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Thatxjguy's 1999 Jeep Cherokee Build 'Hole in the Pocket'

Very cool! Thanks for the write-up and how-to. I'm not lifted but I have some great ramps that I use to get the ole' XJ off the ground if needed. :)

Is it also possible to replace the Main Bearing while doing this or do you have to remove the Cam, etc... to get at that?

Yes, you can also replace main bearings if you're careful.

I don't think you'll want to use ramps. You'll want to let the axle droop, so you'll need to lift from the unibody.
 
Thanks guys. This is on my list to check and replace so this was helpful.

This weekend it looks like I'll be replacing the front axle wheel bearings on my son's '01 Ford Sportrack. Hopefully the 100 degree temps don't kill me. :)
 
I was able to pull the oil pan off when I had no drop, but I did have to lift up the body a few inches.. it can be done. Also had to remove the steering stabilizer to get the pan off.
 
I did a little photo shoot for my Instagram today. They're just pretty shots. Nothing special.

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Found myself a police package 4-switch bezel too!

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And... bought this.

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Did it have the ext idle switch? If so, I want it if you will sell it.
 
Found myself a police package 4-switch bezel too!

5v1xrp.jpg


And... bought this.

2vvt0zt.jpg

Did it have the ext idle switch? If so, I want it if you will sell it.
 
Now with the rear sway bar out:

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I decided it was time to work on making the front one safer. Got some nice Moog bushings (25.5mm) for my 26mm sway bar, and they're really stout little bushings:

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I put some WD-40 in between the bar and the bushing to make it slide easier. In time, it will press out due to weathering and driving:

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After that, I decided to tackle a problem I had yesterday. My top radiator hose had a leak in it! I've been wondering why I've been smelling coolant, and I thought it might have been a leaky heater core. Well, nope. So I decided to get an upper and lower radiator hose. If I'm going to do one, might as well do both:

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The bottom one was a pain in the ass. The factory put the clamp right where I could barely reach it and my channel locks couldn't fit right under the engine block because there was a pulley mount in the way:

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Needless to say, I got the bastard out.

I made sure to put in better, non-factory hose clamps too:

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Oh and... as a side project, I picked some 784 injectors from the junk yard yesterday. I let them sit in gunk degreaser overnight, and I'll run some seafoam through them later. I put new o-rings in them. The micro filters look okay. And Ohm readings are about 14 each, so they all seem to be working at the same resistance. I'll give them a try.

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I'm hoping these 784s will be better than the Ford orangetops I ran earlier.
 
I splurged for the JKS quick disco's... it's money well spent, especially with your setup. I don't know how other folks can run those other wimpy setups.

I like them better too, but that'll have to be something I buy when I get all the important stuff fixed first :)
 
Well I found this awesome tool at Tractor Supply. I'll be throwing it under my back seat for a rainy day.

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Oh, and for $4, I also found this there:

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I believe that shovel is known as the "e tool". Googleize it or just ask any former/current enlisted.
 
Starting on the heater core replacement today:

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Removing the HVAC box:

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HVAC box out:

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Putting in the new heater core and evaporator core:

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Sweet god, you have to go *that* deep to get the HVAC stuff in an XJ?
That's brutal.
Good work , man.
From reading a few other posts, (Talyn, I think) you might want to buy some anti-friction tape for reassembly. Things are never as tight and quiet the second time you assemble them.
 
It's really not that bad... the dash comes apart easily and the tolerances are so wide it almost doesn't matter how you put it back together again.

Friction tape advised.
 
Yeah, it's a huge pain the ass. The big thing is that you need to have a lot of time. I split this up between two days – although labor-wise, we spent 6 hours total actually doing it.

The most annoying part was probably the steering column. There are so many plugs there, and I had to be careful not to spin the wheel to prevent damage to the clock spring.
 
Thanks for the pics... I need to replace my AC evaporator as it has a very slight leak. So far I've been able to get away w/adding 1 can of coolant the past 2 Summers and get by. However, this would be on my list of 'to-do' things.
 
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