dieck said:
So here is my list of stuff I want to do in the short term. Open to any advice from you veteran jeepers.
1. Brake pedal hard and brakes unresponsive. They work if you cram them down, but not as well as I would expect. Perhaps brake booster? Not sure on this one.
2. Truck pulls slightly to the left. Alignment? bent steering rod? Hmmm. Will crawl underneath and see.
3. Change and flush all fluids. Anything special I should think about?
4. Change wires and plugs (per suggestion)
5. check 02 sensor (bad mileage)
6. service rear tire carrier (siezed need to break free for easy opening)
7. grease and lube everything
8. General cleaning and vacuuming
1 XJ brakes are notably weak to begin with. Try adjusting the rear drums. They tend to wear and not self adjust. Once that is done, adjust the e-brake because it probably doesn't work well either.
2 If it pulls, make sure the tire pressure is even and then do a simple driveway alignment check. Measuring the space between the front tires from the same spot front and rear of the tires, adjust the tie rod until the measurement is even, essentially a ZERO toe. Then adjust the draglink to make the steering wheel straight again. Also, be certain you are driving on a flat road, not one that is crowned. It will tend to pull somewhat on crowned roads. If that is the case, that's just the way it is.
3 I didn't see what kind of lockers you had in the axles. If they are ARBs or something else complex, verify that you are using the recommended fluid. If they are limited slips, with clutches, don't forget the friction modifier additive as recommended. If Lock Right or Aussies, a lunchbox locker, synthetic 85-140 tends to quiet the ratcheting sound somewhat. For the balance of the fluids almost anything will work as long as it's the right spec. Mercon Dexron ATF in the AW4 and the t-case. The brand is not as important as how you maintain them. Keep 'em clean and they'll last 270k miles like mine.
4 Saw that you changed the plugs. The 4.0 tends to run better on cheaper plugs like Champion or Autolite. Simple resistor plugs without any fancy multiple tips and exotic metals seem to perform the best.
5 Changing the o2 sensor(s) is probably warranted but has it thrown a check engine light? Are you running a quality gasoline? Clean air filter? Clean fuel filter? I saw you removed the rack. Smart move. Even on big trips, I leave mine off and try to keep everything low and inside. That's worth about 1-1.5 mpg for my rig.
7 Don't forget things like the driveshaft zerks and if you're really adventurous you can pull the front axle shafts and do the lower ball joints which would normally require a plug to be removed and a temporary zerk added for lubing. You should also check things like the axle u-bolts for proper torque, control arm bolts, cooling hose condition, all the things that could leave you stranded or break inconveniently.
8 Have fun with that....mine gets it every year or so whether it needs it or not.
