jeepcoma

Crap, I got "Queer Johnny". No one's called my Johnny since high school, but still... Stupid website :doh:

What will you be selling your current wheels/tires for? :brows: :brows:

Found this on another forum. Reminds me when I ran over a string of Christmas lights with the snow blower.

Ride the brakes for a minute or so at high speed and burn it off. Usually works for light greasy stuff on the rotors you can't see. That's of course assuming it isn't the squeal material put into pads to indicate when they are getting close to replacement.

Use the dremel to square off the rounded edges of the bolt so you can really clamp down with the vice grips. You'll need really big vice grips. You might even need vice grips so big, and to clamp so hard, that you need to use some clamps to get the vice grips to lock. But it'll work. 88 beast is right too, smack the end of the bolt real good with a solid hammer to give it some shock. If you have a helper and enough space, you can also apply torque to your oversized vice grips clamped on the bolt while appling shock via hammer to the end of the bolt (either directly, or put a punch on it or something for extra reach (I hear long craftsmen flathead screwdrivers work great)). If none of that works, try some heat. If THAT doesn't work... make sure you're turning the right way! :D

Vice grips can get it done.

Depends on who you ask. They do make great top-end power, but the LT1 wins for low end torque, which is just what the doctor ordered for a daily driven regular use truck. It'll be faster for 99% of the situations it's in, but really either motor is probably overkill unless you're looking to see how quickly you can break every part on the truck or plan on spending some $$$ to do it right. +1 on the MSD, just be sure to check that the rotor hold-down bolts were properly torqued down and loc-tited, and that the timing adjustment is actually at 0* and freely moves when adjusted.

Newbie question, but how can you tell it's an HP D30 in the front? What does the HP stand for? Is this the axle that has the D44 housings but D30 internals? It looks to me like a D44 swapping in the front, so I must be missing some identifying characteristics.

I think a good stroker build is your best option for increasing power a good deal without unreasonable complexity. The price/power/pain-in-the-butt ratio seems to be right in the sweet spot. If you're swapping in a motor, my vote is for the LT1. Fix the opti while it's on the engine hoist.

From this post I'm pretty sure they make headers. Actually, I think I've seen quite a few 4cyl headers for sale. http://nwct.craigslist.org/pts/1060817859.html

Perhaps a guru can answer your question. I don't remember mine doing that when I swapped front axles, but then again I was in a hurry and there's a lot I don't remember. If no one responds with some ideas, I can check mine on Friday after work and take some detailed pics. Have you tried jacking the truck up with all four wheels in the air and powering the wheels to see if you can hear the noise while it's suspended? That would be by far the easiest way to find where the noise is coming from.

Looks great! Not a bad truck to start with either.

Did you recently lock your CAD to full-time engaged? When it gets real cold my front driveshaft makes noise too, but it's more like a bird chrip sort of noise and is pretty easy to distinguish from the rest of the noises. Also, its sound is directly related to vehicle speed regardless of clutch engagement, engine operation, turning, or braking. The other clicking noise I was able to isolate because it's easily repeatable when hit the brakes, regardless of the other circumstances (turning, engine, etc). Eventually the crud burned off and the noise went away, and no I never noticed any feedback through the pedal. Actually, the noise would only occur during light application of the pedal (which is how I brake 99% of the time, so very noticeable for me) but on harder stops it was quiet; it might be useful to compare some stops with varying pedal pressure to see if the noise ever changes. You said you put in a new D30 this weekend, did you swap literally EVERYTHING? What parts were retained, if any? Rotors, calipers, tires, shocks, springs... what? You said it made the noise before and after the swap though.. hmm that complicates things. Does it clunk at all when turning sharp left and then a quick about-face to right and back and forth? I dunno, hard to say... but my guess at this point is a caliper (please respond you re-used the previous calipers!). Plus it's really hard to diagnose noises over the internet!

I had a similar type noise caused by crud on my front brake rotor. It eventually turned into a squeaking kind of "weh weeeehh weeeeeehhhh" noise, but I could easily duplicate the problem. Try some different use of the brakes to see if you can figure out if it's a brake problem or a drivetrain problem. Maintain a constant speed, say 25, then slowly add some brake and throttle so you can increase brake pressure but stay at 25. You may be able to differentiate between the noise occuring when the brakes are applied, or when you are decelerating. Get up to a higher speed, put the truck in neutral, and shut the engine off. Can you hear it when coasting to a stop? Try adding some brake and see what happens. Then try the same thing, but only use the parking brake (to separate front brakes from rear). What's it sound like? Perhaps someone snuck into your driveway at night and installed a locker for you? Anyway, noises are good: it means your Jeep is running.

Yeah... normally I carry an entire workshop back there complete with lots of tools, air compressor, two tires, and several big hammers and prying instruments. That way if I see someone on the side of the road I've got everything I need. Not the time I needed it though!

I got a flat tire last Sunday too. I was up in Boston helping my brother move, so naturally I emptied all my tools from the bed to have as much room as possible. On my way out to the highway I NAILED a pothole, I was looking over my shoulder to merge with traffic so I didn't even see it. Plus it was night, and the snow storm was just starting. Sure enough not a minute later had a bad vibe, fortunately I was able to pull off the road just 10 feet before the highway on ramp and into a shopping center parking lot right off I-93. I left my bro's apartment around 7 PM and didn't get back home until almost 2 AM. Bummer.

I agree, it has a bad rep most everywhere you read. I'll say straight off, I have no personal experience with this specific engine, but a good deal with similar old engines and carbs. I ended up with a 4.0 HO motor but I was actually looking for a first year 86 with the manual like you have, I just happened to come across my '91 before I found a decent '86. In any case, lots of people complain about EVERY carbureted motor from this period for, in my opinion, the simple fact that 99% of people don't know how to properly set up and tune carbs anymore (especially mechanics). If the carb isn't right, then yes you will have poor driveability, poor fuel mileage, poor throttle response, throttle surging, dieseling after shutdown, and all sorts of other complaints. They do take time and experience (or a willingness to learn through trial and error) to set up properly (most mechanics don't because of the first factor... TIME!), but when you do, man they are sweet. Lots of engines from this time period are based off smog-less designs from the 60s to which the American manufacturers threw a heap of vacuum lines and hoses and canisters to catch up to mandated smog rules. They work great at first, but it doesn't take long for lines to plug up, hoses to fall off, and less-than-knowledgeable mechanics to bypass and jury-rig things they shouldn't. (Those crappy (or lazy) mechanics are the worst, because you'd take your car to the mechanic to get a tune-up and expect it to run right after. So when winter comes around and it's hard to start, you figure that's just the way it is because it's got a crappy carb, and not even consider that the guy tuning it had no clue and butchered the fast idle circuit settings and automatic choke is open an inch too much.) When I was reading about the 2.8 most things I read said don't bother with it and get the 4 cyl instead, the power ratings are almost the same. That's true, but the 2.8 does make a significant deal more torque at lower RPMs than the I4. Even with my HO 4.0 I rarely rev past 2.5k RPM, and the extra power really only comes into play around the rev limit. For the most part, the way most people drive, you're better off with lots of low end torque than high end power, simply the way most peoples' driving habits are. I think if you're knowledgeable about tuning engines the old fashion way (you know how to use a timing light, a vacuum gauge, and a dwell/tach under the hood, and ideally know how to do a plug chop, adjust an automatic choke, follow vacuum diagrams, and maybe even have a colortune plug), you'll have great success with the 2.8. I'd still like to get my hands on one to see what it's really like and see what some careful tuning will result in. Hey! Anyone wants to drive out to my place in RI for some free tuning, you're more than welcome. Just bring some cold ones! :cheers:

Maybe send them a sign and some gear?

It's about 25-50 grams depending on the amount of volume of the pocket within the wheel and tire. In other words, insignificant.

Same here, got them new from a Cherokee that was lifted and needed longer shocks. The front part number is identical for the MJ and XJ, so they are perfect. I did the same as you with the rear, I cut the upper mount out of the XJ shock, removed my MJ shock, and pressed out the rubber isolator and swapped it into the XJ shock and it fits perfect. The travel specs aren't quite the same, but for now it's good enough.

I agree, I picked up some sensatracks for a Cherokee super cheap; the fronts are a direct fit, the rears are a bit different and don't have enough travel (plus they need to be modified), so I expect them to wear out more quickly, but it's a huge improvement and for the price I don't mind using them until they blow up or I find the correct part for cheap.

Yup... big toys for big boys :thumbsup: Way cool.

Clean the whole thing with brake cleaner, then put some aerosol grease that starts as a liquid so you can spray it, then turns to a greasy solid when it dries, into the moving internals. I forget the name of the stuff. Then maybe a light spray of silicone lube onto the teeth to keep rust away. Just don't put any heavy goopy grease on the teeth like I did, then had to do it all over again. :fs2: My mistake, but you can learn from it!

That reminds me of

I thought it was pretty simple with the right tools. :dunno: The hardest part is the bolt closest to the firewall, the one that also mounts the steering column strut, because it's obstructed by the fuse box. Do yourself a favor and remove the two screws for the fuse box to give it a bit more wiggle room, and pull the carpet out of the way. I think it was a 15mm bolt, and it can be removed with an off-set open-end wrench. This lets you slide the open end over the bolt, loosen it 30*, flip the wrench over, and loosen another 30*, then keep flipping over and repeat. If you have a stubby wrench it would be faster, and a ratcheting box wrench would be best; I couldn't get a 3/8" ratchet in there, and my 1/4" set didn't have a 15mm socket, nor did it fit with a 1/4" to 3/8" inch adapter so I had to stick with the manual method. The longest part was trying repeatedly to get some faster tools in there, but if I had just stuck with doing it the slow way from the get-go it would have been quicker. I do suggest that before putting the unit in, you give the teeth a thorough cleaning. I wrote a brief blurb about e-brake failure when I took my old one out and figured out what was happening, if there is a lot of grease on the teeth it will collect dust which turns to gunk which makes it slip without the teeth actually being bad. If you think about the way the ratchet works, the teeth should never really wear out, but they can either collect gunk which keeps the ratchet lever from fully engaging, or the ratchet lever is prevented from fully engaging either by obstruction or insufficient spring action.