Saddest day of my life

[ekaybe]

Well back in April a red light runner hit ol Jeep. As soon as I'm getting a steady pay check and ready to do cool stuff to it.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa169/shadowfighters123/Jeep_zpsyurloq8z.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa169/shadowfighters123/Jeep%202_zps7ovor442.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa169/shadowfighters123/MexiVan%201_zpsblpsuslx.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa169/shadowfighters123/MexiVan%202_zpskoz6gdlm.jpg
Hit me so hard it crumpled that full size van right up

Their insurance company wont give me money because they're having "coverage issues" because the drive of the vehicle was not licensed.

So basically I'm pissed off I miss my baby and I'm just going to keep it, cage it, wheel it.

With that being said if any of you guys have ever dealt with a similar situation with turning a wrecked Cherokee into a toy please share with me your experience!

[ekaybe]

How hard is it to get pictures to work on this darn forum

[bruggz351]

That's just farked up!!!!!

Sorry to hear man...

[Mudderoy]

How hard is it to get pictures to work on this darn forum

Pretty easy actually. You had http://http://... at the beginning of each picture. If that's how you got it from photobucket well, it was wrong. I fixed it by removing the extra http://

[4.3LXJ]

Emily, I hate insurance companies once it is time to collect. They are really cool when you pay them, but love to hang on to the money. Best advise is do not take no for an answer. You would be surprised what happens then. They have to by law get you to accept something or sign off on it. Just refuse to sign off if they don't pony up. It may take a couple of months, but they will begin to sweat later and the insurance regulators will not like it if they don't pay up.

As far as crawlers are concerned, check my avatar :D

[XJ Wheeler]

I agree, be a pain in their neck. They will always low ball you at first. It's like you always offer lower when buying a car, just in case they go for it. Hold out and they will find more money.

Sorry this happened though. But it does look like it's still a good base for a crawler.

Sent via messenger pigeon. I talk, he types.

[ekaybe]

Sorry about my original post y'all, it was beer-thirty ;)

I heard from their insurance company once and it was the adjuster asking me where my vehicle was so he could come adjust it. Didn't hear anything for a week then received a letter from them saying they were having "coverage issues" due to the driver of the van being unlicensed. Once I received that I went straight to my attorney's office. It just sucks that thing was my pride and joy. I had back problems awhile ago from some old injuries and this past year it was finally starting to feel good again and then boom these butt holes came at me with this damn poop storm! Driving a truck with no reverse and even worse no 4 wheel drive is the pits...not to mention how much cash I've put into it just to able to daily it until my XJ situation gets sorted.

I want to build it but I don't know if at the end of all of this they will try to take it from me

[4.3LXJ]

If they total it, you can buy it back for 1/4 of the amount. Then you can use the money to build it. Did that to a CJ5 I once had. Turned out pretty cool

[ekaybe]

6 months after the accident I finally found myself another XJ. Has little to no brakes, the cooling system had never been maintained, little bit of fender/bumper damage, and the best part is the piston slap before it warms up. But on the good side it has brand new tires, transmission feels good...yep that's all the pros I can think of right now. Either way I'm happy with it. It needs some love but that's what you get for 800 bucks. Just gonna ride that engine to the ground.

Picture is a pile of poop sorry bout that

[spacerag]

Looks like a great little truck! You say there's some bumper/fender damage? Looks pretty clean in this pic. I'll take a few dents over rust. :)

[ekaybe]

Looks like a great little truck! You say there's some bumper/fender damage? Looks pretty clean in this pic. I'll take a few dents over rust. :)

Yeah, it's on the passenger side. Cracked the header panel a little bit and bowed the fender in a bit. I'm going to mess with it after work to see about getting my brakes working so I can put a tag on it and start driving the thing. Will take more pics then!

[spacerag]

Best of luck with that! If you need any help or advice, I'm sure there is no shortage of people here with experience fighting with brakes. Myself included.

[Pinkyman]

Has little to no brakes, the cooling system had never been maintained, little bit of fender/bumper damage, and the best part is the piston slap before it warms up.

Sounds just like my Xj! I still love it :D

Definetely post up if you need any assistance on the brakes or anything. I also has to replace a fender and header panel when i got mine. They are super easy. The worst was the "ear" where one of the bumper brackets are on the frame got bent in, but even that wasnt so bad.

[denverd1]

looks good. hopefully you have a lifter tick or something minor with the engine.

[4.3LXJ]

Welcome back Emily. Ok, it has a few glitches, but I am confident you will get those ironed out. A little piston slap is common in the 4.0

[ekaybe]

My dad is actually an old fart who has been an auto mechanic by trade for the past 40 years and said the same thing about the piston slap. Not unheard of in the 4.0 and it will last awhile the way it is so he says. Either way, I still have the wrecked Cherokee if I'm in dire need of an engine at some point. I'd rather keep the wrecked XJ in one piece however because I have all these big plans to turn it into a woods toy. Oh the countless projects I have lined up.

Didn't get a chance to work on the brakes today. It's at my dads shop right now which was super slammed with customers cars today. couldn't even find a spot out of the way on flat ground to jack it up, never mind a lift lol

[spacerag]

Sadly, I've noticed even mine slaps a little on those real cold mornings. Sucks, but at least I know it's not the end of the world.

These brakes can go so bad. Mine had grooves in the knuckles, warped rotors, and seized slide pins. About the only things that actually still worked were the calipers themselves.

Luckily all that stuff can be repaired. Rotors can be turned (though I got new ones). The grooves in your knuckles can be filled. My slide pins were okay, but I got a new set of bushings for them for about $10. My brakes have never been better!

I hope your brakes are better than mine, but even if they're not, you know they're fixable!

[XJ Wheeler]

Sadly, I've noticed even mine slaps a little on those real cold mornings. Sucks, but at least I know it's not the end of the world.

These brakes can go so bad. Mine had grooves in the knuckles, warped rotors, and seized slide pins. About the only things that actually still worked were the calipers themselves.

Luckily all that stuff can be repaired. Rotors can be turned (though I got new ones). The grooves in your knuckles can be filled. My slide pins were okay, but I got a new set of bushings for them for about $10. My brakes have never been better!

I hope your brakes are better than mine, but even if they're not, you know they're fixable!
Not to thread jack but you may want to switch oil for colder months. Mine was doing that when it'd get down to about 30-40 (about the coldest it gets here) and I switched to 5w30 for winter (usually use 10w30) and no more knock. Just an idea.

Sent via messenger pigeon. I talk, he types.

[spacerag]

XJ Wheeler, that's actually a really good suggestion and I am probably due for an oil change. I appreciate the suggestion, I guess oil viscosity and cold weather aren't something I'd thought about for awhile. The jeep USUALLY parks in the garage, but I've been making too many messes to fit two vehicles lately.

[ekaybe]

Not too worried about the brake job. Brake parts are cheap. Probably go ahead and do everything as I don't plan on getting rid of this thing. Been too busy to play with my own projects. The parents went to Vegas for Sema so my brother and I are running the shop. I can't wait to get this sucker on the road. It needs a few minor problems addressed that I'd rather work on at the house when I don't have anyone hovering, such the typical master switch panel problem that hasn't been fixed in this XJ yet.

[bluedragon436]

The new one looks clean... and should be pretty easy to take care of and get back up and going 100%... As far as the brakes.. I'd just say go ahead and replace the calipers, rotors, pads and in the back the wheel cylinders, shoes and drums... you can get the rear as a kit on RockAuto pretty decently priced, and I ordered all the front parts online as well and swapped them all out in my driveway.. lifting it only with a floor jack and stands... so with a shop should be no problems getting them all knocked out

[ekaybe]

Finally got around to working on the brakes. The manager of O'Reilly was kind enough to drop my parts off on her way home as it was past 6 o' clock so their drivers were off duty! Unfortunately we ended up with the wrong rotors (there is two sizes I'm sure every Cherokee guy knows about this) when I did rotors on my other Cherokee I accidentally got the wrong ones that time as well!:crazy:

Hoses, Rotors, Calipers, Wheel cylinders, pads, and shoes. I'd say we should be in good shape now. Oh poop I almost forgot about the most important part. The frikkin poop heads down there sent me hoses for a lifted Cherokee and we said frick it and popped it on there anyways. What are the chances that it's gonna rub? a 15 dollar brake hose sounds like a good excuse to lift it LOL

[4.3LXJ]

Ha, what an excuse. If you are worried about the longer hose rubbing, put a half twist or whatever it takes to move the curves out of the way of things.

[MattybPDX]

Ha, what an excuse. If you are worried about the longer hose rubbing, put a half twist or whatever it takes to move the curves out of the way of things.
Nah too much of a hassle. He should probably just lift it.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[ekaybe]

Was 70% sure it didn't need a master but it does, oh well not a big deal. Gonna throw one on tomorrow. Tonight was the first time I was actually able to look under it and oh man let me tell you they had some grade A mechanics working on this bad boy. Transmission lines totally crimped, front yolk has a broken off bolt, and for whatever reason the oil pan is missing a few bolts. Finished the brakes, minus the master, and fixed the crimped lines. It drives pretty decent and stops well just don't have much of a pedal lol. Shout out to my dad for burning those lines together and pretty much fixing the lines by himself.

[4.3LXJ]

That's what dads are for eh Emily

[Pinkyman]

Was 70% sure it didn't need a master but it does, oh well not a big deal. Gonna throw one on tomorrow. Tonight was the first time I was actually able to look under it and oh man let me tell you they had some grade A mechanics working on this bad boy. Transmission lines totally crimped, front yolk has a broken off bolt, and for whatever reason the oil pan is missing a few bolts. Finished the brakes, minus the master, and fixed the crimped lines. It drives pretty decent and stops well just don't have much of a pedal lol. Shout out to my dad for burning those lines together and pretty much fixing the lines by himself.

My transmission cooler lines were kinked in the exact same spot. Caused my transmission to get hot and spew fluid on hot days. Apparently its a common issue for them to get squished like that. Good catch! :thumbsup:

[ekaybe]

I don't even understand how that happens

[denverd1]

mine's crimped there too, just saw it the other day. Gonna do it the fancy way on mine, cut out the crimped area and replace with fuel line and hose clamps. :rolleyes:

so how does a person damage the lines there?

[Pinkyman]

mine's crimped there too, just saw it the other day. Gonna do it the fancy way on mine, cut out the crimped area and replace with fuel line and hose clamps. :rolleyes:

so how does a person damage the lines there?

Thats exactly what i did, except i found actual transmission fluid rubber line. Apparently it has a different chemical compatibility than the fuel lines. I also used 2 hose clamps on each end, and was told to make them face opposite directions, also if you have a flare tool, i would do a slight flare to keep the rubber line on nice and tight. Mine has been holding for about 6 months now with no issues.

Rumor has it that either the frame, or the front control arm can contact it and crimp it. Who knows if thats true or not though.

[ekaybe]

Hey, a couple feet of hose and some clamps will get it done! Gotta do what you gotta do!

So lets cover all bases here. I replaced the brake hoses, calipers, and wheel cylinders. The rear cylinders were frozen so they were definitely junk. Got it all back together and the darn thing STILL had a spongy pedal. With that being said I popped the master off today, it was leaking all into the brake booster. Get the new one on there bleed the entire system. PEDAL IS STILL SPONGY! Brakes work great, they lock up, don't drag, they're all grabbing but the darn pedal is spongy! As you guys may have caught onto, the frikkin PO had the Helen Keller equivalent of an auto mechanic working on this thing. The darn nuts for the brake lines were all stripped out. Shout out once again to my dad for sitting there with a grinder to make a wrench fit on them again. Somebody had screwed with the pushrod in the brake booster and had it all out of whack so dad adjusted that for me, the pedal grabs where it's suppose to now but still SPONGE!

Forgive me if there is a very obvious post regarding my issue at hand but I am using an ancient laptop that leaves me with little patience to browse a forum.

Y'all got any ideas on this sponge I call my brake pedal?

[4.3LXJ]

Sure Emily. Did you use rubber brake hoses? They will swell under pressure. I know you used new ones, but they don't make stuff like they used to. Stainless steel braided hoses give a much firmer feel. And just for giggles, have dad look at the firewall and under the dash to make sure stuff doesn't flex. Might be missing some hardware under the dash from when your stellar mechanics worked on it

[ekaybe]

We did use rubber hoses. I can't imagine them having zero improvement over the 17 year old hoses we replaced. The old fart did get under the dash with the flash light and didn't see anything. I'm stumped

[4.3LXJ]

Well, I gotta tell ya I have had my share of lousy luck with new parts lately. Stuff is getting cheap and crappy

[OldFaurt]

I welded up the notches in my front disk brake pad sliders.
That helped a lot! New pads don't drag now and brake feel is fantastic!

I will take some pictures tomorrow and do a quick write up.
It may not be what you are having trouble with, but the pics will show you what to check!
The Spindles are cast steel and take welding well. Rock auto has replacements for around $120.
Brakes can be so annoying at times!

[ekaybe]

Plot twist, it was the brake booster. Never seen those symptoms in a bad booster before. Got a tag on it Friday, caught it on fire by Sunday LOL. You'd think if your tranny cooler lines were crimped you'd find out why they did that? Well I was too busy for all that so I just fixed them and went with it. Took it down a trail, suspension bottomed out (No bump stops), crimped the cooler lines I just gosh darn fixed, ripped the wires going to the starter and grounded out on the chassis, and started a small fire. Luckily I had just eaten a delicious BBQ meal at my favorite local chain, Sonny's, and the nice lady serving us offered us to go cups for our drinks. If it weren't for those dang drinks the next best thing to put the fire out was rolling it down a hill into the pond a 100 yards away Lol. Probably should keep a fire extuingisher in there from here on out. Also had absolutely no tools in it which isn't like me I just hadn't had the opportunity to set this jeep up yet because I had been working all week prior to this event. I had a knife and some 8 gauge wire that I had ran up under the backseat so I cut that off and used it to jump the starter off and got me home. Needless to say i fixed it same day and drove it to work this morning no issues.

[4.3LXJ]

Nice Emily, great story.