Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I am a retired mechanical engineer. I pretty much understand the mechanical parts of the TJ. I'm just at a point in my life where I just don't do my own work anymore.
In my state, they don't even do the emission test anymore. They just plug into the OBD to see if the car will tell on it's self.
Terry
I installed shorter straps that I ordered of Ebay, and that seems to resolve my problem. It may work for you too. The company’s name is Jeepxtras, and they sell these straps as well as other things on Ebay all the time.
Glen
-twylie
-Paul
We are thinking about going to the Camp Jeep in CA in August, but did not know how that was handled. If I need to take my family tent or a trailer of some type, it will affect which Jeep I take (I don't want to pay for 2 jeeps, just one). My wife doesn't want to offroad the WJ anyway, but we may need it for hauling gear since we ALL know how good the TJ is at hauling lots of gear for a family of 4.
-Paul
Paul - Why am I not surprised to hear you have taken over your daughter's TJ? I always wondered just who you bought that vehicle for - it seemed like you certainly had a great time playing with it. Did you ever get over to Hungry Valley?
greenjeep - Love the sound of your new ride! Wish I could get a Rubicon, but I'm thinking about the Unlimited at this point.
I think Paul would find things to fix on it so he could take it out for test runs. :-)
mtngal, nope, haven't gotten to HV OHV yet. She still wants to go. Maybe once I get a few things on the Jeep (bumpers and skids), I'll take the Jeep and the kids to HV to play, hopefully before Camp Jeep in August.
It still has a slight oil leak that I can't find (I think it is coming from the back of the valve cover that I can't tighten very well). Anybody know what tool to use to get back there to tighten those nuts with the long bolt? My socket set is too short to slide down the bolt to tighten the nut, let alone have room to turn it.
I sat in the back of an unlimited last week. I'm 5'11". No problems once I got back there. Still a squeeze behind the seat. With the seat adjusted how I'd drive, I had plenty of knee room, but lacked some of the foot room. Lotsa storage in back.
-Paul
I'm sure TSJAY may have a thing or two to say about tops.
BTW you will love the Rubi it has every option that I am "building" into my Sahara.
David
I test drove the unlimited last week and liked the extra room for gear. This would eliminate the need for my safari rack and the high CG that goes along with it.
It's interesting to note that it appears Jeep has changed the tailgate hinges.I wonder if the new ones will support more weight for larger tires?
David
I'm shocked to see myself type that given how much I love my rubi!!
Greenjeep, welcome aboard. I have taken the top off only once, definitely not something you want to do by yourself. A hoist like David suggested is probably the way to go (I know I'll be heading that route one of these days). It's finally warming up enough to give that softtop a try! :-)
Andrew
I just bought a 99 burgundy / tan hard top.
So far, I love it. I've wanted one for about as long as I can remember.
This is my first posting to this board and wanted to get your advice on security items.
I see that there are quite a few options out there. A few that I'm considering are ; locking gas cap, locking nuts for the full hard doors, and hood lock.
Do you feel that any of these are necessary? Or am I just being paranoid?
I definitely want a soft top, but am pretty confused. I see a ton of used tops on ebay.
I've read that the sailcloth is great, but I don't see any options to buy the sailcloth w/ all the hardware.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks, Dan
With gas going over $2.10 a gallon I'm thinking that a locking gas cap might be an idea, though I live in such an off-the-beaten-track spot I'm not worried at night, and at work the parking structures are patrolled occasionally and certainly have people wandering around all the time. I used to have a locking gas cap on an old pickup I had (dual tanks) and they were always a bother.
I wouldn't bother with anything more for the doors, especially if you put a soft top on. Your best bet there (if theft is a problem in your area) is not to leave anything in your vehicle and leave it unlocked (so they don't cut your top).
I have a hard top so can't answer anything about soft tops.
This is all just my opinion and probably reflect that fact I live in a fairly safe area.
Glen
For security, I have a "club" device locked across the steering wheel for some "peace of mind". I own a soft top with full doors. Basically I feel if the crook wants it, they get it, no matter what is installed to deter their criminal mind. I also have locking lug nuts installed. No matter what vehicle I owned, I've installed them. Back in 1984, I had a '77 Chevette that had all four new wheels "removed". At least he was nice and installed his old ones.
I still get a chuckle when I think about me standing next to my car trying to figure why I had bald tires... and this was done on a US Army post.
Fred
Congratulations for buying a JEEP.
I recently bought my Wrangler and have / am dealing with the same concerns of security you are. First, keep in mind that my distrust comes because I am a peace officer who deals with the best and brightest society as to offer, and my Altama was stolen out of my driveway last year, only two months after buying it (both of these together makes me a little more paranoid then most people).
With that said I had the locking gas cap put on (the cap that is keyed to the ignition), not because I m worried about someone taking gas out, but putting something other than gas in (some people get a little mad when you take them to jail—although I have had people thank me). Additionally, I use the “Club” on the steering wheel. I am still planning to get the hood lock, and maybe Lo-Jack. As far as the rest of the security I have the following OPINION:
a) If you have a soft top lock the console and glove box.
b) Don’t keep valuable things in the Jeep. I would lock the doors with the soft top up; it may keep kids out of it. I do not fear that people will cut the top (as I did with Mustang) because the windows just unzip removing the need to cut the top (Although I found criminals are usually not the brightest and may cut your top without thinking of unzipping the window But they may do that if you doors are unlock too).
c) Locks for the doors may be nice (I have not though about that before) but I would be more worried that they will still the whole car.
d) Wheel locks are probably a good Idea, considering what some off road tires cost.
You should take some security measures to protect your jeep. But, in reality it does not matter what you do, if some wants to steal you vehicle they are going to, no mater what you have done to protect it. Something I learned long ago is that locks keep honest people honest. Insure your Jeep and just INJOY it, and try not to worry about the what ifs.
I hope this helps as you consider your options.
Glen
Wheel locks are a must!
Tuffy Security console
Tuffy glove box
Remove valuables (even leave them out of the tuffy's when possible).
When installing stereo stuff, install as stock as possible to not allude to what's really installed. I remove the face plate when not in the car.
I have a half top and half doors. I rarely lock the doors.
-Paul
I live in the OVERpopulated North East and we seem to have more than our share of dishonest people. I'm pretty sure I'm going to put the locking gas cap and hood latch...they're relatively cheap and it would give me some peace of mind. I like the idea of the locking lug nuts too. I may install an alarm too.
I guess the bottomline is to keep all valuables
out of the Jeep. People will steal anything not nailed to the floor.
Thanks again.
I'm getting caught up with what's been going on around here while I was gone.
Good to have both of you. Post often.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
out of the Jeep. People will steal anything not nailed to the floor............"
Exactly! My advice (the opposite of an earlier poster) is to leave your doors unlocked if you have a soft top. There's always a chance that they may try the handle before slicing into your top. Also, not only leave the glove box and console unlocked, but leave them open as well, so they can be seen to be empty.
Finally, don't leave anything that even looks as if it may be valuable. A colleague just had his truck side window broken so that someone could get to an old bank envelope that he'd left tucked under the sunvisor! This was in broad daylight in a company parking lot.
I would love to catch somebody in the act of breaking into my vehicle.
My other vehicle, a Cherokee, (which I'm trying to sell) was broken into a few years back. They stole my stereo. When I discovered it in the morning, I had so much adrenaline rushing through me it's probably a good thing I didn't catch them.
Dan
However, if someone tried to break into my Noble Black Steed (my name for our '98 black Wrangler) I'd be super upset!
Just curious if anyone knows if the soft top on my 03 tj will fit on my father-inlaws 99 Tj. I know over the past few years there has been slight changes in the top but there was the largest change in 03. Thanks in advance for any feedback.-scott
Oh officially I strongly recommend that you leave crime fighting to the professionals. Besides, with the courts of today if you hurt the crook he/she may sue you and end up owning your home.
And if you think the Northeast is overcrowded try living is Southern California.
I was trying to installl a Lockright locker in the front differential on Thelma Jane, and it is necessary to slide the axles out a few inches, so the chunk can be removed.
I was removing the hub bearing bolts, and I got two of the three removed without trouble. Oh, they were really hard to break loose, but I got 'em.
Then, that third one was REALLY hard to break loose. I used a cheater pipe for more leverage, and I got just a tiny bit of turn on the bolt, accompanied by a metallic groan. After a few of these, I got a "SNAP!" Well, guess what? You got it... Old Dummy was turning the bolt the wrong way! How in the world could a guy get two bolts out without any trouble deciding which way they needed to be turned and then screw up the third one?
These bolts threaded from behind with respect to my position, so I had to remember to reverse the "lefty loosey, righty tighty" thing. I managed to do that just fine for two bolts, but I guess I was having a CRI (cranial-rectal inversion) on the third one.
Old people should not be allowed to have tools!
Oh, the Lockright is in, but I can't finish the job until I get a new bolt. I called a wheelin' Bud to come bail me out on the job after I broke that bolt. It wasn't a big deal to get the broken part of the bolt out of the hub, once the hub was out of the steering knuckle.
Getting that chunk to come out of the diff housing was a bear, and I am sure glad my Bud was there. He's a good mechanic, but even he had a hard time.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
If you look at Bestop's information on their tops, they seem to indicate that a 97TJ and 03TJ all have the same part number (except for colors). When I installed my new sailcloth top on my 97 TJ SE, all I had to do was unsnap the old top and loosen the screws on the header and install the new one.
Best thing to do... try it. If he doesn't have the soft top hardware, you will need to buy it or take it from your TJ. Mounting points should all be the same (on the back of the vertical roll cage bar).
-Paul
It's when you make the same mistakes over and over that you might want to worry about the onset of 'senior' problems!
;--)
Making you feel better yet? All these goofs were before I got out of high school aside from the plug incident. Biggest lessons I've learned are to take your time, have the right tools, and just walk away for a bit when you get frustrated. I think you've done a great job in your mods to Thelma Jane and I'm very impressed with the way you've jumped into both Jeeping and wrenching.
Similar to golf in that we all hit them in the woods now and again, but the guys to watch and learn from are the ones that make good recoveries from bad spots. Sounds like bewtween your bud and some more time and effort, you'll be back up again in short order.
laughing at myself,
-twylie
I almost didn't attempt the '98 Wrangler dash gauge fix myself - right before I was ready to try it a co-worker gave me an article about backyard mechanics stripping bolts and screws, and how expensive it is to drill them out. When I finally got up enough nerve to try it myself on my Noble Black Steed, I took apart something I didn't need to take apart. If I had read the next line in the instructions I would have realized I was in the wrong place, but I didn't until after I had taken the other piece apart. When it came to putting things back together, that part was the hardest to put back, and what took the most time. So if ever you want to know how NOT to do something, just ask me!
You've all been kind and tried to make me not feel like the "Lone Ranger," and I appreciate it.
You know, so many mistakes could be avoided with just a tiny bit of common sense. Oh well, live and learn.
I have re-installed the axle, hub, brake rotor, and brake calipers on the passenger side, put the passenger side tire back on, Permatexed the diff cover and re-installed it, and have gone as far as I can on the drivers side until I get the new bolt. It oughta be a pretty quick job to finish the drivers side and fill the diff with gear oil.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
The past week was a breeze! I don't want to get too cocky, but I am actually beginning to believe I can do this!
Once again, thanks to all of you for your support.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Finally got the air conditioning in my Noble Black Steed recharged. They didn't find any leaks so that's good. I'm now thinking of selling the Taco as soon as I get the pink slip and just going with the Wrangler as an only vehicle for a couple of months. I'm still not sure what I should get, since everything is a compromise for me.
Car shopping is lots of fun for me when I'm not in a position to buy (love to go and look). But now that it is getting really close to being practical to buy, I remember how much I really dislike talking to (some types of) car salesmen and all types of finance people!
Great stories of wrenching gone bad. Haven't had much chance to do anything quite yet but the plan is to do as much as possible by myself. To that end I have gotten my hands on, and printed out, the FSM (that took a while). Buffy now has 4000 Km on her and I'm still loving the experience. Yesterday I checked the diffs and t-case fluids for contamination and it's all looking good. Was curious about whether or not to use sealant on the plugs... the FSM doesn't mention it, a service guy at the dealership said they don't use any... yet when I took the plugs out you can see it was used at the factory. Hmmmm... just to be safe, I cleaned out the old stuff and re-applied it - can't do any harm, can it??
Mtngal, the salesmen don't tend to be that bad unless you're looking at used cars. It's the finance people that are the real spin doctors!
Andrew
Look at the DC "Crossfire" it is a sweet automobile (and I’m not a Chrysler fan), unless you need more than a 2 seater. Other good vehicles that I like are the Altama and the Accord.
Glen
At the moment my choices are the Wrangler Unlimited, one of the Subarus, or the Element. One thing - I was disappointed about the Unlimited only coming with an auto tranny. I still think I'd be better off driving a manual. I may go back and look at a couple of the other mini-SUVs again, just because I haven't looked at them in a couple of years. While I don't strictly need AWD/4x4 as long as I have the Wrangler, it would be nice to have the choice in the winter.
Good that you've got it recharged and working............ bad that you picked a less than professional a/c tech.
You should not discard the idea of the Unlimited just because it has the automatic. Growing up, living with my Uncle, we only had 4X4’s with autos. In fact my uncle held the same view of off roading with the manual that many on this board have about the auto. Being someone that has driven 4X4’s with autos and manuals, I am leaning toward the auto as being the better way to go (the 4 speed). The auto I have in Ellie’mae has impressed me so far. This summer I plan to taker out and really test the tranny.
I like the control I have (I know some of you hard core manual users are spitting right now) without having to worry about stalling the engine, or burning out the clutch. I use Ellie’mae to pull a trailer and she does it without even a groan. And the fuel economy does not seem to be any worse than a manual, from what I have seen on this board, I getting just under 19 mpg (18.7 usually).
Glen
Yesterday I tried to slip a small 1/2" tubing into the tank to siphon the gas but was unable to get it all the way down in the tank. Does the factory put something in there to keep people from siphoning the fuel out?
I want to reduce the weight as much as I can before dropping the tank. My TJ is a 2002 model.
Any help is appreciated.
dewars
The sport has the stronger Dana 44 axle while the X has the Dana 35 axle.
The 44 is generally stronger and can handle more forces on it. This is not to say that the 35 is a weak axle. The 44 just handles more forces. I have seen an X doing some pretty good stuff, but if you have axle hop, say over larger rocks (like river rocks), you could really spin the tires, and when they hit the ground, snap a 35.
Other than that, there really isn't a whole lot different. Maybe a few of the packages are a bit different, but the main technological diff is the diff.
-Paul
How hard is it to drop anyway?
I have seen siphoning kits that do about a gallon and a half per minute (check out 4wd.com's parts). I don't know of anything that would be in the way.
-Paul
Subies are very nice, just depends on what you plan on using them for. Definitely not as off-road capable as a Jeep, but then you know that. Have you looked at an Xterra? Capable and have a great consumer report rating. Elements are kinda funky looking (imho), but the configurable interior is a nice feature.
Not all salesmen are knowledgeable, and some are downright misleading. None should be condescending though... The guy I bought Buffy from was pretty good, but with the information gleaned from the net I was able to stump him with some questions. Of course, he has to know something about pretty well any Jeep and Chrysler product, so I couldn't expect him to know every little detail.
Andrew
Glen - I agree with you that an auto is better in some off-road situations, especially on sand. It is much easier to spin the tires with a manual. However, this vehicle is for commuting and I'll use the 4x4 system for getting through the snow in the winter. So I need a tranny that won't blink at climbing the Grapevine every day - I went through 2 auto trannys in an old Nissan Hardbody pickup right after I moved up on the hill. We recently rented an Xterra for a couple of days (including a trip to Vegas) and I was disappointed in how it handled the Grapevine - it seemed to hunt more than I thought would be healthy for a tranny (it got left in Vegas because the brakes didn't always release the gear shift and we had visions of not being able to get it out of park when we stopped in Baker, CA). I wasn't any more impressed with the Focus we actually drove home in and I don't want to talk about the Neon that never made it out of Vegas...
The only drawback is that you cannot get the Dana 44 rear end in the X model, as Paul said above.
If you want to do moderate to severe off roading, a Dana 44 should be a "must have" option.
Paul implied that you get a Dana 44 automatically, if you get a Sport. This is not true: you CAN get a Dana 44 as an option, but the Dana 35 is still the standard rear end in a Sport.
There used to be a package called AAS that got you the real nice wheels (Ravines now, but Canyons when I got Thelma Jane), gas shocks, 30" tires, and a Dana 44 rear axle for $850.00. That's a steal for all you get!!! Plus, those factory Goodyear Wrangler GSA 30" tires bring a real nice trade-in at some tire stores, if you want to go to 31 x 10.50 Muds or All Terrains. (A stock TJ will handle 31 x 10.50 tires).
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
In other words, buying a Sport doesn't guarantee you a D44.
;--)
(Edit: I think Tom just beat me to it!)
Probably best to drive until it's empty. As soon as the level drops the leak will stop anyway.
erickpl: The tank comes out easily. Just remember to disconnect the wiring and pipes as soon as you can reach them, and without straining anything.
He had no intention of doing any real wheelin' with that Jeep, but one morning he was on his way to LBL (where Turkey Bay, the place I go off roading, is located) with the intention of just driving around some of the many old roads that can be found there. He had his family with him, and they were just out for a ride in the new Jeep.
Well, they saw Thelma Jane and the two other Jeeps that were hooked up with me on our way to Turkey Bay. I beeped the horn and waved at the guy as we passed him.
The dude fell in behind us and followed us into Turkey Bay. Naturally, I invited him to hit the trails with us.
He was happy to join us, and we took the boy out on the trails and showed him some REAL wheelin'.
HE WAS HOOKED! (Just like I was the first time I tried it).
Within less than 48 hours after his first wheelin' experience, he had traded in those sissy GSA tires for some 31 x 10.50 BFG Muds. (I had told him about the good trade in he could get and where to go to get the new tires.)
Within less than two weeks, the boy had an OME lift put on that Jeep!
Now, the rest of the story...
He regrets that he didn't get a Rubicon, since he is so hyped on wheelin'. He wishes he had at least gotten a Sport with the Dana 44 rear end option.
It's not that you cannot wheel a Jeep with a Dana 35, but it does limit you in the tire size you might want to run, and it makes adding a locker a much greater risk than if you had a 44.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?