OP
I am actually attempting to make that weekend work. It's going to come down to if my son has a make-up soccer game rescheduled that Saturday or not. I'll let you know!
PRNDL's Green One
- Thread starter PRNDL
- Start date
I am actually attempting to make that weekend work. It's going to come down to if my son has a make-up soccer game rescheduled that Saturday or not. I'll let you know!
OP
OP
Mounted the control box. Still might move it under the hood down the line. Just need a rope.
OP
Ahhhh, you know where you can get that, right???
OP
While we wait on the wizard...
My johnny joints are creaking again. I serviced the lowers almost exactly a year ago, but only about 3k miles. It's supposed to cool down a bit next week. I'll probably tackle it then.
I ordered a full set of NTK O2 sensors this week from RockAuto. I've been tracking and monitoring a bunch of metrics on the torque app. The O2 readings might suggest they are in need of replacement. That and I keep reading about NTK possibly dropping some part numbers? Not sure, but I grabbed a set.
My johnny joints are creaking again. I serviced the lowers almost exactly a year ago, but only about 3k miles. It's supposed to cool down a bit next week. I'll probably tackle it then.
I ordered a full set of NTK O2 sensors this week from RockAuto. I've been tracking and monitoring a bunch of metrics on the torque app. The O2 readings might suggest they are in need of replacement. That and I keep reading about NTK possibly dropping some part numbers? Not sure, but I grabbed a set.
OP
Still dealing with cooling issues on the highway, around 235+F this past weekend cruising at 70-75mph. Temps actually come down under idle or around town driving. Still higher than ideal at 215-225F. I did the flush and thermocure treatment a few years ago when I purchased it, but it's time to replace the cooling system. Radiator, hoses, water neck all look to be factory, the pump looks like it has been replaced.
While i'm in there... If I'm going to remove the radiator and water pump, I will have good access to the timing chain...
Its going to be a busy couple of weeks.
| Part | Part Number | Retailer |
| Water Pump | Mopar 5012366AF (68382492AA) | Rock Auto |
| Radiator | CSF 3244 | Amazon |
| Radiator Cap | Mopar 52027793 | Rock Auto |
| Thermostat | Motorad 2000-195 | Rock Auto |
| Thermostat Housing | Motorad CH5180 | Rock Auto |
| Upper Hose | Gates 23183 | Amazon |
| Lower Hose | Gates 22900 | Amazon |
| Water Pump Inlet Tube | Dorman 56398 | Amazon |
| Fan Clutch | US Motor Works 22160 | Rock Auto |
While i'm in there... If I'm going to remove the radiator and water pump, I will have good access to the timing chain...
| Part | Part Number | Retailer |
| Timing Chain | Mopar 53020444 | Rock Auto |
| Timing Crank Sprocket | Mopar 53020443 | Rock Auto |
| Timing Cam Sprocket | Mopar 53010557AA | Rock Auto |
| Timing Chain Guide | Cloyes 95337 (9-5337) | Rock Auto |
| Timing Cover Gasket | FelPro TCS45458 | Rock Auto |
| Crankshaft Seal | National 321460 | Rock Auto |
| Timing Cover Seal | SKF 17800A | Rock Auto |
Its going to be a busy couple of weeks.
- Grease Johnny Joints
- Replace O2 sensors
- Replace cooling system
- Replace timing chain
OP
At $450+ after shipping, I just couldn't stomach it. My factory radiator is still leak free. If it looks clean enough when drain and remove it, there's a good chance I keep using it. This is one of the reasons I went with Amazon for the CSF, the return will be easier.
FWIW I’ve been running the CSF radiator for a couple of years now with no issues. Not the brass one everyone seems to be confused by, but the plastic OEM style one.
OP
Excellent, your thread from a while back is what pushed me to give the CSF a shot.
This is looking like one of my "might as well do it right" lists. Starts with something simple and grows!
Were rolling into Gilmer Thursday evening, pulling it up there. I'm gonna stay in hotel in longview about 30 min away. Plan is to wheel Friday/Saturday and roll out Sunday morning.
hope you can make it work.
OP
Tackled this over the past several days. I was able to get the rear lower johnny joints serviced on Thursday and started draining and removing parts the following evening once I had tracking numbers and knew when I could expect deliveries.
With the rad, fan and belt removed, this is where we started. Its obvious that this is not the factory water pump. The lack of Mopar logo, the purple heater pipe and the worm clamp give it away. All of the other components appear to be factory including the thermostat.
Pump, water neck and generator bracket removed. The idler pulley looks iffy, but it spins true and its quiet.
Hide your eyes @Irun , the block is dirty and... pealing? I'm not going to utter that word. It's dirty.
This is before I spent an hour scraping the old gaskets off. I followed @JMT's lead and carefully used one of these to get it completely clean.
From here I pulled the harmonic balancer and the timing cover. I must have read through this thread at least a dozen times getting ready for the timing chain swap.
OG chain and sprockets
Removed and gasket scraped. You can see the cleaned pump and thermostat surfaces here too.
I used all Mopar timing parts (chain and sprockets). It turns out I ordered three different crank seals. I ended up installing the one that came with the FelPro TCS45458 timing gasket kit. It is a National branded seal, was marked "USA" and most closely resembled the original that was removed (except the color).
I, sadly, did not get a picture of new new chain and sprockets installed...
Getting the cover back on was kind of a trick. The FelPro oil pan gasket (maybe they are all like this) has very tall shoulders around the timing cover. I pulled it away from the pan, set the cover in its channel and then slid it back over the chain. At this point, it was sitting tall and the bolts would not easily thread on. I started with the four bolts through the oil pan to "pull" it down in to place. It worked and I was able to loosely thread the cover bolts in place.
I did not track down the Timing Case Cover Alignment and Seal Installation Tool 6139 as specified by the FSM. Once the cover bolts were in place, I used the harmonic balancer itself to center the cover and seal (tools borrowed from O'Reilly). It worked as intended and only cost an extra ten or so minutes to pull it on and back off.
From there, I didn't take many pictures of the cooling component installs. I was ready to have the Jeep back. The pump was replaced with a Mopar unit. I ordered a Dorman heater pipe, but the damn thing simply would not thread into the threaded hole of the pump. It felt cross threaded, but it was not. I gave up and used ole reliable, purple pipe with a fresh wrap of teflon tape. The bolts for the pump were also wrapped in teflon tape per YouTube wisdom(?) and the gasket installed dry.
Rather than order a Mopar or Stant and receive a Motorad, I cut out the middle man and ordered a Motorad 2000-195 for $4. Yes, its a "performance" tier thermostat but at 195*, it has a check valve and did not need to have a hole drilled. It was $3.33 - a price I am happy with.
I ordered a "matching" motorad waterneck and gasket. The gasket was dipped in clean water and installed wet. The bolts did not get teflon tape and the existing temp sensor was reused.
The CSF radiator has not arrived yet, but as mentioned, my original Mopar unit was in good shape with no leaks and was cleaned, rinsed and reused with a new Mopar cap. New upper and lower Gates hoses were used. The upper gave me fitment issues and was a little too long but was made to work. No issues with the lower but I did notice it lacked the internal spring of the factory hose.
+fan hub
+belt
+radiator
+fan & shroud
She fired up first crank.
After a 15 minute idle and a spirited rev session in the driveway, nothing exploded and temps were more under control than I've ever seen. What's more, zero leaks of any kind.
Around town, I never saw temps higher than 208* and mostly hovered around 202*. Previously, on the highway, temps would rise to 230 and then creep up over 235-240. A 10 minute spin on the interstate 70-80mph and the max temp recorded was 210.8*. Great success.
Also, I'm sure this is just placebo and confirmation bias, but I swear it feels peppier. Either that or the perfect weather today combined with being back in the driver's seat triggered some endorphins. I was able to easily get up to 82mph without much fuss - something I've rarely pushed it to do in the past. Whatever, I'm not sure if that's mechanically possible for a new timing chain to make any measurable difference in power. It was a great victory lap.
I still have a fresh set of O2 sensors to install on the bench, more JJs to service and a nice new winch rope to spool.
With the rad, fan and belt removed, this is where we started. Its obvious that this is not the factory water pump. The lack of Mopar logo, the purple heater pipe and the worm clamp give it away. All of the other components appear to be factory including the thermostat.
Pump, water neck and generator bracket removed. The idler pulley looks iffy, but it spins true and its quiet.
Hide your eyes @Irun , the block is dirty and... pealing? I'm not going to utter that word. It's dirty.
This is before I spent an hour scraping the old gaskets off. I followed @JMT's lead and carefully used one of these to get it completely clean.
From here I pulled the harmonic balancer and the timing cover. I must have read through this thread at least a dozen times getting ready for the timing chain swap.
OG chain and sprockets
Removed and gasket scraped. You can see the cleaned pump and thermostat surfaces here too.
I used all Mopar timing parts (chain and sprockets). It turns out I ordered three different crank seals. I ended up installing the one that came with the FelPro TCS45458 timing gasket kit. It is a National branded seal, was marked "USA" and most closely resembled the original that was removed (except the color).
I, sadly, did not get a picture of new new chain and sprockets installed...
Getting the cover back on was kind of a trick. The FelPro oil pan gasket (maybe they are all like this) has very tall shoulders around the timing cover. I pulled it away from the pan, set the cover in its channel and then slid it back over the chain. At this point, it was sitting tall and the bolts would not easily thread on. I started with the four bolts through the oil pan to "pull" it down in to place. It worked and I was able to loosely thread the cover bolts in place.
I did not track down the Timing Case Cover Alignment and Seal Installation Tool 6139 as specified by the FSM. Once the cover bolts were in place, I used the harmonic balancer itself to center the cover and seal (tools borrowed from O'Reilly). It worked as intended and only cost an extra ten or so minutes to pull it on and back off.
From there, I didn't take many pictures of the cooling component installs. I was ready to have the Jeep back. The pump was replaced with a Mopar unit. I ordered a Dorman heater pipe, but the damn thing simply would not thread into the threaded hole of the pump. It felt cross threaded, but it was not. I gave up and used ole reliable, purple pipe with a fresh wrap of teflon tape. The bolts for the pump were also wrapped in teflon tape per YouTube wisdom(?) and the gasket installed dry.
Rather than order a Mopar or Stant and receive a Motorad, I cut out the middle man and ordered a Motorad 2000-195 for $4. Yes, its a "performance" tier thermostat but at 195*, it has a check valve and did not need to have a hole drilled. It was $3.33 - a price I am happy with.
I ordered a "matching" motorad waterneck and gasket. The gasket was dipped in clean water and installed wet. The bolts did not get teflon tape and the existing temp sensor was reused.
The CSF radiator has not arrived yet, but as mentioned, my original Mopar unit was in good shape with no leaks and was cleaned, rinsed and reused with a new Mopar cap. New upper and lower Gates hoses were used. The upper gave me fitment issues and was a little too long but was made to work. No issues with the lower but I did notice it lacked the internal spring of the factory hose.
+fan hub
+belt
+radiator
+fan & shroud
She fired up first crank.
After a 15 minute idle and a spirited rev session in the driveway, nothing exploded and temps were more under control than I've ever seen. What's more, zero leaks of any kind.
Around town, I never saw temps higher than 208* and mostly hovered around 202*. Previously, on the highway, temps would rise to 230 and then creep up over 235-240. A 10 minute spin on the interstate 70-80mph and the max temp recorded was 210.8*. Great success.
Also, I'm sure this is just placebo and confirmation bias, but I swear it feels peppier. Either that or the perfect weather today combined with being back in the driver's seat triggered some endorphins. I was able to easily get up to 82mph without much fuss - something I've rarely pushed it to do in the past. Whatever, I'm not sure if that's mechanically possible for a new timing chain to make any measurable difference in power. It was a great victory lap.
I still have a fresh set of O2 sensors to install on the bench, more JJs to service and a nice new winch rope to spool.
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OP
Still hopeful. I think I can make this work. If I do make it, it will be a Saturday day trip and will have two of three kids in tow.
Daughter was going to come but chose a Taylor Swift Bday party instead of wheelin. My youngest isn’t ready for that grind just yet. Just be me and some buddies.
Weather looks nice.
Great work on the coolant system rebuild, seems to working nicely.
OP
New O2 sensors installed without much fuss. The motor in general is running very smooth after the refresh.
WRG rope installed but not tensioned. Alas, I've disappointed everyone with my color choice. Nice to have the winch project finished.
Hella H4 100/80w bulbs were ordered for the Kioto lenses. I've been running the 60/55w bulbs included with the Toyota kit. As a refresher, I'm running the wiring harness that came with the kit. Amazon decided to deliver one bulb yesterday and the other is coming, so I threw it in to see if there was a noticeable difference. Maybe you can tell.
The new bulb is on the right/drivers side. It is a bit brighter but I wouldn't notice it if I wasn't looking for it. It does have a cooler color temperature to it, just a bit less yellow, a bit more white.
My 15 year old smittybilt portable compressor hose cracked and they don't use standard fittings. I abandoned attempting to retrofit or buy a replacement and ordered a Viair 88p. I've been using a battery powered Ryobi, but it takes forever and I don't love the idea of depending on a lithium battery to get aired up. I know the 88p won't set speed records, but its affordable and has a reputation for being reliable.
The 88p has a fixed hose and a screw-on style schrader connector. I'll order a quick chuck for it. Eventually, I might cut and add quick connect fittings to make the hose detachable. Possibly do something similar to the power wires with plug connectors.
Cooling system is still running well. Temps are still consistently low-ish, 199-210 mostly staying around 204-208. Not sure if that is a problem or not. I might consider trying a different thermostat in the future to get temps up closer to 212. I did find a puddle of coolant this morning after driving to the office. The lower hose is dripping at the radiator. I'll reseat the tension clamp and hose and see if that solves it. If the radiator has cracked somewhere, I've got the CSF replacement on hand.
Assuming the leak can be resolved tonight, I'm meeting @MattTJRubicon82 at BMRA tomorrow morning. The weather looks perfect.
WRG rope installed but not tensioned. Alas, I've disappointed everyone with my color choice. Nice to have the winch project finished.
Hella H4 100/80w bulbs were ordered for the Kioto lenses. I've been running the 60/55w bulbs included with the Toyota kit. As a refresher, I'm running the wiring harness that came with the kit. Amazon decided to deliver one bulb yesterday and the other is coming, so I threw it in to see if there was a noticeable difference. Maybe you can tell.
The new bulb is on the right/drivers side. It is a bit brighter but I wouldn't notice it if I wasn't looking for it. It does have a cooler color temperature to it, just a bit less yellow, a bit more white.
My 15 year old smittybilt portable compressor hose cracked and they don't use standard fittings. I abandoned attempting to retrofit or buy a replacement and ordered a Viair 88p. I've been using a battery powered Ryobi, but it takes forever and I don't love the idea of depending on a lithium battery to get aired up. I know the 88p won't set speed records, but its affordable and has a reputation for being reliable.
The 88p has a fixed hose and a screw-on style schrader connector. I'll order a quick chuck for it. Eventually, I might cut and add quick connect fittings to make the hose detachable. Possibly do something similar to the power wires with plug connectors.
Cooling system is still running well. Temps are still consistently low-ish, 199-210 mostly staying around 204-208. Not sure if that is a problem or not. I might consider trying a different thermostat in the future to get temps up closer to 212. I did find a puddle of coolant this morning after driving to the office. The lower hose is dripping at the radiator. I'll reseat the tension clamp and hose and see if that solves it. If the radiator has cracked somewhere, I've got the CSF replacement on hand.
Assuming the leak can be resolved tonight, I'm meeting @MattTJRubicon82 at BMRA tomorrow morning. The weather looks perfect.
OP
Had the jeep out at BMRA this past Saturday. Fairly decent turnout, not crowded though. BMRA is about a 3 hour drive from the house. With no soccer and no softball on a Saturday, I had my son and younger daughter with me for this trip. We got an early start and were at the gate at 8am. The park is a 1,850 acre "mountain" of red clay in east Texas, owned and maintained by TMTC. The main pavilion is at the top and trails run down and around. It is very dusty. After making the 200 yard drive from the gate to the pavilion, my daughter couldn't help herself:
Most of what I ran is ravines and washouts with some off camber stuff. There's harder stuff, sure, but this is what a lot of the property looks like. Ravines for days:
Ran in an easy group with @MattTJRubicon82 in the morning.
After lunch, Matt and his buddies let me and my little 33s tag along on a trail called Whatever. It's a ravine with a tricky section straddling a v. The ruts are deep and you can teeter a bit. Matt went first and tipped a bit nose up, I think. In the video, right at the start, I don't get far enough over passenger and nose down into the notch. Not deep enough to flop, but got the blood pumping a bit. A better line hugging the driver side wall coming out of it.
We split up and I spent the rest of the day running easy trails with my two kiddos. They really had a good time. It was nice having a photographer with me.
There was one decent climb. An XJ with open diffs was getting winched up when we got there. Fairly easy line for the Rubi. Daughter for scale.
The day ended with a run through the articulation chute. Used all available shock travel and bumps set correctly to prevent rubbing.
We stopped at Dairy Palace in Canton on the way home for a burger. It was a great day with my kids. Jeeps are pretty neat.
Most of what I ran is ravines and washouts with some off camber stuff. There's harder stuff, sure, but this is what a lot of the property looks like. Ravines for days:
Ran in an easy group with @MattTJRubicon82 in the morning.
After lunch, Matt and his buddies let me and my little 33s tag along on a trail called Whatever. It's a ravine with a tricky section straddling a v. The ruts are deep and you can teeter a bit. Matt went first and tipped a bit nose up, I think. In the video, right at the start, I don't get far enough over passenger and nose down into the notch. Not deep enough to flop, but got the blood pumping a bit. A better line hugging the driver side wall coming out of it.
We split up and I spent the rest of the day running easy trails with my two kiddos. They really had a good time. It was nice having a photographer with me.
There was one decent climb. An XJ with open diffs was getting winched up when we got there. Fairly easy line for the Rubi. Daughter for scale.
The day ended with a run through the articulation chute. Used all available shock travel and bumps set correctly to prevent rubbing.
We stopped at Dairy Palace in Canton on the way home for a burger. It was a great day with my kids. Jeeps are pretty neat.
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OP
Got the oil report from Blackstone today. Looks good.
