Jeep Wrangler YJ - Adventures In DIY

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Jeep Wrangler YJ Free Online Repair Guide

I’m about to install a Superlift 1.5″ lift kit, the word Superlift seems pretty funny next to 1.5″. I’ll of course be following the instructions in that came with the kit, but in my search for all things free online I found that AutoZone.com has a good free repair guide for my 1993 YJ Wrangler.

From what it looks like AutoZone has put pieces of the Chilton Repair Manuals – Chilton Jeep Wrangler/YJ Repair Manual on their site. The down side is that you have to register with their site to get access to it. At least its out there.

Rebuilding Rear Drum Brakes On A Jeep Wrangler YJ – Installation

This is the second part of the drum brake replacement. There is another post for the removal of the drum brakes. For the installation parts I didn’t want to mess around with getting individual springs and shoes so I purchased an overhaul kit. Because this is part of the < $880 project I’m listing the cost below:

Rear Brake Overhaul Kit For Dana 35	$119.90
Shipping	14.99
Total	$134.89

Clean the backing plate with a brush or cloth.

Rear Brake Rebuild Kit

The kit I bought required me to press in the pin on the replacement shoe. Just look at the recently removed shoe to figure out which hole in the new shoe to press it in. Luckily I had a large vice to do this. Using a socket and the vice I put the pin in. I tried using a hammer but it didn’t work.

Aligning The Socket

Pressing In The Pin

I put the adjuster screw assembly and shoe spring to the new shoe.

Adjuster Screw Assembly and Shoe Spring

Install the parking brake strut and spring as your putting the the brake shoes on.

The alternative to this, because it can be kinda a pain is to install the screw assembly and shoe spring towards the end instead of the beginning.

Parking Brake Strut and Spring

Put the brake shoes on the backing plate, and install in place using the hold down springs and pins.

Installing Hold Down Springs and Pins

Reinstall the parking brake actuating bar and the spring between the parking brake lever and primary shoe.

Parking Brake Actuating Bar

Install the self adjusting cable, cable guide and upper return springs.

Self Adjusting Cable Guide Bottom View

Installing Self Adjusting Cable With Pliers

This is where you would alternatively lean and install the adjuster screw assembly.

Installing Upper Return Springs

I know there isn’t a self adjusting cable in the picture above. I messed up the first time around

Install the self adjusting cam and lowering spring with a pair of pliers.

Check the surface of the new shoes for any grease.

Install the drums.

Adjust the brakes by turning the star wheel outward till the brakes lock the drums. Back off the brakes until the drum spins free by holding the adjustment cam with a small screwdriver and turn the star wheel back.

Once the wheels are back on and both brakes are done, back the vehicle up several times to actuate the self adjusters.

Rebuilding Rear Drum Brakes On A Jeep Wrangler YJ – Removal

Remarkably I still had my original rear drum brakes from 1993 on my Jeep Wrangler. I figured the 15 year mark was the time to change them out. This is not a complete overhaul. I didn’t have to rebuild the wheel cylinders just replaced almost all the springs and brake shoes.

Jack up the vehicle and remove the tire being worked on.

Original Drum Brake

Remove the rear adjuster access plug on the rear drum backing plate and back off the star wheel. This allows the brakes to retract.

Rear Adjuster Plug

Accessing Rear Adjuster Plug

Turning Star Wheel

Remove the drum. There might be retaining spring nuts that have to come off, but mine didn’t have any.

Drum Removed

Old Drum Interior

Unhook and remove the return springs from the anchor pin.

Unhooking Return Springs

Removing Return Spring

NOTE: The cable guide for the adjuster cable comes off when both return springs are removed.

Remove the adjuster cable from the anchor pin.

Removing Adjuster Cable

Remove the shoe plate guide.

Remove Shoe Plate Guide

Disconnect the adjuster tension spring from the adjuster lever.

Disconnecting The Adjuster Tension Spring

NOTE:Take off the adjuster cable from the adjuster lever if it wasn’t removed in the previous steps. I took mine off when removing it from the anchor pin.

Remove the adjuster tension spring from the adjuster lever, and remove both from the brake shoe.

Removing Adjuster Tension Lever

Removing Spring From Shoe

Using a pair of needle nose pliers push in, turn and release the brake shoe hold down springs.

Positioning Pliers For Spring Removal

Push In And Turn To Release

NOTE:It might be necessary to push against the hold spring pin from the back of the drum brakes.

Removing the hold down springs and pins allows for the removal of the shoes and adjuster screw assembly. The shoes and screw assembly will come off as one piece.

Hold Down Spring Pin Removed

Old Brake Shoes Removed

Seat Repair On A Jeep Wrangler YJ

This falls under you might be a redneck if your idea of repairing a seat in your car is a roll of duct tape. I was laughing when doing this “upgrade / fix.” At first I wasn’t going to post this, but we all need a good laugh from time to time.

The seats, particularly the driver’s seat, were ripped. The driver’s seat was also missing a lot of foam. Unfortunately there isn’t enough money in the $880 project budget to purchase new seats. The idea was to patch up the seats and cover them with an inexpensive seat cover. Here’s the cost breakdown:

Roll of Duct tape	$5.00
Set of seat covers	35.00
Old towel	0
Total:	$40.00

First thing to do was clean the seats with some water to make sure the duct tape had a good surface to adhere to.

Cleaning Jeep Seats With Water

The first layer of tape was used to reinforce the area of the seat that got the most wear.

Layer Used To Reinforce The Seat

Finished First Layer

The second layer on the seat was applied 90 degrees to the first making sure to overlap on to the sides of the seat.

Second Layer Of Duct Tape

The real redneckidness comes when I had to fill in the missing foam from the driver’s seat. Only thing handy, and free, was an old towel. This was cut into varying sized strips and inserted where foam used to be. The duct tape was enough to hold it in place.

Redneck Foam Replacement Material

Lastly, a new set of cheap seat covers were installed. I can’t have my pants potentially sticking to the duct tape.

New Seat Covers

Installed Seat Covers

Hope everyone else had a good laugh ; )

Installing A Muffler And Tailpipe For A Jeep Wrangler YJ

As well as being part of my less than $880 Jeep project, I’d been putting off installing a new muffler for a couple of years now. Here is the run down for the parts cost of this install:

Tailpipe	$20.99
(2) 2 1/4″ Clamps	3.98
Dynomax Super Turbo Muffler	49.99
Shipping	10.00
Total	$84.96

New Muffler and Tailpipe

I wanted a little more room so I jacked up the side of the vehicle the tailpipe and muffler were on.

The nuts on the muffler and tailpipe clamp bolts were a little rusted on. A shot of WD40 and waiting for 5 minutes helped unlock the nuts a little.

WD40 Rusted Bolts and Nuts

Removing the tailpipe clamp near the tip of the tailpipe was pretty easy.

Removing Rear Tailpipe Bracket

Remove the clamp on the catalytic converter side of the muffler.

Removing Old Front Clamps

The other end of the tailpipe and muffler were welded together so there were no clamps to remove from there.

The tailpipe support near the muffler took a little more effort. A pair of channel locks allowed me to pinch the support in the middle to maneuver it out of the rubber holding pieces.

After disconnecting the hangers and clamps, I used a 4″ angle grinder to cut the old tailpipe from the muffler. Sorry no picture. There were too many sparks flying.

In order to more easily get the new tailpipe in place the passenger’s side of the vehicle was lowered and the driver’s side was raised.

Raising Driver’s Side Of Jeep