reson46

First thing to fix is the power/comfort switch. When I swapped in the AW4 I had also already swapped in the power/comfort switch from the donor XJ and actually plugged it into the appropriate wiring harness. I just hadn't attached the switch to a power source. It turns out it was just missing the transmission fuse in the fuse block. But, for some reason the metal connectors in the fuse block were mangled. :hmm: I was able to get a couple of blade connectors to make a descent connection, so I added an inline fuse that will hopefully work reliably. Now the power/comfort switch works. :yes: While I was messing around with the transmission wiring I also added a switch to power off the TCU. Hopefully this will allow me to switch off the TCU and hold 1st gear with the shifter in the 1/2 position. Willy

Now that we have some accurate temperature gauges I noticed that we have some cooling issues. When making long climbs on the trail or highway the temperature really starts to climb. It's not an airflow issue as this happens when on long highway grades at 60 MPH. I think it may partially be the transmission. When I swapped in the automatic I never got around to hooking up the power/comfort switch so it was always stuck in comfort. I think this may be contributing to the transmission getting way too hot on hill climbs. With the transmission cooler in front of the radiator, I think it was then transferring a lot of heat to the engine which was causing it to run hot. I also think that honeycomb in the catalytic converter may be falling apart and clogging the exhaust. It has always rattled around and I just dismissed it as the protective cover rattling, but I think it may be more than that. The fact that the engine runs cool under normal load or idling also makes me wonder about this. As the engine starts to work harder and push more fuel and air through the engine this restriction could be causing quite a bit of heat build up. Now I have quite the list of things to work on before we take it out on the trail again. Willy

Thanks for the compliments. :thumbsup: Willy

Which case do you want to clock? The Box4Rocks kit allows you to clock the rear case into just about any position possible. The front case can be flipped too for clearance if necessary. Willy

Once we made it to Trail Jamboree we still had one day left before the official start to the event. We found a couple of nice rock areas known as Funny Rocks and Moon Rocks. It was nice to finally play in the rocks again. I had missed that. Then this idiot asked me to spot him and proceeded to completely ignore me. :roll: That recovery was an unnecessarily stressful exercise in stupidity by everybody this guy was with. To start with he is lucky to still have his arm as he was trying to hold his Jeep up as it was going over as I was yelling at him to keep his arm in the vehicle. After that we hooked his buddy's winch up to him, but the idiot had is spooled on backwards. When we let off the button it wouldn't hold the Jeep upright and would want to roll back down the hill. We finally got a couple more winches hooked up to it and then he decided to walk next to it to steer it as it was being pulled up instead of getting inside of it. At this point I had stepped aside as neither he or his buddies were willing to listen to any reasonable suggestions. Afterwards I felt pretty crappy. I've been involved in many recoveries and I'm hardly ever stressed. Things break, vehicles roll, that's all highly possible engaging in these activities. No big deal. But so many things went wrong on this one that had so much potential for major disaster, the fact that they were all going on simultaneously, and that I couldn't control all of them left me pretty drained. But, at least their were consequences to their stupidity. He did some major engine damage when he attempted to start it while it was on its side. Once it was on level ground they pulled the plugs and there was oil in the last two cylinders. :shake: It was pretty much drug back to camp and loaded on a trailer. His buddy burned up his winch too. They completely unspooled it and attempt to spool it in properly but the motor would only work in reverse. :shake: After they finally cleared his Jeep out of the way I had to try it. It's amazing how easy it is when you listen to your spotter. :yes: We had beautiful weather for the rest of the week with some great views of Mt. Rainier and the surrounding mountains. Lots more pics here. Willy

We took off the week after the 4th to explore a couple of areas of WA and end up at the PNW4WDA's Trail Jamboree. Our destination for the weekend of the 4th was Omak, WA where we planned to explore the local mining history and ghost towns. Late Friday evening we were about 15 miles east of Omak when the water pump on our truck went out. Image Not Found After a couple of calls Dodge would cover towing the truck to the nearest dealer, but would not cover towing the trailer anywhere. :doh: I think we actually were kind of lucky that the tow company that took the truck actually had another vehicle that could tow a gooseneck trailer. After sitting on the side of the highway for a couple of hours - while the sheriff flew by us twice and finally decided to check if we were fine the third time - the tow truck came for our Dodge and their Duramax came for our trailer. Image Not Found Deb wouldn't take a picture of the previous hand gesture. :yes: Image Not Found The tow truck guys were all very cool and thankfully they were able to drop us off at the RV park where we were planning on staying. It just sucked to be out the $400 for the tow. :dunno: Since all of this occurred on the Friday of a holiday weekend I knew it was going to be at least Monday morning before the Dodge dealer even had a chance to look at it - which also happened to be when we were planning on leaving for Trail Jamboree. When they did look at it they confirmed that it was the water pump, which they ordered, and arrived the next day around lunch time. They actually had it fixed pretty quickly and was ready for us to pick up around 4 PM. After picking up the truck we packed up the trailer and made our way to Naches, WA for Trail Jamboree, a couple of days behind schedule. Since we were hosts we didn't really miss out on anything besides prerunning the trails, which our other club members took care of. It actually could have been quite a bit worse. We had an extra vehicle to get around in so we weren't stuck at the RV Park. We weren't in a huge rush to get to our next destination. Plus the RV park wasn't full so they had the space for us to stay a couple of extra days. We did end up finding some very cool mines in the area. As well as an abandoned narrow gauge railroad grade next to a waterfall. Unfortunately the MJ didn't like the 95+ degree weather and climbing long grades. Something that I am now working on. Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found More pics here. Willy

I like the 241/205 option. Or even a Box4Rocks into a Stak or Atlas depending upon how much you want to spend. I agree that a D300 probably isn't the best option for what you want to do. I also agree that you probably won't be happy with just a single transfer case. The more I wheel, the more I like the multiple gearing choices. Willy

Take another look at your rear axle. According to this picture your have a Chrysler 8.25, not a D35. Willy

What are those vents from? Willy

No, it has always been an automatic 2WD. They are from a '94 XJ. I think pretty much any buckets up until some time in '95 or '96 should work. The locker is fine. I don't really notice it much, but I've driven with a full time locker quite a bit before. I can only really tell it is there when I get on it around a corner or when it slightly tries to steer the truck going down the highway. Willy

Thanks for the radio manual. :thumbsup: We got back from vacation yesterday and found it in the mail. There were a couple of things I couldn't seem to figure out that it should help with. I'm starting to wonder if the right front caliper is sticking. I know that it isn't completely stuck because I was able to compress it with a c-clamp. I think I may just replace both of them anyway. Willy

No, there is not sensor in the front end. I think everything is under the dash. I think it uses a sensor that detects a sudden change in speed. Willy

I just picked up one of those cheap overflow bottles at the parts store, mounted it where the old pressure bottle was, and routed a hose from the radiator to it. What do you need to figure out with the belt? Are you changing the configuration of your pulleys? Willy

No more baby bottle! :clapping: What are your winch plans? Most likely in front of the cross member? Willy

LOL!! That is hilarious! :clapping: Willy Why do you find that amusing? She was nominated for Emmys three times and had several highly acclaimed roles. Farrah was NOT a typical, air-head blond. She was a serious and accomplished actress with a lot of talent. You just stopped looking when you got to the smile and knockers. Shame on you. OK, I'll concede that acting and tits can be considered talents. But, she was most definitely an air head blond. I never heard anything come out of her mouth that would lead me to believe she could even complete elementary school - even with this no child left behind BS. You are correct that I stopped looking when she was on TV, but it had nothing to do with her smile or knockers. I changed the channel. She is another one that I can't understand why anybody would find attractive. Seriously, how could anybody even notice her standing next to Jaclyn Smith. Farrah would be the one your buddy took for the team when they both walked up to you. Even though I wasn't a fan I really didn't wish anything bad for her. I couldn't imagine going through what she did. I know how my poop shoot feels after using the sandpaper they put in airport crappers. Having cancer back there can't be a good way to go. Willy

Thanks. For the rear I've got a '99 8.25 I'm going to do the SOA on and use the stock leafs. On the front I'm going with a 4 1/2 inch spring, Adjustable UCAs, Fixed LCAs and a control Arm Drop kit. Not sure on the brands yet, I looked at Rocky Road Outfitters, but I've read a few bad things about them. After being beat to death in my XJ for the past 2 years, I am going to step up and buy are good quality shocks. Bilstein or OME not sure yet. Why even consider Rocky Road? There are plenty of other respectable manufacturers that make better quality products for reasonable prices. :hmm: Willy

LOL!! That is hilarious! :clapping: Willy

You may want to add some rubber wheels or something else to cushion the feet. I've heard of the feet ripping a hole in the tank from all the constant vibrating without something to absorb the shock. Willy

I tried it without teflon tape...it leaked. Looks like the tape is necessary. :dunno: Willy

Have you ever been to Odessa? Rocket scientists are not grown there. :dunce: I could see how a rusty exhaust and a rusty floor board could provide an easier escape for exhaust gases than forcing the water out of the way. But, I'd like to know more details too. It is so hard to find any useful information in the news. :doh: Willy

Follow this. Willy

Spent a beautiful weekend in the Liberty area. It was great to get away and spend the weekend in the mountains. Most of the trails we ran had just opened up on the 15th and were pretty overgrown. Ran across a few downed trees and a few patches of snow. Came across a group of Land Rovers that didn't seem to have any idea what they were doing. A Range Rover broke a plastic idler pulley. WTF?! Seriously, a plastic idler puller?! :eek: The thing had actually melted in two! As they were trying to limp it down the trail it had overheated and spewed coolant everywhere. They had already been abandoned by the majority of the group they were wheeling with. :shake: I at least strapped him to a spot where one of the other Rovers could drag him back to camp. It made for a pretty amusing story. :yes: Willy

How can you find these pics and not have a story? We need more information about this. :help: Willy

Have you determined why the stock bolts broke? Were they in pretty bad shape? I know some have had problems with the stock block mounts, but usually those are in some pretty extreme situations. Willy

Refer to your 4BT thread. Willy