Basket's Build

[lBasket]

Nice job & looks good.

Thanks Rick. Not a big job or anything, but it's fun doing custom-ish stuff like this. Feels good making stuff work

 

[Rickyd]

That bolt is going to rattle on the muffler. It really ought to be cut down.

 

[Wildman]

That bolt is going to rattle on the muffler. It really ought to be cut down.

Is it the angle or is it touching?

 

[lBasket]

That bolt is going to rattle on the muffler. It really ought to be cut down.

Yes I probably should shorten it. It is too bad I can't pull the muffler out far enough to put it in the other direction

 

[lBasket]

Is it the angle or is it touching?

It is touching

 

[Wildman]

Yes I probably should shorten it. It is too bad I can't pull the muffler out far enough to put it in the other direction

If you put that clamp on why can't you remove it and the muffler to turn the bolt around?

 

[lBasket]

If you put that clamp on why can't you remove it and the muffler to turn the bolt around?

I thought about it but idk I guess I didn't want it to be a PITA to remove on the trail or something. Plus I went through all that effort to put that gasket material on it maybe I was just being lazy at the end of the day.

I really don't get why it's touching, it wasn't before. Since there is that hanger on the trans mount I don't get how it ended up moving in that direction

 

[reddvltj]

I thought about it but idk I guess I didn't want it to be a PITA to remove on the trail or something. Plus I went through all that effort to put that gasket material on it maybe I was just being lazy at the end of the day.

I really don't get why it's touching, it wasn't before. Since there is that hanger on the trans mount I don't get how it ended up moving in that direction

Some times a small twist in the pipe is all it takes to shift some things over. Is it possible you didn't get the pipe lined back up exactly the way it was before you put the clamp on it.

 

[lBasket]

Some times a small twist in the pipe is all it takes to shift some ingredients over. Is it possible you didn't get the pipe lined back up exactly the way it was before you put the clamp on it.

True might be a real easy simple fix when I feel like tearing that gasket material

 

[reddvltj]

True might be a real easy simple fix when I feel like tearing that gasket material

For that matter you could try lostening your manifold to pipe connection and twisting it from there. There's not a lot of room to move there but it could be enough.

 

[Rickyd]

Sawzall would be the lazy man's approach. Assuming you don't cut into the nut

 

[lBasket]

Sawzall would be the lazy man's approach. Assuming you don't cut into the nut

Tempting... I wonder if I could pull that off without cutting something else on accident

 

[tworley]

Take the muffler off and make clearance with a bfh. Or, take the muffler off and flip the bolt around.

 

[lBasket]

I can't hear that bolt hitting the muffler yet so I'm gonna go ahead and ignore it

 

[lBasket]

Since Mr @taylormade73 was (rightfully) mildly shaming me for all my ghetto air stuff, I decided to buy something halfway decent for once

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Since Mr @taylormade73 was (rightfully) mildly shaming me for all my ghetto air stuff, I decided to buy something halfway decent for once

View attachment 626777

Noice!

 

[MBDIAGMAN]

I started working on installing my new compressor that I got from @Apparition, finally. I am putting it on the ABS tray, but it is a bit long so I am using some metal I had laying around to extend the tray to fit the compressor.

Marking where the compressor will go and where to cut the lip off the tray.
View attachment 501071

Here is the extendo-bracket. I was originally going to put it on top of the ABS tray, but I ended up putting it sandwiched between the ABS tray and it's support so that it would be more rigid.

View attachment 501072

Here it is installed:

View attachment 501073

View attachment 501074

Okay, so that’s a permanent mount and you have enough hose to reach any tire from there. Good job!

I’m on holiday det away with the whole fam damily. When I get home Saturday, I’ll make sure I have room there. Thanks.

 

[hivescum]

Start with the easier, the thermostat. If it's sticking, it could cause the symptoms you described. To confirm my thought, I asked my AI mechanic about the symptoms. Here's what it said:

Yes—if the thermostat is sticking closed (or only cracking open a little), it can absolutely give you the one-two punch of:

1. Overheating at idle or in stop-and-go traffic, and
2. Little to no heat coming from the HVAC vents.

Why that happens​

Thermostat position	What the coolant does	Result at the gauge	Result at cabin heater
Normal (opens ~195 °F / 90 °C)	Hot coolant leaves the engine, circulates through radiator and heater core, returns cooled	Temperature stabilises in the 200–215 °F range	Hot coolant flows through heater core → warm air
Stuck closed or sticky	Coolant can’t leave engine block easily; flow through radiator and heater core is restricted	Heat soaks in the block, especially while idling (water pump spins slow) → temp climbs	Little or no coolant gets to heater core → “cold” vents

Because the Jeep TJ’s heater core is plumbed in parallel with the radiator circuit (both branches sit behind the thermostat), any restriction at the thermostat reduces flow to both the radiator and the heater core. At road speed you sometimes get enough ram-air through the radiator to mask the problem, but at idle that extra airflow disappears—so the temp needle creeps up while the cabin stays cold.

Quick sanity checks​

1. Watch the upper radiator hose:
   • Cold when you start → suddenly gets hot ≈ thermostat opened.
   • Stays cool even as the gauge climbs ≈ thermostat stuck closed
2. Feel the heater hoses (carefully): both should get hot once the Jeep is at operating temp. One cold hose usually points to low/no flow.
3. Burp the system: trapped air can mimic a stuck thermostat, so top up coolant and bleed air first.

Other culprits that can look similar​

Symptom overlap	Possible cause	How to differentiate
Overheats at idle and no cabin heat	• Low coolant level / air pocket • Weak water pump • Severely clogged heater core	Coolant level check; squeeze test on lower hose; infrared temp gun across radiator/heater hoses
Overheats at idle but cabin heat is OK	fan clutch failure, clogged radiator fins	Heater output proves coolant is flowing; look at fan operation and radiator surface temps
Normal temp gauge but no cabin heat	Blend-door actuator or cable not moving, heater core clogged	Both heater hoses hot → blend door; one hose hot, one cold → core restriction

Best fix path​

1. Replace the thermostat (use an OE-spec 195 °F unit and a fresh gasket). They’re under $20 and take <1 hour.
2. Flush/burp the system and refill with 50/50 HOAT-compatible coolant.
3. Check water-pump impeller if problem persists—high-mileage 4.0 L pumps can erode or loosen.
4. Inspect fan clutch (for ’97-’99 mechanical fan) or electric fan relay (’00-’06).
5. Back-flush heater core if you still lack cabin heat.

My 04 TJ has a fan clutch, not an electrical fan relay. It's a 5spd but I don't think that matters. Think all the TJs had fan clutch.

 

[lBasket]

My 04 TJ has a fan clutch, not an electrical fan relay. It's a 5spd but I don't think that matters. Think all the TJs had fan clutch.

I think the 4banger might have electric fans?

I forgot to update this thread but it did not start to overheat while idling on the trip to wheeler lake for whatever reason?

 

[reddvltj]

I think the 4banger might have electric fans?

I forgot to update this thread but it did not start to overheat while idling on the trip to wheeler lake for whatever reason?

Yes the 2.4l 4clys came with electric fans!

Edit: 2003 and up 4cly