Build Thread Treblehook's 79/85 CJ7 Circus!!

[TrebleHook]

I am apparently a total retard.

I knew the T-5 was filled with GL5...and it's shifted worse and worse since I got it installed...

So in an effort to improve the shifting I drained it and filled it with Penzoil Syncromesh...MISTAKE!

The Transmission ran like . To the point where I could almost not shift it. Only about 10 miles total/max.

I made it home, but I also stopped by Napa and picked up a gallon of GL4 85w90 Gear Lube. I also bought the pump that fits on the container which was certainly worth the $$.

I immediately drained it and refilled it with the GL 4. Ran it around a block a few times -- no change, still shifts like .

Any hope, or did I just kill my "new" Transmission .

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[TrebleHook]

I am apparently a total retard.

I knew the T5 was filled with GL5...and it's shifted worse and worse since I got it installed...

So in an effort to improve the shifting I drained it and filled it with Penzoil Syncromesh...MISTAKE!

The transmission ran like . To the point where I could almost not shift it. Only about 10 miles total/max.

I made it home, but I also stopped by Napa and picked up a gallon of GL4 85w90 Gear Lube. I also bought the pump that fits on the container which was certainly worth the $$.

I immediately drained it and refilled it with the GL 4. Ran it around a block a few times -- no change, still shifts like .

Any hope, or did I just kill my "new" transmission.

Cheers,
TrebleHook

Good news....after sitting for the night and another 10 mile trip the Transmission shifts NO WORSE than it did with the GL 5 in it...but WAY BETTER than with the Synchromesh.....never again!!

 

[TrebleHook]

Ladies and Gentlemen....your daily CIRCUS UPDATE.....

Well first off, as the Transmission was crapping-out from my Synchromesh mistake - I noticed the same symptoms that I had when the clutch linkage was was AFU...

I gave the linkage a once-over and a good shake and sure enough, the aluminum block that attaches to the bell housing was loose - AGAIN. I know it was tight when I reinstalled it.

I pulled it off, cleaned all the parts, added a some Permatex RED Locktite to the allen bolts that thread into the bell housing and reinstalled the linkage.

I also replaced the missing bolt on the inspection cover. (I know it was there when I took it to the shop for the Transmission , grrrrr )

Linkage works great. Hope it holds.....

As mentioned above - the GL4 may or may not be an improvement over the GL5 -- but it's CERTAINLY an improvement over the Pennzoil Syncromesh!!

When I was refilling the Transmission with GL4, I removed the "new/post-twin sticks" tunnel cover. I wanted to be able to hear the Transmission when driving and I thought about filling the Transmission through the shifter.....

Without the boot or tunnel cover, I immediately noticed that the passenger H-N-L stick (can't remember which is which - which is why I have the sticker on the glovebox!!) hitting/thumping on the tub whenever the engine "revved to the right" As the Engine/Transmission throttled-over, the stick would hit the body - loudly.

I decided to make a minor modification and used my cordless Dremmel to remove a little "smidge/1/4 inch" of metal from the tub and cover. I repainted it all for rust/looks...my repair is actually hidden by the cover and boots. I just really didn't want that shifter hitting the body - even a little. I'll be installing the cover tomorrow when it's dry.

While driving with the cover off I also noticed that when in 5th gear and "coasting" there is a rattle/grind/whirring noise from the Transmission . No other gear does this and it stops as soon as I put the Transmission under a load....thoughts?

Not to be outdone - and since I get it for 13$/gal at the Navy Exchange -- I decided to change the oil to Rotella T 15w40. I had seen the oil that the PO ran in it, it was cheap and black and looked/felt shot after not more than a month. The shop who replaced the Rear Main Seal refilled it with 5w30...and it was pretty dark/grimy coming out - and it's a week old!

So I put on a Fram 25 filter and filled with about 5 quarts of Rotella T. It took a number of checks to make sure it was "Full." I immediately noticed that the noise from under the valve cover was reduced. Significantly. Wishful thinking -- maybe. We'll see.

I will be changing the filter and topping off the oil every 1k miles for the first 5k. There's gotta be a LOTTA crud in that old motor.....

So that is what happened under the BIG TOP today...any thoughts?

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[Rescue Diver]

Como Estas!

Cozumel is awesolme! Just got the wifi working. Glad you sorted out your shifting issues. I'll check back a few times throughout the week.

 

[TrebleHook]

Como Estas!

Cozumel is awesolme! Just got the wifi working. Glad you sorted out your shifting issues. I'll check back a few times throughout the week.

I'd be jealous....but it was absolutely beautiful here today. I'll be jealous later in the week. Enjoy!

I do have a bit of good news.

I tried the silly putty trick. Put it on the front of the carb where the leak WAS....sprayed with starter fluid. Nothing!

Better than that....I removed the putty - sprayed with starter fluid...NOTHING!!

I think the gasket settled in and the Permatex Copper set-up. There are officially NO VACUUM leaks around the base of the carb -- or anywhere else on the carb so far as I can tell!! I sprayed the hell out it....nothing!!

I also got the tunnel cover all painted up and installed -- looks great - no more rub from the twin sticks.

Transmission is shifting like it did with the GL5. Hic-up into 3rd, whines as I downshift to 2nd. 5th makes noises when its coasting.... Whatever. It runs for now. I may have it rebuilt if I can find someone to do it for a good deal.

So now I just need to do some tuning. I guess I should head over to Autozone and tool-borrow a timing light, vacuum gauge, and see if I can round up a whole lot of assistance....anything else?

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[Petescj]

Ahh........ Many times Ive felt that exact same way. Shows your learning and is totally acceptable. Right back at ya ! Im enjoying this thread , keep it up.

I am apparently a total retard.
Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[TrebleHook]

Well the sometimes you're the windshield - sometimes your the bug....

Not a bad day under the big top - all things considered. Hopped in the Jeep to drive home for lunch - clutch in - shift into reverse - GRIND. Hmm? That's odd. I shrugged it off...got right on the highway. It was beautiful and the Jeep was running GREAT and the engine hadn't stalled since I fixed the vacuum leak and adjusted the idles screws and timing. But of course that never lasts, right.

About 2 miles from the house -- after I exited the highway -- the Jeep starts to shift like again. Hmm By the time I pulled onto my street, I could barely get it into gear....turned into the driveway and couldn't get it into first. WTF over?

At first I was convinced that it was a Transmission mount issue. I had already fixed the clutch linkage and adjusted the clutch and I refused to believe that the new/used tranny was already crapping out -- the problem was too intermittent.

I called the shop the installed the Transmission and grilled them for a while -- he immediately told me to readjust the clutch -- and then talked me through it. Apparently, breaking in a new clutch requires some adjustment as it initially wears...whodathought? Well I did it and it immediately solved the issue - but I was pretty conservative when extending the push rod and it took a couple tries but it's shifts -- just like it did before (Hic into 3rd, Whines when downshifting into 2nd, noise when coasting in 5th). But it shifts...my guess is that I will be getting a T-176 sometime in the near future!!

So speaking of transmissions -- now that the the engine is tuned better and the Transfer Case noise is gone -- I'm no longer convinced I need 5th gear. Running on the highway in 4th isn't really winding the engine that hard. 5th doesn't drop the RPMs dramatically and the T-5 is apparently just as much of a weak POS as the T-4 . If I can find the driveshafts for a good deal...and a completely rebuilt T-176 -- I think I'm just gonna do it. Piece of mind is priceless right?

I had some extra time tonight in the garage (thanks to my amazing wife) and knocked out a couple of things that were bothering me:

Straightened the steering wheel - it was crooked after the new steering box. Too easy!

Removed the computer - unneeded. Anyone want one?

Tuned the carb a bit more. Advanced the timing. Lowered the idle screw. Readjusted the 2 idle screws in the front of the carb (Screwed each one all the way in - loosened each 2.5 turns. Tightened until engine started to bog. Loosened each half a turn) Read it on a post somewhere -- it seems to work. Engine running much better/stronger (chirped the back tires into 3rd!).

Oh -- and I got my Multimeter. $6.99 on Amazon. Free 2 day shipping with my Amazon Prime membership! Amazon Prime is worth the $$. I got free 2 day shipping on the Bestop Seats (front and rear) and that basically paid for the $75 annual fee. It's paid for itself and way more since then....Check it out.

 

[TrebleHook]

It was beautiful today...I know because I spent the entire afternoon outside....away from work....at the barber shop....on my back...under my Jeep.


Ran out at lunch to get a quick cut. As I was backing up from my parking spot at work, I hear something click/clank up front. Drove around the parking lot - no other noise or symptoms. Hmmm? Whatever....

Jeep was running and driving great!

As I pulled into the barber shop parking lot, through some bumps and gravel, I hear a THUMP. Turn the wheel towards the spot right in front of me and I get a little clunk and a skid. Didn't think much about it. Went and got a haircut.

When I came out I noticed immediately that the passenger wheel was fully turned out to the right. The driver's side was straight. WTF? Seriously - WTF?

Didn't take long to diagnose:


The end unit on the passenger tie rod was completely disconnected from the tie rod. Totally unscrewed or just yanked out.

The clamp on the tie rod wasn't noticeably loose. But not particularly "clamped down" either.

Called the wife, she picked me up, at the house I grabbed my tools and a jack/jackstands and we headed back to the barber shop. She just left me there -- defeat was not an option.

Jacked-up the front of the Jeep and started....

I immediately noticed that the end unit was a bit stripped:


This seemed REMARKABLY strange to me...all I could think was that there was a previous problem, the tie rod itself was stripped out, the clamp was loose - or some combination of the above.


I pulled the other tie rod end unit for a comparison - it looked good and was screwed completely into the tie-rod.


To check the other one - I tried to screw it into the driver's end of the tie-rod...lots of play, no thread grab. Time to start calling parts stores....

After 3 calls, Autozone about 3 miles away had one. Hmmmm....how to get there. The wife was home with sleeping kiddos -- and no mood.

Lucky for me I tip well at the barber shop. My barber let me use her car to run to the store - saved me a bunch of time and walking! :noteworthy:

$17.99 and I was back at the Jeep. I was still baffled but at least I had a replacement part. The nice part about working on a frame-off rebuild is that everything comes apart pretty easy -- which is probably how this mess started.

Installed the new end unit. No problem.

I figured that there would be some threads left if it was going to be even close to aligned. The driver's side was previously turned all the way in. Well, not so much.

To get the tires "eyeball" straight, both end units were screwed basically all the way into the tie-rod. Again, baffled :dunno: How could you properly align this thing without any threads left at either end?

So I am just now wondering (as I type this) if it has to do with the upgrade to wide-track axles on the previously narrow-track 79. Do you replace the tie-rod? Are they different lengths? Hmmmmmm.

Either way, with the tires "straight" I buttoned it all back up. I tightened the "crown" nuts holding the tie-rod end unit to the knuckle just until I could get the cotter pin through. Is this correct? How else would you get the hole to line up?

It drives fine. No real pull to either side. My steering wheel is a bit straighter -- even though I straightened just a day or so ago! So that is a bonus I guess...

Alright - so the question is, what do you think? What did I miss? Any tips?

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[BusaDave9]

You are lucky that didn't happen when driving down the free way. The tie rod clamp must not have been too tight and pulled loose.

At the beginning of this thread it looked like you bought a nice clean CJ but this has really turned out to be a circus.

 

[TrebleHook]

Well if you check over in the Drivetrain Threads, you'll see that the Circus is no longer the home of the GREMLIN.

Short story: Flapping Butterflies, Bad Choke set-up.

Runs like a top. Tuned as good as I would expect.

So....it was THIS kind of day:


Not putting the hard-top back on until I absolutely have to...

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[TrebleHook]

So besides the ongoing drama with my clutch (seen here: http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f2/new-clutch-keeps-needing-adjustment-9069/)

Finally got a crack at the Family Roll Bar swap.


Self explanatory really. Not exactly "direct bolt in." The front seat belts bolt-up differently. The front holes for the rollbar don't really line up (that takes some wrenching, strapping, drilling, etc). Overall, pretty simple since all the bolts came out like butter (thanks to the recent frame-off rebuild).

Still have the front bars to tackle. More to follow....

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[DieselJeep]

Treble,
First, from one veteran to another, THANK YOU for your service.
Please remember your Sacred Oath to protect and defend our Constitution
(against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC!!) in these dangerous times.

Glad to hear you got the carb sorted. Huge relief I bet.

The T-5 is a GREAT Transmission , if used with the PROPER oil...
ATF(and a specific grade!)!!!

Gear oil is WAAAY too thick, and does NOT have the correct properties.

But if you want to sell yours, drop me a PM...


Good luck with the CJ!

 

[TrebleHook]

Alright folks, an update is certainly due.....

Ok, so the tranny/clutch finally crapped the bed. I couldn't get it to shift into ANY gear. The Jeep was towed from my house to the Jeep shop. Diagnosis: Bad Clutch Linkage.

I knew the linkage was worn, but not that bad. Turns out, not only had the 2" body lift thrown the linkage out of whack (strange angle on the bellcrank pushrod) but the clutch pushrod was fabbed-up WAY to short.

Solution: ALL NEW CLUTCH LINKAGE and a little fab. Ordered an HD linkage kit (heim joints) and new bellcrank kit, etc. The shop fabbed up a new bellcrank pivot bracket (body side) with a 2" drop so that the bellcrank wold be straight.



Bottom line: Shifts like a dream (minus the T-5 's known "hics" and "grrrs"). New car smooth.

This was such a relatively cheap upgrade ($130 parts without ANY shopping around and totally do it yourself, but I didn't) - I recommend it to EVERYONE with 30 year old metal-on-metal linkage.

As soon as I got the Jeep back I finished up the roll bar. God Bless NUTSERTS!! Used nutserts/rivet nuts (finally found the right ones on Ebay) in the windshield frame to secure the front bars. Created my own Nutsert Installation Tool as well. Pics to follow.



Installed new rollbar pads/covers and a new spice safari top.


Next up - AMC20 rear pinion leak....drip, drip, puddle. I was told it may be driveshaft wobble or a bad pinion bearing or some other expensive repair. It WAS on it's second pinion seal in 3 months. Not to be fooled, I decided to see if the third time was the charm....

Removed the driveshaft, COUNTED THE THREADS VISIBLE ON THE PINION SHAFT (There were 3), and removed the pinion nut (impact wrench). Pulled the old seal.

Well apparently, there are different "quality" of rear pinion seals. The first (what I pulled out) is metal-on-metal (metal seal rides on steel differential/yoke carrier -$3.99) with a rubber seal around the yoke shaft.



No poopie it leaks!! It's metal on metal in a 30 year old Jeep!!

The second type (Thank you NAPA for not carrying JUNK) is rubber on metal. Yes, it was $14.99 (I'll get you the part number).

It was SO worth it. Installed it....bone dry after the commute today and no reason to think it will leak!!!

Reinstalled the yoke, tightened the pinion nut (3 threads -- and another ONE OR TWO can't hurt, right?)

TEST DRIVE: Grinding noise. Uh-oh. Did I over-tighten the pinion nut and smoke the outer pinion bearing? I was certain I had.

So - in a moment of passion and inspiration - I was all set to replace the outer pinion bearing! Drained the diff and pulled the cover. OKAY STOP!!! I was told that there were 4:10 gears in this thing by the PO....3:73 is stamped on the ring. So 3:73 it is....gotta update my profile I guess.....

Pulled off the yoke. Gently pried off the "new" seal....

...followed the advice I read here on the forum and INSPECTED ALL PARTS AT DISASSEMBLY!!.....

The new seal has a flange on it. The "cheap one" did not. The flange was clearly scuffed pretty bad. It appeared that the yoke had scuffed it up.

Being a betting man, and NOT wanting to tear down my differential/remove the carrier, etc, and certainly screw something up...I decided that the scuffing was what I heard....upon further inspection, I decided that I hadn't properly seated the new seal causing it to grind on the yoke.

Well since I had the diff cover off, I ground off all the paint/primer/rust and decided to give it a little FORD RED engine paint. New diff gasket and some RTV. Looks GOOD to me!!

Seated the seal with a wooden block and rubber mallet. Installed the yoke, drove the pinion nut down (Impact wrench) to "three threads" and filled it back up with GL-4.

Test drive........Perfect. I love it when a plan comes together!!

So that is what I have been up too.....seriously, pics to come.

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[TrebleHook]

Some quick pics:

Homemade Hardtop Cart/Dolly (Plans on the internet - PM me if you want them -- less than $20 in parts -- works perfectly!!)



Garage Shanty...yes, that's a Crate and Barrel rug (wife HATES me)!!


The RED diff cover:

 

[TrebleHook]

The new seal....leaks.

 

[TrebleHook]

So after a night's sleep....I'm thinking PERHAPS, just PERHAPS its not the pinion seal or diff gasket that's leaking. PERHAPS it's just blow-back from the little leak that accumulates from the Transmission on the skid plate....

Here's hoping! Will report.

Cheers,

TrebleHook

 

[TrebleHook]

No such luck on the source ...it's the pinion seal!

REALLY wanted to drive the Jeep today. Didn't want to smell burning gear lube as it was splattered all over my exhaust etc...

Hopped under the Jeep.....another new seal (NAPA) in hand!

Pulled driveshaft.
Drove off pinion nut with impact wrench (my newest friend!)
Counted threads - still 3.
Inspected old seal while in place -- it was leaking at the base (i.e., between the seal and the housing, not between the yoke shaft and the seal.)
Gently removed old seal with a screwdriver.
Inspected old seal -- No obvious wear. Felt smooth. Hmmmm....I'll save it just in case.
Drained enough fluid to get a clean surface on the diff housing.
Carb cleaned the surface of the housing.
Put Blue RTV Permatex (what I had) around the outer rim of the new seal where it meets the housing. Let it set up a few.
Took a little 220 grit sandpaper (what I had) GENTLY, GENTLY to the yoke shaft to clean up minor pitting where the seal rides. Smooth as a babies butt.
Installed new seal - drove it flange-flat against the diff housing with a wooden block and rubber mallet. RTV started to squish out.
Installed yoke (a little GL4 on the shaft to avoid any hang-up)
Red Locktite on the pinion nut (no new nut).
Tightened the nut by hand - drove it 3 threads deep with the impact wrench.
Installed driveshaft.

Done. 40 minutes total (and I wasn't rushing)

Drove 70 miles round-trip to the beach and back with wife and kids.

Beautiful weather here in Virginia.

Still dry. We'll see what happens!!

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[BusaDave9]

Done. 40 minutes total (and I wasn't rushing)
TrebleHook

WOW
Your Fast.
Hope you have your "new" CJ running good now.

 

[TrebleHook]

WOW
Your Fast.
Hope you have your "new" CJ running good now.

Thanks, Busa

Ok..."I" wasn't rushing, but the Admiral (wife) was in a bit of a hurry!!

It actually seems to run really well on/during/after longer trips.

You all will be the first to know what goes wrong next!! (and I can't stop thinking about a T-18 swap!!)

Cheers,
TrebleHook

 

[TrebleHook]

Oh....by the way....

REAR
PINION
SEAL
IS
STILL DRY!!!!!



(Not too often you get to "banana dance" as a grown <-BAD WORD-> man!)

Cheers,
TrebleHook