turboxr Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Alright guys, I've been looking for one for a while. Found a good 'un. Almost rust free Maroon 87 LWB 4.0 Auto 4x4 with 149k miles. Got this beast for the princely sum of $1k: Interior is nearly immaculate: Only found one rust spot in the usual spot: Not too worried about it at the moment, the rest of the floor board looks good and solid under the carpet. I'll address is sometime later. Well, I helped out a buddy and bought some wheels and tires from him and this is how it has turned out so far: When I test drove it, it made the most terrible pressure cooker whistle. I did some research, tightened up the terribly loose intake manifold bolts and voi-la! No more noise. It has a couple hundred dollars worth of work left yet, but it runs great. It needs a wheel bearing it sounds like as well as an axle seal, but I'll get to that. It may also need some motor mounts as it seems to have something underneath contacting the undercarriage but it's not the exhaust. It was overheating till last October when the PO put a new radiator, water pump, coolant tank, and fan in it. Plans: -Full tune up -Decat -Wheel bearing/axle seal/misc maintenance stuff -Open loop cooling system upgrade -Waggy front clip? Later pre 97 front clip? -Bumpers front and rear w/spare tire gate on back -Ladder rack converted to be a safari roof basket -Hella 500s all over the place -V8 ZJ coils, 1in spacers, Free 1.5in shackles my cuz is sending me -Metric ton leafs if I can find them -ZJ rear discs -WJ brake booster/master cyl -235/85/R16 Treadwrights on some solid steelies -Snorkle -Some tunes -CB -Winch -Roll on rustoleum paint job in Desert Tan? Gray? -Roll on Bedliner -Full Grey interior swap with buckets/center and overhead console -Maybe some sliders -Maybe in the future, I'll buy a rearended 97up XJ 4.0 5spd and swap the motor, trans, entire front clip, doors and interior I'll have the grill and front and rear bumpers for sale at some point. Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3RESQ Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Desert tan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted April 15, 2011 Author Share Posted April 15, 2011 I washed the engine bay today and after that it started running intermittently rough. It would bog down on the highway and then surge back to normal. It also boiled over. Got it home, did some research, found that I probably toasted the TPS when I sprayed the bay, installed a new one and it purrs like a kitten. It was running a little rough before anyway, and the PO thought it was fuel related, but I figure the TPS was on its way out anyway. So, now it runs great. Next thing to do will probably be some vents in the hood and a failsafe tstat, after which I'll do the wheel bearing/ujoint depending on what is making the noise and the pass side axle seal. Edit: Desert Tan sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automan2164 Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 What kind of condition is the pressure bottle on the firewall? The Renix system you have is a pretty solid system, but it does have it's quirks. One of the most troublesome things is the bottle, as it becomes brittle and cracks, not allowing the coolant to maintain pressure. Another is bleeding the system out. That style takes a certain few steps after a good overheat or coolant drain to get rid of air pockets. Rob :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted April 15, 2011 Author Share Posted April 15, 2011 The bottle is new, but I'm not sure the system was bled correctly. Is there a FAQ on the steps to bleed or are they the generic steps for bleeding a coolant system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automan2164 Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Yep. Park it cold, facing down hill. You want the back of the engine to be the highest point. With it still cold, pull the temperature sender on the back left corner of the head. (Remember that all left / right directions are given as if you are sitting in the drivers seat facing forward). Make sure the bottle is topped off. Start the truck and let it warm up until you start seeing coolant start trickling out the sender hole. Once it starts coming out, put the sender back in, and that will generally do the trick. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Make sure the cap seals on the bottle correctly. My XJ had a new aftermarket bottle when I got it and it kept boiling over,turned out the cap wasn't sealing right. I put in an OEM bottle and never had another issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I washed the engine bay today and after that it started running intermittently rough. It would bog down on the highway and then surge back to normal. It also boiled over. Got it home, did some research, found that I probably toasted the TPS when I sprayed the bay, installed a new one and it purrs like a kitten. It was running a little rough before anyway, and the PO thought it was fuel related, but I figure the TPS was on its way out anyway. So, now it runs great. Next thing to do will probably be some vents in the hood and a failsafe tstat, after which I'll do the wheel bearing/ujoint depending on what is making the noise and the pass side axle seal. Edit: Desert Tan sounds good. I highly advice against this. I bought one once, it''s a gimmick.. They way they are designed, it has little hooks that grab the disc once the temperature reaches 210 degrees, not allowing it to close again, ever. So if the coolant ever reaches 210 dehrees it fails in the open position causing you to have to replace it. Problem with this is that 210 degrees is well within normal operating specs and can easily be reached on a hot day, towing or hauling heavy loads, mountain driving, etc. I bought mine in Columbia, SC on the way home from Florida, around the VA/WV border I hit 210 degrees and was essentially running without a thermostat from that point on. This was the third week of February, not very warm out, but I was cruising 80-85 through the Appalachians in my 6000 pound Suburban. Just get a regular good quality 195 degree thermostat and stay as far away from the failsafe ones as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted April 15, 2011 Author Share Posted April 15, 2011 I've used them a few times with no problems on turbocharged vehicles, but I'll take your advice into consideration for sure. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 I think this thing already has a lift in front. I measured from the center of the center cap to the bottom of the fender flares and I got: 18.75 Front 19.5 Rear Isn't the front supposed to be 17.5? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Looking at the pictures I must agree the front seems to be a bit higher than stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 I want to keep this up with as many pics as possible, because everyone likes pics! Here's Franklin (that's his name now, don'tchaknow?) earning his keep: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Deal of the year: 5 Moabs from a Rubicon TJ with good tires for $200! Check it: Next up is a 4in lift. Woohoo! Also, I paid for my donor ZJ v8. Running driving all there. Also for $200! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 $200 was a steel for those wheels and tires. Nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Wow, $200 for all that? What kind of treadlife is left on the tires? I just paid 8 hundred big ones for my set of Moabs, but they came with brand spanking new tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Treadlife varies. One is brand new (was the spare I assume). Two have probably 50% tread left, the other two 30-40%. Darn good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Heck yea - you could probably turn around and sell those for at least $500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 Just finished my BB lift. 1.75in coil spacers and 1.5in shackles. I dig: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I really wanted Moabs for my truck, but just couldn't find any (at a reasonable price). Yours look great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thanks! I like the Moabs, but will likely go with a 16in steelie in the future. I'd like to go one inch higher. I have a donor ZJ V8 but I've come to a crossroads: 5.2/autotragic or Mercedes OM617 turbodiesel/AX15? The TD would be muuuuuch less of a wiring headache, but I already have the 5.2. The 5.2 would have more power, but the TD can be built to be an absolute torque monster while still getting 25+ mpg. Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 Well. I picked up the donor tonight. Franklin was a little angry with me by the time I got home. He was a little "hot" lol. In all, I made it with no hiccups. I guess I settled on the V8 swap since I've already got the thing and it only cost me $200 for the entire donor. V8 swap, here I come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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