TECH ARTICLES

Right now I would have to say I feel a huge difference but again I need to get some miles on it before I can report how it really does in the real world.  More to come for dang sure.

I just added the Turbo City adjustable MAP sensor and it really helped to cure a pinging problem I was have.  This was a very good investment for the stroker.  

OK I have just turned 25000 miles and things are still looking great.  Love the stroker power and feel this was a great investment for both on and off road.  Zero problems and plenty of power... 

The 4.6 Stroker on the stand with the Banks headers.

Another shot of the engine on the stand.

These are the Ford 24 lb injectors on the left and the stock 18 lb on the right.

Ford 24 lb Injectors    MSD Coil    K&N FIPK    Jett Chip Stage II

Relocated MAT sensor to the FIPK tube    Flex fan without clutch

Banks Headers    RE 62mm Throttle Body    Flowmaster muffler

"UPDATE"

Well I have right at 25000 miles on the Golen engine and man this thing is working great.  Zero problems from day one and it is really running great.  No leaks, No problems,  Just a great build up. 

The ZJ I have is a 1994 4.0 and uses the NP-249 which is a full-time transfer-case that utilizes a viscous coupling to act as a limited-slip between the front and rear driveshaft. One of the main drawbacks of the '93-95 ZJ version of this case is the lack of a low-range lock. In other words, if you get into a sticky situation and need both drive shafts turning to get you through, this transfer-case will only act as a limited-slip and not mechanically lock the two driveshaft to turn in unison.

We pulled the 249 t-case out and by chance it had the same length input shaft as out donor NP-231 from a '03 TJ. These shafts have to be the same length.. The 249 input shaft will fit in the 231 case but you have to be sure of the right gear cut and also the spline count on the input shaft. There seems to be an older 21 count spline and the newer 23. The 249 and 231 I had both had the 23 spline count.

The shift levers for these cases are different so you will have to use the lever that came with the t-case. The short one came with the 231 and the longer one is the 249. You can not use the longer lever from the 249 on the 231… it will fit but will not allow the 231 to shift right.

I do know that they make a couple of different gear cut and they would not fit or work together and they also make 3 different input shaft lengths. I don't know if these are different because the 5.2l and 4.0l are different.

I decided to install a SYE kit to help alleviate any driveline vibes and to eliminate the pesky slip yoke that is always letting dirt in and fluid out. the SYE let me increase the length of my driveshaft by over 4"..

Pulled the 249 out…installed the SYE kit in the 231…installed the 231 in the ZJ. Measured for the new drive shaft and called it in to the driveline shop. Had it back the same day and installed it. Filled the transfer case with Dexron III, ordered the new shift pattern plate from the dealer and everything worked great.

Set the new pinion angle in the rear and took it for a test drive with no vibes at all.

Click on the pictures for full size view.

These are a great set of seals and the old stock seals I had were even broken...Not that they really did a good job anyway but the new Alloy Axle Tube Seals do an outstanding job of keeping mud, snow, water and all kinds of other damaging junk out of the axle tubes just waiting to get to the seals that hold all that nice clean oil in the diff.

I really need to thank JJ over at       for getting me in line with these.  JJ has installed these on many of his Jeeps and he has been really on my case to get these installed.  Thanks JJ.

If you tip your Jeep to one side when you pull the axles no oil will leak and you will not have a huge mess on your hands.

This is one of the Alloy Axle Tube Seals compared to the stock seal...How do you even call the stock one a seal.  Maybe dirt collector would be more like it.

I really think the new Alloy seals will last a lot long then the stock piece of plastic that came with my axles.

Axle tube without the new seals

Here you can see the new Alloy Axle Tube Seals.  Not only will they keep all kinds of bad junk out of the end of the axle tubes which could work it way back to the main axle seals... But they just look so dang cool as well.

I have installed 5 sets of the hub bearings and have been needing the Hub Conversion for a very long time.  Not only does it solve the hub bearing problem but it allows me to free wheel the entire front end as well.  I called All J Products and placed an order.  Man these guys are good.  They had everything in stock and even the needed hub wrench as well.  They are always so good about getting the right parts out to you along with a tracking number and their pricing is always right on.  Please give them a call for anything Jeep related or drop into their website at  www.boulderbars.com

I am not going to cover all the instruction because Warn sends out a very detailed instruction manual...but I wanted to add a few pictures and a few notes about the install.  I will say you will increase the front track width by 3/4" on each side.  That also helps for side hilling as well.  You MUST also use the correct front rotor.  Some of the stock rotors do not have a thick enough flange so be sure to read about this on the Warn site or just be sure to follow the install instructions.  You MUST also open the hub flange hole but a god machine shop can help with this.  I live in a very rural area so again Quinn at All J Products stepped up to the plate to get this task done for me. 

The install is very easy if you just follow the instructions and only took a couple of hours at a slow pace.  I went ahead and upgraded my axles at the same time and will keep the inner axles as spares but I feel the hub itself will be a good fuse instead of an axle.  The hub itself is very easy to trail fix and not that expensive so it will be a great fuse.  

After the install I could really tell out on the road that the front shaft was not spinning like crazy.  It will have a very easy life as far as on road goes.  

I just did an install of the new Smittybilt seats and man I am really liking them for dang sure.  They are very well made and give a lot of support while off-road.  They are not the plush cheap seats like a lot of the ones on the market but true suspension race seats.  hey also recline with an outstanding handle. Very nice frame work and has all the cut outs for a 5 point harness.  I had to make my own floor mounts but not a real big deal.  I will post some pictures in the next few days.  I have used them both on and off-road for a couple of weeks now and have been very pleased with them.  Neal at 4 Wheel Parts in Henderson NV did a drop ship on these for me.  A great shop to work with.  If you need parts from 4 Wheel Parts give Neal a call and he can help you out with all your needs.

I just placed an order with Radiator Express for the 3 row all metal radiator.  They were very helpful on the phone and found just the right radiator I wanted for the ZJ.  I have wanted to replace the plastic metal radiator for a long time and Radiator Express seemed to be one of the few that made a direct replacement for the ZJ.  I am running a Flowcooler water pump and it seems to do a lot better job than a stock cooler but I do seem to still build a little heat when in heavy traffic or on a very slow crawling trail.  The stock plastic/metal radiator just can't seem to keep with with the stroker and the all metal 3 row radiator should solve the temp from getting hotter than I really want it to go to.  I will run the Radiator Express 3 row for a while and report back how it keeps the stroker temp during some real hot desert days.  By the way...The install was a breeze.  Bolted right in just like the stock one and seems to be doing a great cooling job for now.  I need to get out to the desert and get in some real heat to give a good report back to ya. 

More Articles to come.