Recent content by sidriptide

glad to hear things are turning in the right direction for you. keep up the fight, alot of us have been in similar situations and we're pulling for you.

have you considered that it may be piston slap? excessive wear in the lower end of the cylinder where the side-force of the up stroke is the heaviest. i had it in my 99 with 65K miles on it. it sounded like a random, sporadic knock from the lower end of the block. it was most audible with a...

give a better explanation of how it dies. does it just shut off quickly out of the blue? does it act up before it dies? does it ever feel like it is going to happen and then goes away? hard to tell for sure but my gut says you're chasing a ground or bad connection of some sort. simplest most...

dont waste your time looking for "stock" performance in a modified vehicle.. the goal should be IMPROVEMENT. 4.56s on 33s and a 5 spd is going to be a much happier combination that you can imagine. dont be afraid to let that 4.0L wind out on the highway and breathe a little. if your engine is...

if it's for a non-wheeling rig just go get some new CV-shafts for a ZJ from the parts store and save some $$. reman are generally $50 - $70 each and new only run a few $$ more. they are perfectly fine as an XJ replacement and longevity is not a concern unless you're gonna wheel it..

lot's of good advice here, but did you start with the simple stuff like pulling and cleaning the battery terminals? my 90 XJ gave me alot of trouble with occasional stalling, but mostly random momentary loss of power for a split-second, usually on bumpy terain like on a trail or wash-boarded...

2wd ECU will not be compatible with a manual trans. swap your axles into the new rig and dont waste your time making the old rig complete unless you really think someone will buy it. a side-swiped 2wd bastardized rig probably wont be high on the desirable vehicle list. save your effort and just...

it looks well-abused... when you say the unibody is plated, do you mean just the frame rails, or are the body panels armored as well? long arms, plated rails and upgraded axles but a stock smashed cross member? $2k is reasonable for an abused rig with some decent upgrades.

does this mean you bought it??

save your money.. if its a totally stock rig run the regular diagnostics like compression, leak-down, etc on it. do you think there is substantial power loss from mechanical wear? those tests will show you weak spots. clogged cats, worn plugs, old oil, and poor gearing are what make a 4.0L...

then that makes it very different. he's simply a dick. NEVER pay full shop wages to anyone operating without full shop expense. $20 / hr is reasonable for experienced help if it is agreed on before hand. your friend needs to have a matter-of-fact discussion with this guy and call him on his BS...

one of the problems with owning/running a shop is that people assume they dont have to pay because they are your "friend" or because they helped you after hours. they are both at fault for assuming the other guy knew what they expected, but they should have worked out all the details the first...

get 3 new hex bolts from the hardware store with the same threads but 1" longer over all. thread them all the way in and pound on them in a "circle" pattern with the BFH. dont waste an OEM bolt. also the larger hex gives a bigger target for the BFH. make sure they are threaded all the way in...

a new thermostat is a easy swap and can eliminate it from your trouble shooting. water pumps dont generally just go bad, but they can wear out and loose efficiency over time.

spring time is when cooling system issues start to show up. explain "rebuilt engine". did you do it yourself locally, or is it a crate motor? or did you buy it from a guy online who said it was rebuilt? 6000 miles should be a safe wear-in period, but an engine rebuilt with "tight" tolerances can...