YJ winter work

Ok so while the gas was drying on the CJ motor Ryan and Nester helped to realign the power steering pulley. It no longer squeels at idle but I will have to take it for a test run through the neighborhood. Hopefully it will fix the problem of the belt being thrown every time the motor gets wet. Next on the list:
1. 9" currie rear axle tube is leaking out the drivers side again. I'm gonna take it apart and see if it needs a new seal or something.

2. Thump in drivetrain and clutch not working properly. I'm going to replace the clutch and while doing so I'll check for other sources of the thump.

3. going to install the MORE motor lift, tuck the drivetrain up into the body a little better. There is a lot more room there since installing the 2" body lift. Also going to replace the belly pan with a piece of ballistic steel courtesy of Dave Leasure. I'll trace the old pan onto the steel and cut it out. the atlas may need a relief cut out and then I'll build a skid for that.

4. Front shocks bottom out and they are at risk for breakage, also the crank pully can contact the steering hardware at full compression. going to install bump stops in the front to solve that.

5. rear locker ARB line needs a new O ring at the axle. simple fix.

6. soft top is half destroyed at mounting locations. gonna have to fix that so I can wheel in all weather.

7. ARB switches are going to be rewired so that I can engage and disengage the front and rear lockers independently.

8. Rear suspension winch will be installed. I'm going to just run the one from the front back through some strategically placed pulleys to make it work. eventually I may install a rear one independent from the front if needed. I will have to see how it functions on the trail.

9. Need to install a 5 point racing harness.

10. build onto the stock cage to strengthen around the windshield.

Looks just like my list only change the ARB to swap in aussie lockers. Call or Text me if you need anymore help.

Eric anytime you want something to do you can count on me doing something with one of the jeeps. I worked half day today and then took apart the rear axle to find the leak. I think I have a bad seal and the bearing has to be pressed on/off to replace it. I'll leave that for another day and drop it off at full circle after the part comes in. Took off the oil pan skid, belly pan, front and rear driveshaft. both driveshafts were nearly seized up. I knocked the grease fittings off long ago. I was able to free them up with a BF hammer and a lot of grease. this weekend I'll remove the transfer case and tranny to check the clutch.

Let me know if you run your YJ up to Dave. I need to get that Dana 44 from him.

makitupthehardway wrote:

Let me know if you run your YJ up to Dave. I need to get that Dana 44 from him.

Sounds good to me. I will likely be at least a month or so. I may get everything else done to the YJ first and then take it for a test run and drop it off there on the way home.

Cool I will call you tomorrow afternoon about coming over Emily is babysitting. I might even fire up the YJ and drive it over.

I have heard that hi9 is having a lot of issues with arbs seals wearing out. It might be worth investing in a bearing puller. It might be cheaper in the long run.

id just build a whole new cage vs. adding on to the stock one.

I think you are right on with building the entire new cage. sell the old family cage and build a trail worthy full cage. probably invest in a JD2 bender.

the bearing has a retainer sleeve of some sort that is also pressed on from the differential side of the axle shaft. I think it would take a special tool to remove it. I'll take pics when I get a chance.

Nester, Wrestling was cancelled tomorrow so I'll be working on the YJ all day. Just call as you planned and you can come up any time.

so the driveshafts were removed and both were nearly seized up. I worked them loose with a hammer, vice and grease. belly pan and engine skid came off. I laid the belly pain on the 3/8" ballistic steel and it will work fine. Took the transfer case out with no problems. I checked to make sure it was clocked up as far as it can be and it was. Next was the transmission. Made a few calls to refresh my memory, Thanks Nester! Unhooked the electrics and the vents, drained the muddy tranny fluid. 4 bolts and the shifter was removed. Removed the starter and crankshaft position sensor. then all the bolts came off fairly easily except one. Yeah that Damn 6 point star bolt at the top. 3/8 inch didn't fit, 10 mm was about right but rounded the edges, 9 mm was too small. tried everything and then smashed the 9mm onto the bolt but that stripped as well. AHHHHH! time for power tools! I had room so I used the cutoff wheel and cut the head off the bolt. Then I tipped the tranny up and down a couple times and it broke free. tranny came off fairly easy leaving the broken bolt sticking out about 3". Tomorrow I'll weld a 3/4" bolt head to the end of the broken bolt and try to remove it that way. clutch looked fairly worn, only a dime thickness of clutch material left on both sides. I'll order a new clutch and slave cyl. on monday. I'll replace the broken bolt with something with a standard head on it even if I have to drill and tap. Should be a regular bolt though.

Cool deal. I guess I got lucky with my Trans with that top bolt. I might want that old skid when your done with it to make a template for my new one. How does the input shaft on the trans feel? If it has alot of play thats signs that is worn out. If its tight or has just a little play in it you should be good to go. I would put the shift on it while its out and check and play with all the gear. Just to make sure everything feels tight while its out.

bolt is out. crazy thing though, After I cut the head off the bolt and pulled the tranny off the remaining part of the bolt just unscrewed by hand. Somehow the bolt head was seized into the tranny housing? there was a hole where another bolt was supposed to go at the top drivers side of the bell housing near the crank position sensor but was misssing and the hole was dirty/corroded. Must have missed that bolt last time I replaced the clutch I guess. I'll get 2 standard bolts and discard the funky 6 point star bolt for good.

when my cousin removed his tranny of his yj after buying it not to long ago he also had the same bolt missing.

Yeah that bolt is the hardest part of pulling the trans

Clutch is in and was easy to replace since I just bought a replacement Centerforce disc. thank you nester for lending me the clutch tool. Tranny is on and I replaced the top to goofy bolts with grade 8 3/8 x 16x 1 3/4" bolts, they were a direct replacement. I cleaned all the dried mud off the tranny and tcase. fixed a leak in the tcase where the speedometer gear installs and used some silicone to help seal it up better. Also I started the install of the 1" lift M.O.R.E. motor mounts. started on drivers side and removed the oil pan skid hardware(it bolts to one of the motor mount bolts) then I tried to remove the bolt from above that was closest to the frame. the bolt goes from top down through the mount, through the support for the mount and into a square nut that is pressed into the mount support. It wouldn't budge! So out came the air tools and I promptly broke the bolt in half. then the rest of the bolt was stuck in the square nut that was pressed into the mount support. It took some motivation from a modified tire iron and a BF hammer but finally came out. the other bolt came out rather easily. The engine was jacked up with a hydraulic floor jack that was resting on two cinderblocks with wood covering the holes. With the engine raised I removed the old mount with the one bolt 18mm and replaced it with the MORE mount. I used new nuts and bolts for ease of assembly. Just remember if you do this on your own to attach the new motor mount to the engine before bolting it down, it makes it a lot easier. ran out of time so the passenger side will be done another day. tranny and tcase is still supported by jackstands as I will be building a new crossmember separate from the skid plate. For now it looks like it will tuck up nicely with just small modifications to get the tummy tuck to work.

"5. rear locker ARB line needs a new O ring at the axle. simple fix."
Not a simple fix any more. I removed the plastic tubing but couldn't remove the fitting in the housing from the copper tubing. In the process of trying to remove the copper tubing I shifted it inside and still couldn't remove it. So the axles and third member will have to come out. A couple years ago I had a similar problem and never checked the copper tubing. After it shifted then it was scraping the ring gear and wore a hole in it causing failure of the rear locker to work. This time I'll make sure to do it right.

OK so the MORE 1" engine lift installation turned out to be a bitch. instructions said simply do the drivers side first and then the passenger side and use the same hardware. They failed to mention that the mounts are off center and it is possible to put them in backwards. Also it didn't say anything about having to take the alternator off due to the long engine mount bolt being too long to come out otherwise. also didnt mention not being able to install the passenger side without removing one of the lower engine side mount bolts. I had the drivers side mount in backwards which was easy to do. there is a threaded nut in the frame side of the mount and the MORE mount could only go on one way....one way wihtout drilling out the threaded nut and installing a new nut/bolt combo. I had those mounts on/off several times before I finally got the motor centered where it belongs. Finally it is done though. Do not believe the instructions! It is done now and the exhaust is on and I'm ready to build a new tranny mount and flat belly skid. I will gain about 2" over the stock skid when it is done.

Yeah I think I'm going to order the mounts to do when the Trans and T-case are out so there is only the motor to have to mess with shifting. 2" gain is going to make you almost able to get the belly completely flat.

tranny support and belly pan support design.

The side rails will be 1" steel to drop the assembly down. just like the skyjacker tranny drop bars. the internal framework will be to add strength and serve as a support to weld the tranny mount to. they are angled due to limitations in space, have to go around the atlas case. the plate in the middle will be welded between the support rails at the height that is needed. this will allow room for the bolts to hang down but not below the height of the belly skid that will be mounted to the bottom of the frame. The supports in the middle will be latched to the side rails by sliding it up into a support (shown at the bottom of the figure with bolts going in from the sides. this will allow removal of the entire middle framework to remove the tranny when needed. the rails on the side that attach to the frame will be welded on for strength. I will be able to remove the belly pan with the 6 original bolts without dropping the tranny support. it is a lot of excess metal in this design but the whole assembly will be no more than 1 1/4" below the frame and allow a flat belly design even with the massive Atlas tcase.

good looking plan. Can't wait to see the out come.

5. rear locker ARB line needs a new O ring at the axle. simple fix.

Ok so I tried to remove the fittings and replace the o ring but couldn't get the fittings apart from the tubing. Out came the axles again and I pulled the third member. Main reason is I moved the copper tubing while struggling with it and more likely than not the tubing will rub the ring gear. Sure enough upon disassembly i found the tubing against the ring gear. would have been bad to run it with it on there. I cut the copper tubing near the fitting and was able to muscle it apart after that and was able to get the fittings apart. I found that the o ring was destroyed and the copper tubing was torqued into an hourglass shape from the last time I installed it. The tube at the narrow part was half its normal diameter. Now with that part cut out I reassembled the fittings and copper tubing. tested it while the third member was out and now it works fine. Put everything back together again and it still works fine and I have peace of mind that the copper tubing isn't going to get a hole worn through it from the ring gear.
Air hose from my Craftsman compressor was leaking again. seems to be a common problem right around the brass grommet near the end. I cut that off and used some gasket maker and a hose clamp to fix it. No more leaky hose.
Also cut a cardboard template for the rear of the power steering pump. The PSC pump bracket in front is thin and already bent. By placing one in the rear I can take some of the strain off the front one.

Updated list:

1. 9" currie rear axle tube is leaking out the drivers side again.
- I took it apart and used lots of gasket maker. If it leaks again its going to full circle for repair and replacement of the seal.

2. Thump in drivetrain and clutch not working properly. I'm going to replace the clutch and while doing so I'll check for other sources of the thump.
- Clutch has been replaced but still needs bled. Best I can figure the thump was from the driveshafts being seized up front and rear. I'm going to put my other shafts on and keep these as spares.

3. going to install the MORE motor lift, tuck the drivetrain up into the body a little better. There is a lot more room there since installing the 2" body lift. Also going to replace the belly pan with a piece of ballistic steel courtesy of Dave Leasure. I'll trace the old pan onto the steel and cut it out. the atlas may need a relief cut out and then I'll build a skid for that.
- MORE motor lift is done. ordering metal for the belly pan and tranny mount frame.

4. Front shocks bottom out and they are at risk for breakage, also the crank pully can contact the steering hardware at full compression. going to install bump stops in the front to solve that.

5. rear locker ARB line needs a new O ring at the axle. simple fix.
- repairs done

6. soft top is half destroyed at mounting locations. gonna have to fix that so I can wheel in all weather.

7. ARB switches are going to be rewired so that I can engage and disengage the front and rear lockers independently.

8. Rear suspension winch will be installed. I'm going to just run the one from the front back through some strategically placed pulleys to make it work. eventually I may install a rear one independent from the front if needed. I will have to see how it functions on the trail.
- not gonna do this, waste of time.

9. Need to install a 5 point racing harness.
- low priority until cage is upgraded

10. Cage work!
- Nesters work party.

Quote :

Main reason is I moved the copper tubing while struggling with it and more likely than not the tubing will rub the ring gear. Sure enough upon disassembly i found the tubing against the ring gear. would have been bad to run it with it on there. I cut the copper tubing near the fitting and was able to muscle it apart after that and was able to get the fittings apart. I found that the o ring was destroyed and the copper tubing was torqued into an hourglass shape from the last time I installed it.

At least I'm not the only one who did this! I didn't catch mine until crawler ridge? i think that was the trail. Anyway when i put the diff cover on the tubing I caught the ring gear and was chewed to pieces - whoops. Yah well it forced me to finally do the switch mod on the arbs since I was pretty pissed losing the rear and not having the option to lock the front to get me of the obstacle. Can't wait to see the outcome...I miss wheeling with you lets go!

Got a lot done with the tummy tuck today.

I cut the two rail pieces first and then cut the cross pieces and tranny mount bars afterwards. I bought a digital angle finder which was quite a bit helpful.

Can anyone see the mistake I made in the picture above? I built the frame around the jack stand and then couldn't get the frame off for welding without finding another way to jack up the transfer case.

Then I cut a template for the tranny mounts out of cardboard and located the holes in the right spots.

The plasma cutter came in real handy cutting the ballistic steel.

Then I bolted the plate to the tranny mounts and tack welded the plate in place. I removed the entire assembly for finish welding and then cut the belly pan to match the frame. I left a lip about 3" long in front of the belly pan to hopefully make mounting the oil pan skid easier. Tomorrow I have to get some 75w90 for the transmission and will fill that before painting and assembling the belly pan. I also cut a template for the power steering brace used that to cut out a support with the plasma cutter. pics to come tomorrow for that.