Misc Project Ideas - Suggestions for Reality? II

copied to new post from "other tech"


ok so I've just been elbow deep in grease and while i was working i came up with some un-original modifications to my jeep that i think would be beneficial but was wondering if anyone had any input on them and i could "throw them against the wall and see what sticks" as it were...

first off i am behind the wheel of a '89 Cherokee Laredo 4x4 /w a 4.0 and auto trans

in the near future i plan on upgrading to a locked d44

my project ideas for the near future include but are not limited to:

1. Oil filter relocation setup. While fully aware that the Renix system has limited compartment space, i have also converted to an open cooling system so the football is gone, freeing up some room.

if i were to do this, i was thinking about getting clear pvc hose so that i could see the color of the oil going in and the color coming out

also what do you think about a two filter setup? with one like 20 micron filter and once k&n (which i think is like 10-15 micron? the k&n would last quite awhile i think with the first filter doing most of the work... but then again would two filters require a higher psi from the pump?

also, does anyone remember those old school glass oil settling filters on farm machinery?

like this (as long as the picture lasts)


i was thinking about running three of those, once for engine oil, trans, and power steering and gluing a high powered magnet to the bottoms to catch steel in the fluids. just pop the cup out and rub the inside with a cloth to collect the filings.

2. i was thinking about nixing the a/c

however with a rear locker i will be required to have a compressor on board...

but if i were to make oba with my a/c compressor i could use it on the locker with a pressure regulator maybe? i'm fairly certain it operates at lower psi but i don't recall

what kind of psi can i expect from an oba conversion?

would it be better to pull a compressor from another vehicle that could mount in the same location but also provide oba at higher psi perhaps?

or should i nix the compressor and relocate the alternator?

3. on the subject of alternators...

has anyone run two? one for the system and one for the accessories?

i was thinking it would be easy relatively speaking to put another alternator in from the yard and run the lines to a different fuse panel to run the accessories. eg lights winch locker, radio, cb etc etc etc

4. has anyone installed temp gauges for their transmission and power steering? what about pressure gauges? my oil pressure gauge sucks and is always pinned to the right despite having apparently the correct pressure as i have not blown anything in the years i have owned it.

5. back to the a/c and heat
if i were to knock out the a/c and leave the heater for the winter and defrost, would it be possible to simplify the controls? I only need one fan speed, temp should be on hottest, and i would need to toggle between heat, defrost and both. or perhaps only heat and defrost as heat puts the warmth at my feat while defrost puts it in my face but being warm on both ends would be nice. By reducing the controlls to potentially 3-4 switches i would hope to free up the dash space reserved for the ac controls for either a switch panel or a in-dash cb.

Imho.., I doubt you will 'see' any difference in the color of said pre/filtered oil going in/out via clear hoses. If you want really clean oil, convert to propane, (C3H8).

i've considered it, my main issue with my oil is that my pile of potential scrap metal that is haphazardly self propelled was not maintained well before it came to my possession. in 4500 miles i have changed the oil now 4 times. each time it was coal black. My next oil change i think i will run some 20 year old bottles of sae 30 and either a cup of diesel fuel or a bottle or two of seafoam before i put in the good oil and lucas.

I think the oil lines being see through would be pretty fun as well. If i thought PVC could handle the heat i would run a coolant line or two with it just because it reminds me of the Frankenstein lab! muahahahaha

however at this point everything is hypothetical and completely reliant on me either continuing to save money, or finding a nice job that lets people throw bundles of money at me.

no need for 2 alternators, get 1 good one. MAYBE run a second battery if you run a lot of lights, a lot of the time.
no need/source for clear lines, as has been said, oil doesnt go in black, and come out caramel.
no need for crazy triple stage oil filtration on an old, POS 4.0, run it till it pops, then buy another, it'll be a while. change your oil pressure sending unit, and check your grounds, common problem.

all those extra guages you mention... why? if you feel like blowing money, go ahead and buy em, but theres really no point. they all install pretty easily.

people use the A/C compressor for OBA, all the time, it'll work fine. search onboard air. not all lockers use air either...

as far as the renix engine bay, its no more cramped than the H.O., you can absolutely relocate your filter using AN plumbing, but you did mention funding.... the football should be located in the fender, isnt it? has nothing to do with the cooling system either.

nah the football was in the top left corner of the engine bay, no longer there as i put in a 92+ radiator and ran the temp housing lines into the heater.

downside is that it's hot much of the time. good news is i have a 93 hcv to put in i just havent got it done yet.

as far as the project ideas as stated most are hypothetical. no real follow through i just like talking about them. maybe some day if i find the parts for free i'll spend a weekend rigging something together in a manner it wasn't intended but that's just the tinkerer in me.

I agree to just run it till is blows, however, if at all possible, i would like to be able to determine it's demise at a much later date.

the locker i have is an arb rd06 that requires a compressor, guess i should have clarified sorry

the gauges are just because i'm curious what the temps are while in motion. I don't do anything severe enough to actually warrant them

I was looking at a relocation kit for less than a hundred bucks online, just two brackets and hose fittings

and although i dont expect it to, i have seen oil go into a filter black and come out looking new =) it was at a GoesEnergy booth display at an alternative energy conference. They make filters for cars and semis that filter down to 1 micron and *supposedly* make engine oil last potentially the entire life of your vehicle... 75-150k miles, or so their literature claims. I've never tried it but the concept piqued my interest having been interested in wvo diesel conversions at the time.

have you seen the mag-hytec d44 differential covers? those look sweet but freaking a they cost as much as the rear end...

speaking of diesels, does anyone ever come across diesel cherokees? I've got a buddy in flagstaff who took a totaled diesel mj and converted a donor cherokee over. I dont have his number anymore otherwise i would ask him how it's holding up

Dont use PVC for oil lines. It is "ehh, OK" durable on the oil tanks we use at work, but does get stiff & crack from time to time. I imagine with the heat of the engine bay it will get a LOT less life than the room temp use we get out of it.

Double filter... well, if you want to... but the 4.0 probably isn't worth it. The thing is so damn tolerant, y'know, that it just won't make much difference. You'll get sick of it before it blows up from contaminated oil, I bet.

Relocating the filter makes sense to me if you don't like where it is now. I broke a sending unit one time when the filter wrench slipped. I'd rather the filter was somewhere else, too.

I'd ditch your AC, move your alt. higher & run a small electric compressor. I've thought about ditching my own AC but the Jeep is too far-ranging at times... In Oakland I don't need AC. In Vegas or Death Valley or Moab... I do.

As for the Uberfilter you mention, the company's web site suggests that you change the filter every 6k and the oil at 24K for our vehicles (or any with a rec. interval of 3K). I'm almost curious enough to buy a couple and see what color the oil is at 3K, go from there. My Jeep doesn't leak enough to enter into my consideration much...

I turned my AC into OBA. Pressure potential is huge, and fast. At idle, it fills a 5gallon tank to 120psi in <2 minutes

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_42428_42428

This helps to keep the pressure in line.

I also used a hydraulic one way valve from northern, and lots of brass fittings.

All said, I have +-$60 in the conversion. I couldn't be happier. The AC was already shot, and now I can run air tools on the trail.

Oh, I also put an air tool in-line oiler on the intake side to keep the compressor lubed.

"i have seen oil go into a filter black and come out looking new =) it was at a GoesEnergy booth display at an alternative energy conference. They make filters for cars and semis that filter down to 1 micron and *supposedly* make engine oil last potentially the entire life of your vehicle... 75-150k miles, or so their literature claims."

When you check oil with your dipstick, cold.., (before start-up, and level).., IF your oil is black then you have a possible moment of consideration to change your oil!!!! Too much carbon, i.e., will wear out your bearings, make for sticky/stuck rings, etc., etc., etc. Not to be too technical: Oil has chain molecules. The chains make for the lubricosity, i.e., the 'slime' that's held together, by links, to protect, or cushion. The ability for the links to hold together is a part of the vicosity index. Links can be broken; heat, carbon, fuel washdown, and the churning/knashing/movement of mechanical parts all contribute to the destruction of the chain links. Hence, even if you use a system to clarify the carbon out of the oil, you are still left with USED BROKEN OIL which thereby; will less and less protect your engine, regardless of what those desperate alternative energy start-up smiling faces tell you. 75(000)-150,000 miles, yeah right! I have a bridge in Brooklyn I will sell you... That said, change your oil as per instructions, or earlier if your modern oil gets black prematurely, i.e., a proplem needing repairs. Once again, if you want really clean oil, convert to propane: google: propane+cherokee xj. Me.., buy Mobile 1 syn., and change as per recommended intervals.