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Sand in Distributor

99 Cherokee Sport 80K

Just replaced the distributor core (old one was chirpping and squealing). Found a lot of dirt and sand had gotten inside the cap and worked its way down inside the core, wearing it out.

I do drive through 2-3 feet of water along Lake Ontario, with a lot of waves and sand crashing in on the truck. This must have been when it got inside the distributor.

Anyone driving through simiar situations, including mud/water, may want to seal the cap with a small bead of something. Keep it clean and dry.

I'm a jeep newbie and want to thank this group for the tech support related to swaping out the distributor core...much appreciated. It only took 2 beers!

Jamie.

Reply to
Football God
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Watch out when sealing a cap. If they don't have a breather hole of some type you will get tons of condensation.

You also need to keep an eye on the diffs and transmission for water input. The diffs have high water vents, but I still managed to fill my front one last week and your tranny does 'not' have a high water vent. It only has a stupid button vent, so if you go deeper than the floorboards it can fill up.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Football God wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Mike, thanks for the good tip. I definetely drive through water higher than the floor boards, but thought that as long as I don't stop, pressure inside the diffs and tranny will keep water/sand out. I'll be changing the diff oil soon for the first time so I'll be on the lookout for water inside.

BTW, I am surprised at how deep the water can get and not seem to bother anything. There's been a few times when the water is about to the middle of the door and a big wave will roll in and hit the side of the jeep, go completely over it. Never has bothered anything (other than the distributor core), but it makes me a bit nervous. Maybe I should invest in a good snorkel.

Tech Question: What diff oil is best for front/back diffs? I don't use

4wd very often, maybe 20-30 times a year for 5K miles.

Thanks!

Reply to
Football God

The diffs are under heat pressure a little, but the vent keeps a 0 psi condition inside. Hit cold water on a hot diff and things contract fast. If your seals are 'perfect', no problem. if they aren't perfect, water will suck by them.

Same for pressure. The seals are designed to hold pressure in, not out.

And here is the biggest one! Most XJ's I have seen have a ram air intake scoop just below the headlight. This means if the water tops the bumper, the engine can gulp lakewater. The engine then will usually explode.

Some YJ's also have that stupid ram air scoop.

Mike

Football God wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

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