So Houston we have a problem.
Had to run some errands today and my last stop was the bank.
So while I was idling at the drive up all of a sudden I noticed that
what usually reads about 13.75 on my amp gauge reads more like 12.25.
When I went to the store yesterday to buy those bolts I did not notice anything wrong.
I turned on everything I could think of at it really tanked.
If I turned on my Ext Idle switch it would go up to about 13.25.
So I go home and start checking things. Verified my gauge readings with my meter.
Check belt tension. connections, etc. Nothing.
While I was checking certain things the Jeep was off and would cool down a bit.
When I started her back up the amp gauge would read higher but appeared to drop
as the temp rose.
So I swap back in the old alternator
Everything like it should be.
So hoping it was not user error I dropped the alternator off and we will see what he finds.
If anything. LOL.
Oh well. I tried.

Any of you guys remember the guy here who could not do a alternator in a '97 and up Jeep to save his life.
Kept on saying BMW's or foreign or something were easier to work on.
It was bad. Think the guy got banned.
Every time I mess with anything concerning the alternator I flash back to all those posts. MLOL.

 

back on stock wheels and all vibes gone!

 

Well the Up Country Clone is nearly done. Installed Crown 52001125 coil springs and Crown 4886186AA leads along with new bushings, replacement shackles and coil insulators. The front is rigid but its positive feeling. 18.5" front and 19" rear. I suspect it will settle about 1/2" in a few weeks. I'm also really not sure how I feel about the Hellas. They do their job but sometimes I feel they are out of place.

I plan to do Bilstein 5100's, extended bumpstops, QD the front, larger trans cooler and tow hooks (they haven't come in yet) Still gotta wrap up the parking brake cables from the disc conversion.

When folks say the CC782 springs are THE Up Country coils, the Crowns I used are not variable rate and match Up Country package codes. They are THE coil springs.

 

New fuel lines, a little paint work, resleeved a couple harnesses in the engine bay, and started messing with the nut strips next to the gas tank.

I remember everything. It was toxic. Banned, he was. I wonder if hes still driving that thing.

 

Changed my upper control arms to adjustables from Core, also replaced the axle mount bushings.

Neither was fun, the bushings took real work to get out and I couldn’t get my ball joint press lined up worth a damn to press in the replacements. Once I finally got those in I got the passenger side arm in, measured to the suggested length. I however gave up trying to rotate the axle more to get the driver side lined up to the same measurement and just adjusted it to line up for install and figured I’d let the alignment shop sort it out after.

Then I replaced the tie rod and end (to ZJ) as well as the drag link and end (moog) then put in a new steering stabilizer to finish it off using the ol zerk to zerk measuring technique lol.

While knocking out the old rod ends I found out rather quickly that a large part of my loose steering issue was that the gear box had loosened up from the frame. So I cleaned up the bolts, threw locktite on them and proceeded to torque down everything else associated with the front axle, track bar bolts, it’s mounting bracket lower control arms, etc. I’m honestly shocked at how loose some of them were.

Since we are planning a trip up to the mountains this weekend I feel better about it all. Turns out the only alignment spec I had out of whack was the toe, 1.05*off on each side.

 

So since the alternator upgrade has taken a turn for the worse and it is going to rain a little later figured I would mess
with the factory tranny cooler that I scoffed from the boneyard awhile back from a '99 to try and put in the '00.


I started a thread cause I just want to verify a few things before I flush it.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/fac...o-00-a-257513/

 

So looks like my last act of putzing around today before it rains was dealing with this.

I found it in the trash at work awhile back. It is one of those truck bed boxes that are hinged. You can flip it out towards the tailgate.
Lido way back when made boxes for the cargo area of the XJ's. Some say Jeep. Some say Lido. But they are all made by Lido.
You see the passenger side ones from time to time for sale. I have never seen the driver's side one for sale though.
So I took off all the hinge crap wondering if this will fit.
Thinking not. Compared to a passenger side Lido box I have.

The Lido box does not go all the way to the back of the seat but still think the other one is at least a couple inches to long still.
Next time I have my spare out I will see how it looks but thinking it will end up back in the trash. LOL.

 

Disconnected the shifter interlock recall switch so i get it out of park

 

That is a sweet 2001.

 

Started diagnosing my overheating issue and did a block test. Test showed the presence of fumes in my coolant. So I pulled the dreaded 0331 head off to find it cracked in the usual spot. Stated weighing my options of replacing the head or the entire engine since it’s always had lower engine knock above 3000RPM since I bought it used with 220,000 miles. Pulled the pan off and wiggled the rod caps. Sure enough they were loosey goosey. Pulled one of the caps off to find the crank was severely damaged. Felt like sand paper. Which is funny because the “mechanic” I bought it from said he rebuilt it, ha ha! So I immediately started pulling the engine out and got it strapped to a pallet. Thinking about a Titan reman. Still waiting for them to answer a few questions I had about what heads they use. Then it looks like I’ll be making the 11hr drive from WV to Fl to deliver the core and bring back the replacement engine. Man, aren’t jeeps fun? All jokes aside, I really enjoyed working on it. It’s gave me a lot more confidence to tackle some other daunting projects that I’ve been putting off.

 

I talked to my buddy, who while not a Jeep guy just knows his ****, about building an engine for my '00. Says not a problem. Not that I need one. Yet. LOL.
But if I ever went with a reman I kinda thought maybe the way to go would be to buy a short block, find a TUPY head, have that reworked, assembly it, and install.
For the exact same reason that you brought up. Wondering what head they use.
Of course I don't even know if you can buy a 4.0 short block.

 

Mixed reviews as far as you can see when it come to reman companies. If you look long enough you can even find bad reviews about Golen. You are saving yourself about 1600 bucks installing it yourself but from what I read you might have a harder time getting them to warranty it. I didn't trust myself to do it nor did I have the space. Mine has a 3 year 100k parts and 125 per hour labor warranty. Reimbursed toeing nationwide if it breaks down because of the motor. It's has a melt tag on it so they know if it overheats. Who knows how any of that will play out if (when) I need it though. You can still find mopar long blocks if you want to go that route.
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I'm picking up an 88 4.0 this week. Cant wait to open it up. I've been fiddling with the spare head that I have and can honestly say they are not overly complicated!

 

I just received their email and apparently they use reconditioned used heads. They said they couldn’t guarantee that I would get a TUPY or not. Gave me the option of upgrading to a heavier head that doesn’t have the cracking issue. I’m not sure what to do now. Do I pay the 300 now for the upgrade or later for a TUPY? I’ve got some decisions to make.

 

that would make me concerned. What other head would it be?