New expedition XJ for me (pics)

[dieck]

Well I'm a little smarter than I was at the beginning of the day. I figured out I have 4.56 gears front and back in the jeep. I bought and installed a 39 tooth speedo gear so the speedo is dead on now and verified with GPS.

(special thanks to http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoSpeedoGears.htm for their excellent speedo gear charts and writeup)

I got a new air filter and sprayed break free on the bolts for my do-it-yourself alignment tomorrow. The truck seems to be getting much better mileage now. Now that the speedo is correct I filled up the tank to see how I'm doing.

Interestingly, the truck seems to run better after the speedo gear swap, and I'm wondering if there is any engine management that gets thrown off when the truck is overgeared and the speedo senser not corrected. ??

Tomorrow will be:

Do it yourself oil change
Do it yourself alignment
Do it yourself steering wheel centering
new wipers all around (old ones are tired)
and if I'm still feeling good I'm going to extend the diff breathers and lube up all the parts underneath.

 

[OverlandZJ]

Well I'm a little smarter than I was at the beginning of the day. I figured out I have 4.56 gears front and back in the jeep. I bought and installed a 39 tooth speedo gear so the speedo is dead on now and verified with GPS.

(special thanks to http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoSpeedoGears.htm for their excellent speedo gear charts and writeup)

I got a new air filter and sprayed break free on the bolts for my do-it-yourself alignment tomorrow. The truck seems to be getting much better mileage now. Now that the speedo is correct I filled up the tank to see how I'm doing.

Interestingly, the truck seems to run better after the speedo gear swap, and I'm wondering if there is any engine management that gets thrown off when the truck is overgeared and the speedo senser not corrected. ??

Tomorrow will be:

Do it yourself oil change
Do it yourself alignment
Do it yourself steering wheel centering
new wipers all around (old ones are tired)
and if I'm still feeling good I'm going to extend the diff breathers and lube up all the parts underneath.

The GoJeep website is an awesome resource, i even extended out an invite to Marcus to visit this website...told him there were plenty of his fellow Aussie's already here.

On the speedo gear...dont believe it has anything to do with the engine management as far as air/fuel mixture is concerned. Thats the Tach's job.

Something else i recently learned about speedo gears...i found my son's YJ would stall when coming to a light or stop sign after i rebuilt the transfer case...turned out to be that there was no speedo gear. When i installed the correct gear the stalling went away. That one stumped me for awhile.

On the alignment, i set mine at 1/16-1/8" toe in.

When you get a chance, would you be kind enough to snap a pic of the trimming that was required to use the Bushwackers with the Safari snorkel.

 

[dieck]

The GoJeep website is an awesome resource, i even extended out an invite to Marcus to visit this website...told him there were plenty of his fellow Aussie's already here.

On the speedo gear...dont believe it has anything to do with the engine management as far as air/fuel mixture is concerned. Thats the Tach's job.

Something else i recently learned about speedo gears...i found my son's YJ would stall when coming to a light or stop sign after i rebuilt the transfer case...turned out to be that there was no speedo gear. When i installed the correct gear the stalling went away. That one stumped me for awhile.

On the alignment, i set mine at 1/16-1/8" toe in.

When you get a chance, would you be kind enough to snap a pic of the trimming that was required to use the Bushwackers with the Safari snorkel.

Thanks for the feedback and tips. I didn't do the bushwhacker and snorkel install as they were both on the truck when I bought it last week. But I'll certainly snap some pictures next time i go for a drive.

On the alignment it was about 1/2 inch toe in and I adjusted it to aprox 1/16th or as close as I could get to it with the eyeball/tape measure combo. It's not an exact science to be sure, but the shimmy and pulling to the left is gone. I also centered the steering wheel. Both the alignment and the centering was so easy I kicked myself for even considering the $80 professional job. I love learning new things and doing it myself. This is my first rig with solid axels front and back so I'm still learning.

 

[dieck]

There are about a million grease zerks under this truck between the stock ones and all the aftermarket stuff the previous owner installed. Do I use the same grease for everything? Any recommendations?

Also, I cleaned and respooled the winch and tested the battery. Both are in tip top shape. I'm likeing this truck more and more!

 

[John90XJ]

There are about a million grease zerks under this truck between the stock ones and all the aftermarket stuff the previous owner installed. Do I use the same grease for everything? Any recommendations?

You should be fine using the same stuff for everything with one possible exception. If you've got polyurethane bushings, you might want to try some of the poly specific grease. I've had success with white lithium.

 

[dieck]

You should be fine using the same stuff for everything with one possible exception. If you've got polyurethane bushings, you might want to try some of the poly specific grease. I've had success with white lithium.

How do you know when you've added enough grease? Can you add too much? (this is a very newb question I know)

 

[John90XJ]

How do you know when you've added enough grease? Can you add too much? (this is a very newb question I know)

I push until I see new grease coming out. Since mine is primarily a trail only rig, I push until I'm certain all the water is out as well.

And make sure you clean up the old stuff since it tends to make a mess and attract dirt.

 

[dieck]

I push until I see new grease coming out. Since mine is primarily a trail only rig, I push until I'm certain all the water is out as well.

And make sure you clean up the old stuff since it tends to make a mess and attract dirt.

I did it tonight, all went well, was easy.

 

[dieck]

I got over 15mpg all city driving on this last tank. And that was not being easy on the gas. Beats the 10mpg I got on the first tank. So far I removed the roof rack and lights, ran seafoam, aired up the tires, and changed the air filter.

For the next tank of gas I will change the oil and lube the drive shafts. After that tank, I will change the belt and plugs.

We'll see what the next tank brings

 

[toledotimber]

I use Mobil1 synthetic grease on everything (including my greasable poly. anti-sway bar links). I pump it in until the old grease starts coming out, EXCEPT for the the ball joints. I just pump the gun until the boots feel good and firm. I don't have any scientific reason why, but my dad always said never to pump the ball joints so full that they "pop" the old stuff out. He's been right more often than not in my lifetime, so why not listen, I figured?

 

[John90XJ]

I got over 15mpg all city driving on this last tank. And that was not being easy on the gas. Beats the 10mpg I got on the first tank. So far I removed the roof rack and lights, ran seafoam, aired up the tires, and changed the air filter.

For the next tank of gas I will change the oil and lube the drive shafts. After that tank, I will change the belt and plugs.

We'll see what the next tank brings

Also, check what kind of gas you're buying.

When I was commuting every day in my rig, choosing Chevron over the value brands was usually good for as much as 1.5 mpg more. It outweighed the 5-8 cents per gallon more it cost. We have grocery stores that sell it out here that are always cheaper but in some instances you get a little less value for the money.

Something to think about.

 

[dieck]

Also, check what kind of gas you're buying.

When I was commuting every day in my rig, choosing Chevron over the value brands was usually good for as much as 1.5 mpg more. It outweighed the 5-8 cents per gallon more it cost. We have grocery stores that sell it out here that are always cheaper but in some instances you get a little less value for the money.

Something to think about.

Good tip on the chevron, that is my preference too. My main focus right now is to get the truck running very efficiently and to start getting it to what I would consider expedition ready. This required more investment of time and $$ than just getting a used car to be reliable for daily driving.

When I buy a used vehicle I can't rest easy until I know waht state it's in mechanically. Usually this means replacing ALL of the fluids and doing all of the maintenance myself the first time. You just learn so much about the vehicle and it's quirks. That gives me insight into the spare parts, tools and fluids I should take on my adventures.

 

[dieck]

I use Mobil1 synthetic grease on everything (including my greasable poly. anti-sway bar links). I pump it in until the old grease starts coming out, EXCEPT for the the ball joints. I just pump the gun until the boots feel good and firm. I don't have any scientific reason why, but my dad always said never to pump the ball joints so full that they "pop" the old stuff out. He's been right more often than not in my lifetime, so why not listen, I figured?

I lubed all the zerks I could find with Mobile 1 last night. Are there any zerks on the front drive shaft? I could only find one on the shaft itself... On the rear shaft which is a SYE, I found three, one on the shaft and one inside each joint.

 

[OverlandZJ]

I lubed all the zerks I could find with Mobile 1 last night. Are there any zerks on the front drive shaft? I could only find one on the shaft itself... On the rear shaft which is a SYE, I found three, one on the shaft and one inside each joint.

On the rear shaft...you should see one more spot that needs greasing. It's the ball socket between the second and third u-joint. This is not a zerk fitting however, you need a needle fitting for the grease gun.

There is one of these on the front driveshaft as well.

 

[dieck]

On the rear shaft...you should see one more spot that needs greasing. It's the ball socket between the second and third u-joint. This is not a zerk fitting however, you need a needle fitting for the grease gun.

There is one of these on the front driveshaft as well.

Thanks. Anybody have a picture of this? I'm having a hard time understanding where this is...