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I accidently used synthetic oil inn my son's XJ. all kinds of oil leaks developed. Never again will I put it in a high mileage vehicle.
I am hoping to have my trailer ready for spring. Then I will be getting the new KO-2s for my rig. I have heard nothing but good things from everyone who has bought them. Went wheeling at a trail called Slaughter House Gulch yesterday to scope out it. (I want to do the entire trail as a shake down run for my off road with the trailer) I love my BFG mud tires for wheeling, but have a lot of concerns about the vibes they have going down the highway. A while back my bolts holding the front drive shaft vibrated out. (prob. not related to the wheels) Luckily I was just driving it around the block. A friend of mine had his brackets bolt for the motor mounts Vibrate loose and break off what a PITA!!! So the mud tires have to go!! I really want to transition into over land travel instead off trashing my XJ on the harder trails.
Sorry about the long post on your thread but you have done a lot of things to your XJ that confirm were I'm going with mine.
Last edited by JandDGreens; 10-17-2016 at 08:30 PM.
I accidently used synthetic oil inn my son's XJ. all kinds of oil leaks developed. Never again will I put it in a high mileage vehicle.
To be fair, it would have been fine if you'd have replaced the seals prior to doing that. There are more detergents in that oil, and essentially what you did was "clear the dam" of grit and grim on the internal side of the seals. Don't be surprised if your conventional oil is going to leak out now as well.
The synthetic didn't cause a problem, it simply unmasked it.
It's a headache, sure, but you really should just changed the seals.
Well, as suspected, my rear main is leaking now. So is my transfer case. Guess I didn't use enough RTV when I did the SYE. Oh well.
Surprisingly, the rig made it down to Tennessee, wheeled, and made it back to NY all in one piece. Pretty impressed! I even got 21 mpg on the way down, cruising between 70 and 80 mph. The KO2s are great street tires.
Trail tires... eh. On dirt and loose gravel, they seem okay. Decent amount of feel through the steering wheel and higher speed grip. In anything heavily packed with gravel, they would dig too deep and lose traction, making the engine work harder. I aired down to 18 psi and the sidewalls seem pretty tough for 2 ply and of course, the ride comfort was awesome. It was coldish - about 40-60 degrees during the day with lots of cloud cover, so it took a lot for these brand-new tires to get warm as when I hit the rocks, it was like they were on ice.
Our group consisted of five rigs - my XJ plus a slightly modded FJ Cruiser on 33s Trail Grappler ATs, a CJ6 on 33 Duratracs, a JK on 35 Toyos, and a 4Runner on 33 KM2s.
The JK ripped open it's rear diff cover on a rock on the first obstacle, so they were out. Sucked because I always liked wheeling with them.
We kept going and approached a bigger rock section with three lines - easy, moderate and "I don't think that's a line." I, like the idiot I am, picked the third one even after watching the 4Runner (next to mine, the most capable rig driven by the most capable driver) white smoke his open/open tires hunting for traction after picking the middle line. He made, but not without bumping.
So, I go for the more left line, just to try it. Walking the line before, I notice there's a rock in between the two I plan to climb up and I thought to myself, "it's going to slide and land on the pumpkin."
We could literally teeter totter it from left to right as it sat on the pumpkin. Locked, locked, forward and reverse, it didn't want to move - just spun and spun. Eventually, using extra rocks and my buddy pushing, we got it off the rock for a poser flex shot.
Went at it again, kept the line I wanted and hustled to victory.
All in all, I had a great time and the rig proved to me it's capable enough for longer trips. Rausch, here I come!
Driving back to NY wasn't as enjoyable because I got maybe 18 mpg. Mud was coating the air filter, and the entire rig. Had to be a hundred pounds of the stuff all together. I also put a redneck roof rack on that probably added some drag.
Cleaned the exterior yesterday with a Harbor Freight pressure washer. Had to buy two of them because the first one leaked. Still, I feel empowered!
18psi? When I wheel I drop down to 10... Why so high? That'll impact the traction a great deal.
x2 10 PSI here as well. Also provides a GREAT deal of impact absorption as well. Goes from a dump truck on a cobblestone road to a plush ride over a bumpy road.
18 is just what I went down to that day. I used to run the MTZs at 15 and liked it pretty well. This was my first time out with the KO2s so I wanted to see more of how they perform in all forms of pressure. 18 isn't low enough for sure.
Hitting some trails this weekend so I'll drop down to 10 and report back.
18 is just what I went down to that day. I used to run the MTZs at 15 and liked it pretty well. This was my first time out with the KO2s so I wanted to see more of how they perform in all forms of pressure. 18 isn't low enough for sure.
Hitting some trails this weekend so I'll drop down to 10 and report back.
Update time. Really haven't done much to this thing. It needs work but living in a townhouse (i.e. no inside work space) in Rochester in the middle of winter kind of sucks. I want a garage. Looking to buy a house in June.
I did have a local guy take out the front locker for some fresh, open diff spider gears. I rarely wheel right now and the Jeep drives significantly better with an open front diff. I don't care what the internet blowhards say about front lunchbox lockers being "invisible" in 2wd, because mine wasn't. Turn in is sharper, the steering response is more immediate, and I can finally, with confidence, perform full lock turns without the truck pushing, clunky, binding, or just making horrific noises.
Don't worry, I'm not going soft. The rear is still locked and my plan is to have an Eaton e-locker installed in the front this summer. I'll probably keep the rear Spartan as it's okay with thick gear oil.
Also had the rig completely undercoated and the body sealed with Ziebart rust protection. It's this weird feeler that's applied to all the body gaps and holes. Came with a lifetime warranty. Should help the truck not rot away from these horrible WNY roads.
This is all a part of a greater plan to have this thing "done" before I turn 30. I want to enjoy it more than constantly worry about upgrades, wrenching, blah blah etc. Not that those aspects of Jeepdom are not enjoyable - it's just the truck should get used more. Essentially, all I'll have to do is maintain it.
So, here's what I would consider done:
No more leaks - none.
Sorted electrical systems. It's getting to that age where it's becoming an electrical nightmare. The turn signals don't work, my blower is somewhat unreliable, the electric fan's connection is literally melted away, the passenger side window switch doesn't work, the headlight harness is broken... I think that's it.
Fix the heater core. That's finally given up. Also, fix the AC. It works put the clutch screams when load is applied.
Finally put a headliner back in. That was one of the dumbest things I've ever done.
Sound-dead the interior. Thinking fat mat on the roof, behind the door cards, on the floor (gives the opportunity to inspect the floors) and in the cargo area.
Redo the stereo. Mine is OG 90s Chrysler (read: doesn't really work)
Paint-matched Napier fender flares plus a trim
No-lift shackle relocation brackets and IRO shackles
AJ's rear cut-and-fold bumper with tire swing (I don't want a roof rack and don't want a spare in the cab)
Probably a new, fullwidth bumper and new winch. The BleepinJeep stuff is getting old.
NP242 swap. I like the idea of AWD with a manual. Hopefully it won't be all sloppy like some people say.
At least 250 crank horsepower. I'd like to build a 4.7 stroker in my spare time.
Looks really clean. I love my np242. I plan on clocking it up when I put a tom woods sye in the future. I have one just sitting for the day I decide to install it. Good to know about the lunchbox up front. I am on the fence between buying another aussie for the front or waiting to regear and go ox.
Let's see, since I lasted updated this, I've replaced the idle air control valve with a genuine Mopar part (expensive), replaced the throttle body gasket (much needed - caused a MASSIVE vacuum leak), replaced a rear u-joint, and went wheeling!
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Got invited to some private land about an hour away. It was insanely muddy from the previous rain storms (it was sprinkling throughout the day). Some guys with a 4x4 shop put it on as a wheeling 101 deal - give the newbies a chance to drive, learn their rigs, learn how to be spotted, learn how to winch, recover, etc. The group was a mix of lightly modded street rigs (cough, cough me), completely stock JKs, and the trail leader - one BAMFing race prepped XJ.
Well, the mud was so slick that most of the stock JKs couldn't make it out of the field where we parked. Some didn't even air down after they were told it would be smart. Needless to say, three rigs dropped out within 10 minutes.
I had a blast! It was a bunch of tight trials running through the trees. We had to chainsaw a bunch of falling trees, I had to tow one JK up a hill, and then another out of a ditch right next to a tree, and, I hit yet another tree.
Smashed my fender pretty good, but it's alright. Looks kinda cool for now. I'm sure I'll replace it down the road. (The above picture is after numerous car washes).
As we were leaving the area, I put it in 4hi and proceeded to coat the entire rig in New York landscape. I made it into third gear at one point to give you an idea of the wheel speed. It was amazing!
Got her all cleaned up and slapped the stock flares back on just to see what they look like with the current wheels (amazing), but it's only temporary. The wheels rub so bad at full lock that the driver side flare got loosened up enough to fly off the truck while on the interstate. Napiers are in the works. I'm definitely going to paint match them though.
The endlinks needed repairs from undercoating over-spray. Zeibart sprayed the JKS's and guess what, they could no longer be disconnected quickly. So while I had them off, I went mall crawling. Photo drop!
Another very soon mod will need to be no-lift shackle relocation brackets and different shackles.
And finally, I picked up a junkyard driveshaft (mine is worn out!) and the first part of my soon-to-be redesigned interior. Scored some black limited door cards with pockets. The plan is to convert to a black interior with tan carpet and headliner.
Nice photos, nice update. Nice writeup on the 4x4 event (give us a few photos of the other rigs, or someone stuck in a ditch. Just a reference photo from the event.) Great post. Good luck on the interior.
Thanks! Times are changing though. Put her up for sale today. I'm losing the motivation to maintain this thing. I don't really get to use it and I'm about to buy a house. I'll be in NY for the next five years at least and the wheeling up here does not justify this vehicle. I think I want a change and get back into a lifted Jeep when I'm back in a place that promotes offroading.
10-17-2016, 08:12 AM
