Author: mlstrawxj

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Short Finder tool

They say if you don’t use something in a year you should get rid of it.  Well, I don’t take that advice on tools. I can’t remember how many years it’s been since I last used this tool but today it was really handy to have.

When I was trying to figure out the trouble with my Porsche tail lights I found that the previous owner had modified the wiring for the left side tail light.  Also, the front corner markers have never worked since I have had the car.

Tracing the circuit, I found a dead short in the left side wiring that would blow the fuse. I assume this is the reason why they have jumpered the tail light wires and disabled the front markers.

Using the above tool, I was able to trace the short to somewhere in the front fender area. Without it, I would have just been guessing.

I made a jumper to use the tool to put power to the load side of the fuse and took power straight off the battery. Since there was a dead short I did not want to stress the light switch while searching for the short.

I was able to use the little meter to follow the wire through the car and down into the fender. I then put the car on the lift and removed the belly pan to get access to the wire. Since there was just a short section of wire to inspect I decided to do a visual inspection instead of continuing with the tool.

It took some searching, but I finally found the problem.  The wires inside the left side marker were twisted together and the ground was touching the power lead inside the rubber cover.

I hooked them back up correctly and the short went away.  I then redid the wiring at the tail lights to put it back as the factory intended. now there is a fuse for the left and a fuse for the right. And another fuse for the tag lights.  Germans like fuses I guess.

Thanks goodness I had this handy Short Circuit finder tool.

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Renix Engine Monitor

Review of the Nick In Time Renix Engine Monitor REM

My Off Road Jeep is an 88 two door with the Renix engine controller.  It has also been stroked and bored to 4.7 liters.

Based on the engine builder (Titan Engines) recommendation, I installed Ford injectors.  However, the engine has always run rich at off-road speeds.

Since the scan tool to read the Renix version was discontinued long ago and the supply has dried up on eBay, I have not had a way to read the codes or do much troubleshooting on my Renix engine.

I was excited to read some time ago that people were working on a way to use an Arduino to read the data stream. However, I never had the patience to learn to build one or even try to translate the instructions from Russian.

But then I found Nick In Time Designs. He has built a nice unit that not only reads the data but interprets it in an easy-to-read format.  He has recently sold a few of the handmade units and I was lucky enough to snag one.

I hooked it up in my old Jeep this weekend.  I had a little trouble getting the 3D printed adapter to fit on the connector under the hood but it was just a very snug fit.  I then set the switch to 4.0 and closed the cover. I then plugged in the supplied Ethernet cable. I found a plug in the firewall and routed the cable inside.

I ended up mounting the module in the hole where the radio used to be with now also has my winch controls. I then plugged in the other end of the cable to the 3D printed display module.

I am amazed at the amount of data that the device reads out.  I made a few loops around the trail on my farm.  I did have difficulty driving the narrow trails and watching the changing numbers at the same time 😉

I did learn what I suspected, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought.  The engine does run rich most of the time and will not stay in closed-loop control mode because of it.   It does occasionally go into closed loop and I can watch the O2 reading switch from lean to rich so the O2 sensor is working properly.

My next step will be to swap to some smaller injectors like I did on my Dad’s Wagoneer. Then I can enjoy watching the data stream again.

Update:

I hooked up the monitor to Dad‘s Wagoneer to see what the difference in O2 reading would be.  I was a bit surprised to find the yellow trouble light on on the module.  Cycling through the data showed me a low TPS reading.

I tested and it appears the sensor is bad. This is likely what causes his off-idle stumble.  I will see what happens when the new sensor arrives. Update: the new TPS cleared up the stumble and the odd shifting of the transmission.

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7 Essential Off-Road Items to Carry.

Knowing what to pack is always a challenge. Here are seven things I never hit the trail without.

  1.  A good tow strap. One with loops on each end and designed to handle the load of your Jeep and whatever else you will be puling.  Carry more than one strap if you can. They can be used to extend a winch line, stabilize a tippy Jeep as well as assist to get over a slippery spot or a rock.
Continue reading “7 Essential Off-Road Items to Carry.”
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Renix stumble troubleshooting

Tracking down an intermittent electrical problem in my 1988 Renix Cherokee.

Trouble started a couple of years ago in Harlan when I lost one cylinder. I had five perfectly good running cylinders and one that simply did not fire.  After some experimentation, I found that swapping the injector wiring around would move the dead cylinder.  Tracing the wiring back under the dash led me to replace the ECU.

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Adjusting the steering box on a Jeep XJ

How to tighten up the steering box on a Jeep Cherokee XJ.

The Jeep Cherokee uses a Saginaw steering box like many other vehicles. You could swap in one from a Chevy or a Durango if you wanted to change the steering ratio. I prefer to just keep the stock one.

To access the adjuster screw, you have to remove the electric fan. You can get more space by removing the air box but that is not entirely necessary.

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