New owner of 88 XJ has a few questions

I am new to the XJ and its' oddities. I have been researching this site learning a lot but one item I have been trying figure out ( hard to search for it if you do not know what it is) is the short snubber looking shock within the front coil springs.

1) What is it, do I need it, what's it called, if I lift my jeep, what do I do with it?

I live in Texas on the coast and intend to surf fish along the National Seashore ( South Padre Is.) The run can be 50 miles in and 50 miles out if you make the entire trip, most of it is in really deep sand.

2) It's pure sand so I'm thinking BFG 31X10.5 AT tires should be fine (pressure 15 psi)?

3) Do I need to modify the cooling system to handle the high summer temps, deep sand and the long run? I'm thinking heavy duty open loop system etc.

I have many more questions and I am using the search function as much as possible.

the only thing inside the front coils is the bump stop, it limits how far the front axle can travel upwards to keep the tries from hitting the fenderwells, and the axle from hitting the oilpan. most decent lift kits will come with a spacer that bolts into the bottom of the coil bucket to limit uptravel further when you lift, assuming that you are running larger tires.

31x10.50 is a decent size for a sand tire. is the sand you are driving through soft or hard packed? an all terrain tire would do well in hard packed sand at 15 PSI, 10 PSI if the sand is loose and soft. what you want in the sand is a large footprint. you want the tire to be as wide as possible. with a wide tire like a 10.50 you are going to need to get rims with adequate backspacing so the tire does not rub the lower control arm. most people run 3.5 to 3.75" backspace.

hope this helps you out, at least a little!

most of my offroading is spent in the big sand dunes of southern california and mexico so if you have any more questions about sand driving feel free to shoot me a message.

-G

1.) Inside the spring itself? A shock? Snap a pic... i have no clue what your talking about. Maybe you meant to say "rubber".. if so the only rubber thing there is the bump stop.
2.) Someone else will have to answer.. i have no clue.
3.) Upgrading the cooling system is a good idea, but the closed system is just fine, you dont need to swap over to the open system. Put in dual electric fans, and make sure you have a tranny cooler also... that should do.

Do you have a lift? You could rub if not..

It is a bump stop
Good size tire, will work great in sand
Do a full service on your rad, clean and flush... Take that too a shop to have done

OK, it sounds like item 1 is the bump stop to limit vertical axle travel, wow, it sure looks fancy like a short shock.

2. I like the BFG tires, good advice on the backspacing, most of all the wheeling is in really deep loose sand.

3. On the radiator, good advice , I can handle those mods, just concerned about the closed system and trusting it.

Jim 88 XJ said:

OK, it sounds like item 1 is the bump stop to limit vertical axle travel, wow, it sure looks fancy like a short shock.

Click to expand...

able to post a picture? or email to me? now you have me interested. a bumpstop looks nothing like a shock..... although a hydraulic bumpstop looks like a shock and is compressible. please post a picture!

My 89 has the closed sym in it.. I live in the low desert in cal, Day time temp hits over 100 all summer.. The nights are the same, 100 till about 4 or 5 AM... My jeep runs 200 too 210 in traffic

Does it look like this



ACOS (Adjustable Coil Over Spacer)

or this



regular EXTENDED bump stop

The part between the hand and the coil spring isolator is the extension. The rest is just rubber and steel.

I will post a pic tonight.

Jim you've got a bumpstop inside the spring. like GrimmJeeper explained it's just there to limit up-travel and keep your tires from hitting the fenders. Lift kits come with an extension block that you install in it (one bolt runs thru the middle).

As far as the closed loop system, run it as long as it's not causing problems. Guy called lunghd has a great site here:

http://www.lunghd.com/

With lots of info on the 88-90 era XJ's Look for links with "Renix" (brand of fuel injection on these jeeps). He includes info on how to bleed the closed loop system, not tricky but has to be done right.

I converted over to an open cooling system a few months after I got my 88 because I kept having leaks pop up and when I patched one, another one started. Finally the radiator was leaking so I said the hell with it and swapped it out. It wasn't a bad job but not cheap (ended up about $350 but that included new hoses, a new water pump, radiator, thermostat, heater valve, etc).

Didn't have overheating problems before the conversion and don't now either, but then it's winter in PA so I didn't expect I would! Anyway if you start chasing leaks, I'd advise just biting the bullet to swap the system before you spend a lot of time and money patching up the closed loop.

(on that note, I have an almost-new NAPA coolant recovery tank for the closed loop that I used for 1 month b/c the original was leaking - if you want it I'll take $20 shipped for it, I paid $45 but understand then can be found for $30 plus shipping online).

Good luck and congrats on the jeep!
CR

(on that note, I have an almost-new NAPA coolant recovery tank for the closed loop that I used for 1 month b/c the original was leaking - if you want it I'll take $20 shipped for it, I paid $45 but understand then can be found for $30 plus shipping online).

Good luck and congrats on the jeep!
CR[/quote]


Thanks for the offer, I may need it, I will let you know next week after I run it hard on the freeway. I just put a new valve cover gasket on and had to pull the overflow hose and top rad. hose free for clearance, guess I will learn how to burbp a closed system. Also gonna install a real temp gauge under the dash. Thanks for the help.