What did you do to your TJ today?

[MikekiM]

Came out to a puddle of coolant under the TJ. Water pump shit the bed.

When you own a house, you make a list of things that need to get done. Prioritize them. Add new things to the bottom, check them off the top and when the list is done, it's time to buy another house. So there's that...

 

[Zorba]

As I think I've mentioned, I'm going to be tearing apart the front end this fall when this horrid HOT weather cools off. But today was relatively cool for this time of year, so I thought I'd change out the front track bar as it isn't connected to anything else that I'll be messing with. This "15 minute" job ended up taking 3+ hours end to end. 1-1/2 hours was spent getting the castle nut off the frame end ball joint as Jeep was too fucking stupid/cheap to simply slather a bit of never seize on the goddamned cotter pin which just wasn't going to come out. Long story short, I broke the pin off, then Dremeled it even with the nut castellations on both ends, then used a socket and my 3 foot breaker bar to force the castle nut to cut the remaining bit off even with the threads. Once that was done, a newly purchased "pickle fork" made short work of getting that end off, the axle end was no problem, and the new one went on swimmingly - and yes, I put some goddamned never seize on the new cotter pin. That took no more than 30 minutes, the other hour was spent between taking 2 or 3 cool off breaks because I was overheating, getting the damn tire that I shouldn't have had to take off put back on in the dark, and picking up the 74 tools that were scattered all over the driveway.

 

[MikekiM]

…. nut castelations

Is that a real word?

 

[All 4 Wheelin']

Is that a real word?

It is if you want it to be

 

[Zorba]

Is that a real word?

It is if you want it to be

It is - although I mis-spelled it, it has 2 letter L:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/castellation

​

Which actually refers to this exact usage, much to my surprise.

 

[KennethS]

I mis-spelled it

Dang, where were the grammar police? Donut shop?

 

[TimV]

Not today, past Sunday, new fuel injectors. Former number 5 injector had gone open circuit.
Turns out the PO had installed 4 hole injectors. Anybody recognize them?
New injectors are oem replacement from standard motor products via rockauto.
Nice relaxing job for a Sunday afternoon.

Tim

 

[Kiwi TJ]

Happy Kings Day to our beloved Kiwi!!!

Cheers mate…. Unfortunately I had to work on the long weekend….. but not this weekend I have five days off owing me.

 

[Grenadiers]

As I think I've mentioned, I'm going to be tearing apart the front end this fall when this horrid HOT weather cools off. But today was relatively cool for this time of year, so I thought I'd change out the front track bar as it isn't connected to anything else that I'll be messing with. This "15 minute" job ended up taking 3+ hours end to end. 1-1/2 hours was spent getting the castle nut off the frame end ball joint as Jeep was too fucking stupid/cheap to simply slather a bit of never seize on the goddamned cotter pin which just wasn't going to come out. Long story short, I broke the pin off, then Dremeled it even with the nut castelations on both ends, then used a socket and my 3 foot breaker bar to force the castle nut to cut the remaining bit off even with the threads. Once that was done, a newly purchased "pickle fork" made short work of getting that end off, the axle end was no problem, and the new one went on swimmingly - and yes, I put some goddamned never seize on the new cotter pin. That took no more than 30 minutes, the other hour was spent between taking 2 or 3 cool off breaks because I was overheating, getting the damn tire that I shouldn't have had to take off put back on in the dark, and picking up the 74 tools that were scattered all over the driveway.

View attachment 620597View attachment 620598

BEST description of working on a Jeep I’ve ever read!

 

[06GEEP]

BEST description of working on a Jeep I’ve ever read!

I could actually see everything that happened.

 

[Zorba]

BEST description of working on a Jeep I’ve ever read!

Snort! Pretty much typical of the flails I find myself in. I told my wife before I started that this was a "15 minute job...". She said "Sure it is...". I told her that meant it wouldn't take much more than 3 hours - and I was pretty much right on!

 

[Zorba]

Oh - AND...

I was thinking the whole time while putting that tire back on in the pitch black, that when I get my rock lites put on, anyone who has a comment about putting lites in the wheel wells will be invited to kiss my hairy lilly white ass!

 

[matkal]

As I think I've mentioned, I'm going to be tearing apart the front end this fall when this horrid HOT weather cools off. But today was relatively cool for this time of year, so I thought I'd change out the front track bar as it isn't connected to anything else that I'll be messing with. This "15 minute" job ended up taking 3+ hours end to end. 1-1/2 hours was spent getting the castle nut off the frame end ball joint as Jeep was too fucking stupid/cheap to simply slather a bit of never seize on the goddamned cotter pin which just wasn't going to come out. Long story short, I broke the pin off, then Dremeled it even with the nut castelations on both ends, then used a socket and my 3 foot breaker bar to force the castle nut to cut the remaining bit off even with the threads. Once that was done, a newly purchased "pickle fork" made short work of getting that end off, the axle end was no problem, and the new one went on swimmingly - and yes, I put some goddamned never seize on the new cotter pin. That took no more than 30 minutes, the other hour was spent between taking 2 or 3 cool off breaks because I was overheating, getting the damn tire that I shouldn't have had to take off put back on in the dark, and picking up the 74 tools that were scattered all over the driveway.

View attachment 620597View attachment 620598

BTDT, I feel your pain.

 

[LaZ8787]

I’ll be lucky if my AAs in the garage last 6 months. It would be interesting to see how long this lasts as I have a tag in all the vehicles.

I think regular alkaline AAs would start leaking after a few years. The lithium batteries should hold up pretty well, even with a little heat. The regular old CR2032s generally last about a year for me.

 

[LaZ8787]

Tell me more..

AirTag for tracking if your Jeep goes walkabout?

You just bury it someplace in the Jeep?

I'd put one in each of my half doors.. those are vulnerable in this neck of the woods...

While it's not *true* gps tracking, the tag has to come pretty close to another Apple device (that hasn't turned this feature off) to ping the server. A little VHB tape and you can stick it someplace inconspicuous. Usually, because of the creep factor involved, iPhones will tell you if an anonymous airtag is traveling with you. I rip the tag apart and take out the speaker so it's harder to find (many YouTube videos about this).

Fairly cheap, no monthly fees, and it might be useless in the event that someone does steal it, but maybe it'll help. lol

 

[Unique Username]

While it's not *true* gps tracking, the tag has to come pretty close to another Apple device (that hasn't turned this feature off) to ping the server. A little VHB tape and you can stick it someplace inconspicuous. Usually, because of the creep factor involved, iPhones will tell you if an anonymous airtag is traveling with you. I rip the tag apart and take out the speaker so it's harder to find (many YouTube videos about this).

Fairly cheap, no monthly fees, and it might be useless in the event that someone does steal it, but maybe it'll help. lol

I have one in both Jeeps, the car and the RV and I receive pretty regular updates from them given the IPhone presence. I feel confident if any of them grew legs I would land fairly close to its final destination.

We had a guys lunch pail stollen out of a dump truck and the tag lead them straight to the kids house. It’s a fairly reliable system.

 

[CJ with a TJ]

Replaced a cracked power steering pulley. Removed the broken one with no real difficulty, but none of the bolts in my HF/Maddox kit would screw into the center hole of the pump. I think it was just so far gone inside of that hole, nothing has been in there in 22+ years.

I figured that this pulley would last longer than the pump, so I "made it work". Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. Anyway, the new pulley is installed, it's lined up perfectly, and everything is running as it should.

Another item checked off the list.

 

[CJ with a TJ]

Oh, and yesterday was a new thermostat, new radiator and heater core hoses, and replacing the airbox bolts that I snapped the other week while getting access to the passenger side shock upper bolts.

While I was in there I cleaned up all the accumulated grime on that inner fender area, took out the battery tray and scraped and painted it, then put it all back together. Also cleaned up the frame in there, brushed off the rust, sprayed it with Rust Reformer.

Slowly but surely she's getting back to respectable.

 

[LaZ8787]

I have one in both Jeeps, the car and the RV and I receive pretty regular updates from them given the IPhone presence. I feel confident if any of them grew legs I would land fairly close to its final destination.

We had a guys lunch pail stollen out of a dump truck and the tag lead them straight to the kids house. It’s a fairly reliable system.

My F150 has tracking through the Fordpass app, but I've got a speakerless airtag with lithium batteries stashed away in there as well. Cheap peace of mind.

 

[lBasket]

Unfortunately, the geometry of that steering design creates bump steer. Here is why:

In a live axle positioned with a panhard (track) bar, as the front suspension cycles the axle moves side to side along the arc created at the axle side of the panhard bar. At the same time, the steering knuckle moves side to side along the arc created at the axle side of the drag link.

When the axle cycles up and down, if the two arcs are identical the axle and the knuckle move side to side at the exact same rate, and the wheels continue to point in the direction of travel. If the two arcs are not identical, the steering knuckle moves at a different rate relative to the axle, causing the wheels to deviate from the direction of travel. This is bump steer.

The easiest way to make these arcs identical (and the easiest way to understand it - see my stock comment below) is to have the track bar and the drag link be the exact same length, and parallel to one another. This way, during cycling the axle and the knuckle move side to side at the exact same rate, and the wheels continue to point in the direction of travel - meaning no bump steer.

Here is your setup - the red lines indicating the position of the track bar and the drag link. They are neither the same length, nor close to being parallel.

View attachment 620232

Now picture what happens when the axle cycles up and down. Because of the different arcs created by the panhard bar and the drag link, the steering knuckle will move relative to the axle and deviate from the direction of travel. This is the reason crossover steering does not work well in the TJ when using a panhard bar in the stock location. It takes surprisingly little difference in these arcs to create bump steer.

Now to complicate it just a bit, if you look closely at the stock TJ inverted Y setup, I believe the drag link and the track bar are neither the exact same length, nor perfectly parallel (it's been quite a while since I've seen a stock setup, so working from memory). However, they are engineered in such a way that the axle side arcs created by each are identical within the range of travel of the stock TJ - and therefore no bump steer.

A very easy way to identify if you have bump steer (other than noticing the effects) is to drive straight over a speed bump with your hands off of the wheel. If the steering wheel moves at all as the front suspension cycles, you have bump steer.

Whew this is an amazing explanation