Bit of an interesting morning. Kind of took 2 steps forward and 2 steps back.
Firstly, i wanted to see if the Brown Dog motor mounts i had installed were giving me the vibes. I had a few hassles getting them off, as somehow, i had installed the through bolt the wrong way around on the left side mount. I couldn't pull it through as it hit the aircon hard piping. I had to take off the mount and also the mount that bolts to the engine. A few hours later and i had a brand new set of Crown OEM style ones fitted.
Pic below of the Brown Dogs up against the Crown. There was not much difference in size and weight, but the Dogs are beefier.
I took the XJ for a drive to do a final bed in on the brakes and check the vibes. There was a big difference in vibes and i think i am nearly there now. Much smoother and much less agricultural. The more i drove, the smoother it seems to get as everything beds in.
The brakes did not feel that good during the bedding in process. Just felt a bit mushy. By the time i got home, even with the ABS, i could make the tyres squeel and chirp and come to a really fast emergency stop. I think the more i drive it, the better everything will become.
Now on to the two steps back....
I nearly cooked the car on the test drive. Even with all the cooling mods i have done and everything being brand new, i have noticed the temps starting to creep up again. I did a pressure test on the system last night and thoroughly checked that the pressure remained at about 14psi (it did), and also used a black light to search for any glycol that glows green if there is a weep. (no weeps). When i did these jobs, i must have pulled the wires out for the temp sensor/fans. I was driving along and noticed steam coming out the bonnet vents, so i quickly pulled over and shut her down.... The gauge was up in the red!! (I noticed the fans were not on and the wires pulled out)
Coolant was bubbling out the overflow!! I was only a ten minute walk to a SuperCheap Auto, so i went and got a 5 liter bottle of coolant. By this stage, the engine had cooled down to 1/4 on the gauge. I added a little coolant, started her up and then slowly added the rest.
The bullet proof motor sounded great and seemed to run even better. However, even with the triple fan setup, the temps were creeping up on the way home. It was 36C in Perth today, but my temps were getting up to 3/4 on the gauge (about 105/110).
So, i think i may have to revisit the cooling system. Also, the other odd thing was the aircon vents. I know they are vacuum controlled, but when i put my aircon on, it kept swapping between blowing cold air on the windscreen and then cold air through the forward facing vents?? Like the controls had gone buggy??
So, thats another thing i have to research.
Anyway, brakes, vibes, engine, transmission, transfer case, alternator, aircon etc. all working much better. Will this Jeep ever be my daily driver??
Cheers,