87MJTIM

Someone opening the door from outside while I'm (or anyone else) is...um...reading. There are other features on TTs that would cause me to walk away. The exterior bathroom door is just one. But, other may want that option for reasons Pete listed.

This is just my attitude, but... If a TT has an exterior door to the bathroom, I walk away.

My wife and I have owned several travel trailers (TT) in the past 15+ years. Currently, we have a 34' TT that we tow with a Chevy Sub - 8.1 liter engine. The trailer GVW is 10,000. (We are looking to downsize now that our kid is finishing college and will join the working world. Hopefully.) We like to go to RV shows in our area. There are usually two a year - Feb and Sept. The dealers offer significant discount on TTs. You don't have to buy, but you can look at many different brands and sizes at one time. You can walk around inside each one. Look to see how everything is positioned: kitchen counter space, cabinet storage, sleeping arrangements, and most important, the bathroom. I always stand in the shower, pull the curtain/door closed, and raise my arms, like I am washing my hair. Are my arms hitting the sides/door/ceiling. You said you are tall. You will have to consider head room as well. While you may see lots of different maker's names and models, there are really only three different manufactures. The TT will all have the same layouts across makes and models. Kind of like GM vehicles: Chevy, Buick, Olds, Pontiac, Cadillac.

Fix that grill! It’s upside down.

Just FYI: Hornbrod is no longer with us.

I drop them together, but install them separately. Trying to slide into the pilot bushing with full length of both was just difficult. I have a Horror Fright trans jack in my driver way.

The more recent noise did become less "loud" after running for a while, the earlier noise did get louder after warming up, but is was not as noticeable at start up. This is my recollection today of events that occurred previously. I did not mean to confuse the sounds. As for Stage 1 CAMs: what I wrote is what I read on the internet (so, it must be true, right?). I did not consider vacuum or possibly other issues. Yes, it is a daily driver, not a "race" truck.

Update (Conclusion?) Kenny (my mechanic) got an opinion from another guy that rebuilds engines. The guy said the crank would need to be replaced or turned. Kenny and I discussed several options. He thought that to work on it properly, it would be best to pull it. (I know, some of you will say YOU can do that work with the engine still in the truck. Well, Kenny runs an auto repair business. He makes his money by repairing cars. He is not an engine rebuilder. He cannot dedicate all his time to working on my engine. The other guy he spoke to does that type of work, but is backed up and wouldn't be able to get to mine for a few months.) We talked about other issues with the engine. Issues that may have caused the excess wear on the bearings. For a long time (I am talking several years) the oil pressure has been running at 60 psi. I perform oil changes every 3000 to 5000 miles. I have used Penzoil 10-30 practically every change since new. Since the prior rebuild, I have used NAPA Gold filters. (So, please don't ask again.) There has been a constant "ticking" (knocking?) sound for a long time, also. I don't know which started first: high OP or the ticking. Both have been present since shortly after the rebuild. As I detailed previously, I thought it the sound was an exhaust leak. I replaced the manifold gasket and retightened the bolts. I periodically would re-snug them down. The noise was still there. As a matter of fact, the noise was louder when the engine was warm. I next thought the noise might be a lifter tick. Two weeks ago, as the noise got louder still, I removed the valve cover to see if there were loose rocker. I couldn't detect any that were excessively loose. I started the engine to watch the rocker. I was looking for any that were not moving or not moving as much as other. There was no obvious difference in movement for any of them. I only ran the engine for a minute or two.... One thing I did see was that very little oil was coming up through the push rods. Let repeat that: there was very little oil getting up through the push rods! This is what Kenny and I discussed. We think that an oil blockage my be causing the poor oil flow. Poor oil flow would cause excess wear on the bearings. If the crank was changed but the (possible) blockage was not addressed, I would be back there in a few years with the same issues. So.... I am having him install a reman'd engine. He will have it later next month and installed. I will have my truck back sooner than a rebuild would take. Also, he asked if I would like to upgrade to a Stage 1 CAM. It could give 10% more power and torque. (I read up on this mod: more lift and longer duration.) For everyone that wants to offer advice - "You shoulda..." " I woulda...", thank you. My decision is made. The die is cast. I have crossed the Rubicon.

it’s laying down on the side

You should probably just focus on any connector that appears bad. Take the harness out and ohm test wires from one end to the other. Replace only the ones that show problems. De-pin one wire at a time, clean it, then re-plug it in. Tedious and time consuming.

GS offered a discounted price if enough MJ owners ordered sets. They needed like a dozen or more to make the production worth the time and money. I heard recently that the MJ springs are contracted out to another supplier.

You can de-pin the connector and try to identify the type. The three common connector in the Jeep are: Packard, Metri Pack, and Weather Pack. Search on Del City (delcity.net). Search for other suppliers on line also. Del City did not list the proper size pins. (Pins are measure by width. A Metri Pack 280 pin is 2.8 mm wide, not length.) Our Jeeps use ~1.5 or 150 (I think).

my set up. A laptop underneath with two 32” monitors connected through a docking station

Search the DIY section for the 88 electric manual.

Napa Gold for many years - at least since the rebuild.

Thanks, AZ. I don't know what good v. bad bearings look like. My mechanic, Kenny, is going to speak with another engine builder about the bearings and crank.

Update, so far. I went to meet with the mechanic. He had the truck on a lift and had the oil pan off. There were no chunks of metal in the pan and no glitter in the oil. He was inspecting the bearings under the main caps and the connecting rods - at least the bottom halves. There no noticeable markings on any of the bearings. He told me he used a stethoscope on the engine and thought the sound was loudest at the center of the oil pan. He pull the oil pump. There was some "notchiness" in spinning the gears. The is also some up-down motion in the distributor shaft. He thought those might be the source of the sound. He is ordering a replacement - high flow - pump. Good so far. Not performing and amputation for what may only be a cut. When I got home, he called to tell me he put plastigage on the rear main bearing and got a reading of .006. Factory spec calls for .002. He is going to see if he can appropriate size bearings. Next may be just a crank kit. Making progress - hopefully.

Thus proving you can take it with you when you go. (Rim shot.)

Manual transmission: always was, always will be.

I am going to talk with the mechanic about dropping the pan to look

It’s loudest on first start up. The ticking varies with engine speed.

I don't want to rush in to a decision, but I don't have a lot of time to do any work myself. I will speak with the mechanic later this week.

Another observation: (I am the original/only owner. This is my daily driver.) The oil pressure (OP) used to run from 40 to 60 at idle and under load when "new". Not long ago (I don't remember when) the OP started running at a constant 60. I have seen the gauge up to 70 (the small dash between the 60 and 80 line.) Once warm, the OP comes down to 60+. Could there be a restriction limiting oil flow to a critical bearing? I have tried putting "snake oil" in the engine previously: MMM and Seafoam.

The sound did get louder about 2 weeks ago. The speed of the sound increases with RPMs. As the engine warms up, the sound does get less noticeable, but does not go away. I have not noticed any change in performance. I have been using NAPA Gold for several years, at least since the rebuild. No FRAMs for this engine!

I have a stethoscope. I used it previously, before the sound got louder. I could not detect a noticeable difference coming from any point on the head, on either the passenger's side or driver's side. This diagnosis first lead me to an exhaust leak, but no visible cracks. Some earlier observations: The sound is the same on the pass and driver's side. Wouldn't the noise vary from side to side if it were an exhaust leak? The exhaust is on the driver's side and would be blocked while listening on the pass's side. The sound is equal from underneath the truck also. I don't want to jump into a swap, but I also don't want to through money at it.