TheCodeMonk's 91 MJ - Rocky's slow build

[JMO413]

Looks like a blast!

[JordanTMiller]

Gosh darn it I loved that entire post. Those videos and photos are killer! 

[thecodemonk]

As summer arrives, so does the true test for heat!

 

Driving around town in 90-100 degree weather made it quickly apparent that I would prefer to go doorless like @JordanTMiller did.  So...a bit of video watching, a bit of research, and a bit of grinding...and I got the doors removable!

 

I've had them on and off a few times and it takes me about 30 seconds to go from doorless to "sealed" mode.  While I was in there, I also adjusted the doors and the passenger door actually lines up better than before now! (the drivers door will take a bit more adjustment that I'll do once I replace the rubber seals)

 

I have tube doors on order (ordered 7/8), but there's some bit of fiasco going on with Quadratec that has caused them to miss two promised ship dates so far.  I'd had good experiences several years ago with them, but I'm not sure I want to buy from them again after this (no matter how good the deal).

 

Anyways, with MY temperature mostly handled (doorless feels a good 5 degree cooler than having doors on, even with windows open), let's look at the Jeep's temperature.

 

Summer really is the test of all components relating to heat and there's two main issues that have cropped up.

 

First, the starter solenoid or cables seem to get a bit too hot and sometimes won't start (no click, no nothing).  The engine temperature itself reads 195-199 most of the time, so it's not overheating, but the starter IS closer to the headers and despite having a heat shield and being a "mini" starter, seems to get too warm and has heat soak.  I'm not sure if it's the solenoid or the wires, but it definitely seems like there's an issue venting the heat in the engine bay. 

 

I thought I'd be clever and install a momentary switch that connected to a timer relay that hooks to the fans.  However, it the GM computer seems to be controlling the ground connection, rather than the power connection and as such, the relay acts wonky such that the fans are just always on now.  Either way, turning the fans on after turning off the jeep didn't help the starter, so I'll probably undo all of that and just do a more normal "fan override" latching switch (not to help with this, but as a "I want to be able to force the fans on when I want to" option).

 

I have something else showing up tomorrow that might help me with the under hood temperatures, so hopefully I'll get it installed this weekend and will test it while it's still hot (it really only stays above 90 degrees here for like...a month at most).  In the meantime, I try and leave the jeep running wherever possible and it seems that, if the outside temperature is 90 degrees or above, I have a 1 in 3 chance that, when I get stop the truck, I may have to sit there for 10 minutes until the truck will start again.

 

More recently, over time, I noticed the jeep running a little warmer and warmer while driving around town...it was a really slow change, but I noticed that, even in 80 degree weather, it was getting up to 200 degrees (still well below the 210 operating temperature of the 5.3, but above the 195 it always sat at previously).  I noticed the coolant reservoir was a bit low and there appears to be a very slow leak on the heater lines where they connect to the water pump.  I topped off the coolant and it seems to be back to how it was when I first started driving it, so I'll keep an eye on that until I can fix that.

 

Otherwise, the only other work I've done recently was fix the hood adjustment.  When you have a LS MJ, a lot of people ask me to open the hood.  I think the hood bolts weren't tightened enough so it slowly worked down and started hitting the black plastic on the cowl.  A quick readjustment when I topped off the coolant, and it opens/closes smoothly again.  Sadly, the cowl plastic has a bit of a warp to it now, so I'll need to replace that eventually too.

 

Anyways...not as picture heavy this time, but it's an update to where things are at.

 

[89 MJ]

Any updates on this beast?

[thecodemonk]

On 11/2/2020 at 9:49 AM, 89 MJ said:

Any updates on this beast?

 

No real updates yet...temps are doing great 99% of the time (it gets warm on really slow climbs when it's in the upper 90s outside), it runs great in the bit of snow we had recently. 

 

I still haven't installed the hood vents I got, but I'll probably look into that in spring since, with winter here, the temperature under the hood seems to be just fine.

 

RL-wise, my time has gotten more limited...baby needs more attention, work has me filling in for our team lead while he's gone on medical leave for a bit, I'm working on some things around the house instead of on the jeep (power to the shop, building a new desk for myself, minor remodeling of some rooms), so that's where my time has been recently.

 

I did grab a front locker (just a Spartan lunchbox locker), so will get that installed around the end of the month.  I loved having the auto-locker in the XJ before and even a single locker is a huge help in some of the slicker hills.

[thecodemonk]

Hood Vents! (also, bright lights in the shop...I took this picture while it was dark outside)

 

 

I really like how the Hyline vents look AND they came with templates to help line everything up.  I would definitely do them again because of that. (note: I've never been able to color within the lines, much less line things up well by eye, so the templates make a HUGE difference for me).

 

As for functionality, the vents do help with heat.  I saw a lot of back-and-forth on the efficacy of hood vents with heat, so I wasn't sure, but it's a massive difference for me on the brief testing I did on the way home.

 

Normally, going up the hill to my neighborhood results in approximately a 5 degree rise, regardless of temperatures outside.  It's not massive but it is consistent.  The trip home resulted in the temperature rising only 2 degrees during the climb.  Temps maxed out at 193 degrees on the trip, which is not even high enough to trigger the electric fans.  

 

I'll do some more testing on new years day at the local off-road park with some slower climbs and longer times of slow movement, but I'm feeling very confident in the vents helping the under-hood temps.

 

No pictures for the front locker install but it's a lunchbox locker, there's tons of pictures and videos on them.  It locks when I need it to and doesn't when I don't (I had the same locker on the old XJ before I went with a selectable).  

 

As for what's next...reverse lights still don't work.  I back up *very* slowly when I go out (which is not often these days) and need to figure out if I can find a way to just wire up a switch for the existing lights for now.  I also want to cut-and-fold the rear and have a higher clearance rear bumper (ala Wife's MJ build).

 

Though with winter here and the wind noise I hear from my door seals, I should probably do that first and sooner rather than later.

[89 MJ]

When did the topper happen?

[thecodemonk]

3 minutes ago, 89 MJ said:

When did the topper happen?

 

A few pages back, a little over a year ago now. :)  I picked it up from another member on here.

 

 

[thecodemonk]

This past weekend, I went to "Snow Bash" in Montana and had a great time.  The jeep performed awesomely!

 

I don't have my own tow rig yet, so I just rented a F250 from Enterprise.  Even though the 6.2L V8 is the smallest engine option, it towed great and had no problem holding speed, even on the hills.

 

As a note: Most trails around here, I just drive the jeep to and from the trail.  Since this was a longer trip, I opted to be a bit more comfortable by putting the jeep on the trailer and tow it there and back and so this was my first time putting the jeep on the trailer in a long time...since before all of the upgrades.

 

 

I found out very quickly that my jeep is WIDE.  Almost too wide for the trailer (at least to fit between the rear jacks).

 

  

 

A little spotting to make sure I squeezed on there, I strapped the jeep down and we hit the road!

 

After an uneventful ride, we got into the hotel and passed out. 

 

 

The next day, we got the jeep down and over to the meetup point and hit the trail!  There was plenty of snow up top, but a lot of ice at the entrance to the trail.  

 

I tried this line a few times before giving up and finding another way up.

 

The ice was scary but seems like it was well setup to push you away from the trees.  The SxS had no problem on it if they had a little speed...full size rigs were another story.

 

Once we got a bit higher, it was all snow pack and powder with beautiful views!

 

As we got to the top, the snow got deeper and a lot of the big tire rigs took a tougher path while I went up the main path (my wife got out and hiked to the top to film).

 

By the top, we had lots of snow in out wheels and smiles on our faces.

 

Groups kept stopping to chat and my wife was wanting to keep going, so we moved from group to group, often times just driving alone in between them for a bit.  It was peaceful and comfortable.

(this one's a bit longer and more boring, but it shows our favorite parts of the trail to drive/ride on)

 

In the back of our heads was the rule of "never hit the trails alone", but we figured others would come along if we got stuck.  

And as if it were prophecy...we got stuck while trying to back down.  We waited a few minutes before deciding to start hiking back down the trail to find the group behind us.  Thankfully, they weren't that far behind and gave us a tug out.

 

With a group we could follow (all of them running much bigger tires than I), we forged on.  Even after airing down to 6psi (again...psi goes up as elevation goes up), we would still occasionally get stuck and when I got out to check why, it became clear.  My front diff was pushing snow.  You can see it a bit in this picture.

 

The snow only got deeper going forward and I was following a jeep that was not on full size axles, so I was widening the trail as I went...occasionally sinking in and getting stuck, needing a tug forward to get me up on top of the snow again (after a couple of times, I just left the strap attached to make it easier).  

 

It wasn't long before we all got to the top and the trees and the big sky view was gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

The snow at the top was extra soft.  I managed not to get stuck again, but I can't say the same for the bronco scout behind me (thanks for the correction 89!).  Thankfully, I was able to be a winch point for them.

 

The rest of the trip down was uneventful...we found a whole group of others who were stuck and one of the other broncos got sucked into a hole near a pole and was so stuck, that it took two jeeps working in tandem to get him out (didn't think to grab a picture, unfortunately).

After a great day on the mountain, we retired to the hotel and relaxed, planning what upgrades should be next (hint: winch and bigger tires were the top two topics).

 

The next day after church, I noticed my trailer tires were a bit low (50 psi, instead of the full 80 psi), so I aired them up using the CO2 tank I use with the jeep.  While I was doing that, my wife grabbed a few pictures of where we were parked.

 

 

 

Montana sure is beautiful in the winter.

 

The trip home was wonderful and uneventful.  Just beautiful views and big skies.

[89 MJ]

Looks like it was a great time! It was a IH Scout II that you pulled out though, not a Bronco.

[thecodemonk]

3 minutes ago, 89 MJ said:

Looks like it was a great time! It was a IH Scout II that you pulled out though, not a Bronco.

Thanks for the correction!  I'll update the post and video title.

It was a blast and I can't wait to go out again!

[neohic]

Well done. Looks like a great time!

[Pete M]

what fun!   

 

out of curiosity, what'd the f250 rental end up costing?

[thecodemonk]

3 hours ago, Pete M said:

what fun!   

 

out of curiosity, what'd the f250 rental end up costing?

It's $99.99/day plus tax.  For three days (friday pickup, monday drop off), total cost ended up $335.11 out the door.  When I only need it a 2-3 times a year, it ends up being way cheaper than owning a full size truck like that (especially considering there's no change to my insurance either).

[Pete M]

not bad at all.  unlimited mileage? 

[thecodemonk]

On 1/20/2021 at 5:53 PM, Pete M said:

not bad at all.  unlimited mileage? 

Nah, was 900 miles for me and mileage after that.

[thecodemonk]

No picture updates today, but a minor update for posterity on an issue I've been having.

 

Lately, I've been having "no start" issues on occasion.  To the point that I am hesitant to go anywhere unless I am going to stay there for a while.

 

The symptoms are:

- Full power to all accessories

- Voltage in the dash looks fine

- Temperatures within range (160-195 degrees)

- Starter won't turn.  No click, nothing.

- Occurs intermittently.

- Wait 15-45 minutes and it will start up again, cranks quick, as if nothing is wrong.

 

Well...yesterday, I was at the local "Batteries Plus" store to pickup a phone I had dropped off for a battery replacement and when I came out, the truck wouldn't start.  After waiting and trying for 20 minutes, I finally called AAA.

 

I kept trying every 5-10 minutes while I waited...what else was I going to do?  Then...2 minutes before they arrived, it started up just fine.  Well, they offered to test the battery anyways and we did.  Sure enough...battery is bad. 

 

That's what I get for using an old used battery for the engine swap.  I always assumed it was fine because voltage showed fine and the engine never struggled to start.

 

Thankfully...I was in the right place.  Got a battery right there at the store and installed it.  Time will tell if that solves the issue.

 

So...this entire time, my issues for starting may not have been with under hood temps afterall, but merely a bad battery.  

[Pete M]

um, yay?  maybe? 

[Limeyjeeper]

Did it only happen when the engine was hot?. Or did you get a no start from cold as well?

[89 MJ]

If the issue is only when the engine is hot, I would be willing to bet that the starter is on its way out. Because everything expands when the engine gets hot, the starter might not have enough power to turn it over. This is why the GM 327 had a hi-torque starter back in the 60s. 

[thecodemonk]

On 2/11/2021 at 4:33 PM, Limeyjeeper said:

Did it only happen when the engine was hot?. Or did you get a no start from cold as well?

It happened more often when the engine was hot, but it did start happening when it was colder as well lately (engine had only gotten up to 160F at the battery place).

 

On 2/12/2021 at 10:30 AM, 89 MJ said:

If the issue is only when the engine is hot, I would be willing to bet that the starter is on its way out. Because everything expands when the engine gets hot, the starter might not have enough power to turn it over. This is why the GM 327 had a hi-torque starter back in the 60s. 

 

It could be...but when it does start, it starts strong...not sluggish like I normally expect when a starter is getting weak.

[thecodemonk]

Well, it's been some time and I've had no issues with starting...hot or cold.  I'm confident in saying the fresh battery was everything I needed to resolve the issue.

 

In the meantime, I'd just been daily driving it and recently went to the local club's Cabin Fever event.

 

There was a good turnout and our usual trail had about 15 rigs on it, several were brand new to off roading and had a blast!  Here's a shot of the air down spot:

 

The trail starts off with a hill climb that leads to some beautiful views at the top!

 

A little while later, we come to "the wall", which is a pair of rises that are fun for a lot of people (the gladiator high centered on it and ended up taking the bypass).  No issues for me though!

<pictures>

 

 

 

 

 

Partway down is our favorite "flex stump".  Of course, you know we had to climb it for some pictures.

 

 

 

This stump is where I proposed to my wife, which is one of the reasons this is our favorite trail every year.

 

We had some lunch at an old mineshaft and, at this point, we stopped remembering to take pictures and just enjoyed the trail and time together.

 

After lunch, we went down to a creek bed that had a few small waterfalls to climb (with a nice bypass for most of the more stock rigs to enjoy while seeing what's going on in the creek).  I had to use a bit of throttle on one of the waterfalls but the jeep seemed to drive fine otherwise, so I didn't think anything of it (hint: foreshadowing).

 

After a great day on the trail, we aired up and headed out onto the road and the adventure continued!  We had a pretty significant vibration in the whole truck at anything beyond 10mph.  After crawling under the jeep, we noticed that the rear driveline was no longer straight. 

 

 

We suspect we hit it on that waterfall but we'll never know for sure. 

 

Thankfully, SYE means it's easy to pull the rear driveshaft without risking spilling fluid everywhere.

 

...and of course, Jeepers never go alone and we always help each other (huge thanks to Jim for helping me out).

 

So...we pulled the rear driveshaft off and drove back home in front wheel drive.  I had to stop a couple of times early on to experiment since the front auto locker was constantly engaging and making it difficult to turn.  I disengaged one of the hubs, which made it easier to turn but I had to keep the steering wheel turned against the driving wheel (since it wanted to pull really hard to the opposite side of the jeep while accelerating, but returned to straight when braking).  

 

We made it the couple of hour drive home on the highway and through the city but by the time I got home, the power steering pump was leaking like a sieve.  I think it was just too much constant strain for too long.  I got the driveline repaired and a spare on it's way (should have done this sooner but just never got around to it...live and learn I suppose).

 

But I suppose that gives me direction for the next upgrade.  Hydro-assist steering (redhead box, PSC piston)!  More to come on that in the next few weeks.

 

In the meantime, I've had a few extra financial blessings lately and I got myself a more reliable (but still fun) daily driver so I can do some of these projects on the Jeep myself going forward without the stress of needing it running the next day to be able to drive to work and whatnot.

 

 

[Pete M]

On 6/4/2021 at 6:19 PM, thecodemonk said:

 

 

In the meantime, I've had a few extra financial blessings lately and I got myself a more reliable (but still fun) daily driver so I can do some of these projects on the Jeep myself going forward without the stress of needing it running the next day to be able to drive to work and whatnot.

 

 

 

 

I still believe that is key to a happy relationship with your wheeler.   

[89eliminator]

On 6/4/2021 at 6:19 PM, thecodemonk said:

Well, it's been some time and I've had no issues with starting...hot or cold.  I'm confident in saying the fresh battery was everything I needed to resolve the issue.

 

In the meantime, I'd just been daily driving it and recently went to the local club's Cabin Fever event.

 

There was a good turnout and our usual trail had about 15 rigs on it, several were brand new to off roading and had a blast!  Here's a shot of the air down spot:

 

The trail starts off with a hill climb that leads to some beautiful views at the top!

 

A little while later, we come to "the wall", which is a pair of rises that are fun for a lot of people (the gladiator high centered on it and ended up taking the bypass).  No issues for me though!

<pictures>

 

 

 

 

 

Partway down is our favorite "flex stump".  Of course, you know we had to climb it for some pictures.

 

 

 

This stump is where I proposed to my wife, which is one of the reasons this is our favorite trail every year.

 

We had some lunch at an old mineshaft and, at this point, we stopped remembering to take pictures and just enjoyed the trail and time together.

 

After lunch, we went down to a creek bed that had a few small waterfalls to climb (with a nice bypass for most of the more stock rigs to enjoy while seeing what's going on in the creek).  I had to use a bit of throttle on one of the waterfalls but the jeep seemed to drive fine otherwise, so I didn't think anything of it (hint: foreshadowing).

 

After a great day on the trail, we aired up and headed out onto the road and the adventure continued!  We had a pretty significant vibration in the whole truck at anything beyond 10mph.  After crawling under the jeep, we noticed that the rear driveline was no longer straight. 

 

 

We suspect we hit it on that waterfall but we'll never know for sure. 

 

Thankfully, SYE means it's easy to pull the rear driveshaft without risking spilling fluid everywhere.

 

...and of course, Jeepers never go alone and we always help each other (huge thanks to Jim for helping me out).

 

So...we pulled the rear driveshaft off and drove back home in front wheel drive.  I had to stop a couple of times early on to experiment since the front auto locker was constantly engaging and making it difficult to turn.  I disengaged one of the hubs, which made it easier to turn but I had to keep the steering wheel turned against the driving wheel (since it wanted to pull really hard to the opposite side of the jeep while accelerating, but returned to straight when braking).  

 

We made it the couple of hour drive home on the highway and through the city but by the time I got home, the power steering pump was leaking like a sieve.  I think it was just too much constant strain for too long.  I got the driveline repaired and a spare on it's way (should have done this sooner but just never got around to it...live and learn I suppose).

 

But I suppose that gives me direction for the next upgrade.  Hydro-assist steering (redhead box, PSC piston)!  More to come on that in the next few weeks.

 

In the meantime, I've had a few extra financial blessings lately and I got myself a more reliable (but still fun) daily driver so I can do some of these projects on the Jeep myself going forward without the stress of needing it running the next day to be able to drive to work and whatnot.

 

 

 

if you or anyone else you know buys another Subaru, let me know.  I can get you discounts.  

[thecodemonk]

On 6/9/2021 at 4:00 AM, 89eliminator said:

 

if you or anyone else you know buys another Subaru, let me know.  I can get you discounts.  

Will do! Thanks!!