. :cautious:
Click to expand...

If you sell me the LJ your life will be wonderful. At least you have the TJ. And I’d put good money on you getting the LJ where you want it. You’re meticulous, knowledgeable, and patient.
 
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Removed the ball joints that were on driver side of the front 44 I bought, which were new, and wow. I could barely turn the knuckles by hand. Now, I can easily turn that knuckle. Once I get to the passenger side done, I'm confident my return to center, and steering issues, will be gone.

As suspected, the new ball joints in it were splinned. The stock Spicers would drop right in, so I spent 20 minutes dimpling them. After that, they pressed in with some Red locking compound.

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Well, here we go again. Finished up the new ball joints and that fixed my return to center and steering issues. On the test drive I noticed it was running rough and seconds later the Jeep throws a P0304, cylinder 4 misfire, code. 🤬
 
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Good news - Old NGK plugs were fine, but I replaced them with Autolite AP985s. Bushing was worn on the synchronizer, so that was replaced. I also had a new Mopar Camshaft position sensor, so that went in. No check engine lights now.

Bad News - Finished installing the ignition coil and tightened everything up. Stepped of the aluminum bench I use and rolled my ankle. I heard an audible crack followed by extreme pain. Went to the doctor and discovered I now have a torn ligament on the right ankle. :mad:
 
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Irun said:
Good news - Old NGK plugs were fine, but I replaced them with Autolite AP985s. Bushing was worn on the synchronizer, so that was replaced. I also had a new Mopar Camshaft position sensor, so that went in. No check engine lights now.

Bad News - Finished installing the ignition coil and tightened everything up. Stepped of the aluminum bench I use and rolled my ankle. I heard an audible crack followed by extreme pain. Went to the doctor and discovered I now have a torn ligament on the right ankle. :mad:
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Ughhhh, I have done this to both ankles at different times, horrible!!!!! I wish you the best in healing up!!!!
 
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The new synchronizer and Mopar CPS eliminated the CPS code.

However, the P0304 (Cylinder 4 misfire) code came back. I've verified the injector is good and pulled apart sections of the harness to check for bad wiring. Nothing I can see is wrong there. Doing one change at a time, I've also swapped in a spare ignition coil and switched back to NGK ZFR5N plugs, with the gap set to .035.

At this point it's looking like I'll need to do a compression and leak-down test. Any other suggestions?
 
If it's mechanical, most of the things I could think of would be covered by compression and leak down tests. I think your trouble shooting is solid so far.

How did you do your CPS injector sync?
 
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First, I've discovered the code issue that has plagued me since I bought the Jeep. Second, I obviously suck at trouble shooting. Prior to my ownership someone had removed the synchronizer. When they put it back they set it one tooth off. When I put the new synchronizer in, I set it to where the old one was, not thinking about it. As I was looking at the Jeep the 6th time and running down the list of things to check, bam, there it was.

The first picture shows where the synchronizer has been since I bought it. The second picture is where it's supposed to be. I'm still waiting on a new bi-directional scanner, so I can dial in the signal sync. However, after a little computer relearn the Jeep no longer has the poor throttle response and the noticeable misfire is gone.

While I fixed the problem, I'm still an idiot! To my defense, I'm doing this in a boot, with a torn ligament, so I'll give myself a pass!
:(

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Irun said:
First, I've discovered the code issue that has plagued me since I bought the Jeep. Second, I obviously suck at trouble shooting. Prior to my ownership someone had removed the synchronizer. When they put it back they set it one tooth off. When I put the new synchronizer in, I set it to where the old one was, not thinking about it. As I was looking at the Jeep the 6th time and running down the list of things to check, bam, there it was.

The first picture shows where the synchronizer has been since I bought it. The second picture is where it's supposed to be. I'm still waiting on a new bi-directional scanner, so I can dial in the signal sync. However, after a little computer relearn the Jeep no longer has the poor throttle response and the noticeable misfire is gone.
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Curse you, PO!!!
 
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