XJ Mods VSB 14

[alexbrown64]

I did a bit of research and decided to use Marcus's GoJeep restrictor in the top hose. http://gojeep.willyshotrod.com/Howto...Restrictor.htm

I also have the old Dirtbound Offroad triple fan setup. It has a Wahler 2 stage thermo switch that brings the first fan on at approx 85c and the second at about 95c or somewhere around there.

I looked at the old info i had and the fans only pull about 1150 CFM each. This is about half of what the original clutch fan pulled. So i decided to swap the wiring around so that two fans come on first to pull 2300 CFM and start bringing the temp straight down. If it keeps getting hotter, then the third fan will kick in to give 3500 CFM.

I did these mods this morning and on a 20 minute test drive the temps didn't go over the half way point on the needle, which is 98C/210F. I am happy with these mods at the moment, but may go to the ZJ clutch fan mod in the future.

The heater controls work on a vacuum system. If the vac isn't working properly, then the default setting is the demister! This is what is happening with mine. So i may have a small vac leak somewhere. It seems to be intermittent, as the blower seems to swap back and forth from demister to front vents. I am thinking of making a vac line smoke detector to find the leak.

Cheers

[alexbrown64]

New track bar (panhard rod) arrived last night.
Took about 60 minutes to fit this morning.
The new adjustable Roadsafe brand unit is a little beefier than the OEM unit.
I measured the O.D on the original at 27mm and the new unit at 30mm. There is plenty of adjustability on the threaded end and it looks to be a good upgrade for a lifted Jeep.

I didn't use any special tools to remove the old unit. Just sort of tapped around the ball area with a hammer and it dropped out. I put the new track rod in at the ball stud end first. There was plenty of room to spin the track rod on its threads to get to the exact length so that it aligned back up on the end with the bolt and special flag nut.

I torqued everything up (60ft/lbs), tightened the locknut and put a bit of grease in the nipple. Job done.

I did not have any problems with my steering or death wobble or anything, but the track bar is something to look at if you do. I just wanted to replace it with a new and beefier unit.





Cheers,

[alexbrown64]

Ive got a small side project on the go. Its been in the thought processes for a long time and i was collecting parts.

The last few days i have been tinkering and finally got something together.
I used a 3 gauge Auto Meter dash mounted pod and modified it to take a Stuart Warner vacuum gauge, an Engine Watchdog and a mini CB radio.

I had done previous measurements and knew it would be a tight fit... but it was really tight!! I spent a few days using the dremel to grind here, grind there and fabricate a new fascia plate. Its slowly coming together. Once then pod is finished, it will be mounted on the dash and wired up.

The Motor Minder gauge is great for checking economical driving and engine problems. The Watchdog will be great for monitoring Engine and Transmission temperatures. I nearly cooked the motor the other day, just because i had accidentally unplugged the triple fans and did not notice the temp gauge.

Im not sure about the CB radio. I haven't really used one, but it could be invaluable if i join a 4WD club or go bush or something. The Uniden UH5000 has a couple of cool features. I currently have it installed upside down, but i can flip the LCD screen. I can also change the colour to green, blue etc..









I think the pod will be a great addition to the current array of gauges. I should have a good visual and up to date display of how the XJ is running. Its going to take a bit of work though to wire all this up. I am going to install it at the same time as i fit the new double din Kenwood stereo.

Cheers,

[alexbrown64]

A bit more tinkering this morning.
I fabricated up some brackets to secure the gauges in the pod. Once it was all fitted up properly and ready for installation, i did a trial fit in the Jeep. I am not prepared to drill holes in my dash and secure it that way. I will use double sided velcro so that it secures nicely, but i can move it at any time and also not damage the dash.

Once operational, i should have a command view of the engine and transmission temperatures, as well as checking vacuum and trying to drive economically in the "green zone".
Also, if anything starts overheating, the watchdog will alarm and give me a good warning of impending doom......



Cheers,

[oldon]

Looks better than a bought one Alex.

[awg]

Originally Posted by alexbrown64

Im not sure about the CB radio. I haven't really used one, but it could be invaluable if i join a 4WD club or go bush or something. The Uniden UH5000 has a couple of cool features.
Cheers,

how useful is a CB likely to be for detecting cops, from have a Truckie CB channel on ??

I fkn hate cops, they profile & target "drivers of older 4WD"

look out fella, with that pimped ride, they wont miss you!

[alexbrown64]

Thanks Oldon, she is slowly getting there.
AWG, she is a bit pimped up, but i have gone from 35" tyres to 33" and changed the rims to a different back spacing so they dont stick out. I also run mud flaps now and a few other things to make the Jeep look a bit more legal. 90% of the Jeep is legal now and i did have it engineered a while back. The springs and tyres are just a bit bigger than what is generally allowed in West Australia.

Anyway, i dragged out my old cheap Ebay special vacuum gauge this morning. I use it to reverse bleed brake systems and stuff like that. I found the elbow coming out of the inlet manifold where the aircon vents get their vacuum. Its about a 5mm nipple. The elbow was in poor condition and it has a check valve coming off it.

I disconnected the line from the manifold and connected it into my gauge and vacuum pressurized the system to 10"/HG and it held pressure well.
The check valve was working well and only sucked in one direction. I realized the problem was probably the crappy manifold connection which was made worse when it got really hot.

I made up some new connections and took her for a test drive. The aircon flaps all seem to be working much better now and the Jeep is holding a good vacuum.



Cheers,