John’s Consistently Inconsistent LJ Build
- Thread starter jrfuda
- Start date
I'm sure they did change it. At the Power Tank product page they link to an article on Quadratec that states it has 1/8 NPT. I pointed this out along with the missing components when I contacted them and they said I can return it but issued no apology.
I bought a manifold, adapters, and a relif valve for $45 on Amazon and will have them all by Friday. I already have all the other components.
Very slow going the last couple of days. I've been pulling, crimping, and heat shrinking wire. Very tedious.
One observation. I'm not impressedd by the Gold Coast Distributing OE-style rocker switches. They look nice, but are overly simple and do not have a good "click" to them. By overly simple, I mean the lead you power the with powers both the LED and provides the current that is switched. So, in the case of me using one as my door switch bypass, I cannot power the LED at all. There seems to be some current leakage even when the swith is off as if I ground the switch, it will not bupass the door switches in on or off mode. The only way to get it to work is to leave the ground disconnected. It works this way but there is no way to have a LED indicator work on it. They should have designed them so you could power the LED independently or bridge it if you want to have the LED and power source the same, like all the carling countura v switches i have are.
Speaking of the carling switches, from my earlier question, I confirmed that they do work with the pulse width modulated illumination wire and which was the wire that I connected when I installed the stereo. Testing today showed both the switches that came with the ARB lockers and the two I bought from OTRATTW worked with the dimming. My voltmeter showed the circuit ranges from just under 12V at full brightness to just under 5 volts fully dimmed.
I probably have 2-4 hours left of finishing wires, testing, and getting everything tidied-up.
One observation. I'm not impressedd by the Gold Coast Distributing OE-style rocker switches. They look nice, but are overly simple and do not have a good "click" to them. By overly simple, I mean the lead you power the with powers both the LED and provides the current that is switched. So, in the case of me using one as my door switch bypass, I cannot power the LED at all. There seems to be some current leakage even when the swith is off as if I ground the switch, it will not bupass the door switches in on or off mode. The only way to get it to work is to leave the ground disconnected. It works this way but there is no way to have a LED indicator work on it. They should have designed them so you could power the LED independently or bridge it if you want to have the LED and power source the same, like all the carling countura v switches i have are.
Speaking of the carling switches, from my earlier question, I confirmed that they do work with the pulse width modulated illumination wire and which was the wire that I connected when I installed the stereo. Testing today showed both the switches that came with the ARB lockers and the two I bought from OTRATTW worked with the dimming. My voltmeter showed the circuit ranges from just under 12V at full brightness to just under 5 volts fully dimmed.
I probably have 2-4 hours left of finishing wires, testing, and getting everything tidied-up.
Got the switch panel installed today. Very tight fit. Picture is with the lights on to show the backlights on each switch. Notice how the three Gold Coast OE-style switches lack backlighting. I still need to connect power and/or loads to most of these.
Spent the morning tidying everything up for the drive to the exhaust shop in the morning. I wanted to put the fender vent covers on as a last bit if tidying but still easy to remove since I still have more wiring and OBA distro to do. I drilled out the mounting holes to hold M10 rivnuts and used them to mount them on the inside of the fender. I can have them on and off in about a minute each and it looks better than mounting them outside.
I did the same thing to mine and yes it makes them super easy to get on & off. Looking good.
Exhaust work is done. While I was there I had them add some flex pipe ahead of the main cat to hopefully prevent cracks upstream.
I had them flex the suspension to make sure everything would have clearance. It was not a full suspension cycle since the springs and jounces were still in place, but I'm familiar enough with how the suspension travels to feel confident there was plenty of clearance. I even gained about 1/2" in front of the track bar and behind the shock.
I had them flex the suspension to make sure everything would have clearance. It was not a full suspension cycle since the springs and jounces were still in place, but I'm familiar enough with how the suspension travels to feel confident there was plenty of clearance. I even gained about 1/2" in front of the track bar and behind the shock.
Not much done over the last week. Pulling, crimping and heat shrinking wire is slow and tedious. I also spent a considerable amount of time mocking up my air distro system, realizing I need a different fitting, rinse and repeat. I think I may finally have it figures out.
No photos of most of the boring wiring other than this. I used a two-hole surface mount housing to accommodate a 12V outlet and 2x USB C, 1x USB A charging port. I ran the wiring so it mirrors the wiring that goes under the door and up the b pillar like the OE wiring does on the driver side. The 12V port will power my electric fridge/freezer/cooler that just fits in the back and will be supplemented by a purpose-made lithium battery and solar panel, so the port will really only top off the battery when the solar is not connected. The battery is supposed to be able to power the cooler for over 24 hours alone.
I had to mount the ports at an angle in order for the covers to function properly as the carpet makes it difficult to open and close them otherwise. The angle drives me crazy. For now, these are switched with the ignition. I have a switch installed to separately control the 12V outlet as the relay it is on is on its own circuit, but I forgot to wire the switch to a constant 12V source so, for now, it can only trigger the relay when the relay when the ignition is on. It was a pain to stuff all the wires in and get the dash bezel around the stereo, AC and switches back in place, so it will likely stay that way until I have some other reason to remove the bezel again.
This morning, when I realized I needed some bolts I did not have to mount my air solenoids, I decided to mount the interior quick coupler kit from ORO. I ran the 3/8 line through clutch block off plate and installed the brackets under the door hooks on both sides. Pressure tested and everything was good. I had never used the push to connect fittings before and did not have much faith in them, but they appear to work great! The bolts should be in this afternoon, so maybe I'll make some progress on the rest of the air distro tomorrow.
Air line through the clutch block off plate. I did not use a grommet since I only drilled through plastic and foam.
Driver's side quick coupler mounted.
No photos of most of the boring wiring other than this. I used a two-hole surface mount housing to accommodate a 12V outlet and 2x USB C, 1x USB A charging port. I ran the wiring so it mirrors the wiring that goes under the door and up the b pillar like the OE wiring does on the driver side. The 12V port will power my electric fridge/freezer/cooler that just fits in the back and will be supplemented by a purpose-made lithium battery and solar panel, so the port will really only top off the battery when the solar is not connected. The battery is supposed to be able to power the cooler for over 24 hours alone.
I had to mount the ports at an angle in order for the covers to function properly as the carpet makes it difficult to open and close them otherwise. The angle drives me crazy. For now, these are switched with the ignition. I have a switch installed to separately control the 12V outlet as the relay it is on is on its own circuit, but I forgot to wire the switch to a constant 12V source so, for now, it can only trigger the relay when the relay when the ignition is on. It was a pain to stuff all the wires in and get the dash bezel around the stereo, AC and switches back in place, so it will likely stay that way until I have some other reason to remove the bezel again.
This morning, when I realized I needed some bolts I did not have to mount my air solenoids, I decided to mount the interior quick coupler kit from ORO. I ran the 3/8 line through clutch block off plate and installed the brackets under the door hooks on both sides. Pressure tested and everything was good. I had never used the push to connect fittings before and did not have much faith in them, but they appear to work great! The bolts should be in this afternoon, so maybe I'll make some progress on the rest of the air distro tomorrow.
Air line through the clutch block off plate. I did not use a grommet since I only drilled through plastic and foam.
Driver's side quick coupler mounted.
I think I finally have my air distro figured out. I spent most of my time this morning trying different arrangements and realized I needed to move some wiring, so I spent some time cutting zip ties and lengthening a few wires. Then I realized that placing that little 1/2 gallon air tank over the driver battery tray is just not going to work. I could cram it and the solenoids in there, but it will take away the flexibility I currently have with that space and require removing several items if I want to work on any of the other stuff I have in there. So the tank is out. If I decide I really need a tank, I'll put one under the tub opposite the exhuast.
Here is what I ended up with. I did not use an actual manifold as the ARB solenoids can be connected together and further connected to the ORO SwayLOC solenoid with a 1/8 BSP to NPT M-M adapter. It took me a bit to come up with the correct sequence to get everything together, but it worked. The regulator will be bolted to the driver sided inner fender above the battery tray. I have some StarBoard (Marine HDPE sheeting) bolted under the ORO solenoid (since it had mounting holes) to provide support to the end of the cluster of solenoids so it won't sag or unscrew. Tomorrow, I will mount it and start swapping out the manual actuator on the SwayLOC for the pneumatic actuator and run the line. I will insert some short lengths of hose with one end sealed in each of the ARB solenoids to keep dirt out until I get around to installing my lockers.
Here is what I ended up with. I did not use an actual manifold as the ARB solenoids can be connected together and further connected to the ORO SwayLOC solenoid with a 1/8 BSP to NPT M-M adapter. It took me a bit to come up with the correct sequence to get everything together, but it worked. The regulator will be bolted to the driver sided inner fender above the battery tray. I have some StarBoard (Marine HDPE sheeting) bolted under the ORO solenoid (since it had mounting holes) to provide support to the end of the cluster of solenoids so it won't sag or unscrew. Tomorrow, I will mount it and start swapping out the manual actuator on the SwayLOC for the pneumatic actuator and run the line. I will insert some short lengths of hose with one end sealed in each of the ARB solenoids to keep dirt out until I get around to installing my lockers.
deadbeat son
TJ Addict
Got the regulator/manifold assembly in place this morning. There is plenty of room to service all the other things I have crammed here, especially if I remove the fender vents.
I removed the manual SwayLOC actuators and installed the pneumatic actuator. It was pretty easy. I incorporated enough slack in the airlines for full flex up and down. Here's a shot of the actuator off (which locks the two sides of the SwayLOC together for on-road use) and on (which pressurizes the piston and disengages the device that joins the two sides of the SwayLOC together, for off-road use). If there is a failure in air pressure, the piston will return to default position which returns the SwayLOC to "on-road" mode.
I removed the manual SwayLOC actuators and installed the pneumatic actuator. It was pretty easy. I incorporated enough slack in the airlines for full flex up and down. Here's a shot of the actuator off (which locks the two sides of the SwayLOC together for on-road use) and on (which pressurizes the piston and disengages the device that joins the two sides of the SwayLOC together, for off-road use). If there is a failure in air pressure, the piston will return to default position which returns the SwayLOC to "on-road" mode.
Your air manifold is looking good. Carry a couple straight push lock couplers to repair air lines.
Steve & I never figured out the why of this.. My tires couldn't have hit it and as far as I knew I don't think I'd hit anything that could have rub this.
It was an expensive weekend...
Yikes.
I am worried about that a little. When I cycled my suspension, my passenger tire would make contact at full stuff with the wheels pointing all the way to the driver side. I can't remember how far forward the contact was since it was before I added the pneumatic actuator.
My research on the forum tells me we will never (almost never?) have your wheels cut all the way in either direction at full stuff. I don't think my rig could achieve full stuff under a static load, even at extreme angles, only during a hard bounce or something. I imagine if you have your wheels cut all the way to either side during a hard impact or bounce, you have more things damaged than just that piston.
I am curious how yours got that way.
I'm dumb. I just remembered that when I did my suspension cycle, I had the SwayLOC links disconnected, so the arms were staying in place, so it should be impossible for my tire to hit mine regardless of position because the arms move with the wheel when the link is connected.
Then again, I guess the further you get from the link the less the arm moves since it pivots, so maybe it is possible with really big tires when they're stuffed into the fender and the wheel is turned sharp.
I guess the only way to know for sure is for me to repeat the suspension cycle at least in that one spot.
Then again, I guess the further you get from the link the less the arm moves since it pivots, so maybe it is possible with really big tires when they're stuffed into the fender and the wheel is turned sharp.
I guess the only way to know for sure is for me to repeat the suspension cycle at least in that one spot.
Last edited:
The only explanation Steve & I could come up with was that there had to be a log in one of the mud holes I'd driven through that hit the cylinder. With the AiRock and can cycle my suspension a lot easier than with a traditional suspension but I wasn't doing any testing like that on the trail.
I was worried about hitting the cylinder this time around and since mine isn't a street rig anymore I decided not to fun the SwayLoc.
I ran several wire bundles along the inside of the frame on the passenger side and became worried that they may get too hot as they are very close to the CAT and the exhaust in some spots.
I purchased this aluminized fiberglass wrap to shield them. It was a 10' length, and I cut it initially to 6' and had to trim it again to 5'4" to get it just right. This leaves me with a 4' and an 8" section left for future use if i need it.
I wrapped the wire bundles, all of which are also in their original sheathing or in loom I provided. I reused the push-in zip ties to hold the metal zip ties that came with the wrap. When you cut the zip ties off of the push fit zip ties, you still have the hole in the push fit part left to run a new zip tie through. I also changed the routing a bit so there would be more clearance between the wire and where it was closest to the exhaust (right at the flex pipe) in the original routing.
I then installed the Savvy UA TC Skid. I pre-installed the rear crossmember and used speed nuts to connect the skid to the main crossmember. This went pretty well. I had to tilt my transmission cooler just a smidge, as the back of the skid pushed against one of the fitting a little.
Now to install the engine/oil pan skid.
I had never unwrapped the hardware for the engine/oil pan (not wise, could have been something missing), which also means I never painted the steel parts of the skid. I cleaned them with some oil and wax remover and hit them with some self-etching primer. I am out of black farm implement paint, which is what I've used almost everywhere else, so I am going to use some metallic silver wheel paint to paint them since I don't know what else I'd do with that paint.
Finally, here is the engine skid mocked up under the engine. I think I am good on clearances all around but will have to tweak once my brackets are dry. I assume the holes I have circled in this photo are the holes for the mounts (can't test now since the brackets are drying). I will have to revisit some of the Savvy UA threads to see what the right configuration of the brackets are. They are two different lengths, and I recall you have to place them in different orientations to make it work, so I'll need to fine the right combination of what length on which side and orientation to get it just right, which I understand may vary among different vehicles based on engine and exhaust differences and/or mods.
I purchased this aluminized fiberglass wrap to shield them. It was a 10' length, and I cut it initially to 6' and had to trim it again to 5'4" to get it just right. This leaves me with a 4' and an 8" section left for future use if i need it.
I wrapped the wire bundles, all of which are also in their original sheathing or in loom I provided. I reused the push-in zip ties to hold the metal zip ties that came with the wrap. When you cut the zip ties off of the push fit zip ties, you still have the hole in the push fit part left to run a new zip tie through. I also changed the routing a bit so there would be more clearance between the wire and where it was closest to the exhaust (right at the flex pipe) in the original routing.
I then installed the Savvy UA TC Skid. I pre-installed the rear crossmember and used speed nuts to connect the skid to the main crossmember. This went pretty well. I had to tilt my transmission cooler just a smidge, as the back of the skid pushed against one of the fitting a little.
Now to install the engine/oil pan skid.
I had never unwrapped the hardware for the engine/oil pan (not wise, could have been something missing), which also means I never painted the steel parts of the skid. I cleaned them with some oil and wax remover and hit them with some self-etching primer. I am out of black farm implement paint, which is what I've used almost everywhere else, so I am going to use some metallic silver wheel paint to paint them since I don't know what else I'd do with that paint.
Finally, here is the engine skid mocked up under the engine. I think I am good on clearances all around but will have to tweak once my brackets are dry. I assume the holes I have circled in this photo are the holes for the mounts (can't test now since the brackets are drying). I will have to revisit some of the Savvy UA threads to see what the right configuration of the brackets are. They are two different lengths, and I recall you have to place them in different orientations to make it work, so I'll need to fine the right combination of what length on which side and orientation to get it just right, which I understand may vary among different vehicles based on engine and exhaust differences and/or mods.
My Savvy engine skid install looks different than all the photos I've seen in the forum. I spent nearly 2 hours dry fitting the skid and redoing both the brackets and braces before I finally got everything lined up and could drill the four holes in the TC Skid. I used some 1/4" aluminum bar stock to check clearance all the way around. The only place it was tight was around the transmission oil pan, which could be because I replaced the OEM pan with the Dorman pan. I still was able to get a tad over 1/4" clearance all the way around.
My brackets are mounted with both tabs to the rear. I believe it was recommended to have one to the rear and one to the front and both inboard to compensate for the asymmetry of the engine mounts (one is slightly more forward than the other) and to ensure maximum clearance for both upper control arms. I could not get the rear end of the engine skid to overlap the front end of the TC skid using any combination of configurations with one or both of the brackets having the tab forward. I could only get it to work with both tabs to the rear which resulted in the driver side being inboard and the passenger side being outboard. I was able to get the braces so that the flange on both was inboard, which was also recommended for clearance. I ran out of time and stopped before I tightened everything and may have to tweak it in the morning; everything is under considerable tension in its current hand-tight state, so it should be very rigid once tightened. Here is what I ended up with:
PASSENGER SIDE
Bracket Orientation: Outboard
Bracket Tab: Rearward
Brace Orientation to Bracket: Brace in front of tab
Brace Orientation: Inboard
Skid hole: Top
DRIVER SIDE
Bracket Orientation: Inboard
Bracket Tab: Rearward
Brace Orientation to Bracket: Brace in front of tab (I might try and swap this to compensate for the motor-mount asymmetry to see if it helps)
Brace Orientation: Inboard
Skid hole: Bottom
I was really hoping to finish up this morning as we may be taking the Jeep out tomorrow to go to some secluded fishing holes that have almost gotten my F150 stuck before. I am going to try and get the bolts tight early in the morning. This will be the Jeep's first offroad trip since I bought it in October.
Bracket and brace arrangement
View showing how I had to use different holes on the front of the skid
Wide shot showing the full skid combo
My brackets are mounted with both tabs to the rear. I believe it was recommended to have one to the rear and one to the front and both inboard to compensate for the asymmetry of the engine mounts (one is slightly more forward than the other) and to ensure maximum clearance for both upper control arms. I could not get the rear end of the engine skid to overlap the front end of the TC skid using any combination of configurations with one or both of the brackets having the tab forward. I could only get it to work with both tabs to the rear which resulted in the driver side being inboard and the passenger side being outboard. I was able to get the braces so that the flange on both was inboard, which was also recommended for clearance. I ran out of time and stopped before I tightened everything and may have to tweak it in the morning; everything is under considerable tension in its current hand-tight state, so it should be very rigid once tightened. Here is what I ended up with:
PASSENGER SIDE
Bracket Orientation: Outboard
Bracket Tab: Rearward
Brace Orientation to Bracket: Brace in front of tab
Brace Orientation: Inboard
Skid hole: Top
DRIVER SIDE
Bracket Orientation: Inboard
Bracket Tab: Rearward
Brace Orientation to Bracket: Brace in front of tab (I might try and swap this to compensate for the motor-mount asymmetry to see if it helps)
Brace Orientation: Inboard
Skid hole: Bottom
I was really hoping to finish up this morning as we may be taking the Jeep out tomorrow to go to some secluded fishing holes that have almost gotten my F150 stuck before. I am going to try and get the bolts tight early in the morning. This will be the Jeep's first offroad trip since I bought it in October.
Bracket and brace arrangement
View showing how I had to use different holes on the front of the skid
Wide shot showing the full skid combo
Got all the bolts on the skid Saturday morning and tidied up a few things.
We took it out to run errands in the morning as a shake down without any issues.
Next we set out to some trails on Fort Bragg. There are trails all through Fort Bragg that are accessible to privately owned vehicles as long as you are conducting an authorized activity such as fishing, hunting, or collecting firewood. All of these require permits. We set out to do some fishing. We hit three ponds and only caught two fish, but it was a good initial off road trial. The trails were split between well maintained with relatively recent grading and gravel to washed-out to the clay and/or deep sand covered with pine straw. It was not difficult at all. I don't think anything ever contacted the ground even on the deepest ruts. My 2WD F150 would have definitely bottomed out though. We did tilt enough to get my wife, who is usually pretty tough, to panick a little as she was in the back seat while my son (home for spring break, marine biology major, fishing afficionado) was in the front with me. She said everything is amplified in the back versus front seat. There were some puddles too, maybe 18" deep and 6' long at the largest. Here's a shot at the second pond.
We took it out to run errands in the morning as a shake down without any issues.
Next we set out to some trails on Fort Bragg. There are trails all through Fort Bragg that are accessible to privately owned vehicles as long as you are conducting an authorized activity such as fishing, hunting, or collecting firewood. All of these require permits. We set out to do some fishing. We hit three ponds and only caught two fish, but it was a good initial off road trial. The trails were split between well maintained with relatively recent grading and gravel to washed-out to the clay and/or deep sand covered with pine straw. It was not difficult at all. I don't think anything ever contacted the ground even on the deepest ruts. My 2WD F150 would have definitely bottomed out though. We did tilt enough to get my wife, who is usually pretty tough, to panick a little as she was in the back seat while my son (home for spring break, marine biology major, fishing afficionado) was in the front with me. She said everything is amplified in the back versus front seat. There were some puddles too, maybe 18" deep and 6' long at the largest. Here's a shot at the second pond.
Similar threads
