Questions from New Owner of 78' CJ5

Ok, so I got the headlights all fixed... it turns out it was a problem with the floor switch... but they work now. My first victory

I also talked to the guy that I bought the jeep from and he is willing to repair the frame crack for me if I clean it up first and if he thinks it is repairable when I sees it in person. So hopefully that will be taken care of.

As for the squealing, he said that when he last had it the alternator belt was squealing. Could this be the squeal that I am hearing? Wouldn't that keep going at all times not just when it is in gear?

And finally, my brake light issue still remains. Does anyone know how/where the brakes make the brake lights come on? The rear signal lights work but the brake lights don't function.

 

Congrat's, You have one of the best jeeps and running gear packages (stock components) to ever come off the factory line. 77, 78 and 79 with the I-6 and T-18 granny transmission including the thick 1 1/8th thick front brake rotors. The best ever made by jeep in one package. Others have strong points but not the combination of goodies you have. The one piece axles in the AMC 20 rear buttons it up for you by getting rid of the two piece car axles. Fix the issues and never part with it. Make sure the guy that welds your crack moves your brake line away from the weld while he is doing it. Or tuck a small piece of angle iron behind the line to keep the rod away from it. Just don't nick it with the welding rod. Nice jeep. Very nice jeep.

 

The amber lights on the sides of your fenders are just side marker lights, they're not signal indicators. The only thing that should blink when your indicators are on is the round "cat's eye" lamp under your headlight, which should have an amber bulb. If your side indicators are the only thing blinking something's not working right because someone looking at the Jeep from the front wouldn't be able to see the signal indicator.

 

The way the lights are set up right now is that both the side marker lights and the "cat's eye" lamps flash to signal a turn. I should probably replace the white bulbs in the "cat's eye" lamps with amber bulbs at some point, but for now they are white. This set up works ok because you can see the turn signal from the front and from a side angle... now if I could just figure out the brake lights.

 

No more squealing!!!!

Thanks guys for all of the advice, but it actually ended up being somethings quite different. The problem was a loose alternator belt. I guess that it was only squealing when in gear because that was the only time that there was enough load on the engine to cause extra strain. I was able to discover this because when I left the jeep in neutral and rev'd it real high the squeal came back. I just pulled the alternator out a little bit and tightened it and there was no squealing all the way up to 60 mph!

Now I just need to take care of the frame crack and figure out why the brake lights aren't working and she'll be good to go... at least for now.


Thanks again guys!

 

Does anyone have any tips on making the engine run cooler? I know that it may be because it is about 95 degrees out today, but she is running hot enough to spit coolant out the emergency pressure hose. I'm done driving her for today, but I had taken her for a 10-20 minute ride at speeds up to 55 mph and she got pretty hot. The last owner had hardwired some electric fans to the radiator to help cool it but we (me and the previous owner) replaced those 2 with a motor mount flex fan for simplicity. Is it likely to run this hot at lower speeds on trails?

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks!

 

No one has any cooling tips? Would it help to add a fan shroud to the radiator? I don't have one now and I've heard that this could help. Are there any special fluids that I could use to help? Is cooling usually more of a problem on the highway or trail rides?

 

Fan shroud would help.

Plugged radiator? You running the proper thermostat? Radiator cap hold pressure? When you say pretty hot, what temperature?

Should be fine if all the systems are in good condition, and the engine is in good tune. Too lean and/or too far advanced will both make the engine run hotter.

 

Well that is part of the problem... since the body was replaced with fiberglass there are lots of electrical problems (likely due to grounding) including that the temperature gauge does not work. The PO had installed an aftermarket gauge but for some reason it reads hot (over 200) at all times, even when the car has been off for days, so the gauge must be malfunctioning. I know that it is running a bit hot on occaision because it has had coolant spray out of the pressure release hose occasionally. I don't think the radiator is plugged because we took it out and rinsed it good inside and out only a week or so ago and it hasn't seen any mud or anything since. There hasn't been any leakage around the radiator cap so I don't think thats a problem either. Should I go ahead with the fan shroud or try to work on the gauge/thermostat issue first?

 

First thing would be to get an accurate measurement of your operating temperature. You should be running near the set point of your thermostat (typically 190 or 195 F). Modern engines need to run near boiling for efficiency. Second I'd test or replace the radiator cap. Some parts stores and all (most?) radiator shops will have a cap tester. The system must operate under pressure, which raises the boiling point.

The overflow hose will spit a little coolant when hot if it's filled completely. If this bothers you, get an aftermarket coolant recovery system. This is a Pep Boys / parts store item, consisting of a bottle that catches the coolant, and feeds it back to the radiator as it cools. As a bonus, you'll get a new radiator cap with the kit.

 

Ok so I'm having some more problems. I took my CJ5 on a nice trail ride over the weekend and ended up getting stuck in some pretty deep mud. After I winched myself out she wouldn't start (the starter won't turn over, just a buzzing noise) and the clutch pedal doesn't come up all the way. I can shift the transmission into different gears but I don't think anything is actually engaged because we could push the jeep while it was "in gear". I know the first step will be to clean all the mud off. I think for the starter I will probably need to pull it out and clean it, but I have no idea with the clutch/tranny issue. Also, when I push the clutch pedal in the front driverside fender moves up so I think something got bent. Any ideas on where to start?? Any good pictures of what the clutch linkage should look like on a 78 CJ5? I have seen some diagrams from searching the forum but they are confusing because they don't show what I should actually be seeing. I also plan to drain and refill many fluids (coolant, oil, differentials, tranny, transfer case) to make sure that there is no mud left inside)

Thanks guys!
Steve

 

some pics here
don't see how the fender can move since the linkage is mounted to the frame and the bellhousing.....cracked frame maybe ?
gonna have to clean that mud out of everything, as you already know.

http://earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29749

 

If the fender is lifting up it could be because of a bad body mount/loose bolt, etc. on that side front of tub. I've seen it happen where the force of the linkage and pedal would actually lift the tub on the left front because of loose bad mounts. I'd definitely check for frame cracks/broken/damaged linkage as well. Nickmil

 

I'm going to replace the starter and reinforce a body mount near the firewall, but I'm pretty sure the clutch will need to be replaced too.

Is this something I should try to fix myself? I know that it is a fairly intensive project that would require me to drop the transmission and transfer case. I want to do as much work as possible on the jeep, but I don't want to get in over my head. I have some friends that have experience working on cars that are willing to help. To top it all off, my skid plate was welded on by a PO so it will have to be cut off with a plasma cutter to access the tranny and transfer case. Any idea how much this would all cost if I just took it to a shop and told them to fix it?

For the parts if I were to do it myself, I looked on Napa's website and I can get a remanufactured clutch set for $154. I could also get a new clutch kit for about $174.

Would this work for my '78 CJ5 with straight 6 258 mated with a 4 speed tranny? Is there that much of a benefit of upgrading to the hi performance clutches that are available? They cost almost 2x as much...

Also, what does "Borg & Beck Type Clutch" mean? They also have raised diaphragm and optional diaphragm cover models... what do I need?

 

Steve,
I'd get under there and clean everything out real well, and then re-evaluate. I've seen big gobs of mud bind clutch/shift linkages. These little jeeps are tougher than you think. Could also have worn down the battery winching so that you don't have enough voltage for the starter/relay. I would be amazed if you needed a new starter and clutch because you got stuck in the mud. Point is, you can't really begin until its clean enough to see whats goin' on!

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I have gone under the jeep and cleaned off most the mud.

For the clutch, the linkage looks fine except for there is a problem with body mount that needs to be reinforced. Although I plan to fix this, I don't think this explains why the pedal doesn't come all the way out and is hard to depress. What I believe happened is that the boot on the bellhousing where the linkage enters is worn out a bit, so when I sat in the very liquid mud with the clutch in it let mud into the clutch and burned it up. I have heard that this can happen very easily and very quickly. Any input from the experts here?

As for the starter, the jeep wouldn't start while in the mud before I winched it out. It started in the mud a couple times, but then wouldn't. I think that I got mud in the starter and will at least need to take it off and clean it. I was planning on replacing it because I've been told I could get a remanufactured starter for only $25.

 

Keep your core and clean it up. Having a good spare is worth more than the core charge.

Plus, cheap reman parts will vary wildly in quality and longevity. Caveat emptor.

 

Is there an access panel on the bellhousing (or thereabout) that would let me see the condition of the clutch without having to drop the tranny? A friend told me that there should be and that I might be able to open that up and rinse out some mud and that it could solve my problem. I haven't been able to make it back to the jeep to check since I was told this, but hope to go check this weekend. Any ideas?

 

No help? I must have reached my limit of questions allowed..... A guy on another forum suggested pulling off the boot around the shifter and that there might be an access plate there. Is there one?

 

No 'window' access panel AFAIK. That's old-fashioned stuff, before the days of 1-piece cast aluminum bells.

However, there's an access panel at the bottom, a piece of tin shaped like a half-circle. I don't know if you can see much re the clutch ... maybe with a mirror.

Usually you judge the condition of the clutch by how it drives. I don't think that rinsing after-the-fact will help. If you're going to pull the transmission, you may as well replace the clutch.