WellFedHobo's '48 CJ2A project (#158011)

I wouldn't doubt that some part of it was Omix, which is probably why the brass fitting doesn't seal. Everything else is fine, no leaks, it's just the master cylinder...

dasvis wrote: Make sure the flare nuts are long enough to thread in & push the flared tubing against the seat. If you use too short of nut it won’t.  They do make different length nuts.

Could be the incorrect flare angle on one of the parts.

With the master cylinder now apparently being defective and leaking out the back, I'm honestly feeling extremely defeated. I've been working on this thing for 2 years and I haven't been able to drive it once. And after how much money in new parts that I've put into it, it's a sunk cost fallacy at this point. That's why the Jeep is named "Sunk Cost Fallacy". I've got to stop throwing money at it at some point. It has been nothing but failure after failure after failure lately. The transmission case got cracked, the new tube in the spare tire failed, the spare tire carrier just doesn't fit (omix, go figure...), the brake lines won't seal right, and now the master cylinder is crap (and it's probably omix). I'm pretty much ready to give up on it. My goal was to have it driving so I could drive it up to my polling place and vote. But that's not going to happen at this rate. 

Don’t get down on your project. This is often how they go. My first restoration took eight years with all kinds of issues. My second took a year extra because of the idiots at the paint, engine and tuners. You will be happy and proud when it is done. Keep plugging on. You are almost there.

Edited by Steelyard Blues - 05 Nov. 2022 at 12:17am

I needed a morale boost after the past week for a number of reasons so I worked on a few last minute items and got the Jeep running again. It helps if you remember to tighten down EVERY OIL LINE.... but I got it figured out pretty quickly. I realized that there wasn't a lot of stuff stopping me from running it. I just can't drive it because it can't stop on the steep hills of my neighborhood or my driveway. 

It's running extremely rich based on the exhaust smell. It's rich enough to burn your eyes if you are standing behind it. I'm wondering if it's something like a weak spark due to worn out points and condenser. The coil, plugs, and wires are new but I still haven't gotten around to replacing the cap, rotor, points, and condenser. Not sure if it's incomplete combustion or what. The carb theoretically shouldn't need to be adjusted but I can go that route soon.

New master cylinder is in. This one is from Joe's Motor Pool.  We'll see if it's better than the one I had. The pre-formed lines I had ordered don't fit all that well but with some extra bends, I think it'll work. I ran out of daylight and energy and I don't know if I'll have time to bleed them and check for leaks tomorrow but if the weather is good, I hate to jinx myself but I might actually be able to drive it soon.

Yes you need to lock the hubs to get the front wheels to spin.  Shifting the transfer case into 4WD (either low or high) connects the front driveshaft to the trans so the engine can spin the driveshaft.  But the front hubs connect the front wheels to the front axle.  Both ends need to be connected for it to drive.