Wahoo got the Jeep back!

[XEON]

Got my Wrangler back today! I am in the process of ripping it all apart now. And guess what another thing when today... gas pump :( More money...

Anyway just wanted to let you all know... :)

[MikeN]

Glad to hear you got your rig back but having the fuel pump die really sux. Hope you have a shop or garage to work in with this weather slowly turning to s__t!!

MikeN

[XEON]

Man this jeeps is one thing after the other. I reinstalled my CB and now my rear right taillight is dead. WTF! I dont get this thing! Grrrr now reconsidering selling it... and getting one that works .......... :(

[sentinal02]

Man this jeeps is one thing after the other. I reinstalled my CB and now my rear right taillight is dead. WTF! I dont get this thing! Grrrr now reconsidering selling it... and getting one that works .......... :(

didn't you know? jeeps must spend an equal amount of time wrenching as they do wheeling in order to operate correctly. forget buying a new one (all jeeps need work after all) and just fix what you've got. you gain knowledge in the fixing that you wouldn't get buying a new one. in the 2 years that i've had mine, I've replaced:

clutch and slave cyl
rear main seal
both front axle seals and U-joints
DS U-joints F/R
the starter
both the PS and Alt belts
the entire suspension
valve cover gasket
intake/exhaust manifold gasket
t-case output seals F/R
rear brake hard lines and hose
brake line bleeders
O2, CTS, and MAT sensors
and rewelded the header pipe at the cat to save myself $60 on a replacement

in addition to those, I've
added wires and relays for two sets of driving lights
added a CD player and CB
removed the entire dash facing to replace the headlight switch, polish the contacts on the gauges and access the computer
removed the entire interior to herculine the jeep
added removable storage boxes in the rear
added an auxilary, waterproof fusebox to clean up cluttered wires at the battery
and respliced and rewired nearly every sensor on the engine to eliminate my hard starts in cold weather

all in all i've gotten very good at fixing things on the jeep and learned a LOT. in the end you just have to stop looking at it as fixing things that break, and think of it as preventative maintenance to keep things from breaking while on the trail. after all, it's much better to fix something in the garage or the driveway when it breaks than out on the trail, miles from the nearest road and ankle deep in mud and water where you have to worry about the jack stand sinking and your tools disappearing in the leaves. of course, it helps to be like me and actually enjoy turning a wrench :wink: hopefully i'll be adding a front locker, OBA, and homemade rocker guards and bumpers to that list before the end of next summer. then there's the BL, stainless windshield hinges, diff guards, belly up skid plate.......lol this list gets longer every day. if you need help with that tail light let me know. electrical is one of my specialties :D

[XEON]

I mean I like to wrench but it seems liek I do something then something else breaks. So I keep dropping money and lots of time and frustration for something that should not have broken. That the thing that is pissing me off. Maybe today when I hope in the Wrangler the tail light will work. That seems like it could take lots of time to fix if its not somethign simple like a cut wire or somethign. Thanks for all the info. I have replaced a few of those things. The rear bearing axle bearing and seals, all the belts because I was doing tuneup and might as well..., new suspention is comming. Lots of other addons...

Sential02 where did you mount your CB antenna? Because I get terrible noise from the engine, I have had it on the tire carrier and I have it now on the little tailgate bump stopper. Let me know I am going to try grounding the antenna to the exhaust I hear that works perfect. Also what CB do you have, I have been told my CB is a POS, 19DXIII. Thanks let me know!

[XEON]

Fixed the tail light :) small grounding issue. Ok one down...

Still trying to get my CB to work well. I get so much engine noise :(

[mybigredjeep]

where is your antenna mounted? do u have a pic......it could all be in where it is placed. also how big is ur antenna and is it a magnet mount?
Jeremy

[XEON]

I dont have an image now. I can get one, but its mounted on the tire stopper in the rear right. I have a 4FT antenna and its not magnetic mount. Let me know I will get that image soon.

[mybigredjeep]

first of all do u run it with a hard top or a soft top?? and then if your not affraid to drill lets mount it to the roof you can also build a mount that will come off the back or front bumper....mine is mounted to my front bumper and it is through solid steel.........i have no problems...........let me know if u need a hand

Jeremy

[XEON]

I have a softtop, I dont want it on the front bumper... and the rear bumper is too nice to drill into... :) Its a 1/4 Steel hand made bumper oooo

[sentinal02]

I've got mine mounted on the tire stop as well. I do get some back ground static from the engine as well. are you sure it's from the engine and not normal back ground static? i know mine is simply because when i shut the engine off and turn the radio on it's much quieter. I've got a filter on the power wires from the battery and that helped somewhat, but it's still not as good as i think it could be. I also had to ground the mount better, but right now I'm using a stranded 10 ga wire. one of these days I'll swap that out with a braided RF wire. I've heard that the exhaust is a good place to ground to as well. My ground wire definitely helped though since i went from an SWR of 2.1 to 1.3. It's an old Realistic set that my dad had for years that i setup with a 5ft firestik II. I will say it does get good reception, even with the back ground noise. on the trail I can turn up the squelch to get rid of the noise and the chatter from the group comes in crystal clear. I've gotta get a new mic for mine though. When Badzook and i went out i found out that the mic isn't picking up my voice anymore. have you cleaned up all your main grounds in the engine bay yet? if not do that too. both the block ground and the frame ground. and make sure your power source is directly to the battery. using the center wire from some coax as power and ground wires for the set might help too since it will be shielded. also, if your coax for the antenna is longer than you need. cut off the excess and solder the end back on to just the size you need to get from the antenna to the set. the 18ft rule is a myth and all that excess does is give noise more surface area to affect. HTH

[mybigredjeep]

my front bumper i custom made with 3/4 inch angle iron and 18 guage plate steel so what............that is the best place to mount it......but if u want we can fabricate something that we can mount it somewhere else...ill help even..


jeremy

[XEON]

Well I have a nice mount, what is my problem though? Its engine noise. The antena itself is picking up the noise. I take the antenna off and noise is gone. Its really weird. I talked to Buzz Brothers and they said I need to put filters in the CB itself to get rid of the noise. Then I was told from forums that I need to ground the antena to the exhaust which will get rid of most of the noise. I am going to try it out what I did earler so I will be back in a fewish.

[mybigredjeep]

the reason u are getting the noise is because it probably isnt grounded......it doesnt neceisaryly need to be to the exaust but it does need to be to a nice bold in the frame or anything else that is solid. that should get rid of the noise.......if not do you have a sound system in there and does it have an amp..........sometimes mine gives me noise if the amp is on and the cb is on at the same time..........check that out as well.......if u need a hand let me know.

Jeremy

[XEON]

Well I guess I am not going to worry about this. I can hear people I just need to test it with some other people. Its grounded, I used my multi meter and I tested for continutity and it was. So its grounded ...

I need to worry about some other stuff first... like to get this thing road and offroad worthy...

[mybigredjeep]

whats next on the list of shit to do for it?

[XEON]

I need to install 2" BDS lift and 5/8" shackles
Rip out T-Case to get SYE installed
Measure driveshaft and order custom one
Extended brake lines

Thats the major stuff then there is
Install 2 pairs of hella 500s
Install radio sub speakers and amp
Fix CB possibly...
Make sure everythign is all good then I can go wheeling... :)

[MikeN]

Justin,

All of those things you were told will cause static. Where did you pick the power from for the CB? If it was before the fuse panel toward the Battery, that could give you static. Try finding a spare connection in the fuse panel. Not only does the antenna need a good ground but your CB does too. If you're mounted into plastic in the Jeep, make sure you got a good ground on the unit itself. Of course there's the RF filter issue. Does the noise change pitch as you rev the engine? If so, it's brush noise that your alternator is putting into the system.

MikeN

[XEON]

The problem is ONLY noise comming in from the Antena. I am going to try small things like grounding the CB itself and get a wire to attach to the mount. Should the Antenna it self be grounded? I did a continuity test from the base of the mount to where the antena screws into and that do not connect. Should I put a ground wire in the screw hole for the antena?

[MikeN]

What you are grounding on the antenna is the coax cable shielding. Whether you go to the antenna mounting screw or some other location is of no matter. When I'm talking about grounding your CB, there should be 2 wires on the connector for the power. A red which is hot and a black which is the negative or ground.

MikeN

[XEON]

I am pretty sure the coax is sheilded.

[badzook]

xeon,

You are getting the static coming in on the 12 volt input line...You're probably picking up static from the alternator and fuel injectors. They create large unequal wavelengths in the 12 v electrical system.
Just go to Radio Shack and tell the tech your problem. He should be able to set you up with the Proper size in line filter. I have a capacitor built into my set and it's as quiet as a mouse. With the flip of a switch I can pick up all the noise I want...or not....

Good luck with your project. It is a pita when you first start a project because your list is long and seems endless...Like sentinal 02 says. Think of it as preparing your jeep for the trail...The more you get done.......Nevermind..... You never get done....... LOL LOL :lol:

BTW my CV shaft and TC kit arrived today... Finally after 2 months of patiently waiting... Now I just have to put it in.... Maybe this weekend..


ttyl
badzook

[XEON]

Yea I will take care of the CB stuff soon. But now my focuse is the suspention.

Cool finally you got it! Yea my SYE kit arrived Saturday. I am going to take the t-case out and have my mech do it. I dont have all the tools to do it nor the patience. I want to make sure thats done right. I cant wait to get my lift kit in! Maybe ordering it tonight! :)

[jadams68]

Xeon, BDS kits ride stiff as a board...or atleast mine did on an 85 CJ I recently sold. In comparison, my Rubicon Express 4.5 kit was a dream come true... It came with everything and it floats down the highway...

Just an opinion...

[XEON]

I hear different... about both of them. Already bought the BDS plus it was much much cheaper and it saved my wallet. Well it better be better then ProComp springs...

[jadams68]

I can only tell you from experience. I've owned both. Both are better than ProComp. Rubicon Express is the best SUA lift available....hence the cost.

[XEON]

Well we will see... as long as they flex and they are not as bouncy as ProComp then I will be happy. They are only 2inch springs so there is less curve in the leaf... I dont know what I am takling about... Mayhe that will help...

[jadams68]

Yeah mine were 2.5" as well on my CJ.
Third time I drove it, my wife almost barfed... we were bounced and tossed all over the place...

Now... I had BDS shocks...which could have sucked a$$... so don't buy them... get Doetsch or Rancho or something better... I also took about 5psi out of each tire and that helped a bit.

[XEON]

Yea I am going to use the ProComp shocks that are on my YJ now for now... then I am going to get some Ranchos or maybe others. So... its work in progress