70hemicuda

So I am going to be bringing up the Jeep to my college in Syracuse and want some advice on maintenance that should be done before the 5 hour drive. (Im from central Jersey). I have done all fluids this past summer, along with the drain, refill, and repeat deal on the tranny. I was thinking driveshaft u joints, water pump, t stat, belt, and brakes. Anything else I should look into? Thanks!

timberwolf

it really depends on the maintenance history and current mileage

it never hurts to inspect the brakes and brake lines, including the hard lines
check all the tire pressures, including the spare

if you do the water pump, change the t-stat and hoses
if the belt looks questionable, change it and keep the old as a spare

unidentifiedbomb

I'm from Central Jersey and take the 5hr trip to IUP out by Pittsburgh 8 times a year, besides the regular maintenance I always carry tools and fluids with me. I would fix anything you might have wrong such as u joints or belt while at home before heading out. Put it on cruise control and just go man, I get around a quarter tank to spare when i get there. Those roof lights are going to create some nice drag on the way there, mine do and I don't like it and i'm sure yours will create even more.

PocketsEmpty

If your cooling system is fine now, you shouldn't need to worry about your water pump. Get a AAA membership and go. But if they've never been changed, can't help to upgrade/replace your U-joints, axle shaft and drive shaft. If you haven't changed your oil since the summer, it wouldn't hurt to do now. Make sure you have a good filter on there. No FRAM allowed. Make sure your brakes are in good shape and your fluid level is good.

70hemicuda

Havent had any cooling issues. Always carry spare fluid as I leak quite a bit. Oil change is going to happen. I dont know how old the belt is and I 130000 so im going to assume it hasnt been changed and do that. Wish I had cruise lol. That would be beautiful. And I always carry a full set of tools with me everywhere.

PocketsEmpty

Where are you leaking from?

70hemicuda

Freeze plugs. Front most and rear most. I heard you have to pull the engine to reach the back

PocketsEmpty

Ouch. I had to do the freeze plugs on the side of my block, luckily the rears are okay. There are two on the rear, one on the cylinder head and one on the block itself. The cylinder head you have to remove to fix. For the block, I think you need to drop the trans to do it.

70hemicuda

Is there a way i can reach the back one without pulling the engine? Its not the rear rear one. Its the last one on the driver side like right below the manifold.

PocketsEmpty

You mean the far right one in this pic? These were mine before I fixed them. If it's any of these, you can fix them by removing the intake and exhaust manifolds (and P/S steering pump)



Definitely use BRASS when replacing them.

70hemicuda

Yeah the first and last one of those are leaking in mine

PocketsEmpty

Ohh, you are lucky then. You won't have to pull the engine or trans for those! I used a big socket and a piece of brass to tap all new ones in. I suggest replacing all of the ones on the side while you're in there. I'll do my best to lay this out for you, all going off memory. I did this job three times.

Tools & Supplies to have before beginning:
-9/16" sockets/deep wall socket
-13, 14, 15mm sockets & 15mm wrench for idler pulley
-Pry bar or chisel
-Torque wrench
-Long extensions, short extensions, and U-joint for your ratchet.
-Indian Head gasket maker shellac (optional, I used it though)
-Two gallons of coolant
-Steel wool
-Needle nose pliers
-BFH (big f'in hammer!) & small brass weight / something you can hammer with in a tight spot.
-Large enough socket to fit inside the replacement freeze plug (32mm maybe?)
-Brass replacement freeze plugs. I used from Amazon.
-New manifold gasket
-Minimum 12pk beer of your choice (optional, but recommended)

Procedure:
1. disconnect throttle body cables from the TB
2. Loosen tensioner and idle pulley, remove belt.
3. remove E-fan.
4. Remove power steering pump and sit off to the side. I believe it's 13mm bolts if I recall correctly, maybe a different sized one that's on the block behind the bracket. You can get at the top bolts via the holes in the PS pump pulley.
5. Remove intake and exhaust manifold bolts (9/16 IIRC, you'll have to get creative with the extensions and U-joint for the rearmost stud)
6. Support engine with a jack and a piece of wood @ the oil pan.
7. Remove motor mount in front of the second freeze plug.
8. Prepare to lose coolant. Maybe put some cardboard underneath to help with the mess. I'd say a pan, but it's going to go everywhere anyways.
9. Grab the chisel and position it against the existing freeze plug and give it a good whack with the hammer. It should knock out into the block. After the coolant is done rushing out, use the needle nose pliers to extract the old plugs.
10. Lightly scrub the plug openings with steel wool to even out the surface and remove any gunk.
11. Take your new plugs and optionally dab a thin layer of shellac around the plug. I did this as an extra measure against leaks.
12. Use the large socket and whatever you use as a hammer here (I had a big hunk of brass) and lightly tap the brass plugs into place. You want to make sure you tap them in as evenly as possible, and you don't want to warp the inside of the new plugs. They will be tight going in, but you want them to be. It's also very important that you don't hammer them in too far.
13. When done, put everything back together in reverse order. Follow this torque sequence chart for the manifolds. VERY IMPORTANT.

14. Refill radiatior with coolant as much as possible.
15. Start up Jeep and watch for leaks. Let it get up to temp and add coolant as necessary.
16. Don't forget to recycle those beer cans.

Steps 6 and 7 are optional if you are not replacing all of the plugs. Mostly just for that second one. Hope that helps, good luck!

70hemicuda

Looks like i got a big project ahead of me. How hard is it to remove all this stuff? Will i be breaking bolts left and right or should it go pretty good if a pb blaster everything?

PocketsEmpty

It's really not all that hard. The first time I did this, I spent 12 hours on it. Keep in mind, this was my first EVER major mechanical repair I attempted myself on any vehicle. And it was a week after I got the jeep, so I knew nothing about the 4.0 at the time. The third time around, I was done in about 4 hours. It wouldn't hurt to PB blast the manifold bolts if you can, those were the rustiest for me. Everything else came out pretty easily. I didn't PB anything. Just take your time and also keep some dixie cups and a Sharpie around to keep track of your bolts. The first time around, I probably spent an hour trying to find the right bolts which I scattered everywhere.

70hemicuda

I know my way around the 4.0 and tools so Im confident i can handle it. thanks for the tips. Looks like i know how im spending my spring break