What did you do to your XJ today? 1M Views

[eksjay]

Had the NRMA replace my 3+ year old battery as preventative maintenance. Great price but only a 2 year warranty. Previous battery was an NRMA battery as well but it had a difficult life on corrugated roads. I am still on my factory battery on the JKU, 6 years later. My original XJ factory battery lasted 8 years. They don't make them like they used to...

[emac]

i have for years thought i had a rear main seal leak, posted about it recently

anyway im getting old (actually am old hahah). and i knew the rocker cover gasket looked dodgy, so ive replaced it ,the one on the motor was seriously had it

i had replaced it about 23 years ago, apparently they don't last !!

this time i used a felpro cork gasket and it sealed good, last time was a rubber/silicone gasket and it had simply decomposed and fell apart when i removed the cover

i also cleaned out the rocker cover internals, the two ducts for inlet air and outlet and it even seems to run marginally smoother.

i scrubbed the outside of the cover and gave it a hit with clear just to make it sparkle.

job done, probably never have to do that again, and yeah not sure about the rear main ill degrease the motor and see what it looks like in a couple of months.

at least with the rocker cover i don't have to be scratching about under the car.

another job done.

[eksjay]

My XJ was garaged all day. But, ....

I was in my JKU minding my own business when I saw a flash on my right and this metallic orange thing (Amber?) flew past in the overtaking lane. When my eyes were able to focus, I saw what possibly could have been the newest looking XJ Cherokee that I have ever witnessed (2001 model?). It still had "There is Only One Jeep" sticker on the tailgate window (4.0L engine).

It was the best (stock) car on the road, and I am not joking when I say that it seemed like it had rolled out of a factory, as new, about 5 minutes ago.

There really is Only One Jeep.

[eksjay]

As luck would have it, I took the XJ out for an errand yesterday and drove the thing headlong into a tornado somewhere in the central west. I could see the storm brewing ahead. I also heard some chatter on the UHF from truckies and dump truck operators about the torrential downpour. Someone said they were operating in their quarries in two feet of water.

When the storm finally "slammed" into the ground I could not see anything in front of me (in broad daylight) despite having the wipers on max. Surrounded by trucks I did something that I have never done before (EVER). I pulled up into a rest area. I thought the risk was too high of a head on collision on a two-way "highway".

Yesterday's storm was fast moving so after a few short moments, I joined the highway and continued my journey. Sometimes, storms tend to hang around and continue over an area and it might be better to drive through them, but this wasn't one of them.

I guess I am showing my age.

[Sobek]

Finally doing some work on the Heep again, it's been forever. Replacing the tie rod ends and some other bits before I put the 2" lift kit on it (that I bought a YEAR ago now, damn). I think I've got a binding ujoint on the left front axle, and there's scary amounts of dead zone play in the steering left of centre before it just grabs and throws you over to whatever side you're steering towards. I must look like the most drunk XJ driver on the road today I swear. Maybe steering box is worn and sloppy, it's original and I'm at 316k kms now, it's like driving a boat with a stuck rudder! *edit* well, the universal joint on the steering shaft closest to the steering box is bad, clunks when turning back to center from the left, and I can grab the shaft and shake it while that joint clunks and moves a good bit... I'd say that's the culprit. Anyone know where to get these little u joints, or what size they are? It's bizarrely difficult to get concrete info online for them, and I can't really even find a replacement shaft to buy either.

Had a question, oldest question in the books actually. I've got new 15x7 triangle hole steelies to go on, 4" backspacing (0 offset), was going to just throw new 235/75/15's on them and call it a day, but then I figured I might as well go a little bigger with the 2" lift I'm putting on. Has anyone here had any experience with what size looks best on a 2" lift and 15x7's? I daily drive it, never go offroad any more (light gravel here and there) but I always run all terrains, I like the way they handle and grip in the dry. The new rims should stick out slightly more than the stock steelies as they're 4" backspacing, and that's all I wanted, to have the tyres basically flush with the outer side of the factory fenders (not personally a fan of tyres out past the bodywork). 265/75/15? Just want it to fill the gap from the lift a little nicer and look a bit more aggressive, that's all. Anyway, interested to hear thoughts! Or see pictures maybe. Google results are so mixed, it's all the americans and they don't do subtle, so it's hard to find things like what I'm aiming for.

Also what wheel bearing hub assemblies do you guys go with? I figure if I'm doing u joints and TRE's I might as well do new bearings as the kms are getting up there. I was going to get a pair of Timkens from Rockauto, they're $110 each but then the shipping goes ballistic because of the weight, ends up in the $300 to $350 range average. Is there anything of a similar or lower price point IN Australia worth getting? Or specific brands we recommend? Cheers

[LuluBelle]

30 / 31's easy on those rims wait till you put the lift on you might even run 32's with no scraping

[junglejuice]

Originally Posted by Sobek

Finally doing some work on the Heep again, it's been forever. Replacing the tie rod ends and some other bits before I put the 2" lift kit on it (that I bought a YEAR ago now, damn). I think I've got a binding ujoint on the left front axle, and there's scary amounts of dead zone play in the steering left of centre before it just grabs and throws you over to whatever side you're steering towards. I must look like the most drunk XJ driver on the road today I swear. Maybe steering box is worn and sloppy, it's original and I'm at 316k kms now, it's like driving a boat with a stuck rudder! *edit* well, the universal joint on the steering shaft closest to the steering box is bad, clunks when turning back to center from the left, and I can grab the shaft and shake it while that joint clunks and moves a good bit... I'd say that's the culprit. Anyone know where to get these little u joints, or what size they are? It's bizarrely difficult to get concrete info online for them, and I can't really even find a replacement shaft to buy either.

Had a question, oldest question in the books actually. I've got new 15x7 triangle hole steelies to go on, 4" backspacing (0 offset), was going to just throw new 235/75/15's on them and call it a day, but then I figured I might as well go a little bigger with the 2" lift I'm putting on. Has anyone here had any experience with what size looks best on a 2" lift and 15x7's? I daily drive it, never go offroad any more (light gravel here and there) but I always run all terrains, I like the way they handle and grip in the dry. The new rims should stick out slightly more than the stock steelies as they're 4" backspacing, and that's all I wanted, to have the tyres basically flush with the outer side of the factory fenders (not personally a fan of tyres out past the bodywork). 265/75/15? Just want it to fill the gap from the lift a little nicer and look a bit more aggressive, that's all. Anyway, interested to hear thoughts! Or see pictures maybe. Google results are so mixed, it's all the americans and they don't do subtle, so it's hard to find things like what I'm aiming for.

Also what wheel bearing hub assemblies do you guys go with? I figure if I'm doing u joints and TRE's I might as well do new bearings as the kms are getting up there. I was going to get a pair of Timkens from Rockauto, they're $110 each but then the shipping goes ballistic because of the weight, ends up in the $300 to $350 range average. Is there anything of a similar or lower price point IN Australia worth getting? Or specific brands we recommend? Cheers

On a 2" lift Xj (assuming 2" over stock limited and not 2" over sport height) the best size IMHO is 30x9.5-15's or 245/70/16's, these will not rub too much, 31's will fit but will require bump stop extensions and steering stop adjustments to stop the tyres rubbing badly on the lower control arms....