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Ok new issue. We have the temp of the Jeep down due to replacing the thermostat and adding a larger clutch fan (we also replaced the belt while we were in there). We had 2 different coolant leaks which we traced back to the tubing being brittle and leaks around the clamps attaching them so replaced all the coolant hoses (except for the bottom one, which we bought but haven't replaced yet).
Biggest issue still remaining is the AC. It blows cold while on the freeway and moving at a decent pace but once you slow down to under 25 for extended periods (such as off-roading or in traffic), the AC will work for a while then blow hot air. After a while, the AC will kick on again and then go off again. Not great for when it is really hot outside (which fortunately it has not been yet). Trying to figure out the best way to tackle this. The compressor seems to work fine and e-fan comes on but it seems to lock up. What we are probably going to do is:
1. Replace the relays and switches to make sure they aren't bad
2. Replace receiver can (not sure the exact name)
3. Replace the valves
4. Replace one of the long metal tubes (forgot the name on that as well)
3. Completely vacuum drain the system
4. Flush the system
5. Replace the refrigerant, charging it to the recommended amount.
Radiator looks to be in decent shape and efan seems to work but just doesn't seem to pull enough air through in traffic or while off-roading to keep the system working.
Any other ideas we may have missed? I have been pouring over threads on this issue on the forum. Figure if we replace enough parts, something may fix it. Just don't want to get caught in 115 weather in a summer trip with no AC.
We will be using gauges. We also bought cans to charge with that have various sizes so we can fully charge it without (hopefully) overcharging it. We suspect that it is still overcharged even though we have removed some refrigerant previously. So hopefully vacuuming out the system, flushing it, then recharging it will put it back to the proper pressure. We have no idea what previous owners have done to the system so replacing parts as needed. Probably going to work on it this week.
Electric fan does not come on when the AC is on but seems to come on after the car heats above 210 then shuts off once the car cools below that. After servicing all the AC components (changing out 2 relays, the can, the waste line, flushing it, then recharging it after vacuuming it), it seemed to keep cool. The e-fan does work but only when the temp of the car requires it to kick on. From what I have read here, that is normal for a 2000/2001? That could be why my AC is kicking off- not enough air flow through since my truck runs cooler most of the time (even in traffic, it rarely goes above 210.
As far as stiffeners, we only did the mid-frame ones. The front ones require major disassembly to put on unless you cut them, and we didn't know we were doing the rear bumper when we first bought the lift kit and all the other things. That was a late addition to the build and we didn't want to take the whole rear apart again... The mid frame stiffeners were probably overkill for most of the off-roading we do anyway but they did tighten up the ride of the car. It handles rough terrain very well.
AC seems to be working well after the changes but noticed the engine temp wasn’t showing properly- would sit at 110 even though the car had been running at freeway speed for 15 min. Then it would shoot up to 210 at a stop light. Would drop again at speed, then come up at stop, etc, Pulled off coolant sensor connector and cleaned but decide to go ahead and just replace the coolant sensor with a new one. Didn’t realize that sensor controlled so many functions on a 2001. Hopefully the end of replacements for now unless we see a coolant leak (coolant that we drained from bottom end of engine was pretty dirty so radiator may be suspect at this point).
Thanks. We replaced the thermostat around 2 months ago and it seems to be working fine. Replacing the coolant sensor/sending unit seems to have fixed the gauge issue (the old was bit burnt when we pulled it out).
New member here. I just purchased a '97 XJ. I plan to flat tow it behind my '20 Subaru Ascent. Since the OP mentioned it is a TOAD build, I was wondering if anybody has tips on how to activate the brakes on XJ while being towed without it pushing the Ascent to a stop. TIA for the help.
I use an RVI Brake system in my Cherokee to activate the brakes. It sits on the floor and pushes the pedal when it senses you are stopping. It is supposed to be incremental in that it engages then releases as needed with motorhome braking. It has a small screen that connect wirelessly with it on the MH dashboard that allows me to see when brakes are engaged or to manually engage them if necessary. There are several different brands of these systems that only require the break-away cable to be installed in the car (you can probably skip that as well if you want). I am not sure what you mean by "it pushing Ascent to a stop". If it means that your vehicle brakes are stopping the motorhome without you activating motorhome brakes or that the brakes are too sensitive, you may need to adjust them. My unit adjusts by modifying the weight of the vehicle in set-up but others use a push-button system. I have a 36' MH so never had a problem with jeep slowing me down.
The brake system I described (an RVI or Brake Buddy) will do the job if you set it to a very low output I think. The cost is pretty steep for those units if you aren't going to be towing it around all that much. My fear is the the Cherokee you have made outweighs the vehicle towing it (or is fairly close in weight). Yours looks fairly close to mine and mine is pushing 4500 lbs at this point I believe. If the tow vehicle doesn't weight enough, you may get quite a bit of tail-wagging when towing Either way, you will probably need a manual brake system that sits in the floor pan to activate the Jeep brakes and try to adjust it as soft as you can (i.e so that it only activates when you need a hard stop). Otherwise, since your vehicles are almost the same weight, you will get one trying to stop the other (maybe even locking up).
Since I am on here, figured I would update on my build. Cooling on the jeep is great now- Engine temps never exceed 210 (middle of the dial) regardless of outside temp. We replaced Thermostat and installed the larger Wrangler fan in there and that seems to be keeping it cool.
AC was hit or miss in hot weather so we replaced most of the parts (cooling lines, canister, switches) and completely flushed it out and put in new coolant with oil. Compressor seems to be great, it just wouldn't cool at times when it got really hot outside (or would cool intermittently). Once we did this, AC has worked great. We had a small oil leak so replaced the head gasket. We then had a larger leak so replaced the pan gasket and the rear trans seal while we had the pan off. Engine actually looks really good and clean with 134K miles on it. No oil coming off the pan anymore but still have a small leak that drips off the Trans case so not sure where that is coming from (any suggestions)?
We spent a lot of time getting the Jeep ready for the summer trip and towed it over 5000 miles across the country from CA to South Dakota to Chicago and back across the Southwest. Mostly trouble free- no problems with cooling or AC, even when it was 115 in Vegas and Texas and other places. Had to replace a oil sender switch during the trip which was causing a code but otherwise the jeep was awesome.
Jeep with my Dad's Wrangler at White Sands, NM Pirate Cove on the Colorado River. Note- the sand trails here are REALLY soft. Thought I could make it through but got stuck on a trail. Fortunately we were close to the road and were able to dig out enough to get some traction after airing down and putting some rugs on the sand (the rain helped a bit too) to get it out and back on the road.
Biggest issue was in Albuquerque when a guy in a Ford pick-up decided to throw it into reverse suddenly and back right into me going about 10 mph (he stepped on it and didn't even look back). My RCD bumper took the full force on the driver's corner, bending it down and in slightly (it actually took the hit very well considering the blow buckled the whole rear quarter panel and bumper of the Ford). Took the guy's insurance down (he had been drinking but it was private property) and turned it in to my insurance.
With the insurance money for the bumper repair we decided to just get the whole Jeep repainted since some rust spots were starting to appear on the roof and the hood was badly weathered. We were able to mostly straighten the bumper on our own and the powder coating was still fine so we took the money and put it all toward the paint. Went to Maaco and got a decent but affordable paint job done (ended up costing us $700 after using insurance money). Wasn't looking for show quality on a Jeep that we take off-road but didn't want to deal with rust either. Bought new fender flares and front fascia to be painted as well since the old ones were pretty beat up. Had the shop removed the black door protectors and paint the doors where they were. Had to replace the badging on the sides and rear so found some nice black 4x4 badges, black/Chrome Jeep badge for the rear, a Sport badge for the rear, and two "Trail-Rated" circular badges for the front fenders (I know they never had those but they look good). I did not replace the Cherokee on the door yet. I bought some stripe decals to apply to the doors that had Cherokee in them but I may not use them afterall, I also bought some black Cherokee badges from a 2014 Grand Cherokee that I may use instead (wanted black to go against silver paint). One thing I could not find was a black Jeep logo that would fit on the hood. The spot for the jeep emblem on the hood is curved and all the badges I found were flat and didn't stick or look good. Anyone know any place to get a black JEEP badge that is curved like the front of our Jeeps?
Jeep damage from Accident. Fairly minor and was fixed with a chain from bumper to pole and a little creative use of reverse. Insurance and body shop wanted to replace the whole bumper with a stock bumper and parts- I took the check instead. Damage to the other guy's truck. That is going to cost more to fix. Notice the large dent in the quarter panel in front of rear tire. Pushed the entire corner of the truck forward from hit.
I will post up some photos of the jeep with paint and decals later.
04-05-2021, 07:13 PM
