mjeff87

"oversquare" engine ;) Jeff

You wouldn't happen to have a pic of the modifed bracket, would you? ;) MJ bucket brackets are proving to be a chore for me to find.....I was even thinking about seeing if the dealership :eek: could order them. I'd like to use the XJ brackets I have (where I got the buckets from). Thanks, Jeff

Define "no start" for us. Does it crank but not turn over, or is it dead? If dead, I'd check battery terminal connections. If the starter won't engage, give it a tap or two with a blunt object and try again. If it cranks but won't turn over, try unplugging and replugging the CPS connector. Jeff

You dragging it or driving it? Lemme know when, and I can give you a hand. I can run blocker for ya in my MJ :D and bring along my grease gun..... Jeff

Chuck......where 'bouts in Henrico are you? I work over in Sandston, live down in Chester :waving: Welcome aboard! Jeff

AX4/5's only came behind the 2.5 and the 2.8. Never behind a 4.0L Good price for them, too. Here's a pic of an AX5: Image Not Found Jeff

If by modify you mean "cut the whole damn left side of it completely off so I could pry it past the engine mount and the two bolts that hold the cover on and the water pump pulley and bend it so I could angle it past the low pressure AC line without rupturing it"....then yes, I did. :ack: (I can always get another one from the junkyard if needed)

should have, but didn't......I was so fed up with screwing around with the timing belt I didn't have the desire to pull the pump. You oughta see the bruises and cuts I have on both my forearms :mad: I "modified" the stoopid plastic timing belt cover a bit with a hacksaw, too..... Plus I discovered a tiny hairline crack just starting to develop in the #1 cylinder wall while I was cleaning the block surface. It's not affecting anything now, but I figure about another 30K miles or so it's gonna go :cry: Maybe I'll swap a 2.0L into it with a 5 spd then :brows: Jeff

remember, oil doesn't leak upwards. Find the highest spot that you can see oil and search from there. My 2.5 seeps from the rear of the valve cover (among other places :cry: ) and eventually ends up down the side of the block to the pan. Good luck! Jeff

woo-hoo....got $11 for the old head at the scrapyard. 44# at .25c That'll put 1/4 tank of gas in the MJ :cheers:

yeah, there is...http://www.feoa.net/modules.php?name=Forums but it's almost all "rice" talk mixed in with tech. YMMV :roll: I'm taking the old head to the scrapper this morning to see what they'd give me for it.....it's about a 40# chunk of aluminum. Going rate down here now is about .50/lb :D Jeff

yeah...ummm....good luck with that ;)

actually, it wasn't the gasket. The valve seat on the #4 intake broke off in a couple big chunks and did nasty things inside the cylinder. It still ran, but I had 0 compression on that slug :cry: I say she's quite "peppy" now with the new head on it! It's just about to turn 170K (it and my MJ have almost the same exact mileage right now) Jeff

Finally got the Escort fixed this weekend, so I can now get back to the building of the MJ All I can say is that I now HATE front wheel drive cars (at least having to work on them :mad: ) Spent all day Saturday working on it only to turn the key and the engine not starting :roll: , pulled it all back apart and found that it had jumped time (I forgot to tighten the belt tensioner). Reset it, put it all back together and it still wouldn’t fire, so I called it quits until the morning because it was raining. Got up and looked at it again, noticed I put the plug wires on wrong, fixed that, and it still wouldn’t start. 2 hours later, I happened to notice that I put the 30A fuel injection fuse back into a blank slot instead of where it should have gone :loser: ……swapped it and it fired right up. Yea me… :banana: Here’s a couple pics for y’alls enjoyment: What I started with: Image Not Found old cylinder head: Image Not Found Image Not Found NEW cylinder head (ain’t she purrty?) Image Not Found about $150 in parts crap: Image Not Found the secret weapon in my toolbox :brows: : Image Not Found all fixed and running, finally: Image Not Found Image Not Found

Ohiopyle, hell's yeah! color me there.....it's been about 15 yrs since the last time I was there :cry: I grew up in Johnstown, and lived outside of Greensburg for about 5 yrs right before we moved to VA, but I still get back up home about every 6 weeks or so. We ougta meet/greet some weekend if you're around... Back on subject, I'm planning a Crown Vic swap onto my '44. Gathering all the parts needed as I speak from down at the junkyard. There was one ZJ with discs in there a while ago, but somebody beat me to the parts. Jeff

It's still a Jeep AX15 tranny you use, but you need a late model Dodge bellhousing of some sort. You also need a specific pilot bearing that matches the ID of the 2.5 flywheel and the OD of the '15 input shaft. Bookmark and study the HUGE thread about it over on Pirate for specifics. This project is on my wish list to do, sometime down the road :D Jeff

What specs/price range are you looking for (if any), or do you just want a builder?

There's a guy over on NAXJA in Willliamsburg that's giving away a 4WD AW4. It's got high miles but says it runs o.k. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=88456 HTH, Jeff (if that doesn't work out for you, come on up to Richmond and I'll take ya down to the 'yard....you can pull a tranny of your choice for about $100 :D

:oops: I get it now. Pay no attention to the clueless one from down here in VA..... thx, Jeff

Just going to stick with a radius arm setup in the front. They're proven and any moron can make them (suits me). The axle end will be the typical rubber LCA bushings for the uppers/lowers, or yj ones, depending on fit. The bushing where the upper connects to the lower will be another LCA/YJ one, with a 1" stud to allow adjustment. Frame ends will be curry johnny joints, again with 1" studs. Arm material will be 2x2x.250 HSS. I will have to build a new crossmember/skid for them to attach to. I also think I will be needing a YJ tranny so my tcase actually will clear where I want to put the mounts. And the rear will just be leafs for now, as I'd like to get it working again. This is all providing that the rusty's crap is sold (as it appears). Quick question for the uninitiated here.....what's unique about the YJ bushing? or is it the entire CA that's different? Jeff

Good on ya Tim.....we haven't heard from you in awhile. You just keep making that thing look better and better :cheers: Guys, I've seen this MJ in the flesh and I have to say it's one of THE cleanest ones I've ever seen. We should all be so lucky...... Jeff p.s. what'd you do with the old meats that were on it? Looking to find a home for them (hint, hint, nudge, nudge :D )

I use the 1/2" drive set I have. 13 mm 12 pt socket on an 18" breaker bar with a stubby extension....they come out like buttah :D Jeff

improvise....adapt....overcome....

X2 on that...I ruined many bolt heads before I realized it. I've only got one 12 pt socket that I use, and that's 13mm, for the 3 hub bolts. Everything else is 6 pt. Jeff

There's actually one of 'em down at the junkyard right now (if you need anything let me know). I bit the bullet on my DD and decided to fix it (replace the head). Stopped by the shop yesterday after work and they just got the new head finished.....pressure tested, cleaned, and decked .005, and they got out the one thermostat housing bolt I snapped off (oopsey!)....all for $65 :D Toss in another $150 or so in miscellaneous parts and I'm into it a bit over $200. I'll pick it all up tonight and start putting it all back together. Still cheaper than having a car payment, IMHO. And I can start spending $$ on the MJ again. Jeff