Big Tuna Presents: Pegasus Rising

[BigTuna117]

So, I had the opportunity to run Moss Wash in Kingman with a good friend on Monday 10/1, and boy oh boy, were the discoveries we made on the interesting side. I used the trip as an excuse to shake the dust off of my tablet and use it to navigate, and pull data off of the OBDII port. The overall results of the trip we're nothing short of excellent. This was the first moderate, non-exploratory trail she's been on in about two years. So, two years of mostly untested, fresh refits put to the test. The suspension cycled great, but will be phenomenal once I get extended brake lines and coil retainers bolted up. The new transfer case took the abuse no-sweat.

And the one that made me nervous of course, engine performance. The 4.7 surged forward with very little issue, finally! Engine temps remained under control, and oil pressure remained higher than previous. The re-worked cooling system kept the Jeep between 190-208 degrees, which is pretty spectacular for crawling up the side of a mountain. On flat and downhill crawling, it would at times dip as low as 180, which is as (absolute) low as you want it to potentially go. I haven't really had a chance to look at other factors until now, either. The reworked intake & snorkel means that air at the manifold is anywhere from 10-20 degrees cooler than stock! Once I insulate the plumbing for the intake, it may drop further, too. I'm very pleased with the performance overall. It's very gratifying to have all that hard work come together like it has.

And some questions were further dug into....

One thing we noticed is that my 1st gear crawl ratio seems steeper than the later model WJs. We were wondering if maybe this ties into the previous "Factory WJ/WG Hybrid" idea. In 1st, 4-lo, Pegasus will pretty much just crawl over just about anything on it's own. Curiosity continues to grow on this topic.

First time leading a trail run of any sort, too. Exciting!

 

[BigTuna117]

Well, I got to drive the Jeep to Sedona on (last) Sunday and run Broken Arrow Trail. Overall the performance was excellent and the Jeep drove admirably. Driving to Sedona (4 hours each way), running Broken Arrow, and plenty of time at idle, The Jeep consumed about 25 Gallons of gas total. I punch the numbers into my calculator, and that averages out to about 16 MPG. Much better than my previous two trips, where I averaged 8 MPG, and 6 MPG the time before that. There was a pretty stark difference in performance, too. This time around, it seemed like her power curve was correct again and she commanded herself pretty dang well up the hills and across the valleys. It's starting to look like we are truly on the mend!



A beautiful day in Sedona.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Well, the last week has been full of excitement and Jeep mods. Last weekend I had a chance to install the Hayden 459 Ultra-Cool Engine Oil Cooler Kit.
View attachment 70577
Even though 459 is the PN for the "Light Duty" model, I believe it is sufficient for my application. I wanted to see if I could pull some of the heat out of the oil, further reducing strain on the cooling system. Cooling the oil should also improve the long term lubricity of the oil (I'm thinking about crawling here). I've found during my torture tests (Highway driving, slow urban driving, and everything in between) that as the vehicle temp raises, the oil pressure is a bit higher overall, though it never dropped below the normal "40." During this install, she got a fresh filter and an oil change. She's a happy girl!
View attachment 70578
Overall, not bad. Cooler installs with nylon plugs, kind of like zip ties. I bought another set of those, just in case.

Another adventure was getting hold of a set of Panavise mounts for the Jeep. Panavise asks $25 for each, and $20 shipping for the set of two, so I ended up looking elsewhere. I scored a gently used set for $20 with free shipping on ebay! I Mounted my CB hook on the right, and a wireless charging phone cradle on the left. Looks much more clean than the vent hooks which generally have a tendency to fall off mid-trail.
View attachment 70579
Eventually I'd like to install HAM radio in the Jeep, and I can adapt the Panavise mount to accept both Mics in the future. The current hook doesn't interfere with the tablet mount, either!

Good to know these mounts work in a WJ. I'm looking at a mic mount similar to this from Ram Mounts.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Well, I got to drive the Jeep to Sedona on (last) Sunday and run Broken Arrow Trail. Overall the performance was excellent and the Jeep drove admirably. Driving to Sedona (4 hours each way), running Broken Arrow, and plenty of time at idle, The Jeep consumed about 25 Gallons of gas total. I punch the numbers into my calculator, and that averages out to about 16 MPG. Much better than my previous two trips, where I averaged 8 MPG, and 6 MPG the time before that. There was a pretty stark difference in performance, too. This time around, it seemed like her power curve was correct again and she commanded herself pretty dang well up the hills and across the valleys. It's starting to look like we are truly on the mend!
View attachment 73336
View attachment 73337
View attachment 73338
A beautiful day in Sedona.
View attachment 73339

You attribute the gains to 16mpg from new cat's and the oil cooler? Hoping I can maintain 16 or better in my WJ.

 

[BigTuna117]

You attribute the gains to 16mpg from new cat's and the oil cooler? Hoping I can maintain 16 or better in my WJ.

Well, I attribute then to being part of the overall solution. The 4.7 has also received a fresh set of engine sensors, PCM, 4-hole injectors, among other things. The nature of the re-routed intake & snorkel also drops the intake air temp by about 20 degrees. Also received a 242 TC which eliminates the AWD nature of the beast for dedicated 2WD & 4WD. The re-worked exhaust means she can breathe easier, and the re-worked cooling system means she runs (just a tad) cooler than stock.

I'm preparing this thing to perform it's overall best, that way once I tune it (down the road) I may have another stark bump in fuel economy. Only time will tell on that, however.

The most stark increase in performance came after I installed the oil cooler, however. Given the temps in the area that I live in, plus the splash heat effect of the exhaust being so close to the oil pan on these things, I actually have to run 10w-30 in this thing during the summer per Mopar recommendation, because the OEM 5w-30 actually begins to break down and lose lubricity because it was (the oil) running so hot. The consensus is that adding the oil cooler may reduce some of the strain on the primary cooling system, prevent oil breakdown between service intervals, and also add some oil capacity (this I know for a fast it does, about 3/4 quart). I went with the Hayden cooler kit over Mishimoto because:
A. It's Cheaper overall
B. It's construction means it will be easier to service & repair should it need to be in the future
C. Like Mishimoto's higher priced offerings, it's thermostatic, there is a pass-through hole in the sandwich plate that slowly closes off as the engine heats up. I like this design because it means there is no drop or increase in pressure as it closes, but also it doesn't hinder oil pressure as the engine starts due to the added length of the cooler line.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Well, I attribute then to being part of the overall solution. The 4.7 has also received a fresh set of engine sensors, PCM, 4-hole injectors, among other things. The nature of the re-routed intake & snorkel also drops the intake air temp by about 20 degrees. Also received a 242 TC which eliminates the AWD nature of the beast for dedicated 2WD & 4WD. The re-worked exhaust means she can breathe easier, and the re-worked cooling system means she runs (just a tad) cooler than stock.

I'm preparing this thing to perform it's overall best, that way once I tune it (down the road) I may have another stark bump in fuel economy. Only time will tell on that, however.

The most stark increase in performance came after I installed the oil cooler, however. Given the temps in the area that I live in, plus the splash heat effect of the exhaust being so close to the oil pan on these things, I actually have to run 10w-30 in this thing during the summer per Mopar recommendation, because the OEM 5w-30 actually begins to break down and lose lubricity because it was (the oil) running so hot. The consensus is that adding the oil cooler may reduce some of the strain on the primary cooling system, prevent oil breakdown between service intervals, and also add some oil capacity (this I know for a fast it does, about 3/4 quart). I went with the Hayden cooler kit over Mishimoto because:
A. It's Cheaper overall
B. It's construction means it will be easier to service & repair should it need to be in the future
C. Like Mishimoto's higher priced offerings, it's thermostatic, there is a pass-through hole in the sandwich plate that slowly closes off as the engine heats up. I like this design because it means there is no drop or increase in pressure as it closes, but also it doesn't hinder oil pressure as the engine starts due to the added length of the cooler line.

Do you remember the injector p/n? I know that's a route I'd like to go, plus an intake/snorkel might be in the cards. I know my roof basket is the main cause for my drop in MPG's, but if I can find what I need for the TC swap (driveshaft) as I have the case located and the shift components available, I should be able to make that happen and maybe pick up more than 1MPG and better driveability.

 

[BigTuna117]

Ok, so I see on your signature that you have an 04', so you have the H.O. WJ, don't you? In that case, it's actually a different P/N because the H.O. version of the 4.7L actually uses a different flow rate from what I understand. If not, I actually picked up a rebuilt set on Ebay. Worked out pretty well.

I actually gained about 3mpg when I did the TCase swap.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Ok, so I see on your signature that you have an 04', so you have the H.O. WJ, don't you? In that case, it's actually a different P/N because the H.O. version of the 4.7L actually uses a different flow rate from what I understand. If not, I actually picked up a rebuilt set on Ebay. Worked out pretty well.

I actually gained about 3mpg when I did the TCase swap.

I wish it was the HO. Just the run of the mill PowerTech 4.7. I might just get my injectors reman'd depending on the cost. Those little things are spendy. I am having a heck of a time locating a driveshaft for the swap. I found a case and the shift components, but no rear driveshaft.

 

[BigTuna117]

Oh, OK! So...
For the standard 4.7L, I found my injectors on Ebay, actually. You can get a set of 8 remand 4-hole injectors for like $70 on there.
On my transfer case, the Input shaft was transferred out of the 247j into the new 242. The drive line remained the same length and uses the same yoke and shaft because of this.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Oh, OK! So...
For the standard 4.7L, I found my injectors on Ebay, actually. You can get a set of 8 remand 4-hole injectors for like $70 on there.
On my transfer case, the Input shaft was transferred out of the 247j into the new 242. The drive line remained the same length and uses the same yoke and shaft because of this.

I'll check out ebay for some reman'd injectors! I might have located a stock rear driveshaft for the 242HD. Now to decide if I want to go that route or just pop for a SYE kit with a new one.

 

[BigTuna117]

I'll check out ebay for some reman'd injectors! I might have located a stock rear driveshaft for the 242HD. Now to decide if I want to go that route or just pop for a SYE kit with a new one.

If you are willing to spend the extra dinero, tghe SYE kit is pretty awesome. Less vibes, and running the same DS front and rear is pretty awesome too.

 

[BigTuna117]

Not a whole lot new to report. The cooling system, despite having a much higher overall capacity to stock, continues to self-regulate extremely well in the cold. I was afraid I'd have issues with "Engine too cold" CELs given the High flow T-stat, dual-core rad, and Explorer 11 blade clutch fan I put in at the end of the summer. I still feel like the oil cooler is probably doing good things, but we'll wait for that oil to come out in a week or tow and see if it has broken down much.
In the meantime, some good shenanigans coming up hopefully for tax season, so stay tuned!

Also I did a quick 3 year update video on the Kanati Trail Hog A/Ts. So here's that:

 

[BigTuna117]

After many years of abuse, I finally decided to go ahead and replace the Clarion CZ-302 which has powered the Jeep's audio system for many years now. In recent times, it's bluetooth functionality had become fairly cumbersome and problematic to use. Since Andriod connectivity was the primary reason I was interested in this HU originally, and the rise of cheap-ish Andriod powered head units becoming readily available, I figured I'd cut out the middleman and give one of these units a try:

My first impressions of this Joying branded unit are relatively positive. The unit is extremely snappy, and handles media extremely well. The only thing that irks me about this unit is that it doesn't support a sleep function- a gift and a curse. It won't run the battery down when the vehicle is off, but this means it has to cold boot if the vehicle is off for more than a minute. The fortunate part is that cold boot is rather fast. I let the Jeep warm up for a minute or two in the mornings anyways, and after my next mod is installed, that will seem like less of an issue anyways :cool:

All in all, it's an addition that could be great, or could bite me in the butt down the road. It does have a 2 year warranty, so that is helpful for a while. It's the great experiment, I suppose. I can say that playback, radio, and the like sound fantastic, especially when compared to the early Android units which had interference issues. The real test is gonna be seeing how it holds up to the abuse offroad. It appears to be sturdy and well-constructed, so that seems rather hopeful.

Another bonus is that Joying has been extremely receptive in answering my questions on the unit. I hope it lasts a pretty long time, honestly. We'll see in time.

 

[maxb4987]

What fogslights are those?

 

[BigTuna117]

What fogslights are those?

They are actually some cheap Amazon LED Amber spots. Note to self: Pay attention to beam type. I wanted fog, or wide beam lights, but I bought the wrong ones. Still come in handy in heavy fog, though.

 

[maxb4987]

We have had massive amounts of snow as of late I want to do ambers or yellows I am gonna sound like a total newb but had no idea they made that much of a difference till I saw a buddies

 

[BigTuna117]

We have had massive amounts of snow as of late I want to do ambers or yellows I am gonna sound like a total newb but had no idea they made that much of a difference till I saw a buddies

Don't feel like a newb at all! I actually didn't realize how much of a difference they made until I used them passing through some fog near Ash Fork, AZ. It's a huge difference that nobody knows about because manufacturers prefer the ascetic of normal lights.

 

[BigTuna117]

Today the Jeep received an addition which is both useful and functional! I purchased a Remote start system from Syracuse Synergy, a small company which specializes in setting up remote start systems which are about as close to plug and play as you can get! Pre-flashed for the platform and ready to rock, It comes with the remote start "brain" and bypass module already hooked together. All you have to do is wire it in, and program it to your key! A pretty reasonable price, too. They (well, he, I believe William is a one man operation) also give you any support you may require, via e-mail, Facebook, or even Text message. That being said, I reckon it's pretty fool proof.


Here's the system I ordered from them. They also offer a more "basic" system which does not utilize a 2 way remote.
http://syracusesynergy.com/product/rs2waywj/

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Let me know how it all goes and if it's worth the time and money. This has been a mod I have been wanting to do for some time.

 

[BigTuna117]

So far the remote start system runs flawlessly. I think it's gonna be REALLY great this summer.