1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
UAV - Urban Assault Vehicle



Some vehicles don't like to be worked on. But, I'm beginning to think that the Jeep enjoys the attention....

As I found it (Jan. 2006): Progress: What's been done: To Do List (Wish List): Pictures of what's been done:
As Purchased
This is how I found the Wagoneer. It showed 130,000 miles on the odometer and was completely stock, with the exception of an after market Holley 4 barrel carburetor sitting on an Edelbrock Performer manifold. The springs were showing the normal signs of "wag sag" and the clear coat was beginning to breakdown. The body was in pretty good shape with minor surface rust in a few places and only one rotten spot just behind the driver side rear wheel well. The interior was also in good shape with only minor wear on the leather seats and the steering wheel.

New Roof Rack
The first visible modification that I made to the Wagoneer was to remove the stock roof rack and replace it with something a bit more useful. The stock roof rack is held in place by 12 rubber well nuts. They're basically rubber grommets with a threaded insert. A stiff breeze could pull the well nuts and the rack right off the roof. To make a bad situation worse, the well nuts had begun to breakdown from old age and were allowing water to leak to the inside of the cargo area. So, I removed the stock rack and sealed the holes with nylon plugs held in with silicon adhesive caulk. Then, I installed a much beefier, more secure after market roof rack. It's actually a contractor style ladder rack. I chose this design because it's inexpensive and it has very heavy gutter mounts. My only complaint with this rack is that it's too tall. There's a good four inches between the cross bars and the roof. And, the mounts extend about eight inches above the roof line. So, sometime in the future, I plan to cut the mounts off and use them as the base for a custom built low-profile safari style roof rack. In the mean time, the ladder rack will carry anything I care to strap to the top of the Wagoneer including a couple of upright bike racks for hauling our mountain bikes around. This setup works great! The ladder rack and the Swag-man bike racks came from Proline Products. Very stout and very affordable. Here, you can see a few shots of the old rack coming off, the holes in the roof being sealed, the new rack going on, and a few very cool shots of the roof rack in use during our first camping trip with the Wagoneer.
Update:
I've removed the after-market ladder-rack style roof rack. I did this for a three reasons:
  1. We bought a larger (24') travel trailer that is just too long for the short wheel-base of the Jeep. I moved the bike racks to a bed mounted frame that I build for the bed of our new tow vehicle (2008 GMC Sierra). So, the rack doesn't get used anymore
  2. The powder coating on the gutter mounts was pretty cheap. The mounts began to rust and leave rust stains on the chrome gutters.
  3. I just wasn't happy with the way the ladder rack looked on top of the Jeep.
For now, the Jeep has no roof rack at all. I kind of like the clean look. Eventually, I may repaint the ladder rack mounts and rework them into some sort of lower profile roof rack as I originally planned. But, until then, the roof stays bare.

Aftermarket Side Mirrors
The next modification was to remove the stock mirrors and replace them with a pair of after market mirrors that provide better visibility, especially while towing the travel trailer. I picked up the new mirrors at a local auto parts store. They are replacement low mount mirrors for a Ford pickup. I installed the mirrors further back on the doors than the originals in an attempt to see around the wing vents. I may end up moving them forward closer to the original position some time down the road. The only position on the door that allowed the mirrors to hang in their "natural" level position placed the mirror heads just below the windows making the passenger side mirror too low to use. So, I built a set of spacers, using a three inch bolt, a couple of washers and a short piece of 1/2" aluminum tubing. This raised the mirrors to about the same height as the originals. My only complaint with the mirrors now is that the mirror heads are made of plastic and are prone to vibration. If I can find a set of steel mirror heads, I'll gladly replace them.
Update:
I found a set of steel replacement mirror heads. They still vibrate a little, but nothing like the old plastic heads. Now, the mounting arms are beginning to show surface rust. I'll either have to find a better quality set of arms or just paint them when I get around to doing the body work.
Update:
I've come to the conclusion that, as I mentioned before, I indeed placed the mirrors too far back on the doors. If I don't do it before then, I'll definitely move them forward when I do the body work.
Update:
I've been rethinking the aftermarket side mirrors. Since we're not using the Jeep to tow the travel trailer anymore, I think I'd like to try something a little closer to "original". I'll try to track down a set of tripod mirrors like Jeep put on the J series pickups. They're much more functional than the original car-style mirrors that came on the Grand Wagoneer, but look like they belong on a full-size Jeep than the aftermarket ones.

Rear Helper Springs
After towing our Shasta travel trailer for the first time, I decided that the Wagoneer's sagging rear suspension was just too soft. It felt a little like the tail was wagging the dog. It wasn't a stereotypical case of trailer sway. But, every time I hit a bump in the road, the trailer would flex the rear springs on the Wagoneer and push the rear end to one side or the other. It was a very unnerving feeling. Eventually, I plan to install new springs as part of a lift. But in the mean time, I've installed a set of Superior brand 1000 lbs. helper springs. This added a slight lift to the rear of the Wagoneer and stiffened the rear springs considerably. As a bonus, the helper springs gave the Wagoneer a slight forward rake, which improved the visibility over the hood. Below are before and after pictures of the Wagoneer's stance. The difference is subtle, but significant. The Wagoneer seems to handle the trailer much better now. The real test will be our next camping trip when we take the whole rig out on the Interstate for the first time. The travel trailer isn't terribly heavy. But, just to be on the safe side, I installed a trailer brake controller in the Wagoneer. If things get hairy, at least I know I'll be able to stop the whole rig.
Update:
When we loaded up the trailer for our next camping trip, I took the Wagoneer (with the trailer in tow) for a short trip to pickup firewood. On my way home, I experienced my first taste of trailer sway. It turns out that the helper springs did nothing to help the soggy rear suspension handle a tow load. The trailer sway was so bad, that I almost ditched the Wagoneer and the trailer at about 50 mph. The trailer brakes saved my bacon. I reached down and engaged the trailer brakes and let them pull trailer back into alignment. It was hair raising, none the less. After nursing the rig home, I parked the Wagoneer and we used the pickup to pull the trailer instead. No more camping for the Wagoneer until it gets a new suspension.
Update:
The following spring, I installed a BJ's 4" All-Spring Lift (see below). So, the helper springs were uninstalled with the original springs. After a couple of test drives with the travel trailer, new tighter suspension seems to handle the trailer much better than the old worn out suspension did. I plan to pull the trailer on our first camping trip of the season, as is. If I still have trailer sway problems, I'll look into a weight distributing hitch with sway control. By the way, the new taller springs made it necessary to replace my old 2" drop hitch with a new 6" drop hitch. Now, the travel trailer rides nice and level behind the Jeep.

BJ's 4" All-Spring Lift
A nice raise at work allowed me to justify the cost of fixing/upgrading the Wagoneer's worn out suspension by installing a BJ's 4" All-Spring lift kit. The lift kit came with 4 new springs, bushings, U-bolts, Pro-Comp ES3000 shocks, and extended braided brake lines. I opted for a new Rancho 5000 steering stabilizer, track-bar relocation brackets, and sway-bar disconnects while I was at it. I also upgraded the front brakes. More on that later... The lift kit installation went pretty well, considering I did almost all of it working alone and with only hand tools (no air power). I even got lucky with the "magic nut" that holds the front of the driver side rear spring. The nut was spot welded to the inside of the frame at the factory, then hidden by the gas tank and the gas tank skid plate. Most of these nuts break loose and spin, requiring you to drop the gas tank to complete the installation. Mine held firm. In fact, this was the easiest of all the spring bolts to remove! All told, the lift kit installation took about 18 hours of work. The most interesting part of the installation was the amount of lift that I actually got. I knew that the original springs had sagged a bit. But, it turns out that they had sagged a full 3". So, I actually got 7" inches of lift from the 4" springs! It will be interesting to see how far the new springs drop as they break-in. Right now, the ride is pretty rough compared to the old worn out original springs. But, it's no harsher that the ride of any other 4x4. BJ's says that it should ease up a bit with time. My only complaint is that the installation instructions didn't explicitly say that you should grease the spring bushings. So, I didn't think about it until the squeaking began. Oh well, at least I know the springs are flexing. If it really begins to bug me, I'll pull the bushings back out and give them some grease. Until then, the squeaks just add character. For now, I'll stick with the 27" tires that were on the Wagoneer when I purchased it. When they're due for replacement, I'll trade up to 31" all-terrain tires to better match the new stance.

An interesting extra benefit of the new suspension is that the Jeep actually "feels" quicker. The old soft suspension absorbed enough torque that the Jeep was very sluggish taking off from stop lights, etc. Now, it takes off much more quickly. I'll have to keep an eye on this, as I have a new tendency to jump off the line at every stop light. That doesn't do much to help the already lousy gas mileage.

For anyone who has been checking this page regularly, you may remember that I included an annoying (and down right scary) front suspension rattle on my To Do list. I'm still not sure what was causing the rattle, but replacing all of the springs, bushings, and shocks made it go away. Good, one less thing to worry about.

Here's a good set of before & after pictures to show how much the Jeep has "grown".

Brake Repairs/Upgrades
I hate working on brakes! But, since the BJ's lift kit came with extended braided brake lines, I thought I'd do some brake repairs/upgrades while I had things torn apart. I planned to install 3/4 ton GM front brake calipers with carbon metallic pads. First, the parts store gave me two left-side calipers. Second, the banjo fittings that I ordered from Summit Racing had the wrong angle. They positioned the brake lines so they hit the shocks when the front wheels were turned. So, I ordered new fittings with a better angle and moved on to the rear brakes. My intention was to install the braided flex line between the frame and axle and install new speed bleeders on each wheel cylinder. After fighting the flex line into submission, I moved onto the bleeders. I expected the old bleeders to be stuck and break off. That's what usually happens when you work on old brakes. But, to my surprise, the first bleeder backed right out. However, the new speed bleeder snapped off as soon as it got snug in the cylinder. RATS! I hat working on brakes! Oh well, the rear brake shoes were pretty thin anyway. So, when I went to exchange the front caliper, I picked up new rear wheel cylinders, new bleeders, and new brake shoes. Did I mention how much I HATE working on brakes? The following night was much better. I replaced the rear brake cylinders, bleeders, and shoes with very little trouble. By the way, my official opinion is that speed bleeders are the best thing since sliced bread. I cracked the left side bleeder about 1/4 turn and gave the brake pedal three pumps to purge the air out of the line. Then, I cracked the left side bleeder and gave the pedal three more pumps. That's it. It was, by far, the easiest brake bleed I've ever done. When the correct banjo fittings arrived from Summit Racing, I installed the new calipers and the new BJ's extended front brake lines. I just tossed out the brass banjo fitting that came with the flex lines and used the one from Summit instead. The BJ's flex lines screw right onto the banjo fittings. This eliminates the need to alter the GM-style calipers or the Jeep-style brake lines. The new calipers fit fine, but I had to use the original Jeep caliper bolts. Of course, they were rusty and fought me the whole way. But, once they were installed, it was just a matter of bleeding the front brakes, just like I did the rears. The only difference is that it took about 10 pumps of the brake pedal on each side to clear all of the air out of the lines. Now, I have much better pedal feel than I did before. And, the Jeep stops on a dime (compared to the old brakes). It rained the morning that I buttoned up the brake job, so the roads were a little slick. When I went for a test drive, I locked the brakes and slid about 100 ft before coming to a stop! That was a new experience, because the old brakes would only lock up on ice!

Here's a link to the banjo fittings I used: Russel -3AN to 10mm 35 Degree Banjo Fitting Brake Line Adapter

Rear Main Seal R&R
After I buttoned up the lift kit install and brake repairs, I made it a point to drive the Jeep every day for a week to help break in the new springs. During that week, my chronic oil leak got MUCH worse. Every time that I parked the Jeep, it dumped about a cup of oil. I've been ignoring this leak since I brought the Jeep home, hoping that I could get by until I was ready to swap the engine for a rebuilt/reman engine. But, I just couldn't ignore the leak any more. So, I dug into replacing the rear main seal. I don't know for certain whether the the leak was coming from the rear main seal or the oil pan rear seal, but I figure that you can't go wrong replacing all of the gaskets on the bottom side of a 20 year old engine. There are leaks on top of the engine too, but I'm hoping that this will get me by for a while longer.

There's good news and bad news about replacing the rear main seal on a Grand Wagoneer. The good news is that you can do the whole procedure with engine still in the vehicle. The bad news is that you have to remove the starter and the exhaust to get the oil pan off. Once again, the Jeep took pity on me and I didn't run into any trouble getting the starter off. One thing to note though, the lower starter bolt requires a SAE 9/16 socket, while the upper starter bolt requires a metric 15mm socket. This is one of only a dozen, or so, metric bolts on the '88 Grand Wagoneer. Strange, but true. The exhaust removal didn't go as quietly, although it could have been much worse. The original owner of the Jeep had the exhaust replaced by a pro. So, the pipe is good heavy think stuff and it's all welded solid. This is good for the longevity of the exhaust, but it's lousy if you have to disconnect the Y-pipe from the exhaust manifolds. I either had to drop the transmission cross member and remove the entire exhaust system in one piece or I had to cut the exhaust into two manageable pieces that just drop the front half. I chose the latter. I cut the pipe between the muffler and Y-pipe. I'll put it back together latter with a slip coupler and a couple of clamps. The exhaust manifold studs/nuts were good and rusted, so I was afraid the studs would snap off when I put the wrench to them. Then, I'd have to remove the manifolds and redrill and tap the stud holes. In an effort to avoid this, I sprayed the studs down with PB Blaster and let them soak for a couple of days. When I got back to them, two of the nuts came off with a minimum of screaming and the other two studs backed out of the manifold. Another potential headache avoided. Next, I dropped the oil pan and removed the rear main cap. It was no wonder that there was an oil leak. The oil pan seal and the rear main seal cracked into pieces during the removal. After some cleanup, it was time to put things back together. Everything went back together with very little fanfare. But, the engine still seeps a little bit of oil if it is parked over night. So, either I damaged the new rear main seal during the install or the oil is coming from one of the other five bad seals on the engine. Either way, I'm not too concerned about the remaining oil leaks. It appears that I have bigger engine problems to worry about...

During the rear main seal R&R, I found what appears to be an almost complete, and very worn, cam bearing in the bottom of the oil pan. This means that the engine is running with one cam bearing entirely gone! This would explain why my oil pressure drops to 0 a idle. I'm betting that the rest of the cam bearings are in pretty sad shape too. The 360 is definitely running on borrowed time. I'm going to continue running it, as is, while I shop for a reman engine and a mechanic who is willing to install it. If I didn't have a full-time job, I'd have time to do it myself. But, if I didn't have a full-time job, I couldn't afford the new engine. Such is life.

ATK Remanufactured AMC 360 Engine
I've made it a point not to update this section for quite some time because I have been attempting to resolve a problem with ATK and I didn't want to burn any bridges with them until I was certain what the out come would be. Everything has been settled, so I don't see any reason not to share my experience. Hopefully, my story will help other to not make the same mistake that I made. So, here's my story...

In June of 2007, I ordered an ATK remanufactured AMC 360 through a local Napa store and paid to have installed by a local shop, that is a Napa service center. Napa was great to work with and so was the shop. The engine swap went well, except for a faulty harmonic balancer that Napa replaced under warranty. A couple months later, three of the freeze plugs on the passenger side of the engine block began leaking coolant. ATK said that they would pay my mechanic to replace the freeze plugs. However, ATK reneged and refused to pay for the repair because the shop tossed the old freeze plugs in the trash, as they were obviously damaged during removal. ATK said that they would not pay for the repair unless they had the damaged freeze plugs in hand for inspection. Because the freeze plugs were damaged during removal, I doubt that they could have gotten any diagnostic information from them. I suspected at the time (and still do) that this was just an excuse not to pay for the repair under warranty. STRIKE ONE.

Once the freeze plugs were replaced, I put the Jeep back on the road. But, the new engine only lasted for about 1500 miles. A knock developed in the passenger side rear cylinder. ATK ran the shop through a few diagnostic tests and determined that it would be best to just swap the engine instead of having the shop tear it down. So, ATK RMA'd a new engine. When the new engine arrived, the shop swapped it in and shipped back the first engine via the local Napa store. So far so good. But, ATK would not pay the shop for the engine swap, until they had the first engine back at their facility and had inspected it. So, my Jeep sat at the mechanic's waiting for the labor charge to be paid. It took a total of three months to get my Jeep back from this engine swap, thanks to ATK's slow shipping and inspection process. STRIKE TWO.

ATK eventually paid the shop for the engine swap and I got my Jeep back. ATK's official diagnosis for the first engine failing was "over fueling". They said that the engine was running so rich that the oil was washed off of the cylinder walls, causing the piston rings to score the cylinders, eventually leading to a piston failure. I had (and still do have) a hard time buying this explanation. The engine ran fine, there was no smoking, and there was no gas in the oil. Besides, think of how many carburated vehicles are out roaming the streets belching out overly rich exhaust fumes. Why don't they all experience catastrophic piston failure? But I digress. I'm not an expert engine tech. And at least they paid for the engine. So, based upon ATK's diagnosis of over fueling, I set out retuning the fuel system to make sure that the second reman engine didn't suffer the same fate as the first. When I bought the Jeep, it already had an electric fuel pump installed, but no fuel pressure gauge or regulator. So, I installed a gauge. The fuel pump wasn't putting out too much pressure for the carb to handle, but it was near the upper end of the recommended pressure range. So, I installed a regulator and lowered the fuel pressure down to 1 psi above the minimum recommended fuel pressure for the carb. Then, I replaced the power valve in the carb to make sure that it wasn't leaking. The old power valve didn't look bad, but it's better to be on the safe side. Then, I rejetted the carb down as far as I could without starving the engine. And, I replaced the accelerator pump cam to eliminate the just-off-idle hesitation that resulted from the new leaner mixture. I checked the color of the spark plugs over the next thousand miles to make sure that the engine wasn't running rich. Everything looked good. That was March/April of 2008.

I didn't drive the Jeep much over the spring and summer. But, when weather turned cold, I started driving it again, once a week, to make sure it would be ready when the snow started to fly. Everything seemed fine. But, in January of 2009, with just 3400 miles on it, the second engine developed a knock in the drivers side third cylinder. Here we go again. ATK had the shop go through the diagnostics again. This time, they said that they would not replace the engine again without first inspecting it. So, the shop pulled the engine and shipped it back to ATK via the Napa store. Two weeks later, after hearing nothing from ATK, I called to ask about the engine. I found out that they typo'd my warranty claim number when the the engine arrived and it had been sitting in their warehouse for a week. After another week of daily phone calls to ATK, I finally got them to give me the inspection report. Just as I suspected, their official diagnosis was, once again, "over fueling". They won't replace the engine again, because they say that it is my fault that both engines were destroyed. STRIKE THREE!!! And, they wanted me to pay for shipping just to get the damaged engine back. One of the regular posters at ifsja.org did me a favor and convinced ATK to waive the return shipping charges and send the damaged engine back to me for free. That's better than nothing. Again, the engine ran fine, had good oil pressure, no gas in the oil, clean spark plugs (except for the one that fouled with oil after the piston failed), and no smoking. The only symptom was the obvious knocking sound.

The Jeep is back home now, but with no engine and a loosely reassembled damaged engine on a pallet. I had to pay the shop, out of pocket, for the labor of removing the engine and shipping it ATK for inspection. Needless to say, I'm finished with ATK. As I said before, I'm no expert engine tech. And, I'm sure that both failures were indeed caused by the cylinders being starved of oil. But, I seriously doubt that it was due to "over fueling".

So now, I'm at an impasse. I've wasted a crazy amount of money trying to get a reasonably reliable engine in a 20 year old Jeep that is now worth more as a pile of parts than it is as a complete vehicle. I'm trying to take it easy for a while and consider my options logically. I will probably either buy a good used engine or try to cut my losses and sell the Jeep (without an engine) for whatever I can get for it.

New (used) AMC 360 Engine
Dec. 2009 - It's taken a few months, but the Jeep has a new engine. Well, to be technically correct, the Jeep has a new-to-me-used-low-miles-on-a-rebuild engine. After the ATK fiasco, I talked it over with my financial advisor/social directory (my wife) and came to the conclusion that we just couldn't justify the lost time & money involved with selling the Jeep for parts. Plus, that would leave without a 4wd to drive during the winter. So, I put out the word on the ifsja.org forums that I was looking for a good running reasonably low mileage used AMC 360. In true FSJ-nut fashion, a forum member from Wisconsin (named Brett) offered me a good deal on an engine that he had in a '79 Golden Eagle Cherokee that he only used occasionally for trail rides. The previous owner had paid a dealer to rebuild the engine in this rusty worn out old Cherokee a few years ago. Since then, the engine has only had about 14,000 miles put on it. So, I basically ended up with a new engine with a clean 14,000 mile track record.

I hit the road for Wisconsin early on a Saturday morning in April. After a five hour drive and a quick lunch, I met up with Brett. I got to hear the engine run for a couple of minutes and they we commenced to tear the heart out of the old Cherokee. We had a fun afternoon of wrenching and a lot of good conversation. The engine removal only took just under three hours and a hour of that was fighting two stubborn transmission bolts. I couldn't have asked for a smoother transaction or a nicer guy. Thanks again Brett! I brought the engine home, where it rested quietly on the garage floor while I got side tracked with summer activities and other projects.

Fast forward a few months. I finally got around to working on the Jeep again in early November. My first move was to pull the transmission and take in for a rebuild. It had been slipping in reverse for a couple of years and it leaked ATF like there was no tomorrow. So, I shipped it off to my friends at Stoney's Transmissions (in Oakford, IL) for some freshening up and a shift improver kit. When the transmission came back, I started putting the Jeep back together. I've done other engine/transmission replacements, but this was my first 4WD and my first Jeep. So, it took me a few weeks of evenings to reinstall the transmission/transfer case, install the new engine, replace all of the vacuum lines, clean up the old engine bay wiring and adapt the '88 harness to the '79 engine, and work out the necessary exhaust changes. But, eventually, on a cold Sunday afternoon in early December, the Jeep came back to life and moved under it's own power for the first time in almost a year. It was indeed a joyous occasion. Of course, there were a few minor problems to be sorted out, but at least it was running.

Before the Jeep can go back in to service, there is a punch list of minor repairs, including: a leaking accelerator pump diaphragm, a leaking transmission dipstick tube O-ring, a leaking exhaust coupler near the muffler, and an exhaust hanger that needs to be rewelded. I hope to have everything buttoned up and the Jeep back on the road before Christmas (and before the bulk of the snow fall here in Central Illinois).

Update:
Well, I missed my Christmas deadline by one day! Before Christmas I replaced transmission dipstick tube O-ring, replaced the leaking exhaust coupler, rewelded the exhaust hanger, installed a new accelerator pump diaphragm, and fixed a horrendous transfer case fluid leak. But, I still had an awful accelerator hesitation and the transmission was shifting waaay too early. On Dec. 26, I pulled the carburetor and replaced the power valve. The "dry" side of the old power valve was coated in varnished gasoline. I'd say it had been blown for a very long time. That repair got the Wagoneer officially back on the road. There is still a slight hesitation, but I can put up with it until I work up the nerve to rebuild the carb completely. So, I drove the Jeep for the next week to get a feel for the new engine. We got a good bit of snow and some bitterly cold temperatures. So, I was just glad to have the 4x4 back in operation. The shifting problems took a bit longer to soft out.

The transmission would shift from 1st to 2nd at just 10mph. Then, it would shift from 2nd to 3rd around 15mph. And, the shifts were so sloppy that you couldn't feel it all. It acted like the throttle lever linkage was completely disconnected. As it turned out, I just didn't have it adjusted correctly. I read through the adjustment procedure at least fifteen times. I attempted to follow the procedure several times and just couldn't get the transmission to work correctly. Then, one night just after the first of the year, I put myself to sleep by reading through a 1970 Chrysler 727 technical bulletin that explained the way that technicians used to adjust these transmissions and why. Then, I woke up in the middle of the night and had one of those "light bulb over the head" moments. It finally dawned on me wait I was doing wrong. The 1970 tech bulletin talked about the importance of adjusting the linkage to remove all of the slack so that pressure was applied to the linkage the moment that the driver begins to move the accelerator pedal. Even though the old Chrysler linkage was different than it is on my Jeep, the principle is the same. The next morning, I readjusted the linkage. This time, I pulled the linkage forward to take out all of the slack and adjusted the slip joint so that the linkage began to engage as soon as the accelerator pedal is depressed to pull the carburetor off of idle. Like magic, the transmission shifted like it was supposed to. Now, under moderate acceleration, it shifts from 1st to 2nd at 20-25mph and from 2nd to 3rd at 40-45mph. And, the full-throttle kick-down works for the first time since I bought the Jeep! If anything, I may have the linkage a little bit tight. But, I'm happy with the way that it shifts, so I'm leaving it alone.