Bender - 2010 JKUR

[fiend]

47 minutes ago, Crawl2Camp said:

The build is looking really great Greer.  You’ve come a long way and got a ton accomplished in a short amount of time. Cheers.

Thanks Kevin. It feels like the project is taking forever, but there is progress and the finish line is in sight!

[fiend]

Got a few things done today.  Started with the rear drive shaft.  The local shop had it for a couple of days. Looks like they added about 7/8” in length.

 

After that I installed the front brake calipers and rotors.  For some reason those fiddly pad clips are always confounding for me. Took a couple of iterations before I got them right. 
 

Then I swapped the tires over to the new wheels.  Well, two of them at least.  Still have three to go.  If I had a truck I’d probably just bring them all down to the tire shop and pay someone else to do that thankless task. C’est la vie. I swapped them so that what had been the outside wall is now inside. I had some sidewall damage, so hopefully the swap will help get more life out of these tires. 
 

With two wheels mounted up front I could check for potential rubbing. Everything looks good on that front. With two wheels on one side I can better envision this project finally being done.
 

The beadlock rings from the old Chamber Pros fit on the new Grenade Deserts, so I kept them. They’re already pretty chewed up and, more importantly, they are more robust than the newer style rings. Plus, having shiny new rings and hardware should help me get more money for the Chamber Pros.
 

Tomorrow I’m going to tackle the brakes. Install the J8 MC/booster, bleed the system, and hook up the parking brake cables (minor mods needed).  Hopefully it all goes smoothly, but I’m sure there will be some complication that turns it into an all day project. 

[Weebz]

Looks great man.  

[AJK]

Ohhhh man she is looking good. Be careful with the brake switch when swapping out the booster for the J8 system.

[fiend]

54 minutes ago, AxK said:

Ohhhh man she is looking good. Be careful with the brake switch when swapping out the booster for the J8 system.

Thanks.
 

Any tips re the brakes? I hear some have to take it to the dealer.  Something to do with the ABS system. 

[Crawl2Camp]

Great job Greer.  Good to see the new axles in and tires under Bender.  

[Jdofmemi]

10 minutes ago, fiend said:

Thanks.
 

Any tips re the brakes? I hear some have to take it to the dealer.  Something to do with the ABS system. 

I have heard, but not experienced, that the J-Scan app can perform the ABS bleed function. 

Way better than going to the dealer, plus it's useful for way more. 

 

Looks like you are moving right along

 

 

[fiend]

3 minutes ago, Jdofmemi said:

I have heard, but not experienced, that the J-Scan app can perform the ABS bleed function. 

Way better than going to the dealer, plus it's useful for way more. 

 

Looks like you are moving right along

 

 

I recently got JScan so I’ll see if that helps in the event of problems. Main challenge will be finding someone to press the brake pedal while I release the bubbles at the calipers. 
 

Yep, it’s coming along. Hopefully done soon.

[Crawl2Camp]

Greer, supposedly you can now do the ABS brake bleed on the JK with the Jscan. (Jscan.net)

Here’s some talk about it on wranglerforum.  https://www.wranglerforum.com/threads/jscan.2393485/page-3
 

EDIT: LOL Nevermind, I see it was just posted above. 

[fiend]

1 hour ago, Crawl2Camp said:

Greer, supposedly you can now do the ABS brake bleed on the JK with the Jscan. (Jscan.net)

Here’s some talk about it on wranglerforum.  https://www.wranglerforum.com/threads/jscan.2393485/page-3
 

EDIT: LOL Nevermind, I see it was just posted above. 

Thanks. The wranglerforum thread includes a link to a thread at jk-forum, which looks pretty detailed. 
 

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/stock-jk-tech-12/write-up-soft-brake-pedal-abs-module-bleed-j-scan-357309/

[AJK]

2 hours ago, fiend said:

Thanks.
 

Any tips re the brakes? I hear some have to take it to the dealer.  Something to do with the ABS system. 

 

Its a pain but nothing major. Before you pull booster reach up and remove the brake switch. You rotate it and it will pop out. It  will allow more clearance for pedal during install.

 

As for bleeding brakes, bleed like normal to purge out most air then do it again with Jscan to purge from abs. 

 

I usually do a manual purge then let jeep run and press brakes a few times then hit with Jscan. You will notice the difference after Jscan is complete.

[fiend]

Thanks. I actually ran out of time this weekend to try bleeding the brakes. I ended up swapping the other three tires to the new wheels, which took a long time. Then I had to modify my rear brake hard lines because the caliper on the 14 bolt is on the front of the axle rather than the rear.  That and some other stuff consumed the weekend. Bleeding will have to wait. 

[Jdofmemi]

Caliper on the front is a good thing. 

 

Keeps you from backing into that one rock that breaks the banjo fitting 

[fiend]

28 minutes ago, Jdofmemi said:

Caliper on the front is a good thing. 

 

Keeps you from backing into that one rock that breaks the banjo fitting 

Haha. Yeah. I’ve bent a few of those, but luckily haven’t broken one yet. We will see how the front mount goes. At this point I just want to get the Jeep working. Breaking shit will come later.

[AJK]

Yeah, I got my wife to pump the brakes today and then Jscan the system...she complained the whole time LOL.

 

Glad to see your near the finish line Greer.

[fiend]

So Bender rolls at last. took him out for a few short trips today, which was gratifying.   

 

I had quite a few items on the knock out list.  Install J8 MC/booster. Bleed brakes. Fill axles with gear oil. Finalize and tighten drag link and PSC mount. Set toe.  Adjust rear pinion angle. Swap PSC ram lines.  Rebuild front upper control arm frame side Johnny joints. All of that was been done last weekend and this weekend. Bender is now drivable.  Tracks straight and steering wheel is centered. Nothing leaking, nothing smoking.  No dash lights. So that’s the good news.  
 

But there are a number of things still in progress. Need to do the ABS bleed. I downloaded the JScan app but my phone didn’t connect with the OBD dongle I bought, so I couldn’t do the bleed. I did a normal bleed but there’s still some squish that could be improved.
 

I also couldn’t use JScan to adjust tire size, gear ratio, or ABS tone ring tooth count (60 instead of 52).  So I made do with my ProCal.  It’s fine for now but I will try to get JScan working. 
 

I need to get some 1/4” tubing for the rear axle breather extension.  I also need to hook up the air lines for front and rear lockers.  That’s going to be a project. My compressor is under the passenger seat along with an air tank and manifold. Getting two more solenoids under there is going to be tight. 
 

But the main issue now is a number of electrical issues, some new, some preexisting.  Before the swap I had a parasitic drain that I meant to chase down but never did. I’m pretty sure one of my two batteries is now dead and not salvageable, having been drained for months with no charging.  So I need to find the drain and then replace the battery.
 

Couple of new electrical things have come up since the axle swap.  The radio head unit is now dead. Who the fuck knows why. And the brake lights are on. All the time, even with no key in the ignition and no foot on the pedal.  I took out every fuse that seemed to have anything to do with the tail lights, but none of them killed the lights.  So they’re still on, draining the nearly dead battery.  So I need to find the problem there before even addressing the other drain and dead battery. 

But progress is progress. For now, I’m happy the Jeep is on all fours again and is driveable. 
 

 

[AJK]

Good to hear you got it rollin and sounds like you got a lot going on. I'm pretty sure your brake light problem is your brake switch. Check the plunger it's most likely not making contact with the pedal. You can reach up there and you'll feel the plastic plunger. Press it with your finger and your brake lights should go off then re-adjust so the pedal makes contact when your foot is off the brake.

[Gruff]

I'm sure it feels great to drive it again. Mine is supposed to be done this weekend. I am so ready to drive.

[KevinG]

Congrats Greer!

[fiend]

15 hours ago, AxK said:

Good to hear you got it rollin and sounds like you got a lot going on. I'm pretty sure your brake light problem is your brake switch. Check the plunger it's most likely not making contact with the pedal. You can reach up there and you'll feel the plastic plunger. Press it with your finger and your brake lights should go off then re-adjust so the pedal makes contact when your foot is off the brake.

Yeah you're probably right.  How do you adjust the switch/plunger?  It's pretty tough to see up there...

[fiend]

3 hours ago, Gruff said:

I'm sure it feels great to drive it again. Mine is supposed to be done this weekend. I am so ready to drive.

Sure does. I was starting to lose faith that the project would ever get done.  

 

You'll be glad to get yours back.  In time for summer!

[KevinG]

31 minutes ago, fiend said:

Yeah you're probably right.  How do you adjust the switch/plunger?  It's pretty tough to see up there...

If I remember right, I think it's kind of ridged and you can "gently" pull it out to get the depth right to work.  I say "gently" because I really had to yank it out (pliers).   

[AJK]

3 hours ago, fiend said:

Yeah you're probably right.  How do you adjust the switch/plunger?  It's pretty tough to see up there...

There are like 2 or 3 stages you will feel the different clicks. Reach up and pull the plunger out so it hits the pedal. Once you feel it you will understand.

[Jdofmemi]

Glad to hear that you are getting close to the finish line

 

It will be good to get out together again. 

[fiend]

17 hours ago, KevinG said:

If I remember right, I think it's kind of ridged and you can "gently" pull it out to get the depth right to work.  I say "gently" because I really had to yank it out (pliers).   

I ended up grabbing the plunger bracket with some channel locks and bending it forward slightly, toward the pedal. Light’s out now.