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Fortunately, the dipstick tube on my transmission pan separated without issue, but of course this "simple" job ended up being a pain in the ***. I spent a pretty good amount of time cleaning the pan and mating surfaces to remove all of the old RTV and caked-on oil. I bolted up a new Wix filter to the transmission and applied a thin bead of RTV to the pan before setting the gasket in place (which I later changed my mind about).
As I was reinstalling the pan on Sunday, I stripped one of the bolt holes. According to the Haynes manual, the transmission pan bolt torque spec is 10 ft-lb. For a tranny pan bolt, I thought this torque was high, and it definitely felt high, but I went with it anyway. I should've known better, especially with aluminum. The relatively high torque combined with an angled bolt not wanting to seat correctly stripped the hole threads clean. The gasket was squeezing out the sides after torquing all of the bolts down, so I tossed the somewhat destroyed Wix gasket and ordered a Fel-Pro. Upon removing the pan a second time, I had to clean the mating surface again and remove the RTV I had just applied. I realized how annoying this would make having to drop the pan in the future, so I decided against using RTV. Plus, I'm pretty sure most of these manufacturers of rubber tranny pan gaskets strongly advise against using any adhesive with their gaskets (at least the instructions that came with the Fel-Pro gasket did). The pan had also become raised at the bolt holes due to overtightening the bolts, so I hammered them flat.
I used a 1/4" x 28 Heli-Coil thread insert kit to retap the stripped hole today, and it worked really well. I had never retapped a hole before, so my friend came over and helped me out. It was a good learning experience, and now I'll feel more comfortable having to do it in the future. My friend also helped me drop the crossmember and install a new transmission mount.
The second time through, I installed the gasket dry. I applied anti-seize to the pan bolts and torqued them to about 5.5 ft-lbs (basically hand tight). I filled the tranny up with 4 quarts of Castrol Transmax Dex/Merc and the transfer case with Castrol Transmax ATF+4 until it overflowed. After that, it was time to start the engine up! I was going to take a trip around the block to see how it drove with the SYE and new rear driveshaft installed, but I noticed a pretty constant transmission fluid leak coming from a nut on what I assume to be a transmission line (see picture below ). I checked the dipstick while idling in neutral, and the fluid looks like it's way above the max line. I had never had this leak prior to this transmission service, so I'm wondering if the overfill of transmission fluid is causing it. Interesting thing is that it only leaks while the engine is running.
I'll drain some fluid out of the pan tomorrow. THE OWNER'S MANUAL IS WRONG ABOUT ADDING 4 QUARTS WHEN SERVICING THE TRANNY PAN.
The factory manual states to:
(85) Apply Mopar or Loctite 599 to sealing surface
of oil pan. Sealer bead should be at least 3 mm (1/8
in.) wide. Install pan on case and tighten pan bolts to
7 Nzm (65 in. lbs.) torque.
(85) Apply Mopar or Loctite 599 to sealing surface
of oil pan. Sealer bead should be at least 3 mm (1/8
in.) wide. Install pan on case and tighten pan bolts to
7 Nzm (65 in. lbs.) torque.
which is about 5.5 foot pounds
Sweet. The Haynes manual can't be trusted sometimes.
I'm still alive! I've been pretty absent from this site and wrenching since my knee surgery, but I figured an update was long overdue.
I've been driving everyday everywhere. Gas mileage definitely sucks now, and it's slow off the line, but this was expected. I'm tentatively planning on regearing before this year ends. Other than that, I love driving this XJ.
I went on a site visit yesterday for work, so I had to snap a picture. It required some minor off-roading (4WD wasn't needed), but it was the first time she had seen dirt since the build. Good time.
I finally wired up and installed my new rear-view mirror two weekends ago with a friend. Also relocated the ScanGauge right above it. Looks much cleaner now. It's the Gentex 50-GENK20A if anyone's curious. This model displays temperature and compass.
I discovered that my tires rub on the lower control arms and frame at full lock. Wondering if I should've gone with 3.75" backspacing instead of 4". I'm going to look into wheel spacers.
Geeze, it's been a while. I've been busy with other things, but I'm coming back around to the XJ now. I figured I'd get back to updating this thread.
I've been driving her everyday and getting outdoors every weekend. I went out to Cold Creek with some friends at the end of January for some off-roading in the snow. That was the first real test for the new build, and it performed pretty well. I realized quickly that I definitely want lockers though.
A friend helped me install the driver side Brown Dog motor mount last night. Holy **** it sucked. It took us 4 hours and it was 11pm by the time we finished, so we called it a night and saved the passenger side motor mount for another day in the near future. We also fixed that minor transmission fluid leak I mentioned previously. It was coming from the old cooler line fitting since one of the internal o-rings was torn, so we installed a new fitting and the leak stopped. If only it was always that easy.
We noticed that the parking brake line has been rubbing on the U-joint of the new rear driveshaft, so we drilled a small hole through an available spot in the body and zip tied the brake line out of the way.
Tax refund money means I plan on regearing in the very near future. I'm also getting electronic lockers. Most likely Eaton, but I still need to do a little more research.
It's good to be back on track!
Last edited by lordbyron; Feb 25, 2016 at 06:21 PM.
I had Adam's Driveshaft install Yukon 4.56s yesterday, which required a new D30 case, along with new Solid diff covers. Looks pretty sweet!
There is an issue though. The guys at Adam's told me that they noticed an "angle vibration" BEFORE they installed everything (they drive customers' vehicles before and after installation to note any differences or preexisting conditions). I told them I've never experienced any kind of significant vibe, and their reply was, "You're probably just used to it. We deal with Jeeps everyday, so we pick up on those little things that most people don't." They pointed out to me that the rear driveshaft wasn't perfectly aligned with the rear axle, and that a 2 or 3 degree shim would most likely fix it.
On the way home, there was a deafening, droning sound on the freeway that I've NEVER heard before. It's bad. I was hoping this was going to be a one-stop shop kind of job, but I'll be calling them on Monday to have them address this new issue. Maybe they thought I was an idiot and a non-car guy, but who knows.
Also, I passed on lockers this time around as I felt like they weren't worth the money for me at the moment. I don't do any hardcore wheeling, and I've never needed them in any off-road situations I've been in. If that changes in the future and I find that I need lockers, I'll get them then.
Last edited by lordbyron; May 14, 2016 at 10:19 PM.
I have an SYE and CV driveshaft, so I need the pinion angle to be aligned with the driveshaft. If you haven't installed an SYE, then you need the angles to match, as shown in the picture.
Today was productive. I cleaned/organized my garage, fixed my oil filter adapter leak, and did an oil change.
It seems like the biggest problem people have with the oil filter adapter job is just breaking that T60 bolt free. I used a cheater bar (1/2" drive extension and socket) on a T60 L wrench and it worked well. Once free, I used a T55 L wrench to back the bolt out since the space is tight and the smaller wrench provides more clearance. The job took me about 2 hours to complete, but I like to take my time. The process is pretty straight forward and simple though. Hopefully, it takes care of the leak.
Next, I gotta look into an AC leak. It's getting hot as ***** here and warm AC air is no bueno.
A few weeks ago, I installed 2.5 degree steel axle shims to fix the pinion angle. It made a noticeable difference, but I still end up getting some vibes at 70 mph. However, that's substantially better since I used to get vibes just when accelerating (post regearing). I also bought new leaf spring center pins because I was worried that the old ones would be too short after installing the shims. After installation, I cut down the center pins and figured I'd cut the U-Bolts down too.
Set-up
Corrected pinion angle
Adam's Driveshaft requires a 700-mile diff service after the regearing. They gave me the option to either bring it in to the shop or do it myself, so I did it myself (of course). In the process, I ended up stripping two holes and cross-threading one when bolting the diff cover back up. I will never attempt to hit the 30 ft-lb torque spec ever again. Only hand tightening to snug the bolts up from here on out.
I only needed to retap the slightly cross-threaded hole to fix it, and my friend came over to help me install two Time-Serts in the others. Those things are way cool. To stay under warranty, I'll have to take the XJ to Adam's and have them do the 1500-mile service.
Also, instead of using RTV, I used a gasket from Lube Locker. I'm definitely looking forward to future diff fluid changes now. I finished it last weekend, and no leaks so far! Totally worth the price IMO. I also bought a gasket for the D30, so I'll install that whenever I service the front.
Up next: I've had the instrument cluster LED light set from One Way Light laying around, and I'll get around to installing them soon. Still need to fix my A/C (blowing warm air 60% of the time). I think the next big things are bumpers. I gotta get my 33" spare out of my cargo area.
