Jeep Wrangler

erickpl

okay.

I researched several brands, including MM, TMax, and Warn. For me to consider it, it had to be a name I knew (TMax was the exception).

In researching the facts about the winches, all seemed excellent and decent performers. However, it was the examples of failure or rescue that ultimately swayed me to the winch I got. TMax has the potential to be a great winch if they get the marketing down and get it out there for people to use. It's specs rival or beat Warn in many areas, but there is a HUGE unknown with them.

I am personally not willing to gamble with neither my or my Jeep's safety. If I'm in a pickle, I want to know the tools I'm using will help protect, save, and extricate me reliably. THAT is why I chose Warn. Their warranty is by far the BEST in the industry and their track record is proven. That their product lifecycles are measured in decades and not years says something. The 8274 has been produced for over 30 years with little or no changes.

To trust my tools, especially if I were to go offroading alone, I want the best. I'm not willing to have a potential failure just when I need it the most.

The Champion winch may very well be a MileMarker with generic badging, but the fact that I don't know or can't find out has me concerned. Speed is of little use to me in winching - slow is usually better there. But reliable is even better than slow. I know of a few people who have purchased these winches, but have yet to test them out, so cannot offer real-world advice on that portion.

Whatever choice you make, please be sure to understand HOW to use the winch prior to needing the winch, including having the proper safety equipment (snatch blocks, tree savers, gloves, winch line-weigh down (to reduce damage/injury from snapped lines), etc). You do NOT want to be learning how to use it when your vehicle is hanging by a (steel or synthetic) thread.

-Paul

mac24

It's very rare for a Wrangler with unmodified suspension to experience these symptoms, and when it does it's usually a high mileage vehicle on which a worn component has been overlooked, or it's the sum of the normally allowable amounts of wear making a total that allows what is basically a sympathetic vibration to take place.

Again, it's very rare in an unmodified vehicle and I don't see DC making modifications to either short or long wheelbase models for a virtually non-existent problem.

zinman61

I built my hoist using the plans from this site. It works very well.

http://home.comcast.net/~1redcreek/jeep/jeepin-toplift.htm

mac24

I'll offer a slightly different opinion, in that while it's nicer to have a Rolex than a Timex, a Timex is better than not being able to tell the time at all.

Certainly if you're going to be scaling cliffs and hanging your Jeep by the line, then you want the best heavy duty winch that money can buy. However, those sort of adventures are usually planned for and don't take you by surprise on the trail.

My experience of getting stuck (both of myself and others) has been that a short and gentle pull of a few feet will get you going again. I'd say that a cheap Chinese winch is certainly better than no winch, and as erickpl said, learn how to use it before you need it.

Just to extend the possibilities and make the decision harder, I'm very satisfied with my MM hydraulic 9000lb two speed! :shades:

erickpl

I agree with you on that Rolex v. Timex thing and many times a short pull of a foot or two can get somebody going.

A bargain winch is DEFINITELY better than no winch, again, I agree. I had meant to mention something about that, but forgot. That post took some time to do (had several phone calls during that time). heheeh

But if the means exist to get a higher end, better name winch, then I would recommend that. Buy the best you can afford. If you get a bargain winch, just use it VERY wisely and work to not get so stuck that you risk damaging your only means of escape. Wheel smart!

-Paul

dave__

I saw a very scary example of a 'death wobble' this morning on my way to work. On the highway, at around 65 mph, a full size Dodge Ram in front of me started to oscillate. The amplitude grew and grew until he had to slow down in order to keep from rolling it over into traffic. As I passed he was trying to pull over and get everything under control.

Why would something like that happen? In his case it might have been caused by the (no kidding) five or six 8' panels of chain link fence he had lashed on top of his ladder rack! :surprise:

Be careful out there.

Dave

ranchgirl

I've had a similar experience with a large and lazy horse leaning to one side of a two horse trailer going downhill on the freeway causing the trailer to dance in the lane. It was a very scary couple of seconds that seemed like an hour. Physical forces do have something to do with it. There is no gravity, the earth sucks....
Just another reason to know your equipment and be all the more careful out there.

jefferson1964

congrats on the new wrangler.....i too put an xm radio in mine and luv it that xm is great stuff.......

jefferson1964

I know what ya mean, i went through the same situation as you down in Texas and was getting fed up with all the dealers. I expanded my search and purchased on below employee pricing in Indiana back in December. I took it to get the Texas inspection to one of the Jeep dealers that would not budge. They did not even have a rubicon unlimited on the lot yet and so it drew a crowd. I told them i tried to place an order with this dealer for one but no luck so i purchased outta town and got even a better deal......had my recall done and oil changed at the same place just to rub it in, lol........

jefferson1964

If you have a place to change your oil do it yourself. I change my oil on my Wrangler, GC and Envoy and it runs about $11 each for oil and filter. So i can easily change all three for the price of one at a chain store while the dealer stiffed me $45 for my oil change while i was having my recall done on my rubi......never again.......keep your reciepts for proof of purchase and date and right down the mileage incase you have a warranty issue......

jefferson1964

I see this was posted on august 5....well $2.49 was CHEAP, lol.......down in Dallas area by my home it was $2.79 last night and expected to go higher by the holiday due to Huricane Katrina......Lucky for me i just paid of my 98 GC and put basic insurance on her and she is in the garage....now the extra cash will go to fuel my wrangler as she is now my daily driver and am only getting 16mpg....not upset with the MPG as i knew what i was buying and still luv my rubi unlimited its just the oil people are making a killn off the american people.......

embeeduece

It's costing me over $40 to fill the tank, but I knew I was in for a world of pain when I swapped out the Prelude for the Wrangler, and that was back in '03. Friend drives a F-150 and fill-ups now cost over $70. So it could be worse.

Roommate has a cool thing on his Apple. Using the "Dashboard" widget program (OSX 10.4 only I think) he has a program that pops up like a gas tank price display and will find the lowest fuel price based on your specs (grade of gas, zip code, radius, etc.).

-Mike

mtngal

Went to work this morning and gas was $2.72 - what it's been for several weeks. This afternoon I went by the same station and it was $2.87! Ouch! I wouldn't be surprised if it is more than that by Friday (sigh). I'd look into renting a Prius to go on our trip in September, but so many rental companies won't let you take a vehicle out of state, and I'm going from SoCal to Wyoming.

redrocker15

Oklahoma. This morning, some stations were still around $2.439; lunchtime most were $2.799. Went to dinner tonight, 7-11's were at $2.979!! Seems almost orchestrated, like some organization had said how big an increase and when, to avoid being identified as "gouging". All together now......

mtngal

I'm glad to hear that for once, someone is paying more than us Californians! The stations I frequent were still the same this morning - I still don't think that the prices are done going up, though.

While I love my bright green Unlimited, I'm beginning to think that I should have just bit the bullet and bought something like the Prius for commuting. The days of spending $20 per day to get back and forth to work sure look good now...

keats

The only time I rent rental cars is when I'm going out of state. Hertz and Budget definitely don't care...

wpowell

Thanks Paul and Mac for the input. I think I will go ahead with the cheap winch. If I decide later to upgrade I can reuse the mounting plate and either sell the cheap winch or convert it to a receiver mount. Just can't see buying the "Rolex" right now when I may never even need to know what time it is

kginfjeep

Thanks for the confirmation on the A/C noise. I know the Wrangler is "barebones" but seems like it wouldn't be that hard for DC to make it quieter. Oh well...

kginfjeep

Thanks zinman, looks like some good ideas on that page. I'll probably mix and match some of various ideas I have seen. I still believe it is best to store the top by resting it on wood from below to mimic how the top is supported when on the vehicle.

zinman61

Agree. If I had the spare room my hardtop would rest on wooden blocks. Second choice is a hoist. Regarding the on-line plans, I did not use the welded "hooks". I found the coated hooks on the adjustable tie-down straps were sufficient. Good luck.

wpowell

Zinman,

There is a well documented problem with leaving the top suspended by hooks for an extended period of time: the top will apparently distort (spread at the bottom) over time. The common solution is to place a length of 2x4 under the front and rear of the top and suspend it from the ceiling with chains. The weight of the top is then transferred from the hooks to the flat surface of the 2x4's. A google search should turn up a bunch of photos/descriptions of the set-up.

bmanky

how can i get more power out of my 1995 wrangler 4 cyl. it is to sluggish.

div2

Trade it on a YJ or TJ with the 4.0; there's virtually no cost-effective way to bump up the power of the four cylinder. Ditto for an engine swap.

mfinoch7

I'm looking to buy a 2002 Wrangler which only has 36,000 mile on it. Just looking for any info from those who already own one. It comes with a soft top but I will be looking for a hard top. Just curious as to how much a hard top costs. Thanks.

Mike

davids1

First time trying to post a pic. Let's see how it goes.

The photograph shows the hoist I just completed. To avoid spreading of the bottom of the hard top I used synthetic slings to lift the top. One 4-ft sling on each side did the trick.

Hope it helps.

David

wpowell

As a new Wrangler owner I have found it very helpful to read through the historical posts in this forum. There is a wealth of knowledge there that will answer most of the questions you have and many you haven't thought of yet. Would also recommend that you read the Edmunds reviews for the '02 Wrangler. Would suggest that you take a look at link title

keats

I use the hard top cover from Quadratec and store my hard top on cynderblocks with with 1 by 4s between the top and the blocks. Works well for me. I keep the hard top off six months of the year.

erickpl

can be pricey, esp if you want a new one. You can find them on eBay if you want Mopar (factory), or you can go aftermarket with a vendor like Pavement Ends or Bestop (both the same company, but PE is the more budget minded version (and all that implies)).

Again, use the search to check for specific issues, but feel free to ask anyway on any specifics you may have.

-Paul

drewmeister

Posts so far have been right on, IMO. I have always been fascinated by the idea of putting a turbo or blower on a 2.5, as lots of the magazines have done it. In fact, editor Hazel from Jp had a writeup on some of the performance mods on his YJ (I believe it was close to your 95).
I would also agree that if you trade, go up to a 97 TJ with the newer suspension. Unless of course, you have lots of money invested in suspension or other items on your 95. If that is the case, maybe you'll want to go ahead and try to improve the power. Or, maybe you just love the one you have. In that case, money may be a non-issue.

What mileage do you currently get? Maybe it would be worth it to you in the current climate of 3+ dollar gas to get an intake and a cat-back exhaust.

Also, if you don't already have them, going DOWN in tire size (gasp!) will effectively increase the power by increasing final drive ratio and rolling resistance. Most 4-cyl from that era had the steel wheels and basic tires (I think like a 215/75). I worked at a dealer way back then, and they would always order a bunch of those (4-cyl, soft top, steel wheels, manual trans, and no carpet, air, or back seat). It was pretty economical. 22 or so rated mpg, and only about 14k$ out the door.

randyace

DIY oil changes brings me to a related question...that of chassis/steering component lubrication.

One of my fellow forum members sent me a link on lubricating the (seven, I believe) zirks, which I feel confident I can do myself (I have a golf cart, so I purchased a lube gun for its lube needs).

My question is; for those of you who change your own oil/filter, do you grease the fittings at each oil change? I don't suppose it hurts at all to "over grease", as opposed to neglecting to do so when needed. Also, I imagine it may depend upon the vehicle's usage conditions (lots of off-roading, mud, etc).

And..since I'm lazy, what is the correct Fram/AC or preferred (other than Mopar, I guess) filter for the 4.0 (2005 model)?

Thoughts, recommendations?

Thanks!

Randy

mac24

.........since I'm lazy, what is the correct Fram/AC or preferred (other than Mopar, I guess) filter for the 4.0 (2005 model)?

Yup, you're lazy..................discussed ten days ago, it's an AC PF13.

..........do you grease the fittings at each oil change? I don't suppose it hurts at all to "over grease", as opposed to neglecting to do so when needed.

Every 12k, it's in your handbook. If you overdo it you'll split the boots that retain the grease. Clean the zerk then give one careful pump at a time until the boot begins to swell. One to two pumps will normally be enough.

embeeduece

I had mentioned my shocks were worn. I don't like the stock shocks all that much (again, they are the upgrade shocks that come with package 25D, heavy duty axle, etc.). I was thinking about a set of KYBs because I had been led to believe they were adjustable, but have since found they are not. Not sure that's a big deal. Browsing thru posts, people keep mentioning Blisteins. Figure I drive 99% of the time on streets, and not off road. Any suggestions, opinions on a good shock?

Thanks,
Mike

embeeduece

For reasons that should be all too obvious, I am considering storing some auto gas. 1) A can of gas in the garage. 2) A mounting on the Jeep that can hold said can of gas.

In my search, I see the typical WWII gerry cans and their bare bones housing that I'm guessing you bolt onto the back of the Wrangler. Also see newer designed cans, and big time storage racks that go on / over the spare. Some require drilling, some use existing holes.

I don't want to make a huge deal out of this. Browsing thru old posts, I see that Steve once warned against keeping the can in sunlight for extended periods. I really just want to keep it in my garage and hope I never have to load it up on the Jeep. Slight problem that I live in an apt. bldg. with a shared garage.

I guess I'm asking for suggestions on cans / carriers. And a quick guide on safely storing auto gas.

It occurs to me a simple way around this would be to adopt a policy of never letting the gauge get below 1/2. That way, should the stuff ever hit the fan, I've got at least a 100 mile window.

Somewhere in the world, Ed Begley Jr. is sitting in his canola-oil powered Prius saying, "I told you so!!" :P

Thanks,
Mike

stever

I try not to keep explosive materials in my attached garage; it's bad enough knowing I have 15 to 40 gallons in the cars there in "engineered" factory tanks. I really don't want to go around toting a 5 gallon can of the stuff around in a Jerry can. Just getting lawn mower gas and taking it home isn't all that fun.

Wasn't there some emergency gas in a gel like substance on sale a few years back?

Steve, Host

embeeduece

You know, I could swear I saw a bottle of "emergency gas" once, years ago. Don't know if it was gel, but I think the idea was if you ran out of gas, this supplement would at least get you to the next gas station. Small bottles, probably not a lot of mileage could have been provided. I've poked around a bit and don't see them anymore. Will keep looking.

-Mike

mac24

In times of real shortage, which doesn't apply at the moment, do you really want to be driving around with something bolted to the back of your Jeep that could make you a marked man? For practical purposes, it's not too great if you get rear ended either.

In addition to the safety aspect of garage storage, you might want to check your rental agreement and additionally your insurance policy. Give some thought to your personal liability as well, should there be an accident.

In regard to keeping the tank at least half full..............an excellent idea! I always refill at one quarter full, out of consideration to the life of the fuel pump (it's cooled by the gas in the tank).

mtngal

I'm not willing to take the chance of keeping a gas can in my garage (well, I don't have a garage) or under my house (the only storage area I have). I used to be in the military and we carried gas all the time on the back of our vehicles, and didn't have any problems. However, even with their properly designed cans, I wouldn't want to do that on the freeways.

As I've said before, I never park the car at the house with less than a half a tank. If it's not a brush fire, it will be "the big one," or even just a rolling black-out causing a loss of power in my area. That's one of my ways of being reasonably prepared in an emergency, and it's an easy one for us, since we can't comfortably make 2 round trips to work without stopping. We fill up every day - I think it was Paul who asked a while ago what I spent per month - well now it's gone up to $30.00 per day, and those days of $20.00 per day that I was complaining about look better and better now...

div2

German cars are my true area of expertise, and in my experience with those vehicles Bilsteins are the best-without question or debate. You will pay a bit more for them, but in my opinion they are worth every penny.

gman1259

Talk to Don-A-Vee Jeep in Placentia. Talk to the intranet sales manager. They took good care of me, and found me a Wrangler in the San Diego area

gman1259

My wife and I just purchased .92 of an acre in Running Springs. Our property is at the 6200 ft mark. We have already started the process to build a house. We are planning on moving up there in about a year to a year an a half. That will put me a few miles further from work then you are: about and hour and a half with out traffic.

There are a lot of trails up there to run my Sport, and I plan to explore them all.

gman1259

I have had Porsche, Cadillac, RX7, Pick-ups, Convertibles, hard tops, and like them all (I would really like a Vet, old or new). I even went to the deal to buy a Wrangler back in 1986 and drove off with a Cherokee Sport. But, every time I saw someone driving a CJ or wrangler I fell a little envy. Now that I finally have my Wrangler I do not see someone driving those luxury sport utility vehicles have a sense of envy. In fact I look at them and think what a waste of money (and I have friends that own them).

mtngal

That sounds great! Especially since I'm not going to be the only long distance commuter - we can compare snowfall amounts (though you'll almost always get more than us). You'll have every excuse to gripe about the cost of gas, while enjoying such a wonderful location. There are more trails up there than there is around here, except that we also have Hungry Valley OHV area.

I do hope you are working a shift that will allow you to miss most of the traffic - won't your commute involve far worse traffic? Are you going to use the Wrangler as your daily driver? If so, I won't mention having a $30 per day gas allowance any more - your's will be worse! Keep up and let us know how it goes.

For anyone new around here - I bought a Jeep, spent most of every weekend in the local mountains, and about a year of doing that, decided to just move there. Now Glen's doing the same thing - just a different mountain range. Gotta love those things that suddenly become important when you own a jeep!

99tj

3.29 a gallon....I think I'm gonna barf. Cant wait till the next .20 cent hike tomorrow. nothing like 20 cent hikes 3 days straight!!!!!!!!

It's tough to complain about the price of gas when there is absolute horror happening in New Orleans, but I had to make a comment anyway.

-Dan

mtngal

Another person paying more than SoCal - this is almost unheard of for the last 5 years or more. Our local station was at $3.19 when I went by it after work. This morning it was at $3.09, and gas in the San Fernando Valley was cheaper, for the first time in a long time (and it wasn't any more expensive in Westwood - very unusual!). I'm not looking forward to going to Monterey on Monday.

gman1259

I came back from Alaska on Sunday and paid around $2.61 at Sam’s Club. Three days ago when I purchased gas it was around $2.71. I looked yesterday and the same Sam’s Club station and it was $2.80 something (the 76 station across the street was $2.90 something). I expected in to even high today when I buy gas to head out to Lancaster.

They say it’s because of the interruption of oil and refining in the gulf. Now California supposedly gets most of its oil from Alaska and refines its own gas for the most part. In fact they have said in the past: when our refining capacity is interrupted our fuel prices go up because we can not get our gas from other states because of the additives we must have in our fuel, that other state’s refineries are not required to use.

Now if all this is true why is the oil and refining interruption in the Gulf affecting our fuel cost? I understand California is part of the world market and will be affected by that market, but the market can not be the only explanation when the oil companies are making billions from it.

I am a pretty conservative person. But I believe it is not in the country’s best interest for the market to be used to make huge sums of money from a disaster. I am not saying a profit can not be made. But hearing on the news that gas prices have hit $7.00 plus in the Gulf area where people have lost every thing and have nothing left to give, gives me a chill.

Remember that fuel costs effects whet we pay everything eventually.

Just my opinion…

koolbreeze2

This is a reach but there is a site (www.expeditionoverland.com) that details a 120,000 Km trip by a man and woman travelling around the world in a 6x6 custom built Land Rover. The Land Rover has Bilstins and much, much, much more . It was designed from scratch.Its 5 tons, diesel, high carrying capacity, sleeps 2, etc. Anyone who does any offroading and/or adventure travelling should check the site out. They travel through 62 countries in 2 or 3 years. I have done this type of travelling but not to this extent.As an example, in Africa, they travel from Morroco to Mauritania, to Mali, to Burkina Faso, to Togo, then Benin, to Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Congo, then the Dem. Rep of the Congo, Angola (and its mine fields), Nambia, South Africa to Mozambique back to S. Africa and onto a boat to Argentina to drive to Alaska, etc.
The site takes awhile to go thru but if you don't have the patience at least check out the sections labeled Selection and Design and the Specifications section. (Mac-you may find this interesting) They just finished the journey in July. I am still reading the daily journal (I am in the Boliva section). I have hesitated recommending this because its not directly Jeep related but they do a tremendous amount of off-roading (Jeep related) and alot of their own repairs (Jeep related) that I believe it is relevant to this great site. It is the ultimate road trip-with pictures. Go Easy, John

gman1259

I am looking at a year and a half minimum before a house can be completed. I have to be annexed in to the Running Springs water District before I can start anything. That will take a minimum of 4 to 6 months they tell me.

Right now I start work at 6 am and miss most of the traffic. The evening ride home is not so good. However I am working a 3/12 shift which gives me 3/4 days off a week. I am planning on finding somewhere to stay 2 nights in the OC to limit my driving.

As far as snow I am not sure what the snow fall is like there. People tell me it’s not that bad. It’s not like the Big Bear area (witch is about 18 to 20 miles away and several hundred feet higher).

The good news is that the street we are on dead ends into the County yard where the snow plows are stored. So our street will be one of the first streets plowed.

If some one can give me (or tell me where to find) instruction to post pictures I will post a few of the property to give you a feel for what it looks like.">

starbucks

I've been having a great time tooling around Phoenix with my new Wrangler. The fastest I've gone on the 101 would've been around 82, and it does wobble a bit. I'm not to worried about it, and it's a great vehicle.

I absolutely LOVE the compact-ness of the Wrangler, I can squeeze just about anywhere. It's a great Jeep, and I plan on having it for many years to come.

embeeduece

$2.85 in Marina Del Rey, and that's at a 76 station. Even the no-name gas places are over $3.00. It's weird to see $2.85 and feel like I'm getting it at a steal.

About emergency gas options, I'm also considering a siphon. Not to steal gas mind you, but I figure if the family has three cars, and we ever have to get somewhere in an emergency, we're probably all going to pile in one car. So that's two extra tanks I can siphon out of to at least get full before hitting the road. Siphons are legal, right?

-Mike

stever

Pic posting instructions are under the Help link on the left. You need to find a place to host the photos; I keep forgetting the names of the various places. I think flickr.com is one.

We're testing a photo upload thing here, but no word on if or when it'll go out of beta.

Gas was $2.76 last Thursday here in Boise, fwiw.

Steve, Host