lcoutback

How will I find you in the sea of Red 4 door JL's on 37's at the Safari?

This is hands-down the easiest and cheapest solution I've seen for a DIY smoke test to find vacuum leaks....

Have Faith! I'll work on the first miracle, you work on the next two... I'll see you there!

Nice! Flat Iron is beyond what my MJ will tackle, but hopefully our paths will cross...

Hey all, I'll probably get roasted for suggesting a Jeep Safari meet-up versus the Comanche Takeover, but why not both? :) I now live in central Arizona and both sons have moved to Moab, UT. Gives me a whole new outlook on making the trek. I'm taking Papa Smurf to the 2025 Jeep Safari the week of April 12 - 20. This is my first time going to any organized event and have quite a few things I want to get done on my ol' girl to keep it straight and driveable. Because my Comanche is straight and rust free, nothing over a trail rating of 4 this year. I'm looking to put a lunch box locker up front in the D30 and build sliders for protection. These sliders won't be used to actually slide on anything,(I hope!) just a little extra armor to keep the ol' girl looking clean and straight. I would welcome any feedback on the lunchbox in my daily driver? I recognize there will be a few clicks and chirps to contend with, but it doesn't make sense to spend a bunch of money on a D30 AND I'm not interested in turning this into a rock crawling beast. One of the biggest costs of a trek like this is lodging. For those of you who are die-hard overlanders or willing to camp, there is a possibility of making a small donation to the dog-rescue my youngest and his girl friend operate about 30 miles south of Moab for a decent place to stay with limited water and power available. (depends on how many people are interested?) I plan to be there all week and hope to schedule at least three trail runs. Anyone interested in making this a group showing?

I had some success buying new vacuum lines from NAPA. Maybe it was dumb luck, but I would try a couple parts stores or Rock Auto first. Chances are slim that +30 year old lines found at one of the yards would be any less crusty...

Thanks Pete... I may just repost my original diatribe for a fresh set of eyes. This thing is driving me bonkers! I'm told there is a Jeep Guru about an hour north of where I live. It pains me, but I might need to shell out few bucks for help if I can't find a new nugget from a new post...

It's been a minute, but after relocating to central Arizona and a new job I'm now back into troubleshooting this vibration issue. Question: Has anyone experienced a Harmonic balancer issue without any visible signs of rubber failure or visible signs of vibration using the ol' eye-ometer? I would love some feedback before dumping another $75 and a couple hours to replace mine...

The good news is, this will be more a 'for fun' project than a wheeler, but I'll definitely need to put some thought into structural support before getting too deep into it. Now, if I can just find time...

So... a little over a year ago I picked up a 1950 Plymouth Business Coupe. I should say I picked up the shell of what was once a '50 Plymouth Business Coupe, aptly named the 'Hoopty'. Floor is gone, like a Comanche and there isn't a straight body panel on the old girl. I've been tossing around everything from a generic S10 frame swap with an LS swap, to going more 'period' correct hotrod with 218 flathead with dual carbs, dual exhaust and convert the three-on-the-tree to a floor shifter. I know, *yawn*, how generic and boring! So you ask, why would I post this on the Comanche Club forum? I suppose because one day as I was shuffling projects, I happened to have my '89 Pioneer parked next to the Plymouth. Guess what? Same wheelbase! Maybe it's time for the 'Hoopty' to get a makeover with 31" tires wrapped around a set of crusty Jeep Turbines I have at the back of the shop? Keep the firewall and floor, and run a full MJ running gear under that sucker. THAT would be different... (and give me more leg room) Time to break out the cutting wheel and sawblades! NO!! Not what you are thinking, Papa Smurf will never go under the knife. It's too straight and rust free to even contemplate such sacrilege! However, I did just drag this beauty home... (my wife named it Rolloff) It's an '87 4x4 with a 4.0 / 5 speed. I don't think my buffer can fix this one. So now let the debate begin. I figure I can part out enough MJ specific parts (interior, drivers cab corner, rear fender flares) to buy a brick of cutoff wheels and sawz-all blades to make for a busy weekend whittling this down to just the floorboards and fire wall. From there I'll see if the 4.0 has any life life. More than likely I'll yank that out and find a wrecked Cherokee donor for a more 'fresh' drivetrain that ol' Rolloff here. If my preliminary measurements are close, Rolloff and Hoopty could produce an interesting offspring. I could tick off the puritan of the hotrod world with a first class rat rod, and 'technically' keep an MJ on the road? Or maybe, just maybe... I should ask my wife to drop me on my head once to knock some sense back into me for even considering such an undertaking!

Rolloff is a bit past crusty, BUT I have a crazy idea on how I'll keep it on the road in a new life. That is, if I can ONLY find a way to get titled. Here's what I know: 1988 Sport Truck 4.0 / 4x4 / 5 speed Black interior, bench seat Beyond that, I look forward to seeing it's birth certificate. I'll likely be parting anything not drivetrain / chassis related. Would it be sacrilege to share my future plans on this forum if it will no longer look like a Comanche? Day 1.jfif

Brand new engine and transmission mounts. No drivetrain (or exhaust) components appear to be touching the frame or body unless they are designed to. I've had that problem with an XJ past. I can't 'hear' anything specific. This is fairly predictable with RPMs at +/- 2k, mostly under load. I'm generally pretty logical in my troubleshooting, but I'm still stumped.

Thanks Cruiser. I've checked this out as well by removing and giving a full visual inspection. I also used starter fluid all around while running with no change. NOTE: I recently replaced the fuel pump (Bosch) and filter (again) with no change. Another member (can't remember who, so if you read this Thank You!) suggested that with the engine running to try and distinguish whether in park and at various ramp up RPM if I could 'feel' a harmonic vibration coming from the engine or from the frame. No luck. Newest thought... Could this be an issue coming from the transmission? I read once long ago there should be a certain amount of clearance between the torque converter and ring gear to ensure the pump is fully engaged, but I've never seen spacers or any reason to do more that bolt the two together. While there is a slight vibration in park at higher RPM, it's much more pronounced under load. I fully expect some noise and vibration from rotating assemblies with a lift and 33" tires, but this is a distinctive vibration at higher RPM than any rotating assembly. This hasn't changed with a new Torque Converter installed. Has anyone had vibration issues with an AW4? They appear to be pretty bulletproof, so I don't find a great deal of troubleshooting information. This one shift fine and holds gears fine...

Here's the scoop. When I first start up, the ECU is in OPEN loop. ST= 128, LT=125. Once the ECU switches to CLOSED Loop ST drops and hovers around 90, slowly dropping and fluctuating between 55 - 70 and jumps to 128 when I Rev the engine. LT steady at 125. Being an old 'turn the screw on the carb until it runs right' guy, I still have a lot to learn about fuel injection and electronics. Any feedback is appreciated, as I'm very much in the learning stages in this kind of troubleshooting.

I'll be intentional and write those down this afternoon and post. Thank you!