AZJeff

Dumb and horrible thought---something is wrong with the axle housing?

I have a hood latch issue that is got me VERY stumped. I have owned several XJ & now this MJ, so I know all about the normal issues that can affect this system, but this issue is really got me puzzled. Here are the symptoms: The force required to pull the handle to release the latches is HORRENDOUS. In addition, the latches will not reliably unlatch unless a helper is "bouncing" the corner of the hood at the same time. Here is what I have done so far: 1. New hood release cable (Dorrman brand) has been installed. The cable is routed per factory diagrams. 2. The bellcrank has been removed, cleaned, repainted. The bellcrank lever will now move under gravity alone when I turn the bellcrank body, so I KNOW the bellcrank is not sticking. 3. The push/pull rods from the bellcrank to the latches are clean and straight. All plastic guides are in position as from the factory. Return spring for push/pull rod is connected properly. 4. Each hood latch has been cleaned of all dirt and old oil/grease. They are clean, TOTALLY rust free, and all the rivets are tight, with no wobble. When tested out of the vehicle, they snap closed and pop open as expected with no weird behavior. 5. The latch strikers (on the radiator core support) are properly installed and shimmed to allow the hood to sit flush to the fenders and the grille surround. The striker springs are installed and have seemingly normal force. The strikers are clean of any rust or dirt. When I manually close the latches with the hood up, and then pull the release handle, the latches pop open as expected. Once the hood is closed, I need an act of God to get the latches to "pop" ANY SUGGESTIONS? I am at my wits end here.

NO. You do NOT want to use an epoxy compound to keep your axle shaft from migrating outwards. The fact that the seal is moving out means the bearing is ALSO moving out, since the seal holds the bearing in position (with the aid of the retaining plate pushing on the seal.) I have to wonder if you have the correct seal and/or if you have the correct retaining plate in your axle. The retaining plate should cover MOST of the seal, since it must press on the steel insert inside the seal that functions as an outer bearing/axle retainer. You might start by comparing the retaining plate dimensions (especially in the inside diameter) between the two sides of your vehicle. The condition you are describing where the seal "walks" outward is happening because the bearing is pushing outward on the seal (it will do this when loaded axially on turns). The fact that it actually moves enough to extrude past the retainer is a serious issue that could result in major axle damage. You need to get this issue figured out and corrected permanently.

The seal is a functional part of retaining the wheel bearing and axle shaft against outward axial loads. As such, it has a much more robust metal reinforcment inside it. When you say the seal "pushes itself through the retainer", I assume you are referring only to the rubber part, and not any of the metal reinforcement. Am I correct, or is the steel reinforcement inside the seal also getting distorted and pushed out through the retainer?

OP---If you need one, I have a New Old Stock sender/pickup tube assembly I would sell to you have a very reasonable price. Just say the word.

The change of axle would have minimal, if any effect on the parking brake cables. The "metal piece" (better known as the 'equalizer') should be able to compensate for any minor variantions between a D35 and an 8.25. I have always been somewhat suspicious of J.C.Whitney. I am not saying they are a totally worthless vendor, but I trust other outfits like Rock Auto more fully.

The upper bolt that attaches on the top of the B pillar has a longer unthreaded shoulder on it than the two that attach at the floor. The retractor attaching bolt has no shoulder, of course.

Throw some JB Weld on it, and it will be good to go. Or so say the fans of JB Weld.....

The ferrules are only crimped (swaged) onto the cable end. Brazing or welding would be just as strong if not stronger. If you are not confident in your own skills, do you know someone with a brazing torch or welder that you can take the cables to and have the work done?

I have some lower bolts (for the inboard tunnel side and the outer rocker panel side) of my MJ I would be glad to donate to the cause. They are shoulder bolts with about a 3/8" of unthreaded shoulder and the standard T20(?) head. Let me know if you want them.

For my MJ to use an XJ brake lever, here is what I did: For starters, the piece you don't the name of is called the "equalizer bracket". It equalizes the pull to each of the two rear wheels. The threaded rod, as you noted, does the preliminary adjustment to get the cables tensioned. I took the cables off of my rear wheels, and cut the cables at the equalizer end by the amount needed to allow the threaded equalizer rod to still have some adjustment into it. I then then brazed a new ferrule onto the cable and reinstalled them into the equalizer. The other option is to cut the existing equalizer bracket assembly that is bolted to the chassis, and weld in an extension into it. THe idea behind this is to lengthen the distance between the hand lever cable anchor point and the wheel cable anchor points, thus repostioning the equalizer bracket back closer to the middle of the threaded section of the adjustment rod.

Depending on cabin temperature versus outside air temp,, the clutch could stay on for long periods. Low charge levels also extend compressor run times. As others have stated, I recommend starting over. Evacuate the system, confirm no leaks by allowing the system to sit at 29" of vacuum for at least 30 minutes with the vacuum pump off, and then if all of that goes well, fill with the recommended charge of R134a.

I am pretty sure the answer is "YES", but with some minor issues. There may be a few holes that may need to be relocated, and a couple of other small issues, but otherwise, the liners should work just fine.

That is pretty neat and a good find. It saves a bunch of hassle. Too bad Teraflex doesn't supply those with their kit....

Here is a case of YMMV. I have a 1991 F150 that I had repainted my MAACO. They used the traditional acrylic enamel (not the more modern urethane with clear coat overlay), and other than a couple of very small bubbles in the paint on the hood, it's still good to go 8 years after painting. AZ sun is tough on paint, so I think that MAACO can do a good job if you do a lot of prep work. In the case of my truck, I took off almost everything I could, including stuff like headlights, tail lights, mirrors, and window trim. That meant that MAACO didn't have to do as much "precision masking" and could concentrate more on surface preparation, which is the real key to a good paint job.

OP-- I cannot comment on how to adapt the old style guage sender to a Dakota tank, but if you decide to do the Dakota tank installation, I can offer some suggestions on how to mount the tank so as to minimize the chance of getting near the driveshaft or the rear axle housing. Just amend this thread if you do go the Dakota route.

I have used duct tape in the past, and I find it tends to dry out, shrink, and even fall off the metal surfaces. (I live in AZ, and the heat probably is destroying the adhesive in the duct tape.) I tried using contact cement, but it was messy to apply. I finally broke down and bought the "real deal"" that the factory uses, and have been happy since on several vehicles. (I own several older vehicles that seem to need me to go inside the doors periodically.)

Just a reinforcing comment here -- OP cites two symptoms that are HIGHLY indicative of belt slip: 1. noise is reduced or eliminated (temporarily) by wetting the belt 2. noise increases as engine (and accessory drive belt) is accelerated These point to a belt tension, belt condition, or pulley cleanliness issues and not bearing related problems.

Unless you are actually attempting to restore your MJ to OEM status, I would not bother trying to get OEM watershields, which you referred to as "vapor barriers". (I sort of wonder if they even are available as a replacement part any longer). I have found that some thick polyethelyne sheeting ("Visqueen") of at least 4 mils or more makes a very acceptable substitute water shield. You can cut it with scissors or a utility knife to meet the shape you need. The exact shape is not super critical, as long as you cover all the large openings and attach it with an appropriate adhesive. I like using the OEM butyl strip stuff to attach the water shield, and that can be had on Amazon. If kept clean, it's reusable indefinitely.

What I did was to make a forked-shaped metal plate that went around the ferrule on the parking brake cable jacket. Then I drilled and tapped a 1/4-20 bolt hole in the new backing plate/caliper attaching plate to retain this forked-shaped bracket. The photo shows it installed, retaining the Teraflex cable. Clip.pdf

Guys, this topic has surfaced 8 bazillion times on XJ forums. Yes, the HB can go bad, and a careful visual examination with an inspection mirror and straightedge can rule out any issues there. Obviously an HB that has deteriorated will cause belt noises. That said.....Nobody who is not familiar with the XJ/MJ 4.0 belt routing has any comprehension on how tight the belt has to be to avoid noises. "Finger testing" the belt for tension is totally inadequate for judging proper tension. A belt tension gauge is mandatory for good results. End of factual rant.

Belt tension on the 4.0 has to be INCREDIBLY high to avoid slippage/squealing/chirping. Are you tensioning the belt to the recommended level and using a tensioning gauge?

I am pretty sure that any XJ/MJ/early ZJ proportioning valve uses the same brake system imbalance light (unless the vehicle has ABS.) Searching any junkyard for those vehicles should get what you need.

I ran my fuel pump ground for my 97+ INSIDE the cab, and attached it to the boxed channel across the back of the cab. Yeah, it is more work that grounding it under the chassis, but it's away from any of the outdoor elements that make for corrosion, and potentially flakey grounds later.

In case HOrnbrod's idea fails to pan out, can't you strip the harness back far enough in each direction to see the colors away from the damaged area?