Precise1

Damn, I said we needed new Mods many years ago, and you are just now getting around to it? Congrats mjotrainbrain, and welcome aboard. I used to serve the coffee around here occasionally a while back... B

Yeah, I recognize a few names as well... Welcome back! You aren't the only one who took a break, and as for this "I'm so old" crap... psha! B

Hello, and welcome! Assuming all the other brake components are in good order and the brakes are properly bled, if your stopping ability is poor, check to make you don't have a vacuum leak, that the vacuum booster is working properly, and that your master cylinder isn't leaking. Otherwise, these should stop as well as any other 2 ton 4x4. Agreed, and I seem to recall a few people doing so, for the simplicity and parts availability. I've considered the rear disk swap, but have decided against it for exactly the same reason. Properly supported, it would be the ideal set up, but... B

Without being a wisebutt, it will be the 1 part that you really need... In reality, the soft parts (seals, liners, boots, etc) are getting scarce and generally made anymore. I recall someone using a window seal from a different vehicle that fit very well, let me get back to you on that. I have a 91 with the 4x4 shifter cover, so if Adam's isn't acceptable, hit me up. Quite frankly, I have no interest in sunroofs or switching to rear disk for the reasons you mentioned. Neat and all, but more trouble than it is worth on these AFAIC. YMMV. B

Yeah, I'll give them an "option" to see a "package" alright... Interesting... A friend of mine bought one of the newer Challengers when they first came out, and it just came with a can of fix-a-flat, since it has different sized tires front and rear. Yeah, that's neat and all, but screw that! Things happen on the road, and towing isn't always just down the street waiting for a call. B

Rescue me B

Welcome back! Just wandered back in myself. Seems I have these 3 pathfinders that I should do something about... B

Hopefully he used the slowly expanding kind so he didn't crack the dash? B

Have you checked the ECU for codes? Check to make sure the TPS is responding right (be sure to jiggle the wiring harness/connector, when it is running, of course) This might sound crazy, but I had a '95 manual that started to stumble/bog when shifting 1-2 and then 2-3 also. It would pick right back up and run fine again. Check the dizzy cap... mine had completely burned out the center contact and 1/2 the spring, so the spark was just arcing from the top of the cap down to the rotor. Had to prove it to the Autozone boys... showed them the inside of the cap, snapped it on, fired it up and hauled ass around the building for them. They basically crapped themselves... Anyway, check the cap, it takes 1 minute.

It's rated pressure is 60psi, and it has 50psi in it right now, almost 6 months after I took it out. Oh, and the size is 135/70/16. A folded spare... that sounds very... German. Does it have a limited rating, or is it just as good as a non-folding tire? (doubtful) Nice that the space for it is the same, but that just means they cheaped out... I recommend doing what I did... just buy a new steelie and go to your local tire shop and see what's in the used tire pile. The spare for my wife is a better tire with more tread than the current Kumhos.

Hey all, been a while... hope you have been good. I'm that jerk that nags my wife to check oil/water/tire pressure/spare before a trip (just a weekend can be 600+ miles). She hates that I don't just do it for her, but she has to know how and why as well, so tough schitt. Well, she managed to avoid it a few times, but just before ThanksGiving last year, I made her do the rounds, and guess what? Yep, that is what the 14 year old tire looked like. Granted it is a micro-emergency tire, but it has never been used in the 10+ years we have had the vehicle... it just sat in it's space saving well and rotted. Imagine being stuck somewhere only to find that this is what your spare looks like! Needless to say she went from "Why do I have to do this?" to "OMG what if I needed it?" real quick. The real point is that you won't find these tires at any tire shop, it is only at the stealership, and they probably don't have it in stock... I know, I called 1/2 a dozen. In this case, the oddball size was made by Continental (in Germany) and they would mount/balance/tax me for about $165. o_O So the wife now has a new full sized steel wheel ($60), a used tire from a local shop ($50) held down with some HF tie downs ($5)... $115 for the math challenged. This way she could just keep driving, across the state if need be, and not be limited to 50 miles/50mph with the factory sized crap. I yoinked the plastic holder thingie from the well, and that area is now hidden storage for everything from jack to water to change of clothes/shoes to emergency gear. The fulll sized spare takes up a little room, but it is worth it. (when will manufacturers stop this stupid schitt? Put a full sized spare tire in/on/under the car, anything else is a travesty.) Anywho... check your spares... well. B

Running Scared B

So, what I would do is find yourself another VG33E block and go through it, top to bottom (I'm sure there are some aftermarket parts available), but specifically focus on porting/polishing the heads, any valve upgrades available and installing upgraded cams. Smooth out your intakes and exhaust manifolds, consider high flow cats, but definitely go with a after market/custom cat back exhaust. When your old motor tires/fails, swap the waiting one in with mostly stock components, and enjoy a fresh motor that performs 10-20% over stock. For road vehicles that has always been my strategy: Stock motor (maybe cam replacement) and peripherals (unless there is an inhibiting/fail prone component) for reliability, and then make it breathe like a cheetah and fart like an ox. Just think of an engine as a self driven air pump; as long as it has sufficient fuel, all it wants is all the air it can draw and not having it backed up on the way out. Oversimplification, but you get the point. You might want to consider setting all of this up and then doing the swap on your own schedule. Not only is it more convenient, but then you have a running motor to sell... BTW, unless you are extraordinarily hard on vehicles, you shouldn't be having issues. The VG series is known for 250k miles (400k km) without major issue at norm; we have a 1999.0 with 300k km that runs flawlessly. B

I should add the nickname that my wife gave pathy #3, the part out: WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET RID OF THAT THING! B

Just for fun, or be pedantic, do those bearing codes have something to do with diameters and angles, or are they just an in house nomenclature? B

Which one? I drove one to the store... I walked past the other one... I put the battery charger on the next one... Y U SO PIKY? Dude... Don't get me wrong, but the WD21, without major mods, is a base level SUV that is surprisingly capable. The WD21 with some mods is awesome for a base level SUV (We're past Jeep here). The WD21 is a base level SUV unless you full on Steevo it. At that point, buy something else... (No slight on Steevo, he has taken the WD21 as far as it goes, that direction) ruggedrocks if you don't know. It's all good... WD21's are awesome! B

You are in good hands.... So, consider if you do any towing, heavy hauling, there are quality airbags that go inside the rear coil springs and can be set to 0-15 lbs (IIRC). Point is, install the super lift arms (they are good, I have them too), install the rear bags (of you haul/tow), inflate the rear as appropriate, adjust the front with in it's bounds, then have it aligned. I think you get the point. You should be good from there... B

Sorry, just have to brain fart. It is the ExBrit in SoCal that has good info on this, made it fit right without much trouble. I'll try to link if I recall, but search for XJ bumper or ExBrit (why the hell is he here) R50 bumper, or whatever. You'll find it, and yes, it works... (thanks ExBrit, hope to meet you some day) B

Little Stomper Because it feels like driving a Tonka Truck would/should, but it will never grow up to be a Bigfoot. Just the way I like it... B

Silent Laughter B

Dare we branch out and make a WD22 section? D22? (N50 might be pushing it) We could call it NPORA (WFX) I've been recommending a little bit of change up/new blood for a few years now, trying to keep NPORA from stagnating. It might even bring some of the newer enthusiasts into the old fold as well... B

Adam, the metal aftermarket ones, or the stock plastic ones? If the metal AM, yes I would like dimensions, but the stock, no point. For the former, I'd just send you calipers and teach you how to use them... Let me get the lathe first. B

Shot this on Monday right here in town. My friend is a wanna be pro-photographer and he let me play with one of his multi-thousand dollar rigs. It is a midline Nikon with a 200-500 zoom on it. The subjects are a group of herons and egrets (3-4 different species) that make their nests in a few trees in the center divide of a busy street in a residential section in the west end of town. They do it every year, as a general "fark you", I think. Cool, none the less. I haven't gone through all the photos yet, much less touch them up, but I'll just leave this teaser for now.

That is a pretty penny for that motor, but you should be able to sell some of the parts you can't use in the swap to even it out. I have no idea if you are still looking, but I have a VG30E out of a '91 to sell. B

Grassroots centerlinks are NLA? That sucks, because it was to go to part for durability. Those, and an AC idler brace would have been my reply... Those bushings seem like a good replacement, but I think they are terribly expensive (normal plastic replacements are 1/4 the price), and I question using a high hardness nickel/bronze material without knowing the hardness of the idler arm shaft. You might find that the bushings have long wear, but when they need replacing, the idler arm does as well. (I have experience with this material in mold applications) I'd think oilite bronze or even the oil impregnated UHMW PE would be good candidates instead. I should have a lathe this summer, so maybe I'll get to experiment... B