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Did you ever figure out the engine cooling thing? I have the same fans you do (but with an aluminum radiator) and I never see over about 210 degrees, even in the middle of summer.
Thanks! Ugh not entirely. Noticed after the truck gets up to temp I could feel the lower rad hose collapsing when the engine was revved to higher rpm... Put a new hose on it and the new hose felt a lot more firm. Also putting a hose spring in and we will see how this summer goes haha...
Originally Posted by christine_208
Nice!
How did the spare tire carrier mounting go? Any advice for those of us planning on doing the same?
Honestly I followed the instructions of various other members hanging the carrier from the roof rack using ratchet straps. I bought 1/8 thick rubber sheet and cut it to make gaskets to protect the paint. Rtv black around each of the holes on assembly. I ended up using rivnuts into the body and lift gate and the original hex bolts so I didn't have to deal with getting a wrench on nuts behind the panel and it looks totally oem. Not sure hold up in the long run but I can always upgrade to nuts and washers eventually. I got the thing mounted first then sanded down/wire brushed all surface rust and painted it while it was on the truck. That's about it honestly lol.
Did some camping up north with a few buddies a little bit ago, took my two oldest kids. Ended up being way colder than we expected at night but we were all piled in back on an air mattress and stayed pretty warm. This is why I own this truck, to do stuff like this!
Truck did get hot climbing up the mountain, beginning to think that the radiator is plugged up, my lower hose seems to collapse under load which could indicate a restriction in the radiator. Truck cools right back down to 205f at idle, it only seems to be a problem when the RPMs are increased... Started on some much-needed maintenance this summer, I'll go into detail in the next post.
Originally Posted by bikerider
How much rise does your hitch have?
No clue LOL sorry. Bought a junk trailer and the seller threw it in for free.
Bigger update here, started on some MAJOR maintenance. My dad retired recently, and luckily for me he has a shop with a lift and plenty of free time. So I drove down to his place and we tore into the Jimmy.
Our goal is to fix the MANY oil leaks that this truck has, and tear apart the transfer case to investigate a marbles-in-a-can noise I have when in 2wd.
Truck is getting:
-Timing cover and gasket
-High volume oil pump
-Oil pan gasket
-Rear main seal
-Oil sending unit
-Remote oil filter lines
-Engine mounts
-Transmission mount
We will also inspect rod bearings and do A LOT of cleaning while in there. Also for anyone who is wondering, you do NOT have to remove the front axle to get the oil pan out if you have a body lift. We unbolted the engine mounts and jacked the engine up and were able to get the pan dropped onto the front axle, then we unbolted the oil pump and pulled out the pan and pump together. I've read some people who say you need to remove the engine or remove the front axle in order to do the pan, but if you're body lifted, you have another option!
Super excited to get all of this done, it's been basically ten years in the making LOL. I can't wait to enjoy this truck more, leak free. If we can address the cooling system (and refresh the AC a bit) I plan on putting a ton more miles on the old girl! Turned over 185k miles young on the drive to my parents.
...
Also for anyone who is wondering, you do NOT have to remove the front axle to get the oil pan out if you have a body lift. We unbolted the engine mounts and jacked the engine up and were able to get the pan dropped onto the front axle, then we unbolted the oil pump and pulled out the pan and pump together. I've read some people who say you need to remove the engine or remove the front axle in order to do the pan, but if you're body lifted, you have another option!
This is super useful to know.
Do you think that for trucks without a body lift that temporarily unbolting the body mounting points could achieve the same effect of being able to remove the oil pan?
Do you think that for trucks without a body lift that temporarily unbolting the body mounting points could achieve the same effect of being able to remove the oil pan?
Definitely. My body bolts came loose really easy during my BL, maybe remove the front eight, loosen the back two, then jack the front of the body up. Would have to unbolt the ground strap on the block and the brake lines in the wheel well. Easier than the front axle still? Gotta remove the passenger UCA to get the diff bolts undone, we didn't want to touch the suspension since it was on the lift. If I was doing this at home I probably still would have dropped the front axle and done a diff drop while it was out.
Originally Posted by Hess13x
You're lucky to have access to a lift! Good to know on the oil pan. Yet another bonus of a body lift. They make everything so much easier to work on.
Yes very lucky! It's a six hour drive to my parents' house but worth it LOL. Agreed on the BL, bellhousing bolts were very accessible when dropping the trans, I can't imagine how difficult it would have been without it.
Such a good build. I notice a steering stabilizer there, did you notice a big difference? So glad to hear of this oil pan removal, I have a 1” body lift and the RC 2 1/2” lift so I should be able to do the same. I need to resales my timing cover and shim my clutch slave so right then is a good time to do the pan.
and as a suggestion, go to Champion Radiators and get a three row for the Jimmy. Use all your existing fan stuff. I live in South Okanagan Canada where it gets well over 100F and no issues with heat now. The only radiator option otherwise is a new stock single core which is woefully inadequate and up in Canada the same price as Champion.
