Project Hugs Version 4.0

[Yjsaabman717]

New OE mounts are NLA and aftermarket stock replacement are crap. I don't need Bomb Proof mounts, or even the poly inserts I've found. Is there any kind of solid rubber insert out there? Buy some cheap aftermarket mounts and fill the voids with window weld?

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[Ken L]

The last time I did mine I used NAPA. They have been decent for me. I just figure that they are going to wear out with the torque and flex that we subject our vehicles to, and that these were good enough unless I wanted to upgrade significantly to the bomb proof ones.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/DTT6...ut=motor+mount

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_6...ut=motor+mount

[Yjsaabman717]

Thanks for the input, I was looking into those. We have an account with Napa at work, and even at that cost they're a good bit more than the average ones from Anchor, DEA, and Westar that all share pretty much the same part number. I did see that the Bomb Proof mounts do use a rubber isolator, which I like, but that's still a big pill to swallow, even vs the Napa ones. Maybe I'll just buy another cheap one for now, these mounts did see a lot of tweaking and stress during the trans swap. Once I get some more miles and some real offroad use on them maybe I'll be ready to spend some more $$.

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[Yjsaabman717]

After putting a few commutes under my belt with the AX15 in I've determined the shifter could definitely use some more tweaking. I could modify the XJ shifter again, but I thought I'd look at my other options, like YJ, TJ, etc. In my research this morning I came across a comparison picture between a Jeep AX15 shifter base and a Dakota AX15 shifter base. What this reveals is that the Dakota has a taller shifter tower and more shifter below the pivot the point. Bingo! This looks like an affordable, available on the used parts market short shifter! I think I may track one of these down and give it a shot. It also looks like the TJ shifters may have the same taller tower and longer lever below the pivot.

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/ph...hp?photo=16925

[Yjsaabman717]

As always when dealing with an older vehicle, on to the next problem! Been battling a hard start/long crank situation since getting Hugs back on the roads. Coolant and intake temp sensors test good, fuel pressure is good with no immediate drop off, etc. I finally made a break through last night and looks like a spark issue. Crank sensor is new with the swap, plug, wires, cap and rotor are recent. I had no spark out of the coil, so I'm leaning towards a coil, and hopefully not the distributor. It smelled like fuel after a few rounds of cranking, so injector pulse seems to be good.

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[Yjsaabman717]

Well, every time I've gone after it to diag the starting issue it's started. Sometimes it struggles a bit, but a little bit of throttle got it going. Spark tester is in place and will remain there for a while. I did grab a new cam position sensor at the yard over the weekend and threw it in. I also have Mopar crank sensor coming just for good measure. Figure I'll keep the aftermarket one in the spares kit.

OTH hand I pulled the shifter and rotated the top half on the bottom half 90 degrees and it's in a much more natural position and less of a reach, now.

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[Yjsaabman717]

Mopar crank sensor didn't fix the starting issue, and it kept getting worse. Finally it was consistent enough to diagnose it. I had printed out a bunch of wiring diagrams and with the help of those, and some really funky symptoms, I tracked down the issue. It was to the point where I'd turn the key on to start diag and things would click on and off repeatedly. I noticed the injectors doing it first, then realized the ASD relay was doing it, too. Consulted my diagrams and found they share a circuit that's switched by the ECU. Got lucky and scored a remanned ECU at the salvage yard for $40. Starts up nice and quick, now, every time.

After I got that sorted I actually cleaned up the interior a little bit. Quick vacuum, spot cleaned a few nasty spots on the back seat, and cleaned the inside of the windows. I also put a fresh coat of RainX on the windshield. I think I'm going to pull the carpet in the cargo area and put down some bedliner. Half of those cheesy strips that are just clipped to the carpet are missing anyways.

And here's how the shifter sits, now. First pic is in 1st gear, second pic is reverse.

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[Yjsaabman717]

Replaced the leaking valve stem on the one wheel today. Also changed out the fluid in the trans. Did some research and found that GL5 gear oil is not good for the synchros in the trans, and it's what's most readily available these days. I'm not really sure what I grabbed off the shelf at the local parts store when I put this together. I had some Royal Purple Max Gear left over from my YJ years ago and I liked how that shifted, so I grabbed a couple more quarts and swapped it out. It does feel better, but I think the synchros are hurt already. I don't necessarily feel the 1500-ish miles I've put on it with improper fluid are to blame. The trans is used, and the XJ it came out of did have 37s and a turbo on it.

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[Yjsaabman717]

So I got something for Christmas that's more fun, though it is somewhat functional. It's proving to be way more of a PITA to install than I expected, but I'm rolling with it because I've wanted one since I was a kid. This install also gave me a good reason to clean up the leftover ABS wiring some. I de-pinned a bunch of it from the plug by the headlight and then from the main module connector, too. The rest I coiled up and tucked back towards the firewall and it ended up hiding under the washer reservoir, for the most part. With it tidied up it made some more room for my install. So, what did I get, you ask...



Yup, I'm one of those guys. Lol! Like I said, I've wanted a 4x4 with a snorkel since I was a kid. Still working on getting the connector piece inside the fender connected to the air box. It looks like the fender will need to come off. I burned up some time messing with the wiring today. This one came from Amazon for $100. Overall it fits well, though the template puts the holes a touch low. I'm also trying to work out an actual seal between the main snorkel and the piece inside the fender. It's a pretty loose fit as delivered.



Down to a single wire out of this plug, now.



What I fully removed.



This bundle runs into the cabin and I did not have time today to mess with that.

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[Yjsaabman717]

Today Project Hugs got a new windshield. The original was still (mostly) in place after 27-ish years and almost 186k miles. I thought it was starting to delaminate on the two right corners, but the windshield guy said it was actually separating from the backer that the adhesive sticks to. Hence the "(mostly) in place" comment above. He said pretty much the entire bottom edge was loose. There's a very good chance it would have popped out/broken if I had flexed it up.

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[gonecheenin]

The bend in the ZJ shifter is definitely a little odd for the ZJ but it's easily modified.
For the engine mounts I usually buy brand new anchor or similar replacement mounts then cut two peices of 1/4-ish flat plate and force those into the mount above the mounting bolt sleeve using adhesive silicone to hold them in place.
Has all the vibration damping of stock but keeps the damn mount from ripping itself apart under torque all the time.

[Yjsaabman717]

Parts for a new exhaust have been ordered. Going full manifold back in 2.5" stainless. I'm being good and putting a cat back in. The 6 year old Walker system is shot. I knew it was leaking, but then I found this on the back side of the muffler when I was changing the oil Saturday.

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[Gearjammer]

That's some serious rust on the exhaust.

[Yjsaabman717]

Yeah, I'm amazed it held together this long. Cheap parts made of cheap metal in an environment that uses salt in the winter, which is when I primarily drive it. The next exhaust should be the last. Well, until I have to modify it to clear long arms...

This past weekend I picked up some Energy Suspension urethane spring isolators off the local CL for $25. The original ones are toast and this was a great score.

I also need to address some fluid leaks. I really need to check the front pinion closely before I eat the seal I have for the axle waiting to go in. It's leaking badly, and if the bearings are worn and the pinion is sloppy there's no point in replacing it. I'm also kicking myself for not doing the rear main seal when I did the 5 speed swap. Final leak looks like the distibutor seal, which I have one of.

One more thing I found is that the front driveshaft I have is a bit too long. It fully collapses when I put it up on the lift and the suspension droops. I put it all together at ride height and it had a little room, but not enough. Thinking I may keep this one and have the original shortened. This one may come in handy when I go a bit taller.

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[Yjsaabman717]

Well, the new exhaust is done. It was not without issues, and it needs some adjustment after driving home. My muffler choice was not good, and it's far too loud with a lot of drone over 2500 rpm. But, it's not going to fall off, and I can change out the muffler down the road. It's tucked up tight, especially in the rear, though it's too close the the RR shock, and the shock body was hitting it at ride height. It was sad to beat in a freshly made pipe, but time was up and it needed to clear. It's also not my prettiest exhaust from a welding standpoint, but it's solid. Between time and low batteries in my welding helmet I was rushing a bit.



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[Sudz]

following for the persistence, paddles for ZJ, rust be damned

[Yjsaabman717]

Fixed my rattles with a few hammerless adjustments. It's too loud in the wrong rev range, and doesn't have a proper sound for a Jeep. Got some input from a coworker when we left at the same time the other day, and he agrees. It doesn't sound bad, it's just not the right sound for what it is. And the interior noise is the worst from about 2200 rpm to 3000 rpm, right in the range your in the most. Flowmaster makes a 50 series in almost the exact same dimensions as what I have now. One of those will be finding it's way on before too long.

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[Yjsaabman717]

So some new issues have cropped up related to exhaust, and some other issues.

There has been a nasty clunk in the front when making hard right runs with a dip, like into a parking lot or a driveway. I did some investigating last weekend and found the front pinion yoke has contacted the 2.5" downpipe. Apparently there's enough movement/deflection in the front suspension to allow the axle to shift over that far. Trackbar is fairly recent cheapy from RockAuto. I also noticed the front axle is starting the leak more. Not just the pinion seal, but also the right axle seal, now. I need to get the other axles in soon.

The other issue is with the clutch hydraulics. If you hold the pedal for an extended time the clutch will gradually release. Release the pedal and pump it a time or two and it works fine. Seems like the seals are failing inside one of the cylinders. Tonight during one shift I actually felt a pop and thought I'd lost it for good, but a pedal pump and it was back. New clutch hydraulics are ordered.

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[Ken L]

Make sure there is no flex in the track bar mount on the frame. The net result of that would be a very bad day.

[Yjsaabman717]

Thanks for the input, Ken. I did stop and think about it a bit today, and under full compression the trackbar will pull the axle towards the right. I will be sure to check for stress/flex indicators at the trackbar bracket. Frame stiffening is in the plans, just not currently in the budget.

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[Yjsaabman717]

No pics because my phone was charging, but I got the new clutch hydraulics and went for the install today. New parts have metal bodies vs plastic, which I like. Brand name is Perfection Clutch and got the assembly from RockAuto for under $100 before tax and shipping. What I found upon disassembly is that the master cylinder was leaking out the back. I installed the new parts and could feel it binding. Looking at the old setup it was, as well. The master cylinder came back off the firewall and the pedal cluster came out. Sure enough the angles get pretty extreme when the pedal is depressed. For figuring everything out the old master cylinder got removed from the old assembly and installed on the pedal cluster out of the Jeep. I didn't get any further tonight, and I don't have a carbide burr at home to adjust the holes in the firewall. I welded the support bracket for the clutch master when I moved the pedal pivot, and that's where things went awry, I think. I will cut that back off the cluster and adjust it with the master cylinder installed to make sure the angles are good.

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[Yjsaabman717]

Update from Sunday:

Pedal cluster has been corrected after many mockups and position adjustments. The only thing I'm lacking at home to put it all together is a carbide burr to adjust the mounting holes in the firewall. I may stick the cluster up in and see if maybe I can't just make some new holes. Man I don't feel I was that far off! FYI, it is that far off.

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[Yjsaabman717]

Got everything back together Monday and it seems to be working well. No more squeaking from the clutch pedal during actuation, either. I thought it was the pedal bushing, but it was really the master cylinder.

I think I have a plan to get some tow points on this thing, too. Now that it works right again I can get back to more fun projects. I really need to get the driver's rocker and wheel arches done, too!

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[Yjsaabman717]

Been fighting a wet floor and found the AC drain isn't draining right. What a terrible design having it go out between layers of the unibody. I did some exploratory surgery on the drain last weekend and I hope to finish it up this weekend. Will post pics if I do.

Also got some basic tow hooks off Amazon for $20 and started working on mounting them on the front.

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