Okay, the bearing seals in that hub were probably not good. I would change the other one at your earliest convenience. After all, they both get the same wear.

Also, about deep water. Check both diffs for water contamination. In the front, the inner axle seals are the most likely place for water to get in. Most seals are designed to keep lube IN, not particularly to keep water out. Years ago, Jeep used to recommend servicing all 3 cases after driving thru water above the axle centerline.

 

The manifold bolts are tricky, but it's not that bad once you do it 4 times over the course of two weeks. LOL, don't ask. Anywho, I can do it in about an hour now, assuming I don't lose any tools. A 3/8 socket with a long extension, U-joint, and short extension and a wobble socket (9/16 IIRC) will get that back bolt for ya. When removing, you want to take the bottom bolts out first, and put the bottom bolts back in first when reassembling. The dowels on either end of the manifold can be a PITA.

If you do decide to do it yourself, good luck. It's not as bad as it seems. I know where all the bottom bolts are by feel now, lol. I for one could in no way afford to pay all that labor for someone else to do it.

 

I forgot to mention, when I did it, it was my first jeep, my first time doing it, and my fingertips are numb from carpel tunnel. It's hard for me to start a bolt or nut if I can't even see it! It took me a good 8 hours to do the job.

When I did the job, I replaced all the o-rings on the injectors as well. I wasn't aware it was recommended, it just seemed the thing to do. Also, don't forget to install that bottom bolt on the power steering bracket where it bolts to the block. It adds a lot of stability to the bracket. I found after finishing the job, I had one bolt left over. That was the one. It's really big and short.

 

Where/who is that recommended by? I wouldn't recommend it personally if there is no issue with the injectors. Also, the fuel rail does NOT need to be removed from the intake...made that mistake the first time and then I did have to do my O-rings

 

I did it because I had trouble removing the fuel line coupling from the rail, so I just placed the whole rail and injectors on top of the valve cover with the fuel line still attached. I also didn't remove the throttle body because it didn't seem necessary.

In answer to your question, it was Napa's suggestion when I bought the manifold gasket.It was good that I did buy the o-rings after having trouble with the fuel coupling. BTW, the old rings were hard as a rock.

 

Right, no need to remove the TB either unless you're cleaning it good. I got the quick disconnect toolset from Autozone for ~$20. Made removing that coupling a cinch.

 

The more you guys talk about it, the more convinced I am not to try it myself, lol! Great, I've probably been driving around with water in my diff for about a year now. Yeah the second time I did my radiator it went from a 6 hour job down to a 1 hour job. The most difficult part is figuring out how to get everything off, once you get that down jobs go much quicker. When I did my radiator I actually had to remove the whole bumper because the grill/bumper is one piece (stupid design), and it was held on with like 4 different kinds of fasteners. I think this WJ is a little harder to work on than my XJ was.

 

Yeah cleaned my throttle body and IAC valve a couple weekends ago. Got curious to see if my CCV elbows were clogged, and snapped them both off in the valve cover, grommets were stone hard so I had to rip them out with a screw driver and hammer. Ended up removing my valve cover as well to get them out. And my only intention to start with was cleaning the throttle body.

 

That's that jeep thing that everyone talks about.

 

My brother had it right! "Working on a Jeep is like opening a fish locker. You know what it's going to smell like, but it has to be done."

I have the added problem in that this is my only transportation until my friends get out of work or my sister-in-law decides to answer my call. I have to have EVERYTHING I need or could possibly need before I start a job. I could call a taxi, but living in the country, that can get expensive! That's the main reason I usually bite the bullet and have my mechanic do it.

 

It's kind of weird because my exhaust leak hasn't been presenting itself very much. At first I would hear it for about 2 seconds after start up, maybe twice a week. Then one brisk morning driving to work it was very noisy for about 9 miles, then cleared up. Since then I've heard it maybe once, for about 2 seconds after start up. It's also still rather warm here in Tucson.

 

There is an old mechanic's trick that might help you find your leak. Squirt a little kerosene into the intake when it's running. Kerosene will create a lot of white smoke and you'll be able to locate the leak. It also won't harm anything, except maybe the neighbor's peace of mind. I watched my grandfather do this on the farm to remove carbon on the exhaust valves and my grandma almost called the fire dept. Gramps used a lot of kerosene though. You only need a little.

 

Just an update, the exhaust leak sound still has not come back, still hasn't been under 40 degrees here yet either.

 

Dave, my name is also Dave, but any how. When you did your Intake/exhaust manifold gasket did you also do the exhaust pipe to manifold gasket? Do the manifolds have to be removed to do this gasket anyway?


PS the sound has came back.

 

Have you checked to see if the exhaust has any holes in it? Also when your trying to tighten you exhaust bolts up be careful, they may break. Thou It is odd that temperature is playing a role in you noise problem.