Jack of All Trades, Master of None: LJ Build

PNW_LJ said:
Thank you for the explanation, I’ll try this.



I just got some of that 90min RTV, and now I’ll be getting the quick jb weld stuff too.

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I saw this putty stuff today. Does it have a place in a trail bag? Say for a cracked oil pan.
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No idea on the stick stuff. I've carried a similar version for years and never used it. I have fixed a few leaking oil pans with good duct tape, Mopar oily surface RTV, and some cleaner. Clean the area, spread the RTV over the hole, loosely tape over that and then tight on the metal to give it some support while it cures. Got us back to camp and home a few times.

One in particular was a feller who wasn't running an engine skid in JV. Landed the point of a rock right where the drain plug screws in. Had to remove the plug, drain the oil into his small ice chest, clean, put the plug back in, slather it all up with the RTV, tape over that several directions, oil back in, finish the trail and then back to camp with no issues.
 
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bbaldwin237 said:
Sweet LJ build, maybe one day (a ways down the road) when I'm a little more prepared I can join for a trail ride. I'd still like to add traction aids and armor before too much.
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There's plenty of trails in the area that 33s can easily do. Heck, I did most of Elbe on 31s (taking many bypasses of course). Sliders and skids are always a good idea though.

bbaldwin237 said:
I've used the steel stick before on a small boat repair. My father-in-law's boat had a screw sized hole open up in the side near the water line. It was a small perfect hole (must have lost a weld plug from the manufacturing) right at the water line. It wasn't too serious and was just wetting some carpet in the gunwale. I grabbed a steel stick and patched it up and it's been holding for about 5-6 years. Can't even really find the spot now since it's on raw aluminum. Not sure how it would do with an oily surface though. I know soap was common for gas tank cracks back in the day?

Those look like the same headlights I have and they're super bright. The only down side is that switching to high beam doesn't really change much other than it reaches a touch higher and wider (very little) but isn't any brighter. But that's ok because I don't really need anything brighter. I haven't tried them at night in the rain yet though. That was what made me upgrade the lights in my Ram.
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Good to know. I'm liking the improved headlights too, though I need to adjust mine higher.
 
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PNW_LJ said:
There's plenty of trails in the area that 33s can easily do. Heck, I did most of Elbe on 31s (taking many bypasses of course). Sliders and skids are always a good idea though.
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Yea there's currently a 1" t-case drop and the rear LSD is tired!

And I have an 18 month old so my days off are pretty busy! lol Hoping that by next summer he'll be content to just buckle up and go along. Right now he doesn't enjoy long rides in his car seat.
 
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PNW_LJ said:
Thank you for the explanation, I’ll try this.



I just got some of that 90min RTV, and now I’ll be getting the quick jb weld stuff too.

View attachment 454321

I saw this putty stuff today. Does it have a place in a trail bag? Say for a cracked oil pan.
Click to expand...

I carry and have used this on my CJ when the OEM oil pan skid plate got knocked off and 6 spot weld holes started draining my oil all over the trail. Cleaned up the trail, wiped off the residual oil off the bottom of the pan, applied SteelStik to 5 of the 6 holes and it got me back home. I couldn't clean the 6th hole up enough for the SteelStik to hold so I cut up a beer Koozy and secured that in the hole with a machine screw. I am amazed and thankful it worked...
 
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So the engine oil leak that I thought was a poor RMS install.. turned out to be a crappy oil pan install:

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Not sure how that happened.. I was sure I’d seated it correctly the first time. Oh well.

I decided to keep the RMS I replaced, don’t want to risk messing it up if it’s fine. If anything, I have a new Mopar RMS to go in if it keeps leaking.
 
PNW_LJ said:
So the engine oil leak that I thought was a poor RMS install.. turned out to be a crappy oil pan install:

View attachment 457871

Not sure how that happened.. I was sure I’d seated it correctly the first time. Oh well.

I decided to keep the RMS I replaced, don’t want to risk messing it up if it’s fine. If anything, I have a new Mopar RMS to go in if it keeps leaking.
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Aren't you only supposed to put rtv in the 90* corners? Silicon in the wrong place would let the gasket slip out under torque.
 
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Replaced my cracked radiator with a brand new Mopar unit I got as a gift (thanks dad!).

Install went surprisingly smoothly, this is the first time I’ve replaced a radiator and had it burp all the air by itself first time. Water temp when engine’s warmed up, now shows just under 210, never had that before.


Also did a flush and replaced thermostat/all hoses while I was in there.
 
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Unfortunately, on my way to Reiter just a day later, I see the tell tale sign of a water pump failure. Lost all my coolant within an hour of this, it was crazy how quick it happened.

IMG_7265.jpeg



So that had to be replaced in a parking lot.

It’s quite interesting actually how this all started.

About 2 months ago, after a long climb at Walker, I noticed my overflow tank boiling. So I replaced my radiator cap which fixed it.

Fast forward 2 months, and my radiator fails. Which I can only assume was on it’s way out, and the cap only accelerated it’s demise.

Then a day later my water pump fails, which I assume is due to the coolant flushes getting out all the gunk holding the pump together.



I should’ve just replaced everything from the start, saved me the time and coolant..
 
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PNW_LJ said:
Unfortunately, on my way to Reiter just a day later, I see the tell tale sign of a water pump failure. Lost all my coolant within an hour of this, it was crazy how quick it happened.

View attachment 457872


So that had to be replaced in a parking lot.

It’s quite interesting actually how this all started.

About 2 months ago, after a long climb at Walker, I noticed my overflow tank boiling. So I replaced my radiator cap which fixed it.

Fast forward 2 months, and my radiator fails. Which I can only assume was on it’s way out, and the cap only accelerated it’s demise.

Then a day later my water pump fails, which I assume is due to the coolant flushes getting out all the gunk holding the pump together.



I should’ve just replaced everything from the start, saved me the time and coolant..
Click to expand...

My stock radiator failed on mine in 2003 with about 75K on the clock. I got a aftermarket radiator due to I needed it fixed that day and the only one I could find was that. My top tank split.
My daughter called me from town telling me her Jeep was smoking. Luckily she was next to a shop and a mechanic came out and helped her. The top tank split on hers too. I went and towed her Jeep home. But I'd learned my lesson and I did the water pump when I did her radiator.

At least you know it's all new now.
 
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Post-Rubicon Trail
Update: (this was about two weeks ago, I gotta get better at updating this thread)


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The LJ performed outstanding, even on it’s “31.5s” and open diffs. Completed the whole trail in about 9 hours, doing every major obstacle without taking any bypasses (except Soup Bowl). And it did this while loaded down with all the food, gear, tools and spares for two vehicles!


Posted a couple videos:


Little Sluice (probably the hardest obstacle I did, saw some larger rigs get winched out of this one!):


The buggy demolishing the Soup Bowl:



Blown away with just how capable it is already, having a tucked/lifted belly and armor was crucial. I’m sure a skilled driver could do it in a stock rig taking the bypasses, but there’d be a ton more scraping and winching.

There’s an enjoyment factor in that this rig can drive 13 hrs to the Rubicon, do the trail comfortably while carrying all my gear and sleeping inside, and then drive back. Overall, 10/10 for the LJ.
 
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Damage Report:

- Broken rear sway bar link
- Scratched corner armor on Little Sluice

And of course tons of dings on the skids, body mounts and driveshafts (low pinions suck).

I’d say that’s a pretty good run.
 
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