the new throttle body is in! it came yesterday in the mail, but since i had a friend over the other day to help me homebrew some beer, it didn't get installed until today. very quick and easy install.

here is a pic of the throttle body and all that came with it: gaskets, mounting bolts, instructions, and even the always appreciated free sticker


when i pulled the old TB off, i didn't realize how filthy that thing was! i knew how most of that caked oil had goten into it, from before replacing the PCV elbows and vacuum hoses, but had no idea it was as bad as it really was.



swapping over the TPS and IAC is easy, but did run into a bit of a snag when the small screws holding them in place didn't want to budge. a little bit of back-and-forth with the driver released them and then they came out easy enough. mated them up and with the new gasket on the IAC, the new TB was ready to drop in.


something i didn't expect was that the old gaskets were still in great shape!. they are not a felt or paper gasket, but instead are made from a heat resistant plastic. because they were actually still in great shape, they were stored away with the old TB and the old mounting bolts.


when installing the new one, i thought about reusing the old mounting bolts, but realized that the new TB has counter sunk holes that require that only the new ones that come with the TB be used. the new ones actually are installed using a 5mm allen head, which i had the socket extension for that making torquing it to spec even easier. the old ones used a 10mm socket to remove, and do not fit into the counter sunk bolt holes on the new TB. after getting the new gasket and TB on, refitted the air intake tube and checked all my fasteners and bolts. prior to install, i disconnected the battery, which is mandatory before starting the engine back up after install. the engine needs to idle until it reaches normal operating temperature without any input from the accelerator. this allows the computer to refigure it's settings to accommodate the new TB.


after letting it idle and get the engine warm, i shut it off for a few minuets and fired it back up again to make sure it had adjusted correctly. started up much smoother than with the old TB on, and now it was time for a test drive.

my butt-dyno could feel a little more pep as i stepped on the gas. it had a little more power through the RPM range, got up to speed quicker, and even added a smoother tone to the exhaust. at speed it help cruising speed and RPM much better, and if i needed to speed up a little, the boost was almost instantaneous. for a little fun i had to see how well the stock rubber got smoked when i stomped on it. let's just say that even the guy in his riced-out Honda behind me was confused, yet impressed.

overall, i am very pleased with how this turned out. BBk has defiantly got my vote for affordable and well designed equipment that requires little to no adjustment to the unit straight out the box.

 

got a few rattle cans of DupliColor spray on bed liner. i want to keep the stock bumpers on because i personally prefer the look over some after market ones. i also plan on ripping out the carpet and want to bed line the interior. with the two cans i got, i want to spray the front bumper some time in the next few weeks to test this product out. i've used Duplicolor products in the past, and they really work great. i'd figure i'd give their spray on liner a test to see if i want to use that or go with another brand like Herculiner.

 

didnt know a tb could be so fun. haha

 

new parts are always fun

 

I have a year on my goodyear Duratracs and have loved them for pretty much everything other then sand. If I remember what retail price is they are only a little less then the MTR's. Still have tons of tread left on them and my XJ is my dd. Figured I would give you an option.

 

^hmmm... good to know.

one of the things i would like is a tire though that can handle sand. here in MI, there are a few places along Lake Michigan that you can 4X4 at. the big one is Silver Lake, which my brother and his buddies are planning a trip for next year. i'd like to try to have something that can sit on the sand without sinking, yet offer pretty good traction on very loose and dry sand. thinking though, if i do go that route with the Duratracs, maybe getting a wider tire would still allow for relatively good traction when aired down, yet still be decent enough for a DD.

 

take a look at the BFG km2's. i got a buddy who swears by them. hey said the biggest problem with M/t's are they act like skates on ice. i dont know from experience because it doesn't snow in south florida.they arnt aggressive enough for me as my xj is a mud only truck. then agian im looking at agriculture tires.

 

I like the CAI

 

I tend to run 35 psi all the time even when i wheel. Depending on what your rim is you can run the duratrac's down pretty far with out too much concern. I went winter wheeling in SE MI this winter and took my tires down to 15 and they did fine on the trail and weren't to bad on the road back. Silver Lake recommends you air down to around 20 psi if I remember right. Last time i was there i was in my stock tj before i really got into wheeling. I have heard good things about BFG All Terrains being aired down and being decent of into sand.

 

sounds like BFG's are going to be the way to go. for the few sand runs, DD'ing, and not to mention that slushy winter driving we get, that is going to be my best option.

 

so, today i decided to do some more detailing on the interior of. had a couple of stains on the rear hatch area to clean out, and when i went to go scrub the cleaner in, my hand pushed the carpet downwards about an inch! i stopped, saying "wtf," and pulled some of the trim off so i could see under the carpet, and a full 1/4 of the floor in the rear is GONE! i don't mean just a spot here and there, i mean completely gone! from the frame rails to the outer fender have deteriorated to nothing, the open tops of the rails are exposed, but everything from the inside of the frame rails to the center is solid. the wheel tubs are still solid as well, so at least nothing needs to be reshaped. looks like another set back, because i don't want to add more stuff to my jeep if the body isn't going to hold up. i guess now is a good time to learn how to weld.

 

very nice so far. really like the cai i plan on routing mine the same way only keeping the filter up by the master cylinder so as to get extra space for a 2nd. battery. but anyway. BFG's are like the standard for meats they last great and wear even if rotated and aired right but i'm running maxxis AT's 32.5x11.5 on stock 15"alloys and i love them so far. read a lot of good on them and so far i've wheeled in mud water and sand then drove from nc to tx. really quiet on the rd. look good clean well and hook up in slop. wild country is an off brand of maxxis and they have a really good at with a little better sidewal grip i had them on at first same size but blew out a side wall pulling out of the shop and went in and had them swap me out. supertrucks shout out. but as for a dd i would defenitly recomend the maxxis at as it was recommended to me. ooh yea and they're about $25 (each)cheaper than the bfg's as well. that's a benjamin