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We camped at The Last Resort.  If we had known the weather was going to be so nice we would have just camped on the trail.  This was a weird year.  Usually most of the trail would still be covered in snow at this point.

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We started Saturday on the Fortune Creek Trail, 4W301.

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When we stopped for lunch and to install a couple of sign posts I noticed something didn't look right with Dan's steering.

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The views were incredible.  Mt. Rainier in the background.

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We took a short hike to the old stamp mill pond.

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After we ran the Fortune Creek Trail we checked out Hawkins Mountain, 4W304.

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Willy

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Sunday we were down to two rigs.  We checked out 4W305 that switch backs up Huckleberry and Hawkins Mountains.  We put in some work last year filling a couple of wash outs.  I wanted to see how they were holding up and also take a walk to the end of the road.

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The wash out we filled in last year was holding up pretty well but there is still a lot of work to do.  This is what the road looks like beyond the wash out.

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We decided to take a walk to find out what was at the end of the road.

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Several spots along the trail had been cleared by motorcycle riders just wide enough for them to get through.

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Other sections of the road were in pretty good condition considering they probably haven't been used in decades.

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I was really surprised how much further the road continued.  I've been exploring this area by Google Earth and checking out old maps for years.  With the tree cover in this area I would have never guessed that it switch backed several more times, forked, and continued for over a mile from where we parked.  It was a pretty steep hike, but when we made it to the end the views were more than worth it.  You may even be able to see a red spec at the bottom where we parked.

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At the road's end we found evidence of what looked like several caved adits.  I kept walking and found this.

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It is mostly filled in with rubble, but it was still great to find.

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After hiking back down to the Jeeps we took a short spur to another mine on Huckleberry Mountain.  We had explored this one a couple of years ago.  After reading more about it in one of my Discovering Washington's Historic Mines books, it mentioned another mine just a short distance back down the trail.  Once I knew where to look it was easy to spot the tailings pile.  We were again greeted with another amazing view.

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This one was tall enough to stand in.

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After a great day exploring it was time to head home.

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A lot more pics here.

 

Willy

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  • 2 weeks later...

After our Fortune Creek trip I was pretty disappointed with the Flex-a-Lite radiator and fan setup.  The electric fans just don't pull enough CFM to keep things cool even in the mild terrain that we were in.  At this point I was tired of screwing around with electric fans.  It was time to go back to the mechanical fan.

 

I used a heavy duty ZJ fan clutch.

 

The Flex-a-Lite radiator does not have built in mounts for the fan shroud and auxiliary fan so I used some 1/8" aluminum to build this mount that bolts to the bottom of the radiator.

 

The mount bolted in place.

 

The shroud also required some trimming to clear the winch.

 

After a trip to Liberty this past weekend it has so far worked much better than the Flex-a-Lite electric fans.  There were several long climbs that would have pushed the temperature well past 230 degrees with the electric fans.  The radiator will be tested even further in a couple of weeks at Trail Jamboree.

 

Willy

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Spent a beautiful Father's Day weekend at Liberty.  We started Saturday off on some trails west of highway 97.

 

We pulled up on another group just as this happened.

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We finished the day on the Upper Naneum Trail.  I'd seen this one on the map for years and finally got around to checking it out.  I wish I hadn't waited so long.  The views were amazing.

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We passed through several areas that were burned in the wildfires three years ago.

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Saturday night we ran up to Crystal Mountain Lookout for the sunset.

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Willy

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Sunday we were down to just two rigs.  We decided to run Billy Goat Gulch and Lion Gulch while exploring some mines along the trail.

 

This mine is a short walk from the trail.

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This guy was clinging to the wall at the end of the shaft.

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Another mine is just down the hill.

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This one usually has a foot of water this time of year.

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Loaded up for the trip home.

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More pics here.

 

Willy

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  • 9 months later...
  • 6 months later...

A few updates.

 

After Liberty last year was our yearly trip to Trail Jamboree.

 

On Sunday, 7/5, a couple of us ran Clover Springs/Mud Springs.

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We had to get creative to get Ed under this tree.

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Willy

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By Wednesday the MJ was not running very well.  It would randomly die and idle erratically.  On Thursday it was getting even worse.  It got us back to camp Thursday evening - barely.  Once we arrived we never got it to run for more than a few seconds.

 

The joy of living with the Renix fuel injection system meant that I've been chasing electrical issues for years.  It also means that I carry a lot of spare sensors.  I've probably replaced the TPS a dozen times - which is where we started.  After that was the CPS, IAC, we even dismantled the distributor.  We had fuel pressure at the rail and spark.  After spending half of Friday ripping apart the electrical system I was completely fed up and just left it parked for the rest of Trail Jamboree.

 

Once home I rolled it off the trailer, parked it next to the house, and didn't even feel like touching it until November.

 

Finally, last November, I rolled it into the garage to figure out what was going on.  I cleaned the tar out of the C101 and checked the voltage outputs of all the sensors.  I started to notice a pattern - after turning the key off and on a few times without turning the engine over I could get it to run for five or ten seconds.  I started to consider fuel problems again, but it still seemed to have pressure at the fuel rail.  I had Deb turn the key over a couple of times while I crawled up next to the tank.  When the key was turned on I didn't hear any sound from the fuel pump.  I popped in an entire fuel pump assembly from a spare tank and it started right up.

 

The entire time I had a spare fuel pump I kept behind the driver's seat.   :doh:

 

At this point I had already decided that my relationship with the Renix system in this Jeep was coming to an end.  With the extra weight of the 37" tires it was really struggling to do what I wanted.  I just knew it was a matter of time before it stranded me in the middle of some remote trail 20 miles from the nearest road.

 

I started making upgrade plans.......   :brows:

 

Willy

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I've got a friend with an LS1 in a TJ.  There is a lot to like about it - efficiency, power, reliability, OBDII, a crapload of aftermarket support.  As soon as I made up my mind to replace the 4.0L I pretty much knew exactly what I wanted.

 

I've been looking at Camaros, Firebirds, GTOs, etc. off an on for most of this year.  A few weeks ago we came home with this.

 

 

It's got a few issues that need to be sorted out and the interior smells like a Sunday morning at a bad night club, but the good parts should work out really well in the MJ.   :yes:

 

Willy

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I ended up with an LS almost the same way. Guy I work with has an LS6 in his TJ, really well done swap. I just finished up an LS2 from a TBSS in my MJ. You'll love it! What are you using for a trans?

 

Love your Wife's Jeep, keep up the good work!

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Hey Willy, didnt I see you out at Naches pass while you were helping with a club run or something? I had the rain mj amd was trying following a red 97 2dr xj

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Was that during the PNW4WDA fun run over the Naches Pass the first weekend of August? Yes, that would have been me. Our club hosted one of the check points.

 

Willy

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I ended up with an LS almost the same way. Guy I work with has an LS6 in his TJ, really well done swap. I just finished up an LS2 from a TBSS in my MJ. You'll love it! What are you using for a trans?

 

Love your Wife's Jeep, keep up the good work!

I am going to use the 4L60E from the Camaro.

 

Do you have a build thread? I have been reading as much as I can find about MJ/XJ LS swaps.

 

Willy

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