What did you do to your jeep today?

[Big Al]

Added 3 quarts of oil to the 3.7 gas engine.
Sure hoping it's the valve stem seals leaking and not the piston rings that are worn out.
Small puff of blue smoke when I start it up after it has been sitting for a while.
Owned it for 8 months and never did an oil change as it uses so much oil.
Thinking of doing the oil filter change on the next oil top up.
Also, need to get a set of valve stem seals. Anyone bought them before.
Anyone changed the valve stem seals using the air compressor method or the rope down the spark plug hole.
Also need a good brand name if you have bought them before.

 

[sota]

you know the crank is easy enough to access, why not just rotate each cylinder to TDC then do the seals? valves can't drop that far then.

 

[Big Al]

you know the crank is easy enough to access, why not just rotate each cylinder to TDC then do the seals? valves can't drop that far then.

Yes, that's the plan TDC and then stick a piece of rope in the spark plug hole so the valve stays up to make the keepers.

 

[CrazyDrei]

At least you cut it out right, seen way too many that they squared the corners off.
I always cut them for friends the way you did

The 03 is even trimmed more, lower 3 holes are gone , in their place is a JBA front skid

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tommudd,

I saw your pictures of how you cut it out but the PhotoBucket watermark ruined all the pictures. I followed the lines of the fog lights and it looks good. I did end up taking the under spoiler lip out completely. I have a couple extra aluminum skid plates laying around, might play with bolting it up and possibly trimming off the lower 3 holes too.

DO you have more pictures of the bumper trimming without the photobucket watermarks?

 

[CrazyDrei]

Nothing wrong with a DTT East of the Mississippi
I've ran them in Ford Pickups, 2 of my Early Broncos, all 3 of my XJs and in the 03 KJ which I use as my DD, have them front and rear
The 04 has DTT front and ARB rear
Ran one lunch box in one of my XJs, just bought the XJ brand new and guy gave it to me, only took a few days to determine why , was in less than a week, POS

tommudd,

True tracks are helical gear driven locking actuation, it's super smooth and virtually unnoticeable when engaged. Daily driving is identical to open or limited slip diffs.

Regular detroit locker or baby version lunchbox are always locked unlocked true track and only disengage when the wheels are turning in opposite directions.

It takes a little time to figure out how it behaves and adjust the driving to accordingly, where as a tru track is drop and play as if it's not even there.

 

[CrazyDrei]

Get a Detroit Tru Trac, not a regular Detroit or even a Lunch box
Basically the differences


Detroit Tru track:
+ no clutches to wear out always works, works best for road race & street use.
- does not hold up well in high hp drag use.
+ Under normal light throttle driving conditions, a Truetrac operates much like a standard open differential, allowing the rear wheels to rotate at slightly different speeds for smooth cornering.
Detroit locker:
+ will give you a locked axle when given anything more that a light throttle. Good for drag race & off road use. Will always hit posi & will outlast the vehicle in most cases.
- can clunk when turning, will drag a tire in turns if on throttle, can feel very strange in short wheel base vehicles when the locker loads & unloads & reloads. more so at higher speeds
-When coasting or rolling through a corner (no torque applied), the unequal speed of the inside and outside wheels causes the unit to unlock momentarily, before abruptly locking when power is applied
-The Detroit Locker is best suited for off-road or severe track use where maximum traction is required, and quiet/smooth operation is less important.

tommudd,

Exactly. So pick your poison. To the OP: how much time/miles do you actually spend in the dirt vs time/miles spent on pavement. If you are close to 50/50% get a detroit or a lunchbox, if its 25% dirt and 75% pavement hands down go with true track.

Wheel chirp, ratcheting/clunking in corners is annoying as a daily driver if not fully appreciated when driven hard off road.

Just about every RWD Baja or desert racing truck has a detroit or a full spool in the rear for that extra grip/traction/performance.

Tom and I are speaking based on our experiences with both, and we tried both, found what we like and dislike about both and use the most appropriate locker for our needs and applications. Unfortunately for you to make the best decision on which one to get based on your vehicle and driving style will also require you to get both, put lots of miles on both and decide for yourself which one best suits your needs.

One more thing about the detroit, when you put it in park, my Suburban rolls about 6-8" forward on 37" tires with it. Thats a lot of force on the parking pawl in the ******. Welded differential does not have that roll, neither does tru track.

 

[sota]

picked up the kid with no tach and no speedo. plugged in the scanner and U1110, U1120 codes.
Hot tip: if you unplug the ABS relay fuse in the PDU and forget you did that during some other testing, the vehicle doesn't like it

 

[Slugger103]

FINALLY got the suspension finished last week. New springs & shocks all around, new front UCAs with grease fittings on the joints, new lower ball joints, new sway bar links, new tie rod ends, new hubs & bearings, new front CV half axles both sides. New jounces front & rear (figured out a way to get the front ones to pop in very easy!). Replaced the A/C compressor & had the system purged & recharged. Front end alignment done. Runs great! I now have a rear UCA sitting in the garage waiting to be installed.

 

[tommudd]

FINALLY got the suspension finished last week. New springs & shocks all around, new front UCAs with grease fittings on the joints, new lower ball joints, new sway bar links, new tie rod ends, new hubs & bearings, new front CV half axles both sides. New jounces front & rear (figured out a way to get the front ones to pop in very easy!). Replaced the A/C compressor & had the system purged & recharged. Front end alignment done. Runs great! I now have a rear UCA sitting in the garage waiting to be installed.

New intermediate shaft as well I hope
and Moog greaseable lower ball joints

 

[MarksmanAkula]

Jeep is still waiting for her big teardown. OME lift waiting to go in, Timing cover work, valve cover work, front diff work, cooling system/radiator work, list goes on and on.

Until then, My 01 F-150 needs a new upper arm and valve cover gaskets. Along with some trans seals.

 

[Brian02KJ]

Yesterday finally put my front tow hooks on. Thanks to the one thread I found here, figured out I didn't have to remove the bumper, et al, to put the M-bolts into the frame. Just had to be careful. One tip, cut the plastic cutouts before putting the tow hook on, hacksaw blade kept hitting the tow hook on the first one.

Got a link to that post you’re referring to?

 

[kmitch]

Got a link to that post you’re referring to?

This describes it...

https://www.jeepkj.com/threads/mopar-tow-hooks.46951/#post-518511

The picture from here https://www.jeepkj.com/threads/how-to-fit-towhooks-to-an-05.42789/ was the missing link for me. As long as you don't loose the M-bolt in the cavity, you don't have to take the bumper off.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[tommudd]

tommudd,

I saw your pictures of how you cut it out but the PhotoBucket watermark ruined all the pictures. I followed the lines of the fog lights and it looks good. I did end up taking the under spoiler lip out completely. I have a couple extra aluminum skid plates laying around, might play with bolting it up and possibly trimming off the lower 3 holes too.

DO you have more pictures of the bumper trimming without the photobucket watermarks?

If they were from Photobucket they are very old pictures

 

[sota]

has anyone ever taken apart the junction block under the dash, to bring online any of the 'spare' fuse positions?
I want to integrate some stuff into that panel if possible.

 

[David13]

Finally found some LIquid Wrench (at Tractor Supply). Sprayed the rear transmission cross-member bolts and nuts. Twice. May spray them for several days and then wire brush all of them before trying to get them moving.

I'd like to get all those off and then see if I want a new cross-member and what hardware I need. I think I only need the nuts for the transmission mount.

Also got an 18" 3/8 drive breaker bar and then used a hex socket to break loose the fill hole on the transfer case. Working today so I'll drain and refill transfer case tomorrow, weather permitting.

Maybe also front differential tomorrow, then it's only the transmission itself left before I can go and get an atv trailer.
dc

 

[tommudd]

Finally found some LIquid Wrench (at Tractor Supply). Sprayed the rear transmission cross-member bolts and nuts. Twice. May spray them for several days and then wire brush all of them before trying to get them moving.

I'd like to get all those off and then see if I want a new cross-member and what hardware I need. I think I only need the nuts for the transmission mount.

Also got an 18" 3/8 drive breaker bar and then used a hex socket to break loose the fill hole on the transfer case. Working today so I'll drain and refill transfer case tomorrow, weather permitting.

Maybe also front differential tomorrow, then it's only the transmission itself left before I can go and get an atv trailer.
dc

Try Kano Aerokroil next time
Been buying it by the gallons for years

 

[nohitter64]

Curious, has anyone removed the rear seats and replaced them with bucket seats...like a spare set of the front seats?

 

[tommudd]

Curious, has anyone removed the rear seats and replaced them with bucket seats...like a spare set of the front seats?

I looked into it after I had the back seat out to make a bed back there
But what I found was where the lower part is , its just not low enough or goes back far enough that you would have knee room or have the seats low enough to have headroom, especially if trying to use most any automotive seat
I had found some boat seats that would sort of work but they cost way more than what I wanted to put into the project
Just what I found , never seen anyone else do it over the years but who knows

 

[nohitter64]

I looked into it after I had the back seat out to make a bed back there
But what I found was where the lower part is , its just not low enough or goes back far enough that you would have knee room or have the seats low enough to have headroom, especially if trying to use most any automotive seat
I had found some boat seats that would sort of work but they cost way more than what I wanted to put into the project
Just what I found , never seen anyone else do it over the years but who knows

Thanks, like I said...I'm curious...I am looking into replacing or reupholstering the seats and determining options. The more I think about it, with the full bench and the cargo area cover, it gives me some form of a secure "trunk" area. Has anyone used Carbeau seats for the front? I could get the rear bench reupholstered to match.

 

[tommudd]

Thanks, like I said...I'm curious...I am looking into replacing or reupholstering the seats and determining options. The more I think about it, with the full bench and the cargo area cover, it gives me some form of a secure "trunk" area. Has anyone used Carbeau seats for the front? I could get the rear bench reupholstered to match.

Yes have installed two sets of them in KJs
issues with seat belt lights etc , but ways around that