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Symbol for Degree of Necessity * - splurge a little ! ** - if you can afford it *** - nice to have or do **** - should have or do ***** - must have or do ! - good to upgrade at replacement !! - should be upgraded at replacement |
Code for Vehicle Rating 1 - essentially bone stock: trails up to 2 2 - + larger than stock tires, tow hooks front and rear: trails up to 2.5 3 - + aggressive tires 31 inches and larger; one axle with traction-aid device : trails up to 3.5 4 - + Locking differential on one axle: trails up to 4 5 - + aggressive tires 32 inches and larger & both axles with locking differentials: trails up to 4+ |
| The first step in preparing the engine and related equipment is to check for any hoses, battery cables, wiring harnesses, air cleaners, etc. that are not secured properly and/or not supported properly. Since there is a lot of vibration and shaking around in offroading, anything not properly secured will vibrate or move around causing chaffing , rubbing & stress on connections and fittings - ending in failure and breakdowns. Use NYLON cable ties (Not those cheesy, cheap plastic ties !), cable clamps, self-sealing tape, metal straps, etc. to secure everything. BUT be sure to allow enough movement for the engine moving in its mounts ! Wherever hoses & wiring must lay on valve covers, brackets, etc. you can put convoluted plastic tubing around them to prevent chaffing & rubbing. | |
| Air Cleaner | *** !
- We suggest replacing paper
elements with gauze-type elements (K&N®, ACCEL®, RUSH®, etc.). These usually
require servicing only once a year unless you're in a dust storm or they get
wet. When wet, these can be serviced simply by using the kit's cleaning
fluid, allowing it to dry & re-oil. NOTE: I've been using K&N®
filters on ALL of my vehicles, on road & off road (including
buggies & dirt bikes) since K&N® began building filters and I've never had
one fail or wear out (that's over 30 years and some of those vehicles have
gone as much as 300,000 miles (an 84XJ - 4 cyl.) without an engine
failure.)
** use a foam-style outer wrap around the air cleaner element to screen out the 'big stuff' - if you can find them! ***** ensure you have an air-tight seal between the air cleaner and carburetor or throttle body. |
| Crankcase Ventilation Filters | ** ! - We suggest replacing your crankcase vent filters with K&N or gauze-type filters also. The metal-screen-type found on valve covers and/or the open-cell foam filters in the air cleaner will not filter out the fine dust and alkali particles encountered offroad. Installing a gauze-type filter will often take a little imagination and engineering to make them fit and work properly. |
| Fuel Lines & Filters | *****
- Move fuel lines and fuel filters away from sources of heat (i.e. exhaust
manifolds and headers.) Try to get them where there is a good flow of air
around them - or else you may start having 'vapor lock' problems. ****** - Be sure that any in-line fuel filters are securely mounted to something solid to keep them from shaking. If not, you may experience a rough running engine and even stalling on rough surfaces while under a load. Also if it's not mounted securely, rough roads will put an unnecessary strain on the hose and connections - causing leaks - then possibly underhood fires - NOT GOOD! |
| Spark Plugs |
CAUTION: If you use platinum or double platinum plugs in aluminum heads,
there is a good chance they will bond to the heads starting around 75,000
miles. Many service shops suggest taking the plugs out at around 50,000
miles, coating the threads with copper-based anti-seize compound and
re-installing.
! - SUGGESTION: use copper-based (instead of aluminum-based) anti-seize on spark plug and O2 sensor threads. This will improve heat transfer - thus making the plugs last longer and it makes it much easier to remove the next time you have to change plugs. |
| Spark Plug Wires - an easy way to check your plug wires is open your hood with the engine running while its dark outside. If you see little sparks, flashes of light or light halos near or around your spark plug wires, it's probably time to change them! | ! -
when it comes time
to replace your old wires: SUGGESTION:
replacing them with MSD®,
Taylor®,
JACOBS®, MOROSO®, Mallory®, ACCEL®, etc.
8-9mm
spiral-core (helical core, etc) wires - these will cost up to 3 times as
much but they'll last at least that much longer and give you much better
service. They usually come with premium High Temp Silicon spark plug boots
and good connectors.
** ! - MSD Heli-Core® wire sets (~$50) come with stainless steel spark plug connectors Find a wire set that has stainless steel spark plug connectors ( if possible, avoid galvanized steel, brass & copper plug connectors, they promote corrosion causing starting and low speed ignition problems.) ***** - use silicon plug boot grease to keep spark plug boots from sticking to spark plugs, also help to keep moisture out ***** - Be sure to use spark plug wire separators and wire loom stands to keep wires separated and off of ANYTHING metal, especially headers.
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Engine Cooling Problems - the
demands on the cooling system during offroading are greatly increased over
the demands of onroad traveling - so it is not uncommon to having cooling
problems - these are some hints and ideas that you can check out!
HINT: If the problem is not obvious - I always start out with the cheapest and easiest ideas. |
Be sure your thermostat and radiator cap are working properly before going
into more complex and EXPENSIVE solutions.
If you see any of the following -
Flush & back-flush radiator using a flush kit and FOLLOW the instructions
to minimize air in the cooling system. Use only distilled water in your radiator coolant mixture. Clean out debris from the cooling fins of you radiator. Also straighten out any bent or deformed fins - CAREFULLY! Increased flow thermostat housings & thermostats are available from Flow Kooler® and Turbo City. Increased flow water pumps are made by Flow Kooler®, Moroso® and others. You should seriously consider installing one of these the next time you have to changeout your water pump. Keep engine driven fans as close to the radiator as possible. Fan blade spacers are available to get the fan blade closer to the radiator. Be sure your engine mounts are in good condition. If they're not, the engine rocking in its mounts could cause the fan blades to hit your radiator or shroud. A close fitting and properly mounted fan shroud is a must for engine driven fans. Be sure that main & aux. electrical fan motors and temperature switches for the fans are working properly. If you install aux. electrical fans - remember that the most efficient method is in a 'push-pull' arrangement. Next best is in a 'pull' arrangement. Least effective is the 'push' arrangement. If your vehicle is over 8 or 9 years old your radiator may not be efficient enough to properly cool during low speed offroading. Consider increasing the row-count if you decide to replace your radiator. Usually offroading requires at least a 3-row radiator. Also consider replacing with an aluminum radiator. Aux. automatic transmission fluid coolers are available from many sources. By installing one in-line or by completely bypassing the radiator will reduce the heat load on the radiator. If you bypass the radiator, be sure to install a transmission temperature gauge to insure that the aux. cooler is cooling the transmission fluid adequately. |