Need help with my XJ couple of issues: Squeak Noise & Ga

[lnixon-88XJ]

J10 vs. Comanche

Hey all, first let me say this is a cool site. Now to the issues. I have an 88 Jeep XJ I picked up with 160K on it. It is very clean inside, almost no rust anywhere (tiny spot near gas) and ran pretty well until lately. Ive had it for about a year now and its got 180K on it (Lots of 250mile days) I am by no means a mechanic, but am pretty good at following books.

My first issue is a suspected blown manifold gasket. The Jeep now has a loud rumble during speeds above 20MPH. Is this something I can fix myself by working under the jeep? Or do I need a mechanic to pull the engine for this (Im poor )

Next there is a squeal/ chirp / squeak coming from one of the wheels in the engine area (the wheels the Serpentine belt goes around). I sprayed them all with some rust easter oil and it quiets down a little but comes back a few days later. It also goes away when ive driven the jeep at high speeds (50+) for a little bit.

I purchased an AC conversion kit and managed to get it on there after an hour putzing with the plastic fitting for the 134 hose. I tried pumping the stuff in but seems there is another valve I need to open. on the High & Low connectors. Anyone have experience with this?

Last thing for now If I can get the above squared away next thing is to get a paint job for the XJ. Since im poor Ive been looking at doing it my self with some auto acrylic Ive seen on ebay and a wagner paint gun. Then change the bumbers and some other minor stuff. Whats the process for cleaning up the outside and will a home spun paintjob hold up like a factory job?

Thanks in advance. My AIM name is Magnabyte or ICQ 14212144

 

[XJNick]

Welcome to the Board!

1) Exhaust manifolds can crack... one thing I noticed after mine had cracked once (in addition to rumble), was a slight rythmatic clicking noise on acceleration that was relevant to engine speed.

2) Serpintine belt: there are "belt dressings" that you can spray on the belts to prevent slipping, but it sounds like you may have a bad bearing in one of the accessories (alt, water pump, P/S pump,etc...)

3) As for the Air conditioning... You Must charge into a vaccum. What that means is you Must have a vacuum pulled on the A/C system for at least 30 minutes. This not only removes moisture which can ruin an A/C system in no time, but also allows the system to pull refrigerant in. Keep in mind there is a specific amount of oil that must go into the various components to keep the compressor from seizing up.

Also, you Must charge into the Low side (blue) port. Charging into the High side port can result in the refrigerant can exploding (definately not good!). Always be sure to charge through a manifold gauge set to be sure you don't overcharge the system, since then you'd have to have the excess recovered by a shop (it is Illegal to release freon into the atmosphere.)

I recommend you take the Jeep to a shop and let them do the charging of the A/C system. They have machines that can do it much quicker and they can check the system for leaks before adding refrigerant, and add the correct amount. I found a shop that charges $30 for this service, very well worth it!

I'm not trying to be discouraging, just be aware that A/C work is very dangerous if not done correctly. 8)

Hope that helps you :mrgreen:
-Nick :!: