(Sub-titled "What I Did on My Vacation")


Since I destroyed my drive line about 120 miles from home on the way to Moab, I decided that I would spend the week of vacation catching up on a number of things that needed doing and/or I wanted to do.

Monday morning I got a new coupler on the way from Jerry LeMond and ordered new u-joints. I also ordered a new radiator, which appeared on my door step 4 hours later!!!!

On Tuesday I removed the old u-joints and installed the new ones, less the damaged coupling. I also installed a relay in the circuit for my on-board compressor.

Wednesday I installed the radiator and a new thermostat.

Thursday the coupling arrived from Jerry and I installed that and then installed the drive line.

Friday I solved a leak at the solenoid for the front locker and had a nail pulled from a tire and the tire patched. I also re-installed my OME front shocks. I have been trying some remote reservoir Bilsteins off a VX, but they are badly in need of re-building.

Today I installed a 1000 watt inverter.

Tomorrow I go wheeling!!!!!

Sounds like you kept yourself busy. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Did you get any pic's wheeling?

Van <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

I went wheeling with Jim yesterday. All I'll say is that I don't know if he will be all that happy to talk about what happened. He will probably be busy this week. Good luck Jim. If its any consolation, I'll be wrenching on my Trooper too. I have a lot of stuff to fix. Anybody know a guy that will build me a external cage for free, or maybe for beer? LOL

Well, it is time to pull the tranny again, for two reasons this time. My transfer case, which had tested just fine on the street, wouldn't go into low range yesterday. I chose to try to run the first trail anyway in high range. That turned out to be a really bad decision for my clutch.

About 1/2 mile into the trail, the clutch was putting out large volumes of smoke. The trail was running uphill, so we got my rig turned around and I made it back to the main road and parked it. I rode with someone else from the club in his Toy truck with a flat bed, dual transfer cases, dual lockers, etc., on 35s. At the end of the day I found out that the saga of the clutch wasn't quite done.

The rigs on the run included a Sammy on Toy axles, a fairly stock TJ, Bryan's Trooper, the afore mentioned Toy Truck, and a really radical Rubicon on 60s, and 40" rubber. Every rig on the run, including mine, had a winch and they were used several times during the day.

If you ignore my clutch, the damage was limited to a tire for Bryan. The Sammy has an exo-skeleton, so there was no damage when he flopped.

Back to the clutch. On the way back to the road, the rig ran fine, but the clutch definitely was feeling soft. I manuevered over a large gate keeper rock and parked the rig. At the end of the day, Jesse took me back to my rig and I fully expected to drive it home, which is only a few miles from the ORV park. No such luck. The clutch was completely gone. The Rubicon towed me back to staging area. We then loaded the rig on Jesse's trailer and I drove his rig to my place. Jesse, John, Kevin and Len came along to help push the rig into the garage. There it sits.

This afternoon, I will start pulling the rig apart, again. I ordered the clutch this morning and it will be in tomorrow for me to pick up after work.

Man I felt bad for you yesterday, Jim. Coming up that hill I saw all that smoke and knew that the day was going to end early for you. My son said he did have a good time riding with you though, for what its worth.
As for my part in the story, man, these dudes we wheeled wtih were serious. I took some pictures and I'll put them up somewhere tonight, hopefully. Its clear to me today that I need more lift. I need to get my frame higher off the ground. I made it through everything yesterday, but I got hi-centered twice, and A LOT of body damage.
My Trooper was also losing a U-joint by the end of the day, too, so I was very glad to be home. I have some work to do before I go back there. Sure would like to do an SAS swap right about now.
Good luck with the repairs Jim. I know I'm a ways away and you know what you are doing, but if there is anything at all I can do to help let me know.

Cross your fingers. What I found today was not good. The rear output shaft seal from the t-case was leaking, probably as a result of all the times I put it in and took it out. When I drained the t-case, there was oil in it, but not nearly as much as there should have been.

Hopefully I will have the tranny/tcase out on Thursday and then I will have a better idea of what I am facing.

Big metal or little metal?

The new gears throw off a reasonable amount when they break in.

Michael

Only found "little" metal, so it may be ok. I am going to have to replace that seal, however. I do happen to have a spare needle bearing if it comes to that.

That's what went south on mine went I ignored the small oil seal leak a little too long. Honestly, I'd pop the rear of the case off and give that lo-range gear a good wiggle while you have the transmission pulled anyway to check for slop. Its a lot easier to change those needle bearings out on the bench than lying your back under the truck, in the middle of the winter, in an unheated, uninsulated poll barn. Wait, I'm having flashbacks. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

I intend to open up the case to see if there is any damage, or at least any damage I can see. I am so sick of pulling and re-installing that tranny, that I will do anything I can to avoid having to do it again if I can help it.

Actually, the tranny is in some ways the least of the problem - it is all the other stuff that has to come off to get the tranny out. The last time out, it took two of us about 3 hours to pull the tranny, strip down the tcase, re-load the whole thing and re-install the tranny. It really helped having two sets of hands to hold the dog clutches in place and to install the infamous snap ring.