Proven reliability mods.

[Rider99XX]

I am very happy with our 87 GW so far and want to stay that way in the future. It has a bone stock(rebuilt) AMC 360 with a 2 bbl and all stock running gear.

Right now the only leak is a very small leak in the radiator where the upper tank joins the tubes. It doesn't even drip on the ground There are NO oil leaks of any kind. At hot idle I have 35 +- 2 or 3 psi oil pressure and at 70 mph I have 50-55 psi. The temps run 190 deg.F on flat ground or climbing a mountain. Everything works, even the back window (except I need a new key switch). There are no water leaks as it has new window wipers and all new door seals. It cranks right up, but there is a little bit of a rough idle but it's not bad at all. NO frame rust anywhere. Great interior. Rides great(springs are probably a wee bit tired) and drives straight down the road. AC works GREAT!!

I live in the deep south where it gets HOT. We have 2 seasons, VERY HOT, and just HOT. I know I need to get the radiator repaired, that's a given but what other mods can I do to help keep us in the land of Jeep happiness?

And don't say "just park it and look at it"

Are there oil pump upgrades remote filters or coolers that don't cost 2 arms and a leg?
Cooling upgrades like better pumps, fans, I know about the aluminum radiators and one is on my wish list.
I already have an aux. tranny cooler but what else can I do to help keep it running in all this heat?

All in all I guess I'm looking for things that member's here have and use that help with the reliability of their FSJ that I can pretty much just bolt on in my carport or driveway. My wife absolutely LOVES to drive the Waggy and I want it to be as close to 100% reliable for her.

Thanks in advance everyone

[shiner2001]

Holy cow...I hope you're STILL knocking on wood. You're tempting he Jeep Gods waaayyyy too much!!

Seriously though, as far as the cooling, BJ's has FlowKooler water pumps and also aftermarket t-stats that should help keep the temp down. Both pretty simple installations for anyone with basic tools and lefty loosey righty tighty knowledge.

[Chevelleguy]

Insulate the fuel lines that run next to the drivers side exhaust manifold so that you won't run into any vapor lock when the ambient themps get higher. You can buy fiberglass/aluminum sleeving from Summit and Jegs that is designed just for this sort of thing.

[Rider99XX]

Originally Posted by shiner2001

Holy cow...I hope you're STILL knocking on wood. You're tempting he Jeep Gods waaayyyy too much!!

Seriously though, as far as the cooling, BJ's has FlowKooler water pumps and also aftermarket t-stats that should help keep the temp down. Both pretty simple installations for anyone with basic tools and lefty loosey righty tighty knowledge.

LOL, yeah God himself along with the Jeep Gods have been good to us. Just for good measure we have knocked on wood a LOT

I'm a pretty good wrench turner so I'm confident doing most anything short of a complete engine rebuild. I can do that, I just don't have the place to do that.

Great idea Chevelleguy. By the way, is there supposed to be ANOTHER fuel filter down there? Mine has the one up by the carb, but there is another one on the bottom right side of the engine.

[Chevelleguy]

Don't know what would be on the right side of the engine since the fuel tank, lines and pump are on the left.

[newtojeeps]

quote]Don't know what would be on the right side of the engine since the fuel tank, lines and pump are on the left.[/quote]

[Rider99XX]

Originally Posted by Chevelleguy

Don't know what would be on the right side of the engine since the fuel tank, lines and pump are on the left.

I just looked, it's the sending unit on the back side of the oil pump. I just glanced under there the other night and saw something shiny and thought it was another filter. My bad

[MistWolf]

More than material type, the number of rows in the radiator is important for keeping that beast cool. Before you start messing around with lower temperature thermostats, keep in mind your rig also needs to run at a minimum temperature.

For longevity in an automatic, a trans cooler and trans oil temperature gauge will help. Not only do you want to avoid exceeding the maximum temperature, you'll want to make sure the tranny warms up to operating temperature.

Since you have no oil leaks, a switch to a good brand of synthetics is good. Film strength is important in lubricants.

Keeping up on basic maintenance, including tire pressures will also extend the life of your rig

[babywag]

I have owned several SJ's, and never popped for an aluminum radiator/pump upgrade/etc/etc.

Standard 3 core + working fan clutch + shroud, has kept my latest one plenty cool since I bought it in '05.

Living in SoCal it gets **** warm sometimes during the summer.

Trips to Vegas, cross country, 100+ temps, only issue I ever had was vapor lock.

As stated above, insulating the fuel lines cured this issue.

[Chris P.]

Originally Posted by babywag

I have owned several SJ's, and never popped for an aluminum radiator/pump upgrade/etc/etc.

X2

A good fan clutch and clean stock 3 core radiator have always kept mine cool while crawling in the heat or running 75mph on the interstate.

[Rider99XX]

Standard 3 core, got it. Working fan clutch, got it. Brand new shroud,(it came with the GW) got it.
Radiator cores are nice and clean with nice green antifreeze and no rust in the antifreeze. There are no bent fins either. The radiator does have a 16 lb cap.

Not really wanting to make it run cooler, just wanting it to be able to handle the southern heat with out issues.

I do have an aux. trans cooler and the trans fluid is nice and clean. Where would I mount the sending unit for a trans temp gauge, in a fluid line going to the cooler?

The distributor cap and rotor, plugs and plug wires all look good but something in there may be contributing to the minor rough idling. Those things are on my list to change soon just so I'll know the age and condition of the parts.

What would be the easiest, best bang for the buck when it comes to upgrading the distributor? I like MSD stuff but recently a friend almost missed an Bronco get together in Arkansas due to his MSD box going out on him. I don't need that.

Good stuff guys. THANKS!!!!

What else?

[TPICherokee]

HEI's are a GREAT upgrade on these... Better cold starts, more power, mileage, etc. Plus you clean up a lot of wires since the HEI has the coil and module built into it, just run power to it and you are done.

[bushwood44]

x2 on the HEI,its one of the upgrades I want to do mostly to get rid of the tfi clutter.

[bushwood44]

woops

[maccj5]

i've had great luck with the stock dizzy and a msd ignition i to also seperated the trans cooler from the radiator it helps it run a little cooler

[Greenfire]

Ok I have a question... I though the fan spins all the time off the belt? What is the fan clutch? How do you know if the clutch is bad?

[Chevelleguy]

A fan clutch is a viscous coupling between the water pump pulley and the fan.

A standard HD clutch will work at all temps but will slip at higher rpm so that you won't overspeed the fan. All metal fans I have purchased new have a sticker that states '4500 rpm max'.

A thermostatic fan clutch has a valve and bi-metallic spring in the center that makes the fan disengage at cold temps so the engine will warm up quicker.

[maccj5]

the fan clutch has a viscous fluid that actually make the fan hook up more when its hot if you get the engine up to normal operating temp shut it down them try to spin the fan by hand it should have resitance if it keeps spinning when hot its bad

[Rider99XX]

If I remember correctly, the fan clutch let's the fan kind of freewheel when the temps of the air coming through the radiator allows it to. There is a coil on the clutch that will tighten up when it gets warm thus engaging the fan to turn almost like it is direct drive. While driving at highway speeds the fan is not needed as much so it will freewheel. In stop and go traffic it is engaged to turn all the time.

They do go bad. With the engine off, spin the fan with your hand. It should turn smoothly but stop as soon as you let go of it. Also, try to wiggle the fan from front to back to check for excessive play indicating possible bad berings.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm too slow on the keyboard. You guys beat me to it

[MistWolf]

Don't recall where you should mount the sensor for trans temp. Some like to know what the temp of the fluid is after it's been run through the cooler, some want to know what it is coming out of the trans to get an idea what's happening in there.

I'll give my endorsement to the HEI distriutor. Installed one on mine last summer. It's a tremendous improvement to starting and reliability