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Another Scrambler Purchase/Road Trip - UPDATE- BODY ON FRAME AGAIN

Ron84cj

Engine nerd
Lifetime Member
City
West Bend
State
WI
Maybe this was already mentioned, but I think your scrambler is on the Rock Hard site showing that the front roll cage clears the factory soft top. Pretty cool
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Maybe this was already mentioned, but I think your scrambler is on the Rock Hard site showing that the front roll cage clears the factory soft top. Pretty cool

Yep, that's it, pretty cool :cheers:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Figured I would update this thread, the crash eliminated some useful information.

Right before the National ride in June, the driver side rear hub/brake area started making a rhythmic squeak. Pulled the brakes off, turned the wheel hub by hand, still squeaking. So, I pulled the drive flange out, discovered this:

attachment.php

18.jpg

This is the plate that the drive flange dust cover screws into. I bent it installing the cap screws, I guess??? Still not sure how it caused the squeak, but it was. So, right before the National ride, I re-installed the worn Warn rear lock in hubs. The night before the trip LOL :crazy:

attachment.php

19.jpg

The lock in hubs survived the trip to/from the National, they just exhibited some lash. The Scrambler did fine, too:

attachment.php

20.jpg

On the way back home, IIRC, the passenger side hub started to leak out gear oil. Not a huge amount, but enough to make a big stinky mess all over the wheel. I had contacted RCV about the damaged drive flange part, they replaced the parts for free, so kudos to them.

So, I reinstalled the drive flanges, they work, no lash. But, they are starting to seep a little gear oil out of them. These RCV flanges do not fit the Warn wheel hubs as well as the RPM Offroad flanges that I installed on the tan Scrambler. I might pull the red RCV dust covers off, put some Aviation sealant around the o-ring, see if that stops the seepage. They don't leak bad, but the flange covers allow enough to seep out to leave spots of grease/oil on the wheels.

The bigger issue - No oil should be getting to the wheel hubs. I am assuming that the spindle seals are shot, allowing oil to flow into the wheel bearings. How the spindle seals got shot, not 100% sure, but I have a few ideas:

#1 - Welded new spring perches to the axle tubes the first time I went to Moab. Maybe the heat damaged the seals, kind of doubt it, that was a few years back, it probably would have started leaking then, or soon after :shrug:

#2 - It is a stock AMC 20 rear axle housing, maybe/probably the tubes are slightly bent, causing wear to the spindle seals. More plausible explanation IMO. Still, if they lasted 30,000 miles, I am not going to worry that much about it.

The next time I mess with this one, I will probably pull the rear spindles off and install new spindle seals. If they last anouther 30,000 miles, I will be happy :twocents:

That's it for now :wave:
 
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tower210

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
City
Olathe
State
KS
Ok, back on topic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Installing the Dana 300 to the AX15 using the Novak Clocking Ring

I will let the pictures do most of the talking. I took the pictures as I was experimenting, so not everything is in as good as order as it should be, bear with me.

The Novak clocking ring comes with 4 sets of holes, 0, 9, 18, and 27, with 0 being flat and 27 being angled down.

The O degree rotation will not work without major shifter modification, and maybe even floor board modifications.

Picture with the studs at the 0 degree setting. I did not even attempt to install it like this.

IMAG3058_zpse71e0b49-1.jpg



Up next, I tried the 18 degree set of holes. No reason why I tried this setting next, I just did. Picture with the studs at the 18 degree setting.

IMAG3059_zpsc6a3c37b-1.jpg



Quick picture showing the gasket, loosely fitted. NOTE - it will only go on one way!!!!!!

IMAG3060_zps295d2764-1.jpg



A picture of the transfer case strapped to the jack, studs in the 18 degree setting.

IMAG3061_zpsf66dd939-1.jpg



Hmm, at 18 degrees, the transfer case wont slide all the way in.

IMAG3063_zpsec1b4eb4-1.jpg



And this is why, the stock Dana 300 shifter holder thing is fouling on the AX15 case.

IMAG3062_zps75086320-1.jpg



I "think" you could get this 18 degree setting to work, but it would require some grinding/trimming of the shifter bolt support thing.

IMAG3064_zpsb2bde94c-1.jpg



Up next, lets try the 27 degree setting, the most angled setting.

Studs installed at the 27 degree setting.

IMAG3081_zpsbd5cc5b7-1.jpg



And it wont work with the 27 degree setting, the shifter support hits hard. You would have to completely cut off the inward support arm.

IMAG3082_zps76f17213-1.jpg



Ok, so the 0, 27, and 18 degree setting will not work, without modifications. So, lets try the 9 degree setting.

Studs installed at 9 degrees.

IMAG3076_zpsc7d2095f-1.jpg


This thread is priceless!!! I’m having this issue; I owe you one Raymond!!
 

tower210

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
City
Olathe
State
KS
Awesomeness!

Bingo!!!!!!!!!!! Using the 9 degree setting, the Dana 300 slid right on to the AX15, like it was meant to, no modifications.

IMAG3077_zps819d09c9-1.jpg


IMAG3065_zps30bfca81-1.jpg



PLEASE NOTE - I have a 1" body lift, I am not sure if the 9 degree setting will work without the body lift, the shifter will foul the body.

A few pictures showing the stock Dana 300 shifter, it should work/clear just fine, after some minor bending.

IMAG3068_zps0ece7c48-1.jpg


IMAG3080_zps77e2bd3f-1.jpg


IMAG3079_zps463d8553-1.jpg



Now that I found a setting that will work, I glued the gasket to the adapter ring.

IMAG3088_zps98f7bdd8-1.jpg



And put RTV on the back of the transmission.

IMAG3090_zps03e1d02f-1.jpg



One interesting note - Novak states that the clocking ring will create a "wet" cavity between the transmission/transfer case. This is why I have been sealing all of these surfaces with RTV. But, their adapter comes with a weep hole. If this is a "wet" cavity, transmission fluid will be constantly leaking from this hole:

IMAG3091_zps42f34e8d-1.jpg



So, I plugged the weep hole with RTV. The instructions do not mention this, but if fluid does get into this cavity, it will leak out here.

IMAG3094_zps40ce34e8-1.jpg


IMAG3095_zps8a8428e5-1.jpg



On the stock CJ "adapter housing", which is the rear part of the transmission housing, there is a weep hole. BUT, on the stock CJ set up, the Dana 300 input snout slides into the rear transmission seal, creating a leak free environment. On a stock CJ, if oil leaks out of the weep hole, you have a bad seal, either the Dan 300 input or transmission rear output seal.

On this Novak adapter, they say it is a "wet" cavity. If this is the case, and the Dana 300 input snout DOES NOT seal the rear transmission seal, if you do not fill this weep oil, transmission oil will pour out.

Well, that's my take on it.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
The aviation sealant I placed on the o-ring/dust cover of the rear drive flanges seems to have stopped the grease/oil leaking out, more miles needed to confirm :thumbsup:

One issue I have had with this engine since I installed it: with it sitting there idling, I could always smell a faint whiff of oil burning. No smoking, just a faint whiff. At first I was like, well its a new engine, maybe not fully broken in. Anyway, it smells like it is burning at bit of oil. Never really low on the dipstick, power seems fine.

So, I did an experiment. This 4.0 runs the stock YJ/TJ/Cherokee style CCV valve system. Similar to a PVC valve, it uses an orifice valve on the back of the valve cover hooked up direct to manifold vacuum. Front elbow goes to the air cleaner. Basically, it it is always sucking vapors out of the engine, pulling in fresh air from the air cleaner. That's all fine and dandy, system works fine on my 05 Rubicon with over 100,000 miles. The problem with this motor is that I have an aftermarket valve cover, and the internal baffles around these two valves leave a bit to be desired.

So, quick experiment. I cut the CCV line, glued on two pieces of rubber fuel line, install a NAPA 3001 clear plastic fuel filter in the line.

IMG_20181013_102122333.jpg


And after driving around 1 hour, stop and go city and highway, the CCV system is pulling in engine oil into the intake manifold. The filter stopped this, and eliminated the oil burning smell.

IMG_20181014_154149772_HDR.jpg

So, I decided to install a stock valve cover. Hard to find a new OEM cover, and I didn't want to put a junkyard cover on a new engine, so I purchased a new valve cover from Dorman:

IMG_20181014_154233004_HDR.jpg

Of course, made in China :banghead:

Anyway, you can see a major difference in the internal baffling around the CCV elbows. Aftermarket aluminum valve cover on the left, two simple sheet metal plates, oil from the valve train can easily splash on top of the baffles, and sucked into the intake. The Dorman/OEM style cover on the left, full length/more sophisticated baffle system.

IMG_20181014_154210230.jpg

Close up of the baffle:

IMG_20181014_154225585.jpg

The Dorman cover comes with a new rubber gasket, and the 15 little rubber grommets that you need for the bolts. It also came with new bolts/studs, but they were kind of crappy. The one thing it did not come with, and you have to have with this style cover, are the 15 "torque limiting sleeves" that install inside the rubber grommets. I remember these from when I changed the valve cover on my 05. The problem is, you can't buy them new anymore. So, trip to the junkyard, got my "torque limiting sleeves", and some OEM bolts/studs. Quick clean up, light coat of paint, should be ready for installation today:

IMG_20181016_174259894.jpg

The way these valve covers work, I am pretty sure they will leak without the "torque limiting sleeves". It is a thin metal valve cover, with a wide flange. The VC gasket sits inboard of the bolt holes. The rubber grommets go inside the holes in the metal valve cover, and hang down below the flange a bit. The metal sleeves go inside the grommets. The rubber VC gasket is thick, and it is designed to be smushed just the right amount. Without the metal sleeves, you could tighten the bolts too much, bend the VC flange/push the gasket out of place, and it will leak.

I know on my 05 LJ, the stock VC gasket/hardware worked for 100,00 miles. I had just a very slight "dirty flange" on it when I changed the VC gasket. So, seems all this OEM stuff must be designed pretty good, worth a trip to the junkyard to find the "torque limiting sleeves" :twocents:

Once I get the valve cover installed, I am going to run a new plastic filter on the CCV line to see if my $150 valve cover swap worked. If it does, then I will install a new CCV vacuum line and call it good :fingerscrossed:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Kind of slow around here, so here are some more pictures and an exciting valve cover swap update :rotfl:

I decided not to use the Dorman valve cover gasket/grommets, probably nothing the matter with them, but I installed a Felpro Permaseal gasket/grommets instead. I can keep the Dorman as a spare.

Anyway, the VC gasket is one piece, rubber, molded around metal.

IMG_20181017_175049672.jpg

Close up. You can see how the gasket goes behind the bolts, one of the two metal strips that ties the gasket together/properly and locates it on a pair of studs.

IMG_20181017_175054582.jpg


The rubber grommets go into the VC holes:

IMG_20181017_175119529.jpg

Then the metal "anti-crush sleeves" go through the grommets:

IMG_20181017_175133503.jpg

View from the bottom of the VC. The rubber grommet goes through, then the metal crush sleeve. The metal tube prevents you from over tightening the gasket and blowing it out.

IMG_20181017_175201106.jpg

I never could find a picture on the internet of the proper "15 bolt hole 4.0 VC" tightening sequence, this is what I did, start at center, side to side, out from the middle to the ends.

IMG_20181017_182628674.jpg

I found different torque specs listed for the VC bolts. Using a quarter inch ratchet, I tightened the bolts down till the ratchet would no longer easily turn. I then used a torque wrench, checked the tightness, torqued them to 85 INCH POUNDS, which was about the same as just snugging them down with the 1/4" ratchet. With the metal crush sleeve things, you would really have to try to over tighten them :twocents:

And finished.

IMG_20181017_184512252.jpg

Ran it for a few minutes last night, no leaks, so happy about that. I put a new filter on the CCV line ,so far no oil, but I need to drive it more to confirm.

That's it for now :thumbsup:
 

Belizeit

CJ-8 Member
Gold Member
City
River Ridge
State
La
Looks like you did the vc just like you would do the head. Getting ready to do mine on a 4.2. My engine rebuild kit came with a cork gasket, so I'm going to see how that works. My vc is a heavy thick metal one
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Looks like you did the vc just like you would do the head. Getting ready to do mine on a 4.2. My engine rebuild kit came with a cork gasket, so I'm going to see how that works. My vc is a heavy thick metal one

On the 4.2's, I have had great luck with the cork VC gaskets/thick aluminum VC's. I usually put a thin skim coat of RTV on both sides of the gasket, hand snug up the bolts, let it sit 24 hours, then another quick snug, done, no leaks. Might not be the right way, works for me :thumbsup:

I much prefer the above 4.0 VC system, works great, no sealant :twocents: :thumbsup:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I have put a couple hundred miles on this one since the new valve cover. The "CCV Filter" has a bit of oil in it. Not a bunch, but some. I might just keep the filter on there to act as a redneck "catch-can".

Since the Tan Scrambler moved on to greener pastures, the Red Scrambler had to pick up the yard working chores:

IMG_20190217_162702362.jpg

It pulls the yard trailer around just fine, but I do notice the power difference between the MPI 4.0 and the TBI 350. With the 350, you could not tell a trailer was behind you. With the six cylinder, you can feel the trailer. Not a huge difference, but noticeable :twocents:

It is good for the Red Scrambler that the tan Scrambler is gone, I will be driving it much more now. Need to put some miles on it, fix anything that needs fixing, in case I can make the National this year :fingerscrossed:

The drive flanges seem to be not leaking.
The door window weatherstripping is falling apart. IIRC, it was Crown/Omix brand, need to find a better supplier :shrug:

I "think" something might be broken in the rear differential. Every once in awhile, while cornering, it seems like it is almost "skipping". I "might" have damaged the Ox Locker the last time I was in Chocoloca, Alabama. It still locks and unlocks fine. When I was in Chocoloca, I got stuck, and we winched the Scrambler sideways, probably put a lot of load on the rear axle stuff. I developed some lash in the drive line after this. Replacing the hubs with flanges eliminated most of this, but there is still some lash sometimes. When I put the flanges on, I noticed the inner wheel bearing adjusting nut on each side was loose.

I am probably going to pull the differential out, take it apart, and inspect the side gears/diff gears for damage/play. Might not be a problem, but better safe then sorry :twocents:

The last few times I have drove it, I haven't noticed any lash or problems. Will probably drive it a bunch more before I pull the chunk out. With the full float axles, dropping out the chunk is easy. Resetting the Ox Locer cable can be a PIA IIRC :crazy:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I had to do some more work to my yard working/trail rig Scrambler. The lower steering column bearing has been wasted for awhile. IIRC, it was a POS Crown unit that I installed when I rebuilt the Jeep. 30,000 miles later, it is wasted. Steering was still tight, but the column/shaft would rattle sometimes.

I wanted one of these, that JeeperDD posted up about, but they are sold out :banghead:

https://www.wolffeng.com/store/p2/M109SS_Lower_Steering_Column_Cartridge_Bearing.html

I didn't want to buy another Crown unit, so I bought this off eBay:

IMG_20190319_180855921.jpg

It says "upgraded", but comparing it to the old Crown unit, it looks the same :shrug:

I have a Borgeson steering shaft, so sometimes getting the upper u-joint thing off the column shaft is a PIA, but careful use of prying screw drivers will get it off, without pulling the shaft out the column!!


IMG_20190319_181041192.jpg

Anyway, it goes back together fairly easily. I was thinking that maybe my lower column housing was damaged, but it is all good. The bearing fits on the shaft tight, and the "collar" fits over the outer column jacket good and tight. The problem with the stock style set up, that wire clip is what holds the white bearing holder tight in the housing. That upgraded one I posted to above looks like the $hit!!!!!

Anyway, before I put it back together, I applied Anti-Seize to the splines, hopefully it will be easier to disassemble in the future.

IMG_20190319_190630997.jpg

As soon a s I can get one of those Wolff Engineering bearing assemblies, I will pull it back apart to install that. I will also pull the Borgeson steering shaft out and paint it. I never painted it when I installed it, it still looks OK, but needs paint.

I also did some maintenance the other day:

IMG_20190319_185833721.jpg

The last oil change was August of 2017, and since then, only 269 miles. The low miles was because of the cancer crap. The Jeep stays in the garage, the oil still looked good, but figured it needed to be changed.

The gas in the tank was just as old. I ran most of it out, around town driving and yard work, and filled it back up. The gas gauge still works great, ran it down till it took 18.5 gallons of new gas, and was getting 16.16MPG.

I haven't noticed any rear diff noises, so I think it is good. I think it must have been the touchy throttle, making it jerky at low speeds sometimes.

I still have a faint whiff of oil burning. I pulled the plugs and changed them, they all looked good and grey, no evidence of oil burning, but I can smell it. Not going to worry too much about it right now, have a Jeep trip this weekend, I will see how it does,
 

ag4ever

Average Nut
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Silver Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Richmond
State
TX
I wanted one of these, that JeeperDD posted up about, but they are sold out :banghead:

https://www.wolffeng.com/store/p2/M109SS_Lower_Steering_Column_Cartridge_Bearing.html

As soon a s I can get one of those Wolff Engineering bearing assemblies, I will pull it back apart to install that. I will also pull the Borgeson steering shaft out and paint it. I never painted it when I installed it, it still looks OK, but needs paint.

I sent them an e-mail as soon as JeeperDD made that post and they have not returned the request. I'd be willing to buy a few just to have in stock for future builds if they would return the message. I have not found a phone number for them yet. As a last resort, they are about 15 miles from my house and just around the corner from some friends we see regularly. I guess I could drop by unannounced. Would that be creepy and seem too eager? :shrug: After all, the address is just some house in a rural neighborhood.

Their website claims "****BEARING PRODUCTION IN PROGRESS****"

Don't know what that means and if really is true.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I sent them an e-mail as soon as JeeperDD made that post and they have not returned the request. I'd be willing to buy a few just to have in stock for future builds if they would return the message. I have not found a phone number for them yet. As a last resort, they are about 15 miles from my house and just around the corner from some friends we see regularly. I guess I could drop by unannounced. Would that be creepy and seem too eager? :shrug: After all, the address is just some house in a rural neighborhood.

Their website claims "****BEARING PRODUCTION IN PROGRESS****"

Don't know what that means and if really is true.

I found a number on Facebook, called, but no answer or voicemail, and emailed, no return email :shrug:

I think you should stop by and talk to them, I will buy three or four units :thumbsup:
 

ag4ever

Average Nut
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Silver Member
Lifetime Member
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City
Richmond
State
TX
I found a number on Facebook, called, but no answer or voicemail, and emailed, no return email :shrug:

I think you should stop by and talk to them, I will buy three or four units :thumbsup:

I just might have to do that. I hope I have a road trip this weekend :fingerscrossed: :fingerscrossed: :fingerscrossed:, so it might not happen this weekend, but my bearing is shot on my steering column and it looks like I am accumulating enough parts for a pieced together scrambler and I want to build one on a TDK frame with TJ suspension, so I have a feeling I will be needing 3-4 in the next couple years.
 
Last edited:

ag4ever

Average Nut
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Silver Member
Lifetime Member
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City
Richmond
State
TX
Just got a reply!

"We are 50% complete with a large batch, still a few weeks out. We build these after hours as this is not our main line of work."

:woohoo:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Went Jeeping this past weekend in this Scrambler. No pictures, too busy driving. We went wheeling in an old dirt pit, very sandy, not quite Michigan, but close. With the tires aired down to 9psi, I was able to go almost anywhere in either 2wd or 4wd high range. The 4.0 does make more power/likes to rev higher then the 258, so if I kept the rev's over 2,000, it never bogged down.

The last tank of gas, which included this off-road trip, and lots of yard work extended idling: 181 miles, 17 gallons, 10.64 MPG :rotfl: I am hoping this is due to the high RPM off-road usage, extended idling doing yard work, and 85 mph highway driving with heavy head winds. I am going to burn the next tank more typical, see how it does.

After running it hard off-road, I do not smell the burning oil smell as bad.

All the plugs looked like this, before I changed them out:

IMG_20190324_110616636.jpg

IMG_20190324_110650574.jpg

These were the plugs that came installed in this motor from when picked it up from Hesco back in 2016. They look OK to me :shrug: I might pull one of the new plugs out, see what it looks like after this weekends trip.

Oil was a hair low on the dipstick, but I have a slight leak, not sure from where, it leaves a weird mark on the ground, maybe from the oil filter adpator housing.

IMG_20190324_110727236.jpg

After the trip, I washed both Scramblers. It was warm out, and they have not been washed since 2017 :eek:

IMG_20190324_110752267.jpg

IMG_20190324_121724221.jpg

Plan on changing the door weather stripping in the red one this week.
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
FORUM MANAGER
SOA Member
City
Dexter
State
MI
The 4.0 does make more power/likes to rev higher then the 258, so if I kept the rev's over 2,000, it never bogged down.

The rev limiter is your friend :headband: you had to have learned something from watching (and listening to) me drive the postal on the dunes :D
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I did some work to this one a few weekends back. The weatherstripping I installed when I rebuilt this Scrambler was already falling apart. I am sure it was Omix or Crown. I bought all new weather stripping from Summit, made by Fairchild industries. Hopefully it lasts longer.

I also changed out the vent window weatherstripping. I took some pictures, I could never find any how to on this.

I am not going to rehash on how to take the doors apart, there are much better threads on this site for that.

I bought this tool to remove the door panels, worked great:

IMG_20190330_093356595.jpg

IMG_20190330_093349471.jpg

I changed out my driver side vent window completely. It was actually a piece of plexi-glass. Both of my vent windows were like this:

IMG_20190330_093406701.jpg

I never pulled one apart before, but the rusted metal piece is supposed to be attached to the vent wi
ndow LOL:

IMG_20190330_093402651.jpg

One day when I am bored I will swap out the passenger vent window.

To remove the vent window from its frame, remove the two screws and this clip at the top:

IMG_20190330_093523128.jpg

And remove the nuts and washers off the bottom rod, they go in this order:

IMG_20190330_093413393.jpg

The weatherstripping is one big piece, and the bottom channel is a PIA. It is a very tight fit.

The bottom channel is shaped like this:

IMG_20190330_093429169.jpg

The rubber is shaped like this:

IMG_20190330_093443210.jpg

IMG_20190330_093456940_HDR.jpg

The metal channel has a lip on each side, the weatherstripping is made to clip into this ridge. The rubber is very stiff, and the fit tight. Even with lots of soap for lube, it is a huge PIA.
 
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