New to Forum, XJ Guy

[bldeagle10]

This is kind of off topic but I need to replace the flares on my '98 XJ and I can't figure out a good way to remove/install. Is there a secret or is it just brute force to separate the flare from the metal clip underneath?

dont just rip them off, loosen up the metal clip. behind the fender flare inside the wheel wells there are nuts in the that i believe were 10mm. loosen those up. then the clip will come loose then just lift up and then pull out on the flare and the pop off. as well as behind the flare there is a bolt on the rocker, trace the flare down to the rocker and again if im correct its a 13mm bolt. take that off and you should be in the clear. as far as the end caps and such i have no idea, never taken them off but im positive you just remove a few bolts and you are in the clear

 

[rdonahe]

Thanks. That makes sense to loosen the bracket on the inside of the fender.

 

[maddmaxjack67]

dont just rip them off, loosen up the metal clip. behind the fender flare inside the wheel wells there are nuts in the that i believe were 10mm. loosen those up. then the clip will come loose then just lift up and then pull out on the flare and the pop off. as well as behind the flare there is a bolt on the rocker, trace the flare down to the rocker and again if im correct its a 13mm bolt. take that off and you should be in the clear. as far as the end caps and such i have no idea, never taken them off but im positive you just remove a few bolts and you are in the clear

Doing what bldeage10 said is probably the good way to do it! See I knew someone would chime in with the right info!

 

[maddmaxjack67]

On a side note, my DD is out of comission.

The plan for today my day off of work?

Change the water pump, bypass the heater core (its leaking), and address why my power steering went out yesterday.

All this happened yesterday....

 

[bldeagle10]

wow cruddy luck. i know how that is kinda, dad gave me his 75 c10 suburban with a 454 after it sat for 10 years...an alternator, power steering pump, starter solenoid, and ignition switch later i gave up.....for now

 

[maddmaxjack67]

Yeah I bought this XJ in early January, it was mint, perfect interior/exterior. Got it from a small dealership in my home town. Upon inspecting it I figured that it had sat in what seemed like a garage or a barn or something of that matter for at least two years.

The day after I drove it home the alternator went out, luckily it was only about $90, the one for my 2000 XJ was around $200 or so.

I changed all the fluids after I got it and put in a new battery. The more I look at things, the more I realize that everything looks factory from 1997. I'm sure down the line I'm going to be replacing a lot of things.

Shocks still look original!

It's a 97 with 16x,xxx....

It did come with all maintenece records though, I haven't gotten a chance to read through them, my fault I know.

 

[bldeagle10]

yea my front shocks are the originals. deffinetly need to be replaced on mine. mine has 316k miles and its the original drive train. only thing thats replaced are the wear items like brakes bearings ac compressor etc. they are amazing if they are well taken care of. last a long time. the only thing id be worried about is the bad fuel issue from sitting so long but if you cleaned out the tank i wouldnt worry..

 

[maddmaxjack67]

So I got the water pump changed today and bypassed the heater core, it was a pain in the ********. I can't tell you how many times I tried setting it and lining everything up to find out I had forgotten something.

Also a comment, getting the nuts off of the fan clutch to remove it is a terrible experience.

So looks like the gasket set right, no leaks so far. Going to check everything out in the morning, hope all is still well.

Also to bldeagle, 316k is a lot of miles! I hope my XJ's live that long. So far my 2000 has right around 170k, I bought it with 130k about three, going on four years ago.

It's had a ton of work done to it so I'm sure it'll chug along for a while so far I've put in since owning it....
D30 High pinion, old low pinion went out
New Hubs/bearings
Shocks
Springs
Calipers/pads/rotors/drums rebuilt
Wheel cylinders
Rebuilt cylinder head w/ new guts, the 0331 cracked
Alternator(3)
Radiator(4)
Water pump
Idler pulley
Duralast Gold battery
All coolant hoses
And I'm sure there are other things on that list...to bad I can never make the money back that I've invested in it, I plan on driving that thing till it falls apart.

 

[bldeagle10]

i had to change the fan clutch and oh yea those bolts are a pain. not so bad at the time cause i was replacing the radiator at the same time and i have skinny hands. still....

yea its a decent amount of miles. amazing that its all still the original drive train and axles. just replaced regular wear items...i plan on gutting the motor and freshening it up when i have the time and money though. i have nightmares of dropping a valve :/

ive done alot of work but its a labor of love. i have so much sentiment invested in this jeep. we bought it new from the dealership so all the miles have been put on it by me and my dad. alot of adventures...and alot more to come

 

[maddmaxjack67]

That is awesome that you put all of those miles on the XJ.

A little update, I have a very minute leak after the water pump install. It's not constant and there are only a few drops of water on the ground after shutting it off.

I can't seem to find where the source is, I can't smell coolant, it doesn't look wet anywhere! IDK where it is.......
I hope it isn't the gasket on the pump......