Lumpskie's 1989 Grand Wagoneer Build
- Thread starter lumpskie
- Start date
Zeiderman
Adventurer
Zeiderman
Adventurer
Haven't even bothered with that yet, have just been driving it for test and tune when I put a Holley 4412 on it, did yoke and u joint upgrade to Spicer, and the steering shaft, eventually going with full spring 4" lift, so we're a ways away from DD, but it's getting there. I trailered it home after purchase, the kid I bought it from had it on the hwy, and mudding. 18 year olds, they're invincible and not so bright though ya know
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
I think what you'll find is the mechanisms are a bit gummy and drag, the wiring is corroded at the connections and in general in less than stellar shape, and possibly the electric lock itself is getting weak. Poor wiring is practically a given on these, especially considering the age and the relative complexity of it. Grand Wagoneers were pretty upscale as an SUV back in the day.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. My less than stellar memory might be able to answer.
QUOTE]
Hey Tgreening:
You were right. I replaced my return spring in the front door and it didn't help. I ended up checking voltage at this connector:
Only 6.5V. Any ideas on where I'm getting a drop in voltage? Isn't this connector supposed to see 12v?
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
Hey tgreening,
I'm getting 6.5V at the orange connector going to the electric lock mechanism. Did you happen to take any pictures of your cleaning process? (my connectors look clean) Also, do you know where the ground is for this system? I wonder if that is not making good contact...
I have no idea on that connector. Been too many years.
Unfortunately there generally is no easy 1-shot fix to this problem. It's almost always a combination of little fixes that finally add up to everything working the way it should. And it always means pulling door panels and switches and cleaning cleaning cleaning. Clean/lube the lock mechanisms and make sure everything moves free. Ditto on the window up/down mechanicals. Pull the connectors from everything that has one and make sure they are clean. Look for green stuff where connectors are crimped onto wires. It's copper corrosion and generally will travel up the wire under the wire insulation where you cant even see it. Start tracing wires and look for the grounds, making sure those are clean. You can take apart the lock/window switches themselves and I can just about guarantee it wont be pretty inside. Clean clean again, and you might have to get into some small electrical booty-fab to get the switches back in order. If you aren't a member of IFSJA.org yet I would suggest you get over there and register. Do a search on window switches, lock switches, switch cleaning, etc. Look for the relevant stuff with pictures.
The wiring on the the locks/window switches gets a bit confusing, and funky. The grounds run through the switches, so if they arent good, nothing is good. If I recall power goes from the drivers side master, over to the passenger side, where it's routed back through all the other switches both passenger and drivers side. Bad dreams...
Anyway, the only real solution is pull the panels, clean everything possible, and start chasing wires from there cleaning all contacts/grounds as you go.
One way to go about it is get on flea-bay and see if you can find used switches for not too much coin. Put these on your bench and give them a good solid rebuild, and then swap them out with what you have now. Rebuild those at your convenience for spares. I went this route for the master panel on the drivers door. It most likely will not be the complete solution, but it will be a solid start.
Unfortunately there generally is no easy 1-shot fix to this problem. It's almost always a combination of little fixes that finally add up to everything working the way it should. And it always means pulling door panels and switches and cleaning cleaning cleaning. Clean/lube the lock mechanisms and make sure everything moves free. Ditto on the window up/down mechanicals. Pull the connectors from everything that has one and make sure they are clean. Look for green stuff where connectors are crimped onto wires. It's copper corrosion and generally will travel up the wire under the wire insulation where you cant even see it. Start tracing wires and look for the grounds, making sure those are clean. You can take apart the lock/window switches themselves and I can just about guarantee it wont be pretty inside. Clean clean again, and you might have to get into some small electrical booty-fab to get the switches back in order. If you aren't a member of IFSJA.org yet I would suggest you get over there and register. Do a search on window switches, lock switches, switch cleaning, etc. Look for the relevant stuff with pictures.
The wiring on the the locks/window switches gets a bit confusing, and funky. The grounds run through the switches, so if they arent good, nothing is good. If I recall power goes from the drivers side master, over to the passenger side, where it's routed back through all the other switches both passenger and drivers side. Bad dreams...
Anyway, the only real solution is pull the panels, clean everything possible, and start chasing wires from there cleaning all contacts/grounds as you go.
One way to go about it is get on flea-bay and see if you can find used switches for not too much coin. Put these on your bench and give them a good solid rebuild, and then swap them out with what you have now. Rebuild those at your convenience for spares. I went this route for the master panel on the drivers door. It most likely will not be the complete solution, but it will be a solid start.
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
Thanks for the info. I've already cleaned and relubed the assembly and its working very smooth. At the current 6.5V the locks will ALMOST unlock. I'm starting to think it might be a ground. At any rate, I'll dig back into the door again. and figure it out. Thanks again.
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
My roof top cargo bag came in yesterday. It's a "Keeper" brand bag and it has good reviews online. It's water proof and it has 8 tie down straps to secure it both laterally and longitudinally. I like the look of it and the material feels pretty thick and tough. Hopefully, it works as good as it looks and I don't get any water inside during my Ouray trip.
Here it is:
Here it is:
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
Roof Top Tent Test
So, last weekend, Wifey and I decided to give the RTT a test. It would be our first time camping in the Wagoneer, first time using the RTT and Lil Chunky's first camping trip! (Lots of firsts!) So, we decided to go to a propery that my buddy owns. We'd camp "off trail" and my buddy would bring his motor home and camp along the road that runs through his land, just in case we need support.
So, we hit the road and headed south and hit the dirt. Nutnut, our dog, was happy.
We meandered our way up his road, looking for a good spot to pull off and get into the woods.
After a while, we found a good spot to pull off:
After we got off the road, we continued down into the forest.
And we decided to set up in a little clearing within the trees.
We took our canopy (this is family camping after all!) and set up in a little meadow near the creek.
After that, it was dinner time.
That night, we discovered that the Jeep was a little nose high. So we decided to move the Jeep to another spot that was a bit more level.
We found a better spot, but decided that it needed even a little more leveling. So, here's the solution we came up with. (Note that my wife didn't like th RTT ladder, so I just used my "Little Giant" along side it. It worked great!)
We spent the rest of the day chopping/cutting down standing dead timber on the property. Man, that was a lot of fun.
Evidence of the cougar that lives on the property. He's eating well.
Lil Chunky was had a great time "working" with us all day.
And Nutnut had more fun than she could handle.
After all that work, we enjoyed the evening. Our new spot was perfect.
The next day, we packed up and had to head back to civilization. It was a fun trip, but too short. I can't wait to go back.
So, last weekend, Wifey and I decided to give the RTT a test. It would be our first time camping in the Wagoneer, first time using the RTT and Lil Chunky's first camping trip! (Lots of firsts!) So, we decided to go to a propery that my buddy owns. We'd camp "off trail" and my buddy would bring his motor home and camp along the road that runs through his land, just in case we need support.
So, we hit the road and headed south and hit the dirt. Nutnut, our dog, was happy.
We meandered our way up his road, looking for a good spot to pull off and get into the woods.
After a while, we found a good spot to pull off:
After we got off the road, we continued down into the forest.
And we decided to set up in a little clearing within the trees.
We took our canopy (this is family camping after all!) and set up in a little meadow near the creek.
After that, it was dinner time.
That night, we discovered that the Jeep was a little nose high. So we decided to move the Jeep to another spot that was a bit more level.
We found a better spot, but decided that it needed even a little more leveling. So, here's the solution we came up with. (Note that my wife didn't like th RTT ladder, so I just used my "Little Giant" along side it. It worked great!)
We spent the rest of the day chopping/cutting down standing dead timber on the property. Man, that was a lot of fun.
Evidence of the cougar that lives on the property. He's eating well.
Lil Chunky was had a great time "working" with us all day.
And Nutnut had more fun than she could handle.
After all that work, we enjoyed the evening. Our new spot was perfect.
The next day, we packed up and had to head back to civilization. It was a fun trip, but too short. I can't wait to go back.
Last edited:
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
I drove the Wagoneer to the top of Mt. Evans yesterday (14,164ft at the parking lot) and it did great. I'm really surprised how well the carb handled the altitude! I'm feeling pretty lucky that I ended up with such a reliable old rig.
Have you tested your RTT yet? That thing looks so cool.
Have you tested your RTT yet? That thing looks so cool.
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
If you look carefully, you can see the Jeep. It's sitting on the left of the parking lot, at the summit.
We took a little break on the drive back and I snagged this picture after checking out a mine shaft.
Bad Cell phone pics but, hey, something is better than nothing!
We took a little break on the drive back and I snagged this picture after checking out a mine shaft.
Bad Cell phone pics but, hey, something is better than nothing!