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Since I have recently bought my 00 Wrangler and it was designated as my 'weekend play toy', I don't intend to make it my primary vehicle. However, I am wondering what I could expect to get in terms of fuel usage. Any ideas? The first tank I tested got right at 17 mpg given the fact that drove it as a 'daily commuter' for the first week.
Thanks all - Chuck
Can you put an OEM radio from an '04 into a '98? The Sport has the basic radio and no sound bar, so I was thinking of getting an aftermarket soundbar and installing the OEM radio we took out of the Unlimited. It has an aux jack so I could hook up the Roady directly to the radio, instead of using the FM modulator (too many stations in Los Angeles interfere with it). I figured that adding the soundbar and re-doing the wiring would probably be necessary if I did this.
Or would it be cheaper to change the head to an XM ready radio and plug the Roady into that, leaving the radio speaker configuration alone. I'd like the soundbar and I thought it might not be too expensive if I used the radio I already have. However, if I have to get a new radio I'll skip the soundbar.
Any economical suggestions?
As far as MPG - so much depends on your personal driving habits and conditions. I routinely get 18 plus mpg on our commute (150 miles per day, 98% highway with a mix of slow and go and 65 mph involving about 6,000 feet elevation change) in the auto Unlimited, and around 20 in the '98 manual Sport. The one all city driving tank I had in the Unlimited was around 14 mpg. A couple of days ago when i was struggling through the backup from a major accident our mileage (it took us an extra hour and a half to get home) we got 17 mpg.
I can't see any problem in fitting an aftermarket soundbar and wiring things to suit, and I certainly wouldn't go to the expense of a new head unit just to connect it to the original basic speakers. However, you may have make some alterations to the dash, as the early head unit had square corners but the latest ones are more rounded.
Accuracy of the odometer (check with a GPS)
Fuel quantity used. You can't judge by the gauge, nor by when the gas station pump shuts off (I get an extra 2.5 gallons after that point). You must either keep track of gas used over several thousand miles, or fill to the neck each time.
Will you be offroading? Off road use will dramatically increase your consumption in mpg terms.
Auto or manual? Figure about 2-3mpg difference.
Will you use a/c? 1-2mpg on a 4.0.
Will you get it fully warmed up, or just make short trips?
Will you drive more 'enthusiastically' now it's a weekend toy?
You really can't do more that 'guestimate' your consumption from one tank, but if you did get 17mpg commuting that's truly excellent. I get an average of 14mpg from my '99 auto.............never less than 13, never more than 15............but with the original optimistic speedo gear I'd be getting 16-17! :surprise:
I built a hoist system with a crank to remove and replace the top, so that does not take me much time at all. The top hangs on the hoist in the garage when it is not on the jeep
When I remove the soft top I do the following:
1. I lay out a piece cloth on the drive way.
2. I remove the rear window and place it on top of the cloth.
3. I place another piece of cloth on top of the rear window.
4. I remove a side window and place it on top of the rear window.
5. I then place cloth on top of the side window.
6. I remove the other side window and lay it on top of the side window.
7. I place cloth on top and roll up all three windows, and then wrap the roll with a cover.
8. Then I lower the top and wrap it with a cover.
9. Unscrew the four screws that hold it on (thumb screws) pull it off and hand up in the garage.
10. Pull the door surrounds off and put them on a shelf.
11. Put a bolt threw the radio mount bar, holding it to the roll cage.
12. Finally, I back the Jeep up under the hard top, lower the top and tighten it down.
It could take me as much as 30 to 40 minutes in stead of the 20 minutes I originally quoted to reverse it and put the soft top on, I did not time it. However, I know it does not take me long to swap tops. I have done it many times. A few times I did twice in a week because of the weather or security concerns.
I am sure I am not as meticulous as you are. I put as much care as I can to preserve the windows, but I do not worry about dust getting through to the top.
Don't get me wrong, I take pretty good care of my Jeep. I just dont go to the lengths of everyone else, on this board, when it comes to the soft top windows.
The little bit of dust that collects during the winter comes right off in the spring.
-Dan
1. Would the Jeep have enough power to negotiate mountain roads? Being old and retired, we are never in a hurry (don't you just love those drivers) so slow is ok.
2. I know I would need a class 3 hitch and a tranny cooler with filter kit, but is there anything else I would need?
3. Are we crazy for even exploring this possibility?
Any information anyone might have on this topic would be greatly appreciate.
So, 1: Yes, plenty of power, just use reasonable caution when coming down those mountains in the rain. Remember also that in high winds the large surface area of the trailer will have a disproportionate effect on your Jeep, so keep it slow.
2: The tranny cooler and filter are very important, and the filter adapter will allow you to easily fit a transmission temperature gauge. Be sure to fit it on the flow line to the cooler rather than the return. Also, fit the aftermarket cooler after the factory one. Additionally, you should use synthetic or semi-synthetic oil in the diffs, as recommended by Jeep.
3: No, just don't forget have a trailer behind you, and pull over from time to time let the line of traffic behind you go past.
the actual connectors between the radio and the wiring harness are different between a 1998 and a 2004. mopar does make an adapter, so this shouldn't be an issue. really the only other part you will need is the center bezel itself, which you can get cheap on ebay (it attaches the same way as pre-03 bezels). otherwise, all screw holes are the same. good luck!! :shades:
This confirms what we had always thought, the Sport does get about 2 mpg more than the Unlimited.
Now we're thinking about adding the sport bar and a new radio - it isn't all that much to add a third unit to our XM account, and my other half hates having wires that have to detached and re-attached all the time. He knows I'm not about to give up listening to the Roady at the office. And if we don't get a top of the line head unit, I think we could do it for about what we spent on the Unlimited's Alpine head that had the XM tuner built in. Does anyone have any thoughts about where to mount an XM tuner, now that the new ones seem to be much smaller than the old ones? I was thinking that there might be room behind the dash, rather than mounting one under the seat (the Sport has been known to leak but not recently).
When I did the XM stuff for my Wrangler back in January, I mounted the antenna box on the sidewall right next to the passenger feet area. The Alpine connecter (This was a universal one from XM) I stuck above the glove box to the bottom of the airbag box/holder. That then ran to the Alpine HU.
Why don't you just get another integrated XM Alpine tuner?
-Paul
Harlan
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-gL2CWvQHTgn/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=247450&I=130DEHP47D
You can control XM or Sirius with this head unit. I haven't subscribed to satelite yet, so I can't really give a review on how well it controls the satelite info. It's $250 on Crutchfield. Not sure how that compares to the Alpine. I'm guessing it would be another $100 to add the XM modulator. just a thought
-Dan
Terry
http://www.off-road.com/jeep/tech/deathwobble/
http://www.off-road.com/jeep/questions/2004_01/
http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/29619/
http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/dw.html
http://www.timkennedy.net/jeep/index.php
http://www.ultimatejeep.com/News/article/sid=141.html
-Mike
I just don't want to remove and paint my flares only to discover the "hidden bummer factor*" - - being that some important mountings pieces are AWOL. Or, maybe I'm worrying about a non-issue. Either way, I know I'm not the first to remove and replace the flares..... so I appreciate the knowledge of experienced others!
* HBF - thanks to author Dave Barry
Y.H!
Gary
Thanks for your expression of sympathy concerning my loss of my best bud. I just hope I can learn to enjoy wheelin' without him. I have been twice since he died, and it just isn't the same. Have you checked out the website I made for Ross Allen?
http://home.earthlink.net/~tsjay53/
Welcome to Edmunds Jeep Wrangler! Good to have you with us. Just make yourself at home.
Glad you have discovered the joy of Jeep ownership! I can surely understand why you are enjoying your Wrangler more than you enjoyed any other vehicle. It has been the same for me.
Your leak MIGHT be caused by lack of a seal where the heater box goes through the firewall. That is a VERY common problem on Wranglers. Somehow the water collected in the cowl runs down the firewall to the heater box and then into the cabin. Pull back your passenger side carpet that covers the firewall and see if the inside of the firewall and/or the back side of the carpet are wet.
You can have the dealer fix it under warranty, but if you have already identified the source of the leak and pass it on to the service writer, it might save you a trip or two back to the dealer.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
I must say that even though all of my three Jeeps have had a version of the Inline 6 (258, then 96 4.0, and now the new 4.0) I have always been really fascinated by all the projects (especially editor Hazel's project) in Jp magazine using a 4-cylinder and a stick. Even with tires up to 35". It seems like a smaller four-cylinder can be made to be the perfect engine for this vehicle. Since I'm sort of a crack-addict for Jeeps, I'll probably trade if they do come out with the 4-cylinder diesel in the new Wrangler. It's done so well in the Liberty, that it might be the perfect motor. All you Wrangler owners, just IMAGINE 28 MPG on the hwy! I could have my cake in the mud and eat it too, so to speak.
Anyway, here's a pic. This is in the field behind my homestead...
I'm coining a new phrase: "What woud Tom do?" A helpful mantra in any situation.
-Mike
We've been driving the old manual Sport this past week and it definitely gets about 2 mpg better than the auto Unlimited. So we'll be commuting in it for a while, and leaving the much newer Unlimited for the weekend chores.
I figured out several years ago that slowing down to 65 gave me much better gas mileage, so that hasn't changed for us. What amazes me is the number of people on the freeways who either haven't figured out that slowing down some saves money, or else don't care. Perhaps when your commute is already about an hour and a half, an extra 5-10 minutes longer is not a big deal.
Has anyone else made changes to their lives/driving habits? Or are we the only ones still suffering from huge prices at the gas pump?
Not only do you save gas, but you rarely have to overtake anyone, so the trip is much more relaxing.
You are definitely not alone!
tidester, host
Y.H!
G
Terry
I read somewhere about glass seal clips... what are theses and if I do need them how many and where do they go.... thanks in advance....
sandman
That is a very touching website! I thank the Lord too for blessing me with the companionship of my dog Bailey whom I still have. Thanks for the advice...I dropped it off this morning so hopefully they can fix it. If and when you are ready to hit the trails again, let me know...I am also from Big Blue land
-Rob
-Rob
Saw the Jeep Commander while I was there. It looks a lot better in person than in the pics...
I also have a new LJ, but I'm not experiencing the shifting problems you describe. Mine is geared differently (Rubi) which I suppose could account for the difference, but I don't recall others reporting the same issue here. Have you had the dealer check it? Mac?
Mark
Just being picky, but to avoid confusion for others, the SE isn't available with a 4.0 option. The SE comes with a 2.4 I4, period...........all other Wranglers currently come with the 4.0 I6.
You're in KY? Great! GO BIG BLUE!
Let's try to set up a time to go wheelin'. My email is public in my profile here, or you can get it from Ross Allen's website. Holler at me.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
No help for ya, but I wanted to welcome you to Edmunds Jeep Wrangler. Glad you have joined us. Just make yourself at home.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Get the RME package and you get a D44 too.
-Paul
-Rob
Sounds great! I was planning on trying to make a run to Livingston or Slade before the year was up. I'll email ya'
-Rob
Of course, I should have said "I haven't checked for '06, but up to '05..............", but I didn't!