Roadtrip Preparation

[NewKindOfClown]

Hey all,

At the end of May, I'll be driving my '88 4.0L from Frederick, MD to Cleveland, OH, back to Frederick, then down to North Carolina, and back up to Frederick. Driving distance between the cities is 1,500mi plus the local driving I'll be doing over the 30 day span. I'll be bringing my '78 Kawasaki motorcycle back from Cleveland to Frederick in the bed of my truck. My goal here is to make a list of everything I need to do before the trip.

 

A little background info:

- Swapped to open cooling a few months ago with all new parts and hoses. Hasn't overheated since.

- The engine is missing and backfiring at a certain throttle range. I've cleaned grounds, cleaned C101, dielectric greased everything, replaced CPS, TPS, plugs, wires, cap, rotor. It hasn't changed. I need to replace my harmonic balancer anyway, so next up is timing, and then exhaust if timing doesn't help.

- Driving down the highway a couple days ago, one of my c-clips broke, and my driver side D30 shaft tried to high five my wheel. There's a lot of damage, so I'm swapping in a HP30 axle.

 

With that said, here's my list so far:

HP30 with new ball joints

Harmonic Balancer + Timing

Motor mounts (Brown Dog poly on the way)

Trans mount

Fix gauges (need senders for full gauges)

Finish D44 rebuild (and swap out my D35)

Proportioning valve delete

New brakes and fluids before trip

Rear shocks (mine are factory and worthless)

Sound bar (I can hardly hear music with the windows up, let alone with the doors off)

Hood vents (Alleviate ambient heat. I know they don't help coolant temps)

Bored TB

Power distribution block (clean up accessory wiring)

Interior light (an LED with a switch is all I need)

Squeaky bench (drives me nuts!)

D-rings on front bumper (2x4 steel welded to uniframe rails. First owner plowed with it)

Cowl intake (to remove air box and help with water crossings)

Exhaust (if timing doesn't fix backfire)

 

 

Long post, I know, but let me know how I'm doing. I'm sure I'm forgetting things.

[onlyinajeep726]

Check tire pressure, pack some old rags, tools, a decent floor jack and jack stands, just in case. Can't ever be too prepared lol.

 

By the way, where in NC are you coming to?

[NewKindOfClown]

I have family in Gold Hill. I'm hoping to stop at Uwharrie (sp?) and see a couple guys from CherokeeForum while I'm down there. I keep my HiLift and tools in the truck, but I'll be sure to grab my stands and probably a floor jack. Good call on the tire pressure, too.

 

And lots and lots of fluids...

[onlyinajeep726]

I hear you man.  I've been to Uwharrie twice in my XJ and it was pure awesomeness.

 

I'm on CherokeeForum as well.  You're the Comanche guru lol.  Anyway, be safe on your trip and if you do make it to Uwharrie, have fun!

[87Warrior]

Don't forget to pack a quart of oil and a clean air filter. Never know how much blow by might end up in the air box on a long haul.

[ParadiseMJ]

 

With that said, here's my list so far:

HP30 with new ball joints Meh

Harmonic Balancer + Timing?

Motor mounts (Brown Dog poly on the way) Good

Trans mount  Good

Fix gauges (need senders for full gauges)

Finish D44 rebuild (and swap out my D35) Is it broken?

Proportioning valve delete OK

New brakes and fluids before trip GREAT IDEA

Shocks  ALSO A GOOD IDEA

STOP HERE

 

 

Wow, that's quite a list.  I would personally tell my son to slow up and think about what you really NEED to do before you hit the road.  Unless you have a big bag of money and lots and lots of time you will likely run out of both before you even get out of town.  I'd say slow down, don't get over excited about the trip and covering every single possible, might happen, tiny, miniscule detail on your wish list.  Having a cool sound bar won't mean squat if you're sitting on the side of the road with something really important left undone.

 

Sounds like you have it covered EXCEPT for the backfiring issue.  Since you can't adjust the timing on an EFI 4.0L I'd dive back in to adjusting your "new" TPS for starters.  Unless your hamonic balancer is separating I'd leave it alone, replacing it won't fix a timing issue.  If your doors are off, I'd put them back on since some of the states you'll be travelling through might not allow going doorless on the highway.

 

Also weighing yourself down with all the extra stuff will hurt your mileage to an extent.  I'd carry a quart or two of oil and maybe some tranny oil/fluid...but I assume there are towns all along the way that wiil likely have whatever you need, unless you're going via the back country.  Sounds like a nice road trip trip...now get off the computer and get to work on that Jeep. :group beer:

 

P.S.  I'd put the doors back on if I were you.  Some of the states you're traveling through might not allow going doorless on the highway.

[NewKindOfClown]

I do have my priorities in order, but I am hoping to get it all done. I'm using my tax return and my play money from work to get as much of this done as possible before the trip. Doors will stay on for the drive. Soundbar will also let me hear my CB on the highway (using my radio's AUX input) since it currently isn't loud enough.

 

TPS is adjusted. I've done my homework on the sensors, and I replaced those listed because they were out of tolerance. It didn't fix the issue. By timing, I mean chain and guide. I'm doing the timing because my harmonic balancer does need replaced, and I figure I might as well do it while I'm in there to see if it helps.

 

My D35 isn't broken, but I bought a Comanche D44 a few months ago. I'm rebuilding it and throwing a truss on it because my plan down the line is 35s. I want to get it in before I haul my motorcycle several hundred miles. Partly, this trip is a deadline for me to aim to finish all these projects which I've been putting off.

 

Oh, and I'm typing this while I wait for it to warm up. Just installed new senders for the gauges.

 

Thanks (not sure where the smilies are, and this isn't cooperating well with my phone)

[ParadiseMJ]

Great, no time but the present to get it done!  I didn't mean to come off condescending, I'm a dad, grandpa even (hell, I'm an old geezer!!) and I have 4 kids, all in their 20's and I work with teenagers and young adults.  Can't help putting in my 2 cents.  Sounds like you have it coming together nicely.  Have a good trip.

 

The smilies were toasting to your success.

 

Do the gauges work now??

[NewKindOfClown]

I appreciate your smilies, but I'm sadly unable to reciprocate. I didn't take your advice that way at all, and I appreciate the input. As for the gauges, oil pressure works. 40psi cold, 20psi warm idle. Temp only goes to 150° and stays there even after a 30 minute idle. My friend suggested it's due to my lack of a thermostat (which I forgot about), but I would think it would heat up after that much time. I had to stop for the night because I'm getting ready for work, but at least I helped my friend get a customer's YJ running.

[ParadiseMJ]

My MJ had a stuck open t-stat.  Wouldn't get past 160 after a twenty mile drive in cool weather...until I started going uphill...then it barely got to 190.  Replaced it, problem solved.

[NewKindOfClown]

Ah, good to know. I'll tackle that problem in the next couple days.