General Tech What did you work on Today?
- Thread starter Gravy
- Start date
- Location
- West Bountiful, UT
Mine do it hot or cold and it doesn't ever stop.
But, yeah, I kind of thought it possible it was some kind of internal stiction breaking loose at first. But I do think mine are the pins though.
After sleeping on it some more, I think I will try some BPE's eventually. Need to figure out what bushings I want to use. Will start with a call to Tera to see if they can give me the dimensions of the bushings. Maybe find out how much a pair without bar pins would cost from them (shocks are still under warranty but I doubt they would warranty for clunking...). But I think I'd like to try and find better ones than they use if I'm going to mess with replacing them.
Googling around last night, looks like this is pretty common on Falcons once they get about 10K miles on them.
- DAA
But, yeah, I kind of thought it possible it was some kind of internal stiction breaking loose at first. But I do think mine are the pins though.
After sleeping on it some more, I think I will try some BPE's eventually. Need to figure out what bushings I want to use. Will start with a call to Tera to see if they can give me the dimensions of the bushings. Maybe find out how much a pair without bar pins would cost from them (shocks are still under warranty but I doubt they would warranty for clunking...). But I think I'd like to try and find better ones than they use if I'm going to mess with replacing them.
Googling around last night, looks like this is pretty common on Falcons once they get about 10K miles on them.
- DAA
- Location
- West Haven, UT
- Location
- West Haven, UT
Saturday was preventive maintenance or scheduled maintenance day on the wife’s Acura TL.
Timing belt, water pump, idlers, hydraulic tensioner, serpentine belt and tensioner pulley all were replaced.
Removed lower cover to expose the harmonic balancer.
The official Honda/Acura tool will work to hold the crankshaft for removal.
Or you can use a socket with more mass and an impact gun. A standard impact socket generally won’t work due to not enough mass. I used a 3/4” drive 3/4” deep impact and it zipped right out.
Next remove the 7 shoulder bolts holding the lower cover on as well as the serpentine belt tensioner assembly.
Remove the front and rear upper belt covers.
Turn the engine over until all of the timing marks align.
You may have to use a mirror to verify the rear cam marks as they are hard to see from above.
Using some marking paint sometimes helps.
The motor mount must be removed prior to removing the belt, tensioner and idlers.
Hydraulic tensioner removed.
Parts removed.
Water pump removed and ready to start reassembly.
New belt going back into place.
After pulling the pin on the hydraulic tensioner turn the crank over a couple of revolutions to verify the marks.
At this point I like to start the engine and let it run briefly to determine if everything is ok.
Everything reassembled and ready to install the engine covers, tires/wheels and clean up the shop.
Old parts boxed up for disposal.
Here is the Aisin Kit part number if anyone needs it for the Honda/Acura “J” Engine.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
Timing belt, water pump, idlers, hydraulic tensioner, serpentine belt and tensioner pulley all were replaced.
Removed lower cover to expose the harmonic balancer.
The official Honda/Acura tool will work to hold the crankshaft for removal.
Or you can use a socket with more mass and an impact gun. A standard impact socket generally won’t work due to not enough mass. I used a 3/4” drive 3/4” deep impact and it zipped right out.
Next remove the 7 shoulder bolts holding the lower cover on as well as the serpentine belt tensioner assembly.
Remove the front and rear upper belt covers.
Turn the engine over until all of the timing marks align.
You may have to use a mirror to verify the rear cam marks as they are hard to see from above.
Using some marking paint sometimes helps.
The motor mount must be removed prior to removing the belt, tensioner and idlers.
Hydraulic tensioner removed.
Parts removed.
Water pump removed and ready to start reassembly.
New belt going back into place.
After pulling the pin on the hydraulic tensioner turn the crank over a couple of revolutions to verify the marks.
At this point I like to start the engine and let it run briefly to determine if everything is ok.
Everything reassembled and ready to install the engine covers, tires/wheels and clean up the shop.
Old parts boxed up for disposal.
Here is the Aisin Kit part number if anyone needs it for the Honda/Acura “J” Engine.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
rholbrook
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Kaysville, Ut
I was just thinking about doing this on my daughters MDX. It was spring I may have done it with a warmer garage but I like the write up Mike. Maybe next 100K miles.
- Location
- West Haven, UT
It's not what I would call a difficult or hard job by any means Russ. It is a bit time consuming because of everything that has to be moved out of the way to gain access, and even then access is quite limited. I also wasn't in a hurry so I took my time, even rolled the engine over a few times after the new belt was installed just to be sure there were no issues, which I usually do on most all timing belt jobs anyways.
If someone has not done a timing belt before these J engines are pretty simple as far as timing belts go.
Mike
- Location
- West Haven, UT
I received a call from the powder coater yesterday so I picked up the bumper parts for my son’s WJ after work.
We then started to build a small skid or guard for the windshield washer bottle on the driver’s side.
We then commenced the fabrication of the sliders by building the mounting points.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
We then started to build a small skid or guard for the windshield washer bottle on the driver’s side.
We then commenced the fabrication of the sliders by building the mounting points.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
- Location
- West Haven, UT
Me too. Unfortunately we are focused on getting the sliders fabricated and a rear hoop for the storage area so they can be sent off to powder coating before we will actually install the bumper. Trying to have it pretty much completed for our club run in March as he is anxious to get it back on the trails and road.
Mike
XJEEPER
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Highland Springs
My daughter-in-law asked if I could build her a unique wedding arch for their reception, so we sketched out a rough design and then went to work.
She wanted a mix of wood and copper, so poplar and 1" tubing seemed to fit well. Base brackets are 3/16" plate and 3/4" pipe, which fits snugly inside 1" copper tubing.
We needed the arch to be sturdy, but also be able to break down easily for transport. This is the design that I came up with to mount the arch peak, using some spare tubing and strap.
I mounted this bracket to the peak backer, which is 1/8" plywood. I drilled holes in the bracket and used flush furniture bolts to mount the bracket to the plywood, before attaching strips of poplar to the the face.
Using a finish nailer, I attached the poplar to the plywood, filled the holes and then applied a light whitewash stain, then a couple of coats of matte clear. Once the clear was dry, I masked the edges and blacked out the rear of the peak.
I then fabbed up offset mounts for the stabilizers. This design worked out quite well for both stability and ease of setup and teardown. Before assembly, I cleaned and then brushed the copper tubing with scotchbrite to get rid of the shiny finish.
My son and daughter in law didn't see the final product until they arrived at their reception, which was a cool surprise. They were quite pleased with the end result and I've since had several people ask to rent it for upcoming weddings, so this arch might get more use in the near future. It was a fun project that brought lots of smiles.
She wanted a mix of wood and copper, so poplar and 1" tubing seemed to fit well. Base brackets are 3/16" plate and 3/4" pipe, which fits snugly inside 1" copper tubing.
We needed the arch to be sturdy, but also be able to break down easily for transport. This is the design that I came up with to mount the arch peak, using some spare tubing and strap.
I mounted this bracket to the peak backer, which is 1/8" plywood. I drilled holes in the bracket and used flush furniture bolts to mount the bracket to the plywood, before attaching strips of poplar to the the face.
Using a finish nailer, I attached the poplar to the plywood, filled the holes and then applied a light whitewash stain, then a couple of coats of matte clear. Once the clear was dry, I masked the edges and blacked out the rear of the peak.
I then fabbed up offset mounts for the stabilizers. This design worked out quite well for both stability and ease of setup and teardown. Before assembly, I cleaned and then brushed the copper tubing with scotchbrite to get rid of the shiny finish.
My son and daughter in law didn't see the final product until they arrived at their reception, which was a cool surprise. They were quite pleased with the end result and I've since had several people ask to rent it for upcoming weddings, so this arch might get more use in the near future. It was a fun project that brought lots of smiles.
Last edited:
- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
Yellow door is the wife’s input.... Lynds and I are not sure we are fans. 
I’d call this 90% done? Needs trim, some screen or panels to keep the hornets out and some kind of approach to the door when I do the final grade.
House isn’t really my “work” but it’s coming along pretty well. Projected move in date is somewhere between April 15 and May 15. We’ll see how that turns out.
She’s got a big rear end.
I’d call this 90% done? Needs trim, some screen or panels to keep the hornets out and some kind of approach to the door when I do the final grade.
House isn’t really my “work” but it’s coming along pretty well. Projected move in date is somewhere between April 15 and May 15. We’ll see how that turns out.
She’s got a big rear end.
- Location
- West Bountiful, UT
Another attempt to Cure The Clunk this morning.
The bar pins came out of the bushings without any struggle or damage to the bushings.
So... I decided to leave those bushings in place and try the JKS BPE's.
And... No change. It wasn't the bar pins after all. It IS the shocks though. So at this point, I think I either just learn to live with the Clunkons or I part ways with them.
- DAA
The bar pins came out of the bushings without any struggle or damage to the bushings.
So... I decided to leave those bushings in place and try the JKS BPE's.
And... No change. It wasn't the bar pins after all. It IS the shocks though. So at this point, I think I either just learn to live with the Clunkons or I part ways with them.
- DAA
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Are the Falcons still under warranty? I'd highly recommend reaching out to the Teraflex customer service department, they're really good about making their customers happy.
- Location
- West Bountiful, UT
They are under warranty, and at some point before they are out of warranty I will call Teraflex. I did call them on Tues., to ask about bushing dimensions. They were going to send me out some JK Falcon bushings with bolt sleeves to try with BPE's. Said I should have them the next day. But, they haven't shown up yet so I went another direction.
But, I'm sure I'll call Teraflex again at some point. It's just the kind of issue, I envision being a royal PITA to deal with under warranty. And frankly, my limited experiences with Teraflex, in trying to get calls returned or emails answered, I'm not very impressed with their desire to make customers happy.
There is still a possibility, it's not the shocks. But the clunk goes away completely with both shocks removed and comes back with either one reinstalled. I suppose it's possible there is something besides the shocks, that only clunks when shocks are installed. I've got trips planned the next couple weeks, so it will probably be at least a few more weeks before I put the old Bilstein 5100s back on. I'll know for sure at that point if it's them or not. And if it is, I'll call Teraflex again.
- DAA
But, I'm sure I'll call Teraflex again at some point. It's just the kind of issue, I envision being a royal PITA to deal with under warranty. And frankly, my limited experiences with Teraflex, in trying to get calls returned or emails answered, I'm not very impressed with their desire to make customers happy.
There is still a possibility, it's not the shocks. But the clunk goes away completely with both shocks removed and comes back with either one reinstalled. I suppose it's possible there is something besides the shocks, that only clunks when shocks are installed. I've got trips planned the next couple weeks, so it will probably be at least a few more weeks before I put the old Bilstein 5100s back on. I'll know for sure at that point if it's them or not. And if it is, I'll call Teraflex again.
- DAA
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
- Location
- West Bountiful, UT
Yeah, the mount holes haven't wallowed at all. The shoulders on the original bolts were a bit worn, but I replaced them with new 12mm shoulder bolts.
- DAA
what are the chances the clunk is from the shock fully extending? Do these shocks have rebound adjustment? I would be curious if they do if you adjusted the rebound all the way to slow it as much as possible if that would effect it? If it does possibly putting the shock back to the preferred setting and using limit straps would resolve the issue. I’ve had this issue on a few custom suspensions of my own and that was the cause of my clunk. One my valving was way to fast in the the rear causing it to open up all the way on pot hole or speed bump and just tuning the shock properly resolved it and another was on the front and I ended up using a limit strap.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Good thinking... I ran limiting straps on my JKU with long arms, the straps were needed so I didn't over extended my shocks.
The Falcons actually have a negative spring inside them, when approaching fully extended the spring slows down the piston/shaft speed so there's not a big hit.
I don't think the 2.1's are adjustable, without cracking them open.