1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 390... (Hiltman's)

[hilton8r]

I get the feeling that the exhaust system does NOT want to go in! I heard valve lash last time I ran the ZJ, so I figured the rockers were out of adjustment. The plan was to pull the valve cover on the passenger side, adjust the rockers, and reinstall the valve cover. And Bill loaned me his remote starter (slick)! I fired the truck up for a few seconds to verify the valve lash, and crawled under to hook the remote starter up to my starter when I noticed a big ol' pool of oil. I couldn't believe it. The only thing that changed was that the truck was parked nose up in my inclinded driveway. There was no oil when I was crawling under it screwing with my steering linkage in the middle of the Oso/Antonio intersection last weekend! I pulled the starter and dust shield to get a better idea of where it was coming from. The first assumption was to pull the transmission assuming it was the oil gallery plug that blew. Too much oil for the rear main seal to be leaking.

Bill came over to loan tools and help. Here's where it gets interesting! It's getting very typical for something to seem really really bad, only to find out it's not really that bad... But it's certainly a pain in the rear... But after all is said and done, turns out to be a blessing in disguise because another issue is uncovered that could be catastrophic later on down the road (probably on the 405)!

Ok, I was not aware of this, but Bill pointed out that there is an oil filter adapter that is held in my a nub I believe. This is actually where the oil was coming from. This also explains the valve lash since I wasn't getting oil to top of the motor. So like I said... from worse to better... We pulled the oil pan since we weren't getting a good oil reading on the dipstick. It turns out that the dip stick rail was modified (probably for crank shaft clearance I have to imagine), but never tested. The dip stick would not travel inside the rail. I'm lucky not to have got the dipstick wrapped up in the crank. So... we are going to attempt to fix this problem. Otherwise, I'll have to buy a new oil pan and bang the crap out of it to get it to clear etc... Maybe, just maybe the exhaust will decide to go in next weekend! Oh yeah... the reason the oil adapter started leaking was because the guy who built the short block used a thin crappy Chevy gasket he had lying around. Fortunately, the actual Mopar gasket was in the Mopar gasket kit that  I got back with the motor. Well, at least I got to practice adjusting my rockers this morning! One hurdle at a time.

[hilton8r]

I purchased a new stock oil pan after several attempts at fixing/modifying the original oil pan. I found out that there were 2 different oil pans in '94. The oil pan that I had superceded to the new pan that I bought... and is the same oil pan used for a '98 ZJ w/ a 360. The pan still did not clear, but I expected that. I was finally able to get the dipstick to engage in the track while clearing the crank. I installed a new oil pan gasket and filled it with 5 quarts of oil just before leaving on vacation for almost two weeks. My Mom came back to visit for a week, so I haven't done much lately.

Today, I adjusted the rear band in the transmission. I had a hell of a time figuring out what socket to use. The FSM mentioned a 5/16". My six point socket did not fit, nor did the 12 point socket that I bought. I bought an 8 point socket, and it did the trick. I doubt I will ever use that socket for any other purpose! I installed a new transmission pan gasket and filter and filled it with Mobil 1 automatic transmission fluid. I have not been able to get any fluid into the t-case yet, but I made a hell of a mess trying.

I installed the drive shaft, headers, starter, dust sheild, skid plate, and anti-sway bar disconnects.

Finally, I pulled the dipstick and wiped off the oil in order to check the oil level. The dipstick does not appear to be engaging anymore and is bone dry. I pulled the oil pan plug to verify there was oil in the pan. It's a lot cooler now then when I last worked on it. Could that possibly make a difference? I tried to bend the end of the dipstick slightly to see if it helped, but it did not. I will probably try to modify the dipstick by slightly grinding down the twisted cross at the point. I really hope I don't have to drop the oil pan again, or have to try to figure out all of the crap needed to reroute the dipstick tube directly to the side of the pan.

Plus my beloved Bears lost a nail biter... so it was not a fun day!

[hilton8r]

I finally got 220 in the garage and my welder and air compressor are fully funcional!

I spent some time practicing my welds, and decided not to attempt to weld the exhaust until they have improved. Soon, very soon!!!

I've spent a lot of time organizing and cleaning the garage and sideyard. I'm sure I got rid of stuff that I'll regret later on down the road. C'est la vie!

[hilton8r]

Today was awesome! The ZJ exhaust is in and sounds tuff! It sounds like I may have a small exhaust leak where my header bolts on, but more than likely I need to adjust the rockers. The exhaust fits real nice with adequate clearances (drive shaft/track bar/ gas tank skid plate/ etc...).




Bill came over to supervise. Bill also welded all of the hard to reach areas underneath the truck. I only took three pics during the process. I honestly don't know why I never seem to be able to remember to snap pics frequently during these projects! At least I can get a few completion pics still.

Bill and I had talked about grinding down the dipstick tip slightly to see if it allowed the dipstick to engage in the oil pan track. It will now engage if it's rotated counter clockwise at the same time it's being pushed in. So actually, today was better than awesome! Thanks, Bill!

[hilton8r]

I've placed an order with Jegs.

190 LPH in line fuel pump
30 LB fuel injectors
EV1 (Bosch) adapters

The ZJ idles great, but is starved for fuel when the pedal hits the metal. The stock fuel pump and 24 LB injectors are not adequate. I've had to bandaid the original stock engine wire harness. Many of the wires are cracked. I will fix the fuel injector adaptors that are toast right away, but replace all 8 over time.

The MSD ignition coil isn't working for some reason. The truck dies after 10 - 15 minutes. So I'll run the stock ignition coil for now.

After the fuel pump and fuel injectors are swapped out, we'll determine if the stock computer needs to be changed.

I should have all parts in hand a week from this Saturday.

[Jedrattle]

Well did you ever get it fixed? I saw this and thought of your jeep.....

[hilton8r]

That's a pretty sweet Jeep!

I still need to order some stuff from Caspers. I won't work on the Jeep until I get the RC smogged. My goal is to smog the RC on January 15th. Wish me luck!

John

[hilton8r]

I pulled the fuel injectors last week. I pulled the wiring harness up to the firewall. The Dealer Parts Department sold me the wrong wiring harness a couple years back. I may as well swap it since I have it. I'll install the new fuel injectors this weekend. I need to install a bigger/badder fuel pump (already have it). The MSD ignition coil dies after 10-15 minutes. We figure it's getting hot from the engine heat. I'll use the stock coil until I can figure out a way to protect the MSD. I'm crossing my fingers that I can smog it when I'm done. If not, I'll need to buy a 360 or 360HP 'puter. I think the weather and lack of Holidays are finally in my favor!

I purchased the FSM on ebay this morning. It ships tomorrow. Why do people end there listings at 4:30 am? Sure they live in Georgia, but that's not my fault!

Bill's FSM is AWOL. Hopefully mine will suffice until his turns up. The timing couldn't be worse as he's neck deep in a motor swap on his ZJ.

[hilton8r]

I'm searching the junkyards for a 98 ZJ hood with the vents. I'm not sure if I'll source one on the cheap, but it's worth a try. I'd rather paint a hood, then install vents. I will install the abs wiring harness this weekend. I have to install mudflaps on my dually this weekend no matter what because the fix it ticket is due and I can't extend the due date. Still left to do:

Fuel pump
Vent engine compartment
Long Arm (Shaggy's Custom )
Bumper (front)
Rock Sliders

The ZJ is going to Moab in September. Is anybody interested in joining me?

[hilton8r]

I thought about it a bit... Most 5.9L ZJ's are silver. I'm definitely painting that hood. I wouldn't want anybody thinking I was part of the Raider Nation. Although, that isn't nearly so bad now that JaMarcus got the boot!

[hilton8r]

I'm officially back on track with this dang ZJ. Therefore, I'm moving it to the Trail Trucks thread.

[hilton8r]

I found a vented hood at Penguin's in Salt Lake for $100. My Mom picked it up for me today. She'll send me a picture tomorrow. It's grey, and the vents are intact! I'm scanning ebay for a Raiders Nation sticker . This should solve the problem with the ignition coil getting too hot.

Bill,
Are you available to install the fuel pump this weekend?

[Bill Cooke]

Cool find with the hood. I was following a 5.9L the other day. I kept hoping he'd hit something and total the truck (but just with the suspension or something) so I could steal all the goodies off it. That two piece rear hatch would be cool too.

I'll be in AZ with my dad this weekend. He's not doing so great so I had better get out there before it's too late.

Bill

[hilton8r]

Travel safe. Let me know if you need anything while you are away. I sent you a pm. Tell your pops hello for me. He really is one of the great ones. Take care,

John

[hilton8r]

I found a white 5.9L hood in PA on ebay for $75, but it was missing the inserts. Otherwise, I found a couple in the Sacramento region for $200 without inserts or $300 with inserts. I really feel like I scored on this one.

John

[hilton8r]

I was able to completely remove the harness from the truck without removing the dash. I removed the windshield wiper motor assembly to get to the wiper fluid hose connection and the wiper motor clip. I seriously thought I was going to have to remove the hood to get the wiper arms off! The new harness is completely installed and neatly tucked back into place. There is still one connection left to be made when I find it, but I will double check to be sure I haven't missed another.

I'll resume tomorrow (today ). The fuel injectors are a major pain! I plan to lube the o-rings with motor oil. Is that a good/bad idea? I would think the oil would cause the rubber to deteriorate. The goal is to fire this baby up so I can get it parked a little bit straighter in the driveway until I can get the new fuel pump installed. Plus the window has been down for two weeks.

I realized why I haven't been spending much time working out in the garage lately. The solicitors are out in force. I'm going to chain my pitbull to the bumper next time!

[Bill Cooke]

I used vasoline. Stop the wise cracks right now..... You guys are hilarious

Rubber does not do well with motor oil.

The harnes will have a couple of extra plugs for differnt things your truck my not have. That makes it tricky to install, that's for sure.


Wish I could help today but... wishing is as far as I'm going to get today.

Bill

[hilton8r]

I typo'd wouldn't for would in my last post, but just fixed it. I was afraid to admit that I don't have any vaseline lying around! I do inventory plenty of lotion and napkins however!

I no longer have ABS after the Ford 8.8 rear diff swap. That's the pretty red clip at the firewall. I need to crawl underneath the Jeep to get to one of the clips. I might take a picture of this just to convince myself I'm not paranoid, but my neighbors dog takes a dump on my driveway and on the street right next to the drivers door. I'm serious. And the dog is dang smart too, since the Jeep is backed into the driveway. There's no fooling him! I didn't feel like cleaning up dog crap yesterday, or I would have chased down that last clip.

John

[hilton8r]

I'm going to solicit the help of a friend to install the fuel pump as soon as possible. The fuel injectors have already been installed. I definitely want to rewire the fuel injector clips at some point in the near future.

I placed an order with TrailReady today for front/rear bumpers and rock sliders. They need a couple of weeks to build the bumpers, so it will be a last minute rush to install them before Moab. There really isn't a whole lot of aftermarket offerings for ZJ's. I researched a bit on-line before making my decision (ARB, Hanson, Kevin's Off-Road, JRC, Buckstop, Protofab, etc...). They aren't making the ZJ rock sliders any more, but I got the last set they had in stock.

I made the decision to trailer the ZJ to Moab. I don't feel comfortable driving the Jeep to Moab with the current Rubicon Express suspension that's installed on the truck. I will resolve the death wobble issue with a long arm solution later on when I've saved up some more money and have more time.

John

[hilton8r]

Unbelievable. I picked up my TrailReady shipment yesterday. It only took 2 months. Of course, one of the VP's happened to be doing a warehouse walk-thru that day.

Front bumper... check
Rear bumper... check  
Warn winch... check  
PIAA lights... check  
Rock sliders... WTF!

I was told that they only had 1 of the 2 rock sliders, so they cancelled that portion of the order without so much as a phone call. They stated that they no longer make the rock sliders. I asked if she could find out why they couldn't build one more to complete the set since they had my money for 2 months. I try to stay positive about this stuff, but it never ends. It's always tough shit. The next phone call won't be pleasant, because they failed to realize that the rock sliders were discounted to offset the price I was quoted for the winch vs the price they charged for the winch. So, they have messed up the billing. The damned thing is that I initially called about rock sliders. I decided to purchase everything else as a package deal to save on shipping etc..., and to cross a few things off the list.

John