gvns8

Here is a picture of the oil pump I replaced on the trip which took about 2 hours plus some time to wait for the silicone to dry.



I also replaced the chain and all of the bearings and seals before the trip. This took me a little longer than doing an SYE install. It took me two days, but I also kept having to go to the store to get tools and stuff. So I would say about 7 or 8 hrs in actual work. Pretty easy to do, it just makes it faster if you prepare everything and make sure you have all the tools/parts before starting.

Are you having trouble with your T/C jordy?

FlemingXJ

I keep having a loud humming noise coming from my TC. Especially when accelerating from a stand still or starting cold. Its not my loud tires, Im sure of that

chrisquested

I am having a wierd noise when i drive and if i put it in 4 wheel then take off it gets louder and i have to reverse then go foward for it to stop....I have no idea what the deal is....

gvns8

Maybe you need to do an SYE? I found the best way to figure out vibrations is to just throw the rear axle on jack stands, remove the tires (so it doesn't run away from you) and get it up to speed and pinpoint where the noise is coming from.

Not sure man could be a lot of things. The first place people look for vibrations is the exhaust vibrating against something. Good luck.


Here are some updates on my jeep:

-I installed my Rough Country shackle relocation brackets the other day.




It was a very easy install process. I originally set them to about 45 degrees and after driving around came to realize that was too much because the shackles were hitting against the brackets when I went over bumps. Today I got around to moving them up one hole to the center hole. That actually worked out perfect because it raised up and leveled out the rear perfectly. The shackles still sit at a 25 degree angle so I have a lot more droop than before the brackets and my ride is much smoother-no more jerky feelings in the rear.

My camera broke so I didn't get any pictures, but here is a picture of someone else's setup that is basically what mine looks like now.



-While installing these brackets, I also came to realize that the bushings in one of my 6 month old rubicon express leaf spring is shot-and RE is out of business. I have heard mixed answers, but many people say the bushings are the same size as the stock cherokee bushings. I tried getting some at a few local shops today with no luck without special ordering them, so I will be buying some poly bushings online soon instead and hoping they end up fitting. The bad bushing on the drivers side explains why that side of the vehicle is sitting a 1/2 inch lower than the other side.

So these are the top goals I need to get done with regards to my jeep for now:

-Tomorrow I need to Tear open the transfercase again to make sure everything is good after having it eat a speedo gear when I put it in on the wrong setting. It never really sounded the same after that so I need to make sure there aren't plastic pieces all inside of it and that none of the bearings are ruined.
-Buy/replace speedo drive gear and speedo gear these things:





-Buy/replace leaf spring bushings.
-Replace the bad control arm bushings with the poly ones I bought to make it so I can drive straight again.
-Replace the upper control arm axle mount bushings that are squeaking with the ones I bought.
-Re-shim rear axle, and re-do toe in after having messed with the rear lift shackles and getting new bushings.
-Quite a few other things that are on the back-burner for now until I get these things sorted out. I will elaborate on these next time.

Have a good night!

gvns8

I opened up my transfercase today and found a few problems that I believe were caused by my speedometer getting eaten up when I put it in wrong.

-The speedometer drive gear and speedo gear are destroyed like I mentioned previously
-The the mode shift fork pads all have one of the sides broken off (probably caused by the bits of plastic speedo gear parts circulating through the case)
-The o-ring on the pump is missing for some reason
-The snap rings for the speedo drive gear are worn and need to be replaced
-Other than that, luckily nothing major was wrong so I cleaned the case super well and got all the rtf out that had circulated since my episode while on my road trip back to colorado a couple weeks ago.

SOooo I put the case back together just so I can drive it while I try to get a hold of all of these replacement parts... and unfortunately I totally forgot to put the dang spring on the mode shift fork while putting it all back together Now I am stuck in 4wd high and can't get back to 2wd. I took out the front drive shaft for now and it should get me around until I have all the parts to open up the case one last time.

FlemingXJ

Dont problems resulting from lack of SYE cause deep vibes? Mine is just a loud as f*ck whirling noise like wind is coming at me from all sides. Luckily no vibes at the moment. But now having said that; I'll probably be letting you know about vibes the next time i drive it.

What function do the relocation brackets serve as?

gvns8

Dang well that is exactly what my rear axle sounded like when the gears were set up wrong/bearings were bad, could it be the front axle maybe?? If we go wheeling one day soon then maybe I will take a ride along with you for a little bit and see if I can offer any advice.

The relocation brackets give me a way smoother ride in the rear (less jerky), and they give me about 4 inches more droop so the leafs can flex better, and also they give another inch or so of lift. I kind of splurged on them because I needed the extra inch lift to level out the rear after having my leafs settle.

SkyJumper

Nevermind, I figured it out myself.

Jeepfreak1020

Just to give you a heads up man, I would buy some lawn edging to put on your front fenders now that you have trimmed them. Because about the time you get into the fender and you keep going, you tire will have a nice new sipping line on them. Ask me how I know lol

gvns8

oh man that sucks but yea I was worried about that happening so I set up bumpstops in the front tall enough to keep the tires from hitting the sheet metal.


Updates on the jeep:

Wednesday I spent the day making a little money on the side by "coaching" a guy and walking him through the steps as he changed his diff fluid, replace his track bar, 4 shocks, and air filter on his Cherokee. Finally working on a jeep put a little money back in my pocket for once instead of breaking the bank. However, I also bought a 1/2" Impact Gun, an air ratchet, and drive sockets and picked up the mode fork pads and o-ring that I found were bad on my transfercase, and ordered new snap rings, a speedo drive gear, and a 39 tooth speedo gear on wednesday morning. So overall I guess I just broke even .

Wednesday night I used my new air tools on my 1.5 gallon 3.4cfm puma 12v air compressor to crack open the transfercase (again ). Surprisingly the tools worked alright on that small compressor...I did have to wait like 20 sec while the compressor refilled the tank every time I removed a couple bolts, but hey it was easier than hand ratcheting everything.

The reason I opened the transfercase was because I really wanted to go wheeling Thursday with some buddies. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I forgot to add the spring back onto the t/c when I opened it a couple days ago which basically put the whole transfercase on the verge of breaking completely, so I added that spring back in, and I also added the pads for the mode shift fork. I am glad I opened it so soon because I found that the peices of the plastic pads on the shift fork were completely off the fork and were circulating throughout the case. I reassemble the whole thing and it functions properly now.

There is some bad news though
-I broke one of the outer housing bolts and half of it is stuck screwed in the case
-I can still hear some sort of plastic or something swirling around in the case,
-it also feels like one of the new bearings might be bad because there is a constant loud humming sound.

Man what a nightmare this t-case has been. I had it perfect for about a day when I first replaced the bearings, but ever since breaking the pump, and getting a leak on that road trip I have had one problem after the next. I am not really sure what to do about it. With all these problems I am just tempted to replace it...possibly with an atlas or teralow kit.

I went wheeling today (thursday) at saran wrap and bull park and it was nice to use the jeep again finally. A couple notable things. First of all, all of the bad bushings were super noticable making lots of noise it sounded like the jeep was falling apart. I am fairly positive that they are to blame. Second I came down pretty hard on a rock and dented the passsenger corner pretty bad ... I guess that is why people get tuck and fold corners with steel bumpers. Any tips on fixing a dent?

Thats it for now. Have a good night.

Unleashed

very nice build dude!

gvns8

Thanks man. It has been fun.

Here is an update on everything:

-I sold my old d30 axle and steering yesterday finally woohoooo $600 in the bank.

Here is my to do list for the jeep:

Need to do right now: (affects the drivability of the jeep and needs to be fixed)
1. Replace UCA axle side bushings with ones I bought
2. Replace LCA bushings with ones I bought
3. Adjust pinion in front upwards two degrees to get better castor angle
4. Buy/replace rear leaf spring bushings
5. Install speedo drive gear, new snap rings, 39 tooth speedo gear I ordered and inspect t/c again to get rid of all plastic peices in there and find out which bearing is bad to replace it eventually. Also need to extract and replace outer housing bolt I broke.
6. Change oil with synthetic oil I bought and add the seafoam I bought
7. Flush/change power steering fluid
8. loosen steering box 1/8 turn counterclockwise.
9. Fix the sweet dent I have on the rear passenger side corner next to the bumper... maybe its time for a steel rear bumper and tire carrier and tuck and fold the rear quarter pannels...not sure about that with bushwackers though or maybe the jcr style protection

Will do soon/in my spare time:
10. Rear disc brake swap from grand cherokee
11. Adjust driver door hinge so door closes perfectly
12. Install longer brake lines I bought
13. Get new bolt for spring retainer clip
14. Clean starter motor
15. Get a shop to weld on sway bar tabs, and weld up leaks in exhaust pipe joints
16. Maybe replace rear 4-5" lift bilstein shocks with 6" lift shocks
17. Replace cb since it constantly sounds like the antenna is grounded even though I just replaced the antenna.

Do eventually:

18. Get the bolts for and install transfercase skid I picked up at the junkyard
19. Make a custom storage box to hold my sub, and organize all the junk in my car
20. Divorce the air compressor from the tank and mount it all/hard wire everything for OBA
21. Alloy Shafts for D30
22. 35" or 36" tires
23. D30 Rock ring
24. Body Stiffeners/plating
25. Replace tranny mount if bad
26. hood vents
27. headlight harness with 10 ga wire
28. Grand cherokee leather seats
29. Replace crappy radio and blown speakers

Maybe do/ would like to do eventually:
30. Steering and track bar brace
31. Swaylock swaybars
32. Teralow 4:1 Kit or Atlas case
33. Hydro assist
34. Bumpers
35. Tube doors
36. Interior Roll Cage
37. Winch

Looks Like I actually have a long ways to go haha. I started my build thread with the title "almost there" thinking I almost had the jeep where I wanted it. I have sort of given up on the idea of ever being done with it. But you know its a heck of a lot more fun than just dumping twice as much money into a new car or luxury vehicle that I never do anything with because I am too afraid to hurt it off road. So here is to the entertainment that comes with building up an xj .

Jeepfreak1020

I still have TB mount for someone if they want it

gvns8

Got my transfer case finished today.

-Pulled the whole case
-Found one of the shims was cracked on the planetary gear assembly but it shouldn't make a difference since it is sandwiched between the two sprockets.
-Figured out that the jingling noise is coming from the planetery gear assembly- there is some side to side play in three small gears (do not think the cracked shim is related)
-Pushed the cup bearing all the way in the sprocket that was not fully pressed in last time
-Added the new speedo gear, lock rings, speedo drive gear
-Reassembled the case and used gear oil gasket maker which will hopefully not leak like the previous Black RTV I used.

Then I put it all back together and after 7 hours of work took the thing on a test drive.

-It sounds better than before (I think the fluid was low from a slow leak)
-It still jingles
-It still hums at speed, but does not vibrate the whole car like before.
-My speedometer works now

Sooo... I can now drive on the thing just fine. The case functions perfectly. However it still hums slightly. So I am just going to live with it for now. I don't want to spend any more time fixing this case especially replacing the planetary gears. The only reason I am going to open the case again will be if I am upgrading it with a teralow 4:1 kit.

gvns8

I got my two rear leaf spring bushings replaced today finally. It was pretty easy actually. I put the frame on jack stands, took out the single screws attaching the leaf springs to the shackles, and left the springs on the jeep. The rubber part just fell out due to them being shot. I used a sawzall to cut out the metal sleeves, then I hammered them out. Then I used a harbor freight ball joint press with some attachments to put the new ones in.

The ride is much more solid now. I can't wait until I have the time to put in my new lca and uca bushings.