[svsantosh]

As i stood there scratching my head, I was wondering what the hell happened. It was as if Kevin Peter Hall had puked inside the Jeep's Hood. I noticed the source of the mess. It was the Radiator cap.

(Sorry no pics of the mess, it was horrible)

A Quick call to Siva and a quick jog to the Staff Quarters rear side with a 4Liter Castrol Oil can was made. The thirsty CJ Drank nearly 3 Liters of Water. It was smelling a pungent hot coolant smell all over the toll gate..!!

Post that incident, the TEMP NEVER CROSSED 80 - IT STAYED 60-70 MOSTLY. Please advise how serious is this wrt to fuel efficiency, engine efficiency and NEED FOR A THERMOSTAT.




I reached hosur around 11AM, all hepped up and ready to flaunt the Jeep. My parents were at awe (since they had seen her all dirty and opened up for the operation @ the garage). I couldn't stop from making mum and dad all decked up for the ride of their lives. Mum jumped into the co-driver seat, dad into the rear bench.

Hosur is a wonderful place for a Jeep. I went to a nice spot outside the town and asked dad to get down. I got down and engaged the FWH. I took mum on a nice little OTR, went up a series of 45-55' climbs, climbed down the same slopes, mum was all 'wheee-whooaaaa'. Dad was amazed at the ability of a SWB.

Post that I bid good bye to parents and drove back to Bangalore. I was told by Siva earlier to get a OE Radiator cap to solve the Leaking/heating radiator. I was also told to stop somewhere on the highway (on a dry patch) and watch out for tyre wear (noticeable) because the wheel alignment was NOT done in Chennai due to want of time. I stopped just before Bommanahalli to check for tyre wear. There was a hint of excess blacked out left tyre inner side. I made a mental note of it and proceeded on towards my bangy home.

Just before Silk board I noticed a 'dhak-dhak' sound while clutching and changing gears. I felt the engine was stalling a bit and I noticed a slight burning smell. I thought may be it was the outside atmosphere since it was a open jeep.

The burning smell got higher and higher. Just before the flyover ramp I suddenly noticed smoke coming out of the floor board. Within 3 seconds the whole cabin was FULL OF WHITE SMOKE. I made a dash for the door and jumped out of the cabin. The Jeep was on fire......

To be Contd...

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

As i stood there scratching my head, I was wondering what the hell happened. It was as if Kevin Peter Hall had puked inside the Jeep's Hood. I noticed the source of the mess. It was the Radiator cap.

.... It was smelling a pungent hot coolant smell all over the toll gate..!!


.... Just before Silk board I noticed a 'dhak-dhak' sound while clutching and changing gears. I felt the engine was stalling a bit and I noticed a slight burning smell. I thought may be it was the outside atmosphere since it was a open jeep.

The burning smell got higher and higher. Just before the flyover ramp I suddenly noticed smoke coming out of the floor board. Within 3 seconds the whole cabin was FULL OF WHITE SMOKE. I made a dash for the door and jumped out of the cabin. The Jeep was on fire......

To be Contd...

Oh Man, that is what makes 4x4 owners a crazy lot -- they go through all this and then love every bit of it. The experience & the machine..

Look forward to the rest of the story. Looks like your relationship with the jeep has started on a 'good' note.

[trammway]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

The burning smell got higher and higher. Just before the flyover ramp I suddenly noticed smoke coming out of the floor board. Within 3 seconds the whole cabin was FULL OF WHITE SMOKE. I made a dash for the door and jumped out of the cabin. The Jeep was on fire......

Dude... too much of build up can't control myself keeping the next part. Just this time I will leave it to you... Will wait for the post.

[svsantosh]

Or So I thought...

Well, the cabin was indeed filled with white smoke and a bad burning smell. I grabbed the 4Ltr water can and was ready to pour it on where ever I see a flame from. In about 20-30 seconds after I stopped the Jeep, the smoke subsided. I was wondering what the...!! I decided to lay down on 4 limbs and take a look beneath the floor of the jeep as to the cause.

As I lay down on the road, I noticed the transfer case choking and spewing smoke. I suddenly remembered what had happened. Earlier about a KM ago, I had stopped the Jeep and checked the tyre wear for mis-alignment. I had applied the NEW HAND BRAKE and got down to check the tyre. I HAD FORGOTTEN to release the HB. I had driven the entire KM with HB on. This had caused Excess Friction and caused the HB Assy to choke up.

I now released the HB and decided NOT to THROW water on the smoldering T-CASE. I Let it cool for another 10 mins and then slowly drove to my home nearby.

Upon reaching my home, I mustered the courage to apply the HB and check if the Jeep stops from Rolling. IT DID - The HB STILL WORKS, although about half its life must be burned up by now. I need to buy a spare liner, shoes ASAP. The JEEP was perfect after this bizarre ordeal...!!!

NOTE - The HB are good only to stop the Jeep from rolling from stationery. Max from a slight incline. If you power the Jeep away, the Jeep will roll, Albeit with tremendous STRESS on the ENGINE, DRIVE TRAIN, Etc, Etc.

Post reaching my home, I rang the bell and awaited my wife's reaction on seeing the Jeep. She is as harsh a critic as you can get...!! She told WOW nice jeep, but 1,2,3,4,5, not good. Color, Soft Top in Rags, DIRTY (She is Monica Geller of my Home), So on and so forth. I told her not to worry, and I know what can make her happy wrt to the Jeep's looks. I freshened up and made a dash to the water wash center.



After nearly 3 hours and LOTS OF ANGRY phone calls from wife later, I presented the below to her.












The engine bay is my personal fav, since it was all greased up over the years.






Oh yes, and the soft top down look goes well with the Jeep. This was the icing on the cake that blew away my better half...




There are some known Issues. I will bring them out in the next post.

[beejay]

Do you really need those doors?

[trammway]

Looks neat now, no wonder how you managed to convince your wify.

Regarding the radiator cowl...

Neela sayam Veluthu pochi dum dum dum DUM.

[svsantosh]

Known Facts.

A Jeep whose drive train was so badly abused, must be worse when it comes to sheet metal maintenance. Here you go...






For the time being I dont plan to do ANY TINKERING work or painting work and purely concentrate on the mechanical part of it. I may just sand paper out the dust and grime from the floor board (vacuum the dust out) and use some cheap ASPA paint to cover up the board from further rust.

Next Niggle - Electrical

1) The fuel gauge illumination light isn't working. There is a funny story behind this.

After starting from Chennai, me and Siva were rolling down the GQ towards Kanchipuram. Out of no where my eyes went to the dash board and noticed the fuel gauge wasn't working. Or so I thought. Only the green back light wasn't working. I had to see the fuel level since we had not filled her up and Kanchi was still a good hour away. We noticed a HUGE road intersection with a Spectacularly bright street light setup. Some big factory may be... It was dark. Siva wanted to beat the cold and had his hat on and a white big hand kerchief tied around his face and with a pair of spectacles on his face - he did look a spectacle himself. We pulled over under this bright highway streetlight and was wondering what is wrong with the fuel gauge. It was 4'ish in the morning and dark and cold, we are on this topless jeep and siva was all muscled up by the looks and guess what - some tough guy in a security uniform walks up VERY SUSPICIOUSLY up to the Jeep. He is as scared as a Snake and his hand is on his right hip ready to pick up what ever was there (I am guessing a baton, radio, or a gun). It turns out we were bang outside Hyundai;s main gate. LOL - after a clarification of the problem and a quick calculation of the fuel left we proceeded.

This issue still remains, probably needs a bulb. Gauge works though...

2) When the head lights are on, the left indicator just wont work, the moment the light is turned off, it starts blinking again. Minor electrical work needed.

3) 2 BIG Roots horn just throw a faint 'meow meow' at times. When I bang the steering at a right place - they blow like a train. Some loose contact, or the steering-horn connector below the steering needs some sand papering for rust.

4) Head lights are from Maruti 800's. Modified grill makes it worse. Low beam hits upto 1st floor and high beam goes upto 3rd floor height. Needs some innovative solution to re-align them.

Next Niggle - Mechanical

1) The radiator cap needs urgent replacement. Or else all coolant may come out and lead to major problems.

2) The wheel alignment was off - since no alignment was done after the re-build. Its a must, we just did not have time in Chennai to get it done. Another story here (angry one)

I go to this BTM 1st Stage Bridgestone dealer cum Computerized wheel align center, he hooks up the LED-Lazer what ever to the 4 wheels and shows me Sholay on the monitor. Says yada-yada all is well. There is only a .98' mis-alignment of the front-left and that can be corrected with the mechanic. Says to drive off, nothing he can do. I take his word, decide to go to a different place. The shop owner stops me and asks 200Rs saying alignment done or not, i need to pay up. What crap, I throw the 200rs on his face and drive off very pissed off. It turns out these guys dont know what a tie-rod set up is and just cant correct the mis-align.

A quick call to Star_Aqua and learn 'vijay alignment' is one of the most trusted guys in bangy for wheels. A quick drive and 10mins of MANUAL_ALIGNMENT later he too shows me on the SCALE the LEFT is TOED_IN by 1', the same thing the other bad_guy showed me on the screen. I later learn that 1' is TOO MUCH of a mis_alignment and no wonder I was feeling the jeep was driving funny. 150Rs and I am off a happy person.

Guess what, I get one free checkup within 1 month, wow. I vouch for the manual align of vijay alignment, I even saw a Beemer there and lots of new gen cars, surely they know what they are doing.

3) Need to retro-fit a coolant overflow tank ASAP. Cant afford to drive a leaky jeep with low water-coolant.

4) What is the risk of driving the Jeep at 60-70' coolant temp. What is the cost of a thermostat setup? How serious is it?

These are the only open items for now and I will work to get these sorted ASAP.

Miscellaneous items

1) Both the seats are bad, the railings are very bad and just wont go back and forth like a seat should. The cushioning itself is rotted and the lumbar support is too bad. Its a big joke and i need some 2nd hand seats in working condition ASAP.

2) Need to alter the rear benches since they foul badly with the front seats movement, thats why have them removed now.

3) Soft-Top -- Hard Time. Its not a water proof one, it lets water in like a Seive...!! Another big joke. Cant drive around in bangy with this, need a new one ASAP.

4) Need to buy a scissor-type wheel Jack and rod ASAP, the one here is a truck/tempo type and is useless.

5) Better get the battery checked at a battery shop (it has a Amaron maint free one). So far no issues, but better to check the water-acid level in it.

6) Need a pair of wiper ARMS for the CJ ASAP, I have the blades.

Thats it for now... Just a few parting shots of this experience. As they say a picture can say a thousand words... please let me know what you think these pics say...

Clue - Thats my Indigo Out there...





--------------------The Beginning....-------------------

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by beejay

Do you really need those doors?

I was wondering the same, but wife and mum insist it should remain. Time will tell... personally, i dont need those, but to cover the in-cabin rust I dont mind having them.

Originally Posted by trammway

Looks neat now, no wonder how you managed to convince your wify.
Neela sayam Veluthu pochi dum dum dum DUM.

- Thanks anna
-- Also, the copper color of the radiator is seen dum dum dum DUM...!!!

BREAKING NEWS

What is COMMON BETWEEN SIVA's Explorer, SHARAT's CJ340 and my CJ340??

I will reveal it later... Meanwhile no wild guesses please.
Siva - Don't spoil the fun

[vinod_nookala]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

BREAKING NEWS

What is COMMON BETWEEN SIVA's Explorer, SHARAT's CJ340 and my CJ340??

Is it Winch? I can only think of this except silly things like wheelbase, tyre size etc etc Congratulations of your vehicle getting into running condition. Please remove those doors and if possible get back to round head lamps. This is no Mahindra Bhiah or Indian chief. Least of all it shouldn't look like a cheap imitataion job.

Having said this beauty lies in the eyes of beholder. If you like it this way nothing like it!!

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Santosh - My comments on the work you have so enthusiastically done are as follows:

Regarding the bolts holding the transmission mounting cross member to the chassis, on the RH side you have 4 additional washers and 2 oversize nuts fitted, just because the bolts used are longer than required. On the LH side you have 3 additional nuts. All this should never be used as it can fail anytime. PLEASE CHANGE THESE FASTENERS IMMEDIATELY. At the same time, please re-use the original 6 degree wedges which are there on your vehicle as the engine / transmission inclination of 6 degrees is achieved by using these wedges. Please be very careful when this work is done. There are 4 wedges, 2 above the long members and 2 below. Also, there seems to be a lot of oil on the inner edges of the rear tyres. Just check for any obvious oil seal leaks etc. Please wipe off the excessive grease that is there on the steering joints. It does nothing except attract dust. Please use a branded radiator cap only and make sure that the sealing rubber disc OD and height match the radiator neck, otherwise coolant will overflow. Your question on 80 degrees operating temperature v/s need for thermostat, yes, for optimum performance, thermostat is necessary but I have my doubt whether your vehicle will have one. However, if the coolant operating temperature hovers around 80 degrees C during normal drive, just leave the whole thing alone for the time being.

And yes, please revert to round headlights.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

BREAKING NEWS

What is COMMON BETWEEN SIVA's Explorer, SHARAT's CJ340 and my CJ340??

Unless you have picked up the Ramsey 8000, I can't think of anything else.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Your question on 80 degrees operating temperature v/s need for thermostat, yes, for optimum performance, thermostat is necessary but I have my doubt whether your vehicle will have one.

Behram, I too doubt he has a thermostat. I see only one hose clip where it is connected to the water pump.

[vinod_nookala]

further i feel the transfercase mounting rubber is also non standard. Please comment.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Vinod - this transmission mounting was developed for Armada NGCS. However, as boundry dimensions are protected, it can be used for the CL340 as well. This was done to snub a secondary frequency and improve service life. In our today's vehicles, all this is obsolete now.

Dear Sharath - you are correct, most of the mechanics remove the thermostat which overcools the engine, which in turn leads to generation of amino acids which attack the cylinder wall. But, what to do, it reminds me of Govinda's film song, "This happens only in India". Sigh!

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[vinod_nookala]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Vinod - this transmission mounting was developed for Armada NGCS. However, as boundry dimensions are protected, it can be used for the CL340 as well. This was done to snub a secondary frequency and improve service life. In our today's vehicles, all this is obsolete now.

Dear Sharath - you are correct, most of the mechanics remove the thermostat which overcools the engine, which in turn leads to generation of amino acids which attack the cylinder wall. But, what to do, it reminds me of Govinda's film song, "This happens only in India". Sigh!

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Behram sir,
Main transmisson bed of Armada is news to me. I recently changed that of mine in MM540, didnt know its characterstics, else would hav preffered that. Any way i was commenting on transfercase bed. I think it has 2 beds on top of cross member and one big rubber bed with aluminium washer. Santosh's vehicle seem to have non standard ones.

Again my vehicle doesnt have thermostat. Will install ASAP!

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Please be very careful when this work is done. There are 4 wedges, 2 above the long members and 2 below.

Ok Sir, thanks a lot for this. I will look into this ASAP.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Also, there seems to be a lot of oil on the inner edges of the rear tyres. Just check for any obvious oil seal leaks etc. Please wipe off the excessive grease that is there on the steering joints. It does nothing except attract dust.

The oil in the tyre wall is the result of the excess oil+diesel wash done in the under chassis. But again, i will watch out for further such leaks.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Please use a branded radiator cap only and make sure that the sealing rubber disc OD and height match the radiator neck, otherwise coolant will overflow.

ok I have a got a branded radiator cap for 125Rs, called TECIL, I was told by the shop guy that this is OE for M&M, TATA etc, I will check his words tommorow.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Your question on 80 degrees operating temperature v/s need for thermostat, yes, for optimum performance, thermostat is necessary but I have my doubt whether your vehicle will have one. However, if the coolant operating temperature hovers around 80 degrees C during normal drive, just leave the whole thing alone for the time being.

ok sir, I will do a more through driving test to check the need for one.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

And yes, please revert to round headlights.

Funds constraint, but definitely on the cards after the below discovery.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Unless you have picked up the Ramsey 8000, I can't think of anything else.

Behram, I too doubt he has a thermostat. I see only one hose clip where it is connected to the water pump.

- Pics below
-- Can you post some pics of the thermostat.

Originally Posted by vinod_nookala

further i feel the transfercase mounting rubber is also non standard. Please comment.

thanks Vinod and Behram on clarifying this point.

-----------------------Whats the similarity----------------

Well, As one the 1st pics on this thread showed the RC Book, There was no mention of the COLOUR of the JEEP by the RTO. Didnt say much on the efficiency of the RTO. But, after getting to know the Jeep more and more, I noticed some clues, eventually figured out the Original JEEP color was "RED".









So this is the similarity in both color and the way each of the 3 were surprised...!!!

Tinkering and painting and grill change work will take place next year when funds flow more easily.

Parts replaced:

These pics are of the parts replaced/changed over the last 1 month.





I got some essentials for the Jeep.



A Scissor Jack and a wheel spanner are very essential and of course got some cheap rear view mirrors till I find the original CJ340's assembly.