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mod sassinator posted:A friend of mine is looking for a newer car that ... haul a bit of stuff ...carry a kayak on its roof... FJ Cruiser because he's not a car guy... wants something reliable ... Honda Ridgeline Anecdote time because I am uniquely qualified to comment on all of the things! Ridgeline: Do not let him get a Ridgeline - from experience with my coworker's, they are not good off-pavement (as in we had trouble fording 18" of moving water over loose gravel at one location and got it stuck in ~2' of powder snow over the winter) and are a pain in the rear end if you intend to do anything more than drive it to-and-from work - like put things in the bed or use it as an actual truck or carry around your muddy, dirty coworkers and/or dogs because the interior is a bitch to clean for some reason. Toyota FJ: Tell him to spring for the FJ, honestly. My boss has an FJ, which I've driven a bit, and my only complaints are the slightly claustrophobic interior and the blind-spots. It has great power and handles really well offroad and you can put a ton of poo poo in it. Bonus Toyota Tacoma: If the FJ are too pricey, I also drive an '08 5-speed 4-cyl Tacoma for work and it has been absolutely fantastic. Great mileage, reasonable power for a small engine, and completely bomb-proof even on a few jeep trails that had some hairy sections that are probably way beyond what he will run into (like major storm-damaged areas and washouts way out in the middle of nowhere). We have three of these and we beat the poo poo out of them and nothing ever seems to go wrong. We have one 6-cyl which I honestly prefer, but I haven't driven it enough to say more - it's got great power, though. Newer Jeeps: My parents have an '09 Commander (XK) with the 5.7L and have had a lot of problems with it. The starter has gone twice, 4WD has been spotty (not sure what the diagnosis was, but it was failing to engage or something). Before this they had a "trail rated" '11 Compass (interior was poo poo the thing really wasn't good offroad at all) and an '08 Grand Cherokee. They should've kept the Grand Cherokee. For reference, I have a '92 XJ that refuses to die no matter what I do to it. tl;dr: FJ or a Tacoma for least amount of breaking-things-and-fixing-them-yourself and highest levels of does-things-you-need-it-to. FreelanceSocialist fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Nov 6, 2014 |
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Nov 6, 2014 17:48
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FreelanceSocialist posted:4WD has been spotty (not sure what the diagnosis was, but it was failing to engage or something). Dollars to donuts they had the safety recall done, which doesn't affect anything but the WK Grand Cherokee and the Commander. Chrysler's currently on the fifth? (sixth?) revision of the final drive recall firmware, trying to make functional shift motors work reliably while preventing quirky ones from allowing the vehicle to roll away. One day software engineering will come to the automotive industry. The current firmware from July seems to be working in most cases, so have your parents venture back to the dealer if they're still having issues and their last visit has the magic words "reflash," "recall," "cleared," or "N23" in the service order. Molten Llama fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Nov 6, 2014 |
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Nov 6, 2014 18:35
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Thanks for the heads up. I dropped my dad an email. And to think, what he really wanted was a restored Grand Wagoneer (and I found him a beautiful one that was prepped for a diesel swap) but my stepmother told him he wasn't "allowed to buy anything that would require constant maintenance" so he got the Commander. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED 
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Nov 6, 2014 19:59
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Anecdote time because I am uniquely qualified to comment on all of the things! Nice, thanks for the info! Yeah it looks like we'll probably be looking at a Toyota. It seems the 4runner and FJ are the same platform, so maybe we can find a better deal on a 4runner.
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Nov 6, 2014 20:04
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Newer Jeeps: My parents have an '09 Commander (XK) with the 5.7L and have had a lot of problems with it. The starter has gone twice, 4WD has been spotty (not sure what the diagnosis was, but it was failing to engage or something). Before this they had a "trail rated" '11 Compass (interior was poo poo the thing really wasn't good offroad at all) and an '08 Grand Cherokee. They should've kept the Grand Cherokee. For reference, I have a '92 XJ that refuses to die no matter what I do to it. I don't think this should apply to the Fiat Jeeps. They are much better now. My '06 Grand Cherokee blew out a starter and had wiring issues, but I think they (and Chrysler in general) have turned a leaf thanks to Fiat. I had a '13 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and it was wonderful except for the gas mileage. Great off road too. BoostCreep fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Nov 6, 2014 |
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Nov 6, 2014 21:09
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FreelanceSocialist posted:but my stepmother told him he wasn't "allowed to buy anything that would require constant maintenance" so he got the Commander. I caught poo poo from my coworkers when the hillrod wiring in my MJ shorted out and I missed a day of work because of it. "You should have got a new truck those old ones just aren't reliable"
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Nov 6, 2014 21:09
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kastein posted:First thing - bleepinjeep annoys the poo poo out of me. Not sure why. They're about $4. OMIX-ADA 16527.21 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/omx-1652721?seid=srese1&gclid=CIX3ltDo5sECFe8F7AodPiEArQ Veeb0rg fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Nov 6, 2014 |
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Nov 6, 2014 21:27
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kastein posted:First thing - bleepinjeep annoys the poo poo out of me. Not sure why. You're probably the only person on the internet that I (mostly) trust when they say "Here's a list of factory installed equipment that you can just throw away during reinstallation". Don't feel bad about not having an air hammer; I don't even own a vise  . I've been doing this job with a rented ball-joint press. Speaking of which, if anyone has any tips on how to not blow up a u-joint cap while I'm out trying to find a local Spicer distributor, I'd love to hear it. Btw, I watch bleepinjeep because its Cherokee specific and he is what I envision when I think of "A.I. poster". Take that how you will.
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Nov 6, 2014 21:31
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I didn't see this posted yet, but the new Wrangler is officially NOT going to transition to Unibody, but aluminum body on steel frame is still likely. http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2014/10/2018-jeep-wrangler-going-unibody.html
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Nov 8, 2014 01:36
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BoostCreep posted:I didn't see this posted yet, but the new Wrangler is officially NOT going to transition to Unibody, but aluminum body on steel frame is still likely. So the rockers and floors and pinch seams won't rust? Got it. Fuckin' awesome. (about time) Now if they would just coat the inside AND the outside of the frames so they would stop rotting in half at the LCA mounts, tranny skids, leaf hangars... that would be cool too.
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Nov 8, 2014 02:48
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Awwwwww yiss, my artec 8.8 truss/bracket kit is in, and I just picked up my 8.8 off a buddy today. Friggin pumped! Now who wants to teach me how to regear my D30 to match the 8.8s 4.10s?
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Nov 8, 2014 03:24
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Step 1: Remove Dana 30 from Jeep Step 2: Install anything but a Dana 30 Step 3: Place Dana 30 in scrap heap At least that's what I've gleaned over the years 
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Nov 8, 2014 04:32
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IOwnCalculus posted:Step 1: Remove Dana 30 from Jeep The rear D35 is the lovely junk-immediately axle; I was under the impression that the front D30 was pretty good unless you're running monster tires.
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Nov 8, 2014 04:39
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IOwnCalculus posted:Step 1: Remove Dana 30 from Jeep The D30 is fine with a little reinforcement. 38.5x14.5 TSL's 
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Nov 8, 2014 04:59
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Philip J Fry posted:The D30 is fine with a little reinforcement. Yeah, it is totally fine sitting on jack stands. I'll give you that.
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Nov 8, 2014 05:02
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Went backroad bombing today. Had fun, found a puddle.  Was Deeper Than It Looked: http://youtu.be/O4KZ1rSe2-Q 
gileadexile fucked around with this message at 07:46 on Nov 8, 2014 |
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Nov 8, 2014 07:40
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D30s are fine with up to 33s if you put a good set of axleshafts, ujoints, and a full case locker in them. Wail on it forever, I can't kill one built like that and I have tried. Put 4.88s in them and they WILL explode. Stick with 4.56s or under. The 4.88 ratio set for those has such a small pinion that it has real reliability issues. Put 35s on them and you better be out west where everything is dry as a bone and you can crawl it instead of needing the throttle occasionally. Put 37s or more on them and you are either flat footing it in a mudhole or mallcrawling if it survives. Or have a big budget for replacement parts. D35s are too easy to eliminate to be left in any offroad vehicle and anyone who gets butthurt and says they are just fine either hasn't got a clue what they're on about or has dumped a stupid amount of money into keeping theirs alive. I saw one idiot put THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS into a d35 and man did he ever get mad... he made a thread whining about how it kept breaking on 33s and wanted to know what to put in it to make it stop and we all told him he was a retard and to put a 29 spline 8.25 in instead, because those handle 33s with stock axleshafts and a lunchbox locker. Instead he ignored us and threw another 400 or 500 bucks into fixing his polished turd again because he didn't want to waste all the money he had "invested" in it. I call this stockaxle syndrome, it is a close relative of stockholm syndrome.
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Nov 8, 2014 14:21
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:The rear D35 is the lovely junk-immediately axle; I was under the impression that the front D30 was pretty good unless you're running monster tires. Philip J Fry posted:The D30 is fine with a little reinforcement. It was a joke, and point taken. My WJ has a Dana 30 in the front anyway It's never coming out of there either. If I ever go so far that I think I need a 44 up front, I need to sell the WJ and get a JKU.kastein posted:D35s are too easy to eliminate to be left in any offroad vehicle and anyone who gets butthurt and says they are just fine either hasn't got a clue what they're on about or has dumped a stupid amount of money into keeping theirs alive. You see this sometimes with fourth-gen F-body folks too. The 7.5" 10-bolt they use is really best suited to the anemic V6 cars - even a stock LT1/6-speed can break one with a hard launch on DOT drag radials, and the more power you add the more likely you are to break it even if you stick with an automatic and street tires. People spend huge chunks of change trying to keep it together but there's no one weak point because the whole thing is just too weak. Anyone who doesn't want to scatter expensive chunks of metal but wants to make 400hp+ and actually drive it, puts their money into an 8.8" / 9" / 12-bolt setup.
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Nov 8, 2014 15:06
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kastein posted:D35s are too easy to eliminate to be left in any offroad vehicle and anyone who gets butthurt and says they are just fine either hasn't got a clue what they're on about or has dumped a stupid amount of money into keeping theirs alive. I saw one idiot put THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS into a d35 and man did he ever get mad... he made a thread whining about how it kept breaking on 33s and wanted to know what to put in it to make it stop and we all told him he was a retard and to put a 29 spline 8.25 in instead, because those handle 33s with stock axleshafts and a lunchbox locker. Instead he ignored us and threw another 400 or 500 bucks into fixing his polished turd again because he didn't want to waste all the money he had "invested" in it. I call this stockaxle syndrome, it is a close relative of stockholm syndrome. Goddamn, I thought it was bad that I have $150 in my D35
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Nov 10, 2014 02:51
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Had a good weekend. Got the WJ inspected, then went backroading across some fire and power company access roads. Had a fun as poo poo time, found a puddle that went a bit deeper than I expected and got dirty. Then yesterday, the wife and I went out for a drive across some more access roads and backroads. Gonna leave it dirty for a bit I think.
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Nov 10, 2014 03:18
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Your weekend sounds a lot better than mine. Yesterday I discovered neither of my jacks can lift high enough to get my YJs tires off the ground. Then tonight I discovered the cause of what I thought was irregular and excessive fuel consumption was that the gauge doesn't work correctly and reads approximately 1/8th of a tank higher than it should. Unfortunately I discovered this when it ran out of gas while reading 1/8th of a tank on the highway in a construction zone with shoulders about the width of the car. 
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Nov 10, 2014 04:08
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Great Beer posted:neither of my jacks can lift high enough to get my YJs tires off the ground. This is what 2x4s (UNDER THE JACK NOT ON TOP) are for. Disclaimer: you may die but I haven't yet.
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Nov 10, 2014 04:17
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iForge posted:Goddamn, I thought it was bad that I have $150 in my D35 This guy had an ARB, chromo shafts, iirc a teraflex disc brake swap, and had had it regeared, then blew up his gears. He wanted to know if we thought cryo treating the next set of gears or having a truss welded on would preserve the ring and pinion better. We all told him he was a retard and that he should sell the shafts and locker, cut his losses, and put a locker in an 8.25. He whined until I literally told him to drive his rear end up the next weekend he was free and I would help him pull an 8.25 and install it for him in the junkyard parking lot before I would tell him to spend a cent on more d35 parts. He had new gears put in it again... you can lead the horse to water but you can't make it drink. 
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Nov 10, 2014 04:32
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I'm sore, but my WJ is now 3" higher than it was yesterday. Glad it's over with and I don't want to deal with the under side of my Jeep for a while. Except that now I have to track down a brand new deceleration whine that popped up post lift. I'm thinking it's the stock front driveshaft. I can get an 02" U-joint shaft for under $100 online, so I'll probably go with that and see if the noise goes away. So far no vibrations or death wobble or anything crazy. The Jeep drives great except for the whine. Does this sound like an accurate diagnosis? Has anyone heard of a deceleration whine after lifting a WJ 3"? I don't have any "after" pictures because it was too dark, but here's some during action. WJ owners might want to replace your spring isolators even if you aren't lifting your Jeep. You'll gain probably .5" of lift back due to collapsed isolators. Can you tell the new one apart from the 162k mile original?  And what it looks like as I was pulling it out:  Cleaned up and new installed:  Even California Jeeps can't escape from poor designs. Rust rust rust.  Cleaned up and added a generous portion of rust converter.  Same with the rear:   Also this Moog trail boss or whatever steering stabilizer is around $45 on Rock Auto. This is a great upgrade over the stock twig for a great price. 
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Nov 10, 2014 06:42
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drat, my isolators were pretty bendy and crispy too but at least they came out in one piece! Glad your spring perches weren't completely rusted. My fronts were GONE, but my rears were pretty decent. Strangely enough I've noticed a whine lately myself, but it was before my lift. Doesn't seem to be caused by the engine speed, so I'm guessing driveline somewhere..ugh.. Post pics when you can!
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Nov 10, 2014 07:32
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This was the best picture I could get today. I'll get better ones once the new tires are on. I just need to get this whining figured out so I don't blow up my front diff or something while driving to the tire shop. Also not a great pic, but I'm hoping to fit 265/70r16 tires without having to trim anything. Current ones are 245/70 on the stock 16" wheels.  I'm more into being able to stuff the tires without hacking into the body than squeezing one inch taller rubber. Before photo for reference. 
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Nov 11, 2014 03:46
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Looks good, and a lot taller than mine without those step bars too  I could maybe see doing a 2" lift eventually, but then again the main reason is to clear bigger tires than the ones I just bought. Most likely I'll eventually do something along the lines of 1" lift springs plus fresh isolators to basically get it to a factory-fresh Overland Upcountry spec.
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Nov 11, 2014 05:23
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This is just..weird..3 of us all experiencing a whine almost at the same time.. Looks like we all have V8s, so most running gear would be common, aside from transfer cases and some diff bits. drat..mine started 2 weeks or so before my lift, so it's not that..maybe have to get some jackstands and see if I can find out what the gently caress.
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Nov 11, 2014 05:46
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G1W video of me trying out the new tires by going further offroad than I've ever driven before. Skip to about 5m if you want to avoid watching me drive on what is really just a bad dirt road. Enjoy an audio track that is mostly my HVAC! Around 12m40s I have a genuine "oh poo poo" reaction when I get a better look at the same hill I came down at about 8m20s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AleaDZsK2UY Definitely want to do more, though. Despite my own white knuckles I know this barely counts as offroad for a lot of you, I just need to tag along on some of the group runs around here so that I'm not totally hosed if I actually manage to outdo my WJ.
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Nov 11, 2014 23:53
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IOwnCalculus posted:G1W video of me trying out the new tires by going further offroad than I've ever driven before. Skip to about 5m if you want to avoid watching me drive on what is really just a bad dirt road. Enjoy an audio track that is mostly my HVAC! Around 12m40s I have a genuine "oh poo poo" reaction when I get a better look at the same hill I came down at about 8m20s. Video is set to Private.
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Nov 11, 2014 23:58
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After some research, the WJ came with 4 goddamn front driveshafts from the factory. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for this other than a TSB issued in 2001 and an accompanying change to U-joint style driveshafts for some GC's for 2002+. I have the top one, which is the double CV and the worst possible one. Great. All of the others are upgrades, but the one we want is the double cardan with U-joints on both sides (third down). These aren't particularly rare, but I need one from a V8 since they are longer than the 4.0 driveshafts. In order to make the swap, I also need to find new yokes for both the transfer case and the front diff. I have emails out to several ebay sellers and some local yards from car-part to see if they will sell the yokes along with the DS.
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Nov 12, 2014 02:54
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WTF, that is quite the list. I have seen... the first and the last. The third is the best, IMO. Most yards probably aren't going to want to sell the yokes. Get me a model/year/engine/tranny/transfer case spec list and I can probably find out what the OEM applications for each are, at which point you can get the yokes off something that uses them more commonly at the junkyard.
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Nov 12, 2014 03:10
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I have an 81 CJ-7 with 33" tires, currently shittastic 2.72 AMC20 / Dana 30. So I finally found a Dana 44 with 4.10 gears in it to replace the 2.72 I have in place (with a lead on a front 4.10 to follow). The rear 4.10 axle does not have spring perches installed and I do have a buddy who can help me weld them on. My question is... is there a reason to have them welded on at a 0 degree angle and use shims or should I just have them welded on at the angle that will give me the proper alignment with my transfer case? With my lift I feel like I should have them welded at the angle and now worry about shimming but tell me what consequences I'm not considering as I lack experience in this kind of thing.
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Nov 12, 2014 04:02
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2002-2004, 4.7 V8, 247 TC, 545RFE transmission. I've found the double cardan driveshaft for under $100 online, and the yoke parts seem cheap, I just don't know which part numbers I need to order.
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Nov 12, 2014 04:04
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Steakflavoredgum and I went to Sam's today and grabbed up some xj parts for my comanche. We walked away with: A complete late model grille with radiator support lamps and harness pigtails. A new mechanical fan/clutch Adjustment bolts for the power steering pump. A new cover for my power distribution box An idle air control sensor All together a pretty good haul for $100. I was disappointed that there were no early model xjs but a good condition grille was a good find nonetheless.
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Nov 12, 2014 04:30
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Ozmiander posted:Video is set to Private. Derp. Knew I forgot something, I uploaded it that way and waited forever for it to finish cropping out some one sided phone conversations and my kid yelling at me when I got out to open / close the gate. Kastein: The list of possible WJ driveshafts is insane. In addition to those four types, the driveshaft lengths differ both for each engine and for each transfer case. So you've got to identify 4.0/242 vs 4.0/247 vs 4.7/242 vs 4.7/247. They also revised the rear shaft at some point and added a damper to the front yoke. My original one had it, the junkyard one I have now does not (and has a longer tube to compensate). IOwnCalculus fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Nov 12, 2014 |
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Nov 12, 2014 04:31
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I'll look it up tomorrow. poopship - have em welded on at the right angle. Make sure you take into account the fact that it will change a bit when you tighten the U-bolts and put the vehicle on its own weight. I like to put the perches and U-bolts and axle together finger tight, put the axle on jackstands, lower the vehicle onto it all, use a pipe wrench (CAREFULLY) to pivot the axle until it's aligned, tighten the U-bolts, make sure it's still aligned and adjust as necessary, then tack weld the perches in place, unbolt it all, full weld, paint, and reinstall. The only possible reason to do that is if you plan on doing an SYE soon (I don't think SYEs are even a thing on CJs, since they don't have slip yokes) or changing to a double cardan-single cardan driveshaft, but at that point, save your money and do it all at once, since you'll be changing your pinion angle a somewhat-unknown amount and also the driveshaft length, so it's best to simply get it all set up and then have the driveshaft made to fit. This goes double if you're changing the amount of lift you have in the near future - in fact I'd say slap your old axle back in and let the springs break in while driving it with the new springs and old axle, THEN change to the new axle so your pinion angle doesn't go wonky from the springs breaking in a bit. That's probably not relevant here, but I'll toss it in just in case. Also, if you use shims for any reason... try to avoid cast aluminum ones, they have a tendency to fracture and come out in pieces, which results in loose U-bolts, broken leaf center bolts, and severe annoyance. A lot of people get away with them, but it's an unnecessary risk. e: errr... Sandbagger - which power distribution box are you talking about? Your MJ is an 88, unless it's got some seriously hillrodded poo poo going on, it has no PDC, just a weird conglomeration of relays and fusible links that gets a rounded plastic splash cover loosely placed over it. Something else to be aware of about that front grille piece is that your blinkers will run at a wonky speed unless you do some sort of blinker module swap that handles the extra bulbs, I forget what it is but it should be google-able. Unless the idle air control valve came off a RENIX, it won't work either. kastein fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Nov 12, 2014 |
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Nov 12, 2014 04:31
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Here is the worst picture I've ever taken showing the front DS angle at the transfer case. This is just sitting on flat ground. That extreme angle is clearly the problem. When I decelerate I *think* it gets even more extreme than that, causing the noise. I just got a reply from Kolak saying he sells the pair of yokes for $112 plus shipping. That plus $100 plus shipping for a stock used driveshaft makes the Carolina Driveline price make more sense, which I think is somewhere around $280-$300. I might just go with that unless I hear back from a local place that can sell the DS with yokes for cheaper.
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Nov 12, 2014 04:45
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kastein posted:
Hillrodding Is definitely afoot. Whenever you get a chance you gotta see this thing. Good to know about the Iac  I really need a legitimate throttle linkage for my throttle body though. I assume it's a renix only part. I'm not sure whether I want to do the grille until after I straighten the bumper but probably yes.
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Nov 12, 2014 04:59
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Used the nice weather to do some pre snow maint yesterday. Changed out original front diff oil (233k miles), transfer case flush and fill (poo poo was black), coolant was brown and I put new hoses on.. and I installed one rear shock before it got dark at 4pm. Seriously gently caress those rear shocks.. I need an air chisel. So now I have one old shock and one new shock in the rear. What is the best way to bleed your brakes and rotate your tires with 2 jack stands? Trying to be efficient here.
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Nov 12, 2014 18:03
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