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What did you do to your ZJ today?

4M views 55K replies 2K participants last post by  98ZJ 
#1 ·
This thread is to serve as an inspiration to others modifying their ZJ's. Pretty simple, just post what you did to your ZJ today!


Today I shamefully took my Jeep to get the oil changed because it was to hot to change it myself.
 
#17,061 ·
After some fun in the snow I (don't ask why. Still testing things on my jeep and I'm glad I did) shifted into 4lo, putzed around a bit and when I went to go back to 4full time I discovered my shifter was swinging freely. Dove under the jeep and saw that the linkage was just hanging there. So I pinched it back together enough to get back into full time and drive to the shop to put the linkage back together. Then I got around to pulling the rear swaybar links that weren't doing anything and ziptieing my grill back on... Working under slushy jeep= wet
 
#17,062 ·
Concolour said:
After some fun in the snow I (don't ask why. Still testing things on my jeep and I'm glad I did) shifted into 4lo, putzed around a bit and when I went to go back to 4full time I discovered my shifter was swinging freely. Dove under the jeep and saw that the linkage was just hanging there. So I pinched it back together enough to get back into full time and drive to the shop to put the linkage back together. Then I got around to pulling the rear swaybar links that weren't doing anything and ziptieing my grill back on... Working under slushy jeep= wet
I can not wait till we get some snow.
 
#17,064 ·
#17,065 · (Edited)
Well, I guess I didn't really do it to my zj yet, but I began compiling a list of what I want to get and put on it, so far I have
IRO Lift 3.5in
31's
Flowmaster 50 Delta
Fuel Injector Swap
Kolak's Headlight Upgrade
Tow Bar
Fog Lights and Spot Lights
Bumper upgrades - not sure which ones
and of course some Stickers to add horsepower :D
Can't wait to spend all my money on this stuff :rofl:
Any other suggestions?
 
#17,066 ·
amblingaardvark said:
Well, I guess I didn't really do it to my zj yet, but I began compiling a list of what I want to get and put on it, so far I have
IRO Lift 3.5in
31's
Flowmaster 50 Delta
Fuel Injector Swap
Kolak's Headlight Upgrade
Tow Bar
Fog Lights and Spot Lights
and of course some Stickers to add horsepower :D
Can't wait to spend all my money on this stuff :rofl:
Any other suggestions?
Yup, you're gonna want to get an adjustable powerband and some low viscosity blinker fluid.
 
#17,068 ·

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#17,069 ·
Freestyle713 said:
You just reminded me lol. Only pic I could find.
Get the just of it. My I think what I might do is get some flat steel. My boss has tons of it in the back of his shop like 1 or 1 1/2 in wide to go into the frame on the 1x1 tube come up like that angle out ever so slightly and weld in more flat steel for the lights. Or I might even go and get some 3/8 or whatever. Make a plate that goes in a sandwich plate and have light mounts come up like yours. Get some weld in d ring mounts and add a little bit more protection up front. We will see.
 
#17,070 ·
Changed the diff fluids. Front diff first. Then the rear and noticed something special...



Side gear teeth are chipped on the drivers side and a chip in one of the spider gears. Looks like Ill be upgrading to a limited slip or a locker and possibly 3.73 or 4.11s instead of the crappy 3.55s...

Thanks Jeep. Just take my money...
What causes that kinda wear? Parts of bearing cages floating around in the oil or what? Drove chevvies with dana 44's to hell and back, abused beyond belief and seen thinning of the gears, but not the gouges in the pix. Thanks.
 
#17,071 ·
What causes that kinda wear? Parts of bearing cages floating around in the oil or what? Drove chevvies with dana 44's to hell and back, abused beyond belief and seen thinning of the gears, but not the gouges in the pix. Thanks.
Not sure man there was some small flecks of metal shavings in the housing when I cleaned it out but not that much at all.

I owned this Jeep before and when I sold it to my buddy it needed new bearings and seals in the rear end it and I think he continued to drive it for a couple thousand miles (like a *******) and had a shop "rebuild" the rear end putting in all new bearings and seals seems like maybe the guy said F it and left the crappy spider pack in there? He said when he picked it up the guy complained about losing money on the job not charging him enough so I wouldnt doubt that he didnt want to replace the gears. But I cant prove this theory.

Seems like the only thing I can think of. My buddy never wheeled it he was a total mallcrawler with it for the 20k miles he owned the Jeep before I bought it back and I dont wheel hard and ya I like to mash on it once in a while and try to do donuts here n there offroad but I wouldnt think it would wear like that most the time I drive like a grandma since its slower than crap with the 31s, 3.55s and 4.0.

The fluid was fairly nasty when I changed it but not nearly as bad as I have seen. It had maybe 20k on the fluid if not a little less. Not sure what kind of oil was in there tho.

Also it is weird that its the drivers side gear that is worn bad on the drive side of the gear and the coasting side is smooth still and the passenger side gear looks fine and just a small nick in the spider gear that is on top in the pic. And the ring and pinion look fine from what I could see but I didnt rotate the gears at all either...

:confused:



 
#17,072 ·
98GCLimited said:
Not sure man there was some small flecks of metal shavings in the housing when I cleaned it out but not that much at all.

I owned this Jeep before and when I sold it to my buddy it needed new bearings and seals in the rear end it and I think he continued to drive it for a couple thousand miles (like a *******) and had a shop "rebuild" the rear end putting in all new bearings and seals seems like maybe the guy said F it and left the crappy spider pack in there? He said when he picked it up the guy complained about losing money on the job not charging him enough so I wouldnt doubt that he didnt want to replace the gears. But I cant prove this theory.

Seems like the only thing I can think of. My buddy never wheeled it he was a total mallcrawler with it for the 20k miles he owned the Jeep before I bought it back and I dont wheel hard and ya I like to mash on it once in a while and try to do donuts here n there offroad but I wouldnt think it would wear like that most the time I drive like a grandma since its slower than crap with the 31s, 3.55s and 4.0.

The fluid was fairly nasty when I changed it but not nearly as bad as I have seen. It had maybe 20k on the fluid if not a little less. Not sure what kind of oil was in there tho.

Also it is weird that its the drivers side gear that is worn bad on the drive side of the gear and the coasting side is smooth still and the passenger side gear looks fine and just a small nick in the spider gear that is on top in the pic. And the ring and pinion look fine from what I could see but I didnt rotate the gears at all either...

:confused:
It may just be oil or the light, but I think I spy some oxidation on the pinion. The c clips don't look great either. You think maybe your buddy got water in it somehow? How did the fluid look? Black? Brown Like used engine oil? Brown like chocolate milk?
 
#17,073 ·
There was no mud or water in the diff came out dark grey/blackish it was just standard dirty old gear oil coming out not chocolate milk. He never wheeled it only way water got in would have been from snow or rain in WI or car washes getting in through the stupid rubber plug (why did they use a rubber plug and not a threaded plug?).

The axle could have had water in it at one point since it was a jy axle I swapped in when I first owned the Jeep and it turned out to also have bad bearings. :brickwall

I had the cover off when I swapped axles and didnt notice any damage on the gears then though but maybe I just missed it in a poorly lit garage but I doubt it because I would think it would be way worse by now if that was the case since its been close to 25k miles since I swapped the rear axles.

Might end up swapping in a new spider pack soon I know its not going to be fun...
 
#17,074 ·
Yeah, I've seen some high prices for the louvers. Mine are flat black, so I assume the paint has just worn off. Think I should ask 150 for the hood then?

edit: this is my hood:


Just above the "Jeep" lettering is where the paint is worn down.
Post the grille on ebay, they regularly go for ~250
 
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