1997 Jeep XJ Country

[Callelle]

Just ordered the flowkooler water pump. After sitting here thinking that I'm gonna have it all apart, why not replace it just in case it is t he pump. If I new radiator, fan clutch, E fan, thermostat, hoses, temp sensor, and water pump don't help get this thing's temperatures back under control, I literally have no idea what else it could possibly be.

[MrMindless]

Tuning.

Timing, spark quality, a/f ratio (lean is hot. Poor o2s, injectors, vac leaks).

I'd expect any of those would have to be way off to see a notable difference on a stockish setup though.

[smichaelR22]

97 would be smart enough to pop a light if any of those things were wrong. 

[Callelle]

97 would be smart enough to pop a light if any of those things were wrong.

^That. I was looking at it last night and the bolts from the manifold flange to the rest of the exhaust were a little loose. Tightened them up just incase it was sucking in a little air and throwing the O2s off. Also ordered new plugs and wires, distributor cap, temp sensor, E fan, and O2s, gonna call NAPA today to get the ZJ fan clutch. If none of this fixes it, Mark's favorite solution of burning it might just be a viable option.

[Wingman]

Plus you have experience at burning things!

[Callelle]

Woo weekend projects. FlowKooler water pump, ZJ fan clutch, new E-fan, NTK O2 sensors, Champion Copper Plus plugs, Denso plug wires, distributor cap, coolant temp sensor, and serpentine belt. Also gotta run new brake lines all around on the pickup, gotta love when one bursts on you the week before you plan on towing down to Rausch.

[Wingman]

Also gotta run new brake lines all around on the pickup, gotta love when one bursts on you the week before you plan on towing down to Rausch.

Better than having it happen while en route!

[Callelle]

Better than having it happen while en route!

True story. Really lucky honestly because the night before, I had just brought my friend's WJ back from Buffalo and that night we were just about to leave to take a horse to my Mom's friend's. Got everything loaded up, go to pull out and the pedal went right to the floor.

[Callelle]

Got everything installed this weekend and everything went pretty smoothly. Old pump came out without issue, I was crossing my fingers that the fins would be all chewed/rotted up. Unfortunately it looked like this.



That being said, the new pump and fan clutch definitely helped, a lot. I'm now idling at 210 and if I bump the RPM up to 1500, it drops to 207 (probably lower if I held it longer than 30 seconds). Going up a long hill, it never got to the next line after 210, if I had to guess, it might have hit 218.  Still a little warmer than what I want, but a huge improvement over idling at 216 and hitting 240+ going up the same hill. I could probably put a 180* stat on it and it would get to where I want, but considering the one in it is brand new, Ill think about that for next time. It could just be non sense, but to me, I can see how my lack of proper gears could have an effect on it since I'm still at 3.55 and it has to work the motor harder to keep moving. Also the ZJ fan clutch wasn't nearly as loud as I thought it would be, I can definitely hear it more, but it's not roaring like everyone says. Don't have any pictures of the new stuff in, but there's nothing really to see. Tomorrow I gotta do brake lines on my pickup (figures a line bursts the week before I have to leave) and then I'm off to Rausch for 4 days as a birthday present for my self.

[Callelle]

Just got back from Rausch today. Things went very well this weekend, temps stayed right where I like them, and the XJ performed great. Couple things need tweaking like my shackle angle, need a new driver's seat, and my steering box is starting to leak a bit, but nothing major broken. Other than that, I had a ton of fun and can finally post some pictures of me wheeling this thing.




This hill cost me my driver's seat :rolleyes:

[MrMindless]

nice!!

[Callelle]

Video of me on Yellow Jacket

http://youtu.be/VfDFFXuS8O8

[xjh3]

Sweet!!!

[Callelle]

I really need to get this motor sorted out. Entire cooling system has been replaced, still running 220+ on the thruway. Only thing I can think of is a bad head gasket and/or cracked head, but I have no symptoms of it (no oil or coolant contamination). Need to do a compression test. Also getting spontaneous rough idle, but only when it's in park. Any other gear, it idles fine. Passenger side window isn't going up, even when using the driver's switch. I suspect that it's got something to do with the plugs when I take the doors off. Seat mount welds are broken, going to fix when I get a real seat, and the steering box is starting to leak out the bottom. Haven't decided if I want to get a replacement box and tap it for hydro assist or bite the bullet and get an entire kit from PSC.

[MrMindless]

PSC is a waste of money. Stock replacement or a Durango box.