Trailering my CJ

[Rescuejeff]

New to this forum but have had a few adventures with my wife's VW forum. I have a 1983 CJ7 , AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l with a 5 speed manual. I have tow bar for it but was curious of a few things.

1. I want to wire it so I can just plug in to the tow vehicles trailering plug, but know that I have to go past the wiring harness so there is no interference but where??

2.I have read a bunch about neutral for the Transfer Case and front hubs locked with Transmission inf first but others say different and so forth. Any truth of rock solid evidence?

3.Since I live in the Soviet Republic of California my jeep has all the emissions on it. Lucky I have property in the wonderful state of Arizona so it's registered there. When I start pulling off the smog what do I need to keep and what can I pitch.

Thanks for any information I can get on these subjects. Thanks in advance!

 

[rr41mag]

I mounted a set of trailer lights to a 4 ft alum angle then clamped it to the back, it had to be grounded to the jeep though. I just towed it in neutral

 

[BusaDave9]

You should lock the hubs to keep the TCase lubricated. If you have a long way to go remove the rear drive shaft and unlock the hubs.
http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f2/front-hubs-towing-3458/

 

[Torxhead]

For the tow lighting the rear harness can be unplugged from under the dash on the left side. It can be found by following the wires from under the left side entry to that plug, this will prevent backfeeding into the rest of the system. From there you can tie in a plug to the tow vehicle for running lights,brake lights, and turn signals. There are other ways to do this like Rr41mags method plus you can install diodes to avoid unplugging the rear harness which can be found on the net.

 

[IOPort51]

The $12 magnetic trailer lights from Harbor freight are just so easy to use.

the only challenge is to be sure the left is leat and right is right.

If you still have a working emissions system I would take very good care of it and don't pull it. There are a very small number of CJs that can still be driven in the land of fruits, nuts and flakes.

 

[hole]

If you take any of the emissions stuff off, save it! Where in SoCal are you?

 

[Scooter402]

The $12 magnetic trailer lights from Harbor freight are just so easy to use.

This.

the only challenge is to be sure the left is leat and right is right.

Hmmm...I always wondered who would figure out that I've forgotten to check that...

 

[Rescuejeff]

Thanks for the update on the trailering stuff. I plan to only tow it every once in a while...but not every regularly. I like the cleanness of the plug verse the magnetic stuff. As for the Smog stuff I'll keeep it but never want to deal with smogging in Cali....pain in the A#@! I'm down in San Diego area Hole so learning the ways of the Jeep. Any other suggestions I'm open for input.

 

[Torxhead]

From what I have heard the term to tow a Jeep with a tow bar is "Flat towing" btw. After many visits to the smog man and learning how to work on my CJ, passing smog is not a problem. Taking it in and forking out the dough is.

 

[thescot]

As some have indicated I would be pretty leary about trashing the smog stuff. My 83 has injection and still theres miles of unused wires under the hood. Also being in the Government end of things Im pretty confident many including AZ will adopt Ca air quality laws sooner than later. Far as flat towing goes, and this will get argued like which oil to use, my understanding us this. I dont recall which T case yo have but the problem lies with T case rear output bearing oil starvation. There once was a kit for the 300's to add paddles of sorts to the out put shaft to sling oil and keep things cool and lubed. The kit isnt around anymore so however. Ive read its OK to tow up to 100 miles then start the Jeep with the case in N and Transmission in any gear to sling oil about internally, sounds iffy to me. Personally I have rear hubs on my 83, otherwise Id absolutely remove or wire up the rear drive line,UNLOCK the front hubs, put the case in N and Transmission in N as well.

 

[Petescj]

Jeff if you could put just whats below into your profile it helps alot. It makes it alot easier for people who are reading your threads give you the correct info. Thats why we ask it when everyone signs up.

I have a 1983 CJ7 , AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l with a 5 speed manual. Thanks in advance!

 

[mstar]

The wiring thing is very simple. You tap into the taillight wire ,left turn wire and right turn wire somewhere downstream(to the rear of vehicle)from the turn signal switch.then install a diode in each wire upstream from that point to prevent feedback when towing.When not towing everything works normal.The diodes are available at trailer hitch shops or online.If that sounds confusing you could pay a shop to do the job.No disgrace in letting someone work on your rig. I have a flat four plug on a cord that tucks in behind the grille when not in use.Works great as I flat tow my '04 wrangler behind the motorhome . BTW the procedure for towing a wrangler with automatic is Transfer Case in neutral,Transmission in park,key on first on position to unlock steering ,connect light plug! Go travel, Mike

 

[Peanut Butter]

Smog Stuff:

I just recently removed the remainder of the smog equipment from my 79 AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l . Part of it was missing and the rest was rusted into pieces. I used a 1/4 inch pipe thread plug in the exhaust manifold holes and two 3/8 inch brass plugs in the lower block holes. Add some thread sealer and don't over tighten, as you can bust the cast manifold. I got all my parts from Home Depot. Since I'm doing a frame off restro. I'll have to adjust the carburator and timing when I have it back up and running. Custom plates of steel for EGR valve and heat exchange. Hope this helps, your results may differ, and everybody has an opinion on to do this or not to do this. Rod