Jeep Wrangler

01r1 · November 2003

Those pictures looked great! I've been hoping for snow around here, but only got a few flakes blowing around yesterday.

Good to here the fire danger is lifting.

Keep those pictures coming!
-Pete

mtngal · November 2003

Thanks everyone for the nice words about my pictures!

Andrew - If I lived where you do, I'd get tired of the cold more than the snow. My other half talks about those prairie winds (he is originally from Manitoba). Burrrr!

Pete - I hope that you got some rain, at least, along with the couple of snow flakes.

Tom - Did you get Thelma Jane cleaned up? It sounded like you weren't all that interested in it yesterday.

Do our new owners have any pictures up anywhere yet? I love looking at new Wranglers!

jamesfletcher2 · November 2003

Jim225 -

I have been using Mobil1 since 1973 in so many cars/trucks I lost count. I have generally put 250K to 485K on the engines without major work. When you have ran a new engine from the start with synthetic oil and pull the "top" they are so clean you could eat off of it. Same for the inside of the oil pump.

I typically only run the conventional mineral oil for no more then a 1000 miles so to not start any sludge build-up. I am planning on replacing a '87 Wrangler with either a new Sport or Rubicon as soon as I can afford it -- but also want to see the new Scrambler first.

Also, it took me a few years to get with it but I also quickly switch the tranny and axles to Mobil1 tranny and axle synthetics also -- which has made a big difference in how long I seen to go without tranny rebuilds.

Happy trails with your new Sport, you lucky dog!

Jim

mullins87 · November 2003

I can remember an approximate 30" snow only once in my lifetime, that was the winter of 1978-79. I was nine at the time and it was over my waist. We missed so much school that year that I don't remember even going to school the last half of January. Of course around here school closes with 2" of snow! The next biggest snow that I remember was around '82 or '83. I remember the wind drifting the snow up to some peoples roof tops. But we only had about 2' on the ground. Seems like it lasted about two weeks. The third largest snow I remember was in January '94. Well, I say snow, there was 2" to 3" of ice under about 10" of snow. Now that one was a real doozey. That was the time when the governor literally shut down the state and closed all the major highways, including the interstates!!!!

For us, a bad snow is 6" that will last maybe a week. I'm from this area and have never lived in a snow state, but I feel like I have a grasp on the basics of driving on snow and ice. I am amazed at the drivers around here when confronted with anything other than dry pavement. Countless times I have watched a driver stop at the bottom of an ice covered hill and then wonder why they can't make it up to the top, or why they don't stop when they hit the brakes!!!! But the one that takes the cake IMO are the news casters that tell everyone to stay at home everytime a snow flake floats by.

div2 · November 2003

I remember '78. My dad had one of the few 4X4s in town-a 1973 Bronco V8. Boy, the stories I could tell...
In 1994 the Bronco(which I had inherited from Dad) was dead in the driveway(bad gas) and we got snowed in that Sunday night. A friend finally plowed our farm road on Friday, so we dug out the Turbo Coupe and ventured out. I swore I'd NEVER be without a real 4X4 again.

mullins87 · November 2003

Wow! We must've been experiencing the same weather front on that Sunday night in January '94. I remember leaving the house at around 2:30 in the afternoon to return a rented movie. When I left the house, it was raining and the temps were around 35 degrees F. I was over halfway to town when I began meeting cars driving much slower than myself. I turned down the radio and thought "This can't be ice. I can hear the spray of the water in the fenderwells." So as I was allowing the truck, a 2wd GMC 1500 with a LOCKING differential and no weight in the bed by the way, to slow down on its own, I tapped the brakes on a very flat and wide open portion of the road. Well, as you can imagine, all four tires instantly locked up! A little back and forth on the steering wheel got the truck headed in the right direction. Since I was so close to town, I decided to go on and return that movie. Just as I was getting to the city limits, I see someone I know off in the ditch. I stopped the truck on a level place in the road and helped them out of the ditch. When I got back into the truck, it just sat there and spun at idle. Finally the truck started moving. Not a 1/4 mile down the road I met an ambulance speeding along at what appeared to be about 10 mph. I returned the movie and got about halfway back home without any incident, well no incidents involving me, lots of other folks were not so lucky. About halfway home I noticed three cars moving along at a pace slightly slower than my own. Now, knowing the road, I knew there were a series of hills ahead, so I fell back to a safe distance. These three drivers did exactly what I knew they would do, they stopped at the bottom of the first hill. One by one I watched them progress to differing points on the hill only to come to a stop, then slide backwards into the ditch. Once I knew there was nothing I could do for them, I got up enough momentum from my stopping point to make that hill, then the next hills. One of those hills is so steep that I thought I was going to loose it from gaining too much speed going down. I made it home safely and was OH SO GLAD to be there!! That 15 mile round trip took me over three hours. My wife was pretty upset by the time I got home.

That is one snow story that I'll never forget.

mtngal · November 2003

There's only been once when we've had much ice. They closed the 5 and it wasn't that icy. I tried to take the back road but the Highway Patrol wouldn't let me through even though I had 4x4 and was a local. Not very friendly of him. They finally re-opened the freeway enough for us to go the 2 miles to our exit and then we skated home the rest of the way. That was the time I seriously considered getting snow tires.

My Wrangler (with either the Goodyear Wranglers or the Bridgestone Dueller ATs it has on it now) usually has no problem with the snow we get around here. The last 2 winters have been pretty mild - never more than 6 inches at a time. Since we leave for work so early, the roads are snow-covered but not particularly icy. Every year I think about snow tires but rarely have felt a need for them.

div2 · November 2003

As I recall, when we went to bed Sunday night most of the forecasts were calling for an inch of ice at most followed by an inch or two of snow. During the night I woke up and thought I heard thunder. It turned out to be a line of very rare thunder SNOW storms, which brought us over 20 inches of snow overnight. Later that week when the low was -28F we lost power for ten hours. We got a fire going and managed to keep our indoor temperature at 50F. The night before I chased our outdoor dog JD all over the bloody place in order to catch him and bring him inside. When the mercury climbed above -10F I let him back outside. He ran straight past his insulated doghouse and took a nap on top of a snowdrift. Then the pipe burst. My wife and I laugh about it now, but we still refer to our experience as "The Shining" week.

erickpl · November 2003

Those were some nice pics. I didn't get a chance to see snow up in Tehachapi, as I was in St. Louis.

Keep the pics coming. As we get snow in Tehachapi, I'll probly put some up on my Webshots. I had a chance to shoot the sunrise this morning through fog and some trees. VERY surreal shot, but by the time I had my camera aimed and ready, the fog had already shifted, destroying that shot. What a bummer.

As for aftermarket parts, I've made no secret of the fact that I've been keeping JCWhitney afloat to upgrade the TJ at our house. I've found some good sources there and I've found a Jeep dealership that gives great service and discounted parts via the net. So if I need Mopar parts, I go through him (unless it is something really small, which I pick up at my local dealer). So I feel pretty dialed in for parts.

My next upgrade will be the foglamps and maybe new headlamps, but I'm still trying to decide if I want to go with the Jeep foglamps or aftermarkets. Any thoughts anybody?

mtngal · November 2003

I'm happy with the OEM foglamps, but this is the first vehicle that I've ever owned with foglamps. They have been great when the snow is blowing and I'm trying to find the edge of the road.

twylie · November 2003

The factory fogs on the Jeep are quite good considering you can pick them up used for pretty cheap. They throw a nice wide light far into the shoulders. They are far better than the factory fogs in my Explorer.

I replaced my headlamps with IPF inserts and their H4 bulbs. The change is pretty dramatic. I am pleased with them and would buy them again.

I also did the "hi bypass" mod on the factory fogs so I can run them with the high beams on when travelling rural 2 lane. The replacement lenses I installed throw a nice definied pattern, but the high beams separate, raising the light well out in front of the Jeep. I like being able to use the fogs in addition to the high beams to help spot any wildlife on back roads.

-twylie

bcmalibu99ls · November 2003

Keep em coming, they make great wallpapers!

mtngal · November 2003

Thanks - if you are interested, there's another album there with a couple of smokey sunsets taken a couple of days before at work. I got facinated with the sunset reflection in the windows, and the closest I wanted to get to the fires.

chow3 · November 2003

I've been thinks of trading my 2002 liberty on a new wrangler se. The local So Fla dealer has been running a loss leader base se with a/c and rear seat for 13,999. I've been thinking that at that price I could add wheels and tires(probably like Toms) and a cd with speakers for about an extra grand and have a fun little jeep for a low monthly payment. I figure after 5 years it would have about 100,000 miles and would be a fun beach ride at least until the oldest gets his license. My wife thinks that with two small boys and driving about 20k a year I am in the middle of a mid life crisis( i told her the rx8 at 30k would be a real crisis). Does this idea make sense when I will be driving as much as 20k a year??

redkey1 · November 2003

If you will be doing highway, I would avoid the 4cyl but if it is just a "toy", I would say go for it. What about a used sport? You could probably pick one up for around $15k with 30k miles or so but you would have the 6 cyl, wheels, cd etc already on board.

bogie64 · November 2003

hey!

i just wanted to announce that i bought my wrangler! it's a 98 se with 40,000 miles! i had someone i trust look it over-i checked wheel wells and the engine and since i don't do much highway driving, i went with the se.

however, i do believe that even if i did do a lot of freeway driving i'd have bought the se anyway cuz it was love at first sight!! it's the jeep i took on my test drive and i was seriously hooked!

thanks so much for all of your guidance about what to look for. i felt much more confident buying the jeep.

i've named him Tucker! he's red with great chrome bumpers and big wheels. i know nothing about off roading but find myself wanting to learn about it!

i've even received my first 'jeep wave' and felt accepted since i don't know much about off roading or 4 wheel driving! but i do know i really like driving Tucker-being so high up and the way the jeep moves over the road, like a living being. it's all good! :-)

thanks again for the help!

susan

ps-i know that people say wranglers ride rough, but i disagree. it's certainly no 'rougher' than a 12 year old crx with 140,000 miles! actually way smoother! so i guess the time was right. it's all about perspective. ;-)

mtngal · November 2003

The 4 cylinder is great in town and off-roading, but it is really loud on the highway. The I-6 is an engine that goes forever, so a used Sport is not necessarily going to be a problem vehicle.

I have a 5 year old Wrangler with 113,000 on the odometer and still love it. If it were up to me, it would be my daily driver and would have another 135,000 miles on it (what is on my 2000 Taco, which I dislike very much). But there are "creature comforts" that you give up driving one full time. Only you can decide whether you would be happy giving them up.

Out of curiosity, since I'll eventually be in the market for a replacement for the Taco, why are you thinking of trading the Liberty for a Wrangler? I know that the Wrangler is a whole lot more fun than a Liberty, but is there any other reason?

mtngal · November 2003

Way to go! Sounds like you got the right vehicle for you and that's wonderful. Tucker sounds like lots of fun.

You can get an idea if 4-wheeling is something you would enjoy by heading to a national forest and driving some of their dirt roads. Many of them don't require any special skills but will give you a feel of what it is like to leave the pavement behind. I love being able to drive to some beautiful spot where few people go to. Tucker will thank you for it and you'll either get hooked or decide it isn't for you. From the sounds of it, you'll be hooked, just like the rest of us. If you get a chance, post some pictures - we all love to see new Jeeps!

wildbl1500 · November 2003

Susan,

Congratulations on your "new" SE!

The "jeep wave" is a pleasant surprize. I was quite surprized when I was driving home my "new" Sport for the first time and all sorts of other Wrangler drivers were waving to me. It really makes you feel like you made the right decision and joined an elite group.

Enjoy your new ride!

-Bill

tsjay · November 2003

Getting a Wrangler makes PERFECT sense to ME!

Hey, for the kind of money you are talking, what other vehicle could be so much fun? Heck, in my book, regardless of price, there simply is not another vehicle that would be even HALF the fun of a Wrangler!

You might be OK with the SE, since there ain't exactly a lot of hills in Florida, unless you guys have imported some that I haven't heard about.

Just don't expect a lot of power out on the highway, and especially with a headwind. Better test drive one first, just to be sure you are OK with the highway performance. If not, then find a used Sport, as has been suggested.

What about A/C? You won't be getting that for $13,999 will you? Man, if I lived in Florida, I would HAVE to have A/C! You can't ALWAYS have the top down, can you? Don't you get a lot of rain down there?

Hey, whether an SE or a Sport, just get a Wrangler! I promise you, you won't be disappointed.

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

P.S. Oops! I just reread your post, and you said you DO get A/C for that price. Man, how could you pass that up, then? GO FOR IT!

tsjay · November 2003

Gal, I am SO happy for ya! Yeeeeeeeeehawwwwwww!!

CONGRATS!

You'll have to hook up with a Jeep club and get started "wheelin."

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

drosketer · November 2003

Congrats on the purchase. I am sure you'll have plenty of fun with Tucker.

Let's see some pics!

Andrew

mullins87 · November 2003

Well I finally landed a back seat for the YJ. I bet I've looked at fifty back seats and none were the exact match to the front seats. One finally came along!

As for the tranny, I've found a rebuilder out of Florida that sells their units for $750, 12 month unlimited mileage warranty and free shipping. They don't charge the core upfront. I'll have 30 days to return my tranny to them. Looks like I'll be taking this route in the next couple of weeks.

Also, I found an offroad store in nearby Western Tennessee that has Rough Country 3" suspension lifts. These lifts include 4 replacement leaf springs, drop pitman arm, 4 shocks with boots, steering stabilizer and all the necessary hardware for only $400. If anyone knows of something better, I'd like to know about it.

And yes, I have hugged my Jeep today

mac24 · November 2003

If $13999 is the correct price to include back seat and a/c............that's one cheap Jeep!

Would you like to post details of the dealer?

tsjay · November 2003

I assume the $1500 rebate has been applied to get that price down to $13,999? Even if it has, that's still a great deal it seems to me.

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

redkey1 · November 2003

My check engine light came on yesterday and I'm torn. I know that a loose gas cap can throw it off, so I retightened it but I don't know how long to wait before it should go off. It happened once before, and the dealer told me to retighten and drive a few days. Does the check engine light signify anything important? I can't image so if the dealer is saying to drive it w/ the light on.

mac24 · November 2003

The Check Engine Light, or to give it the correct term Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL), will only be illuminated by the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) if there is an emmissions related fault.

If it's a loose gas cap or leaky evap hose it's not too serious, if it's a misfire it could be an indication of something a little more so.

Do be aware that if the PCM detects a fault that's not emmissions related, even if it could be potentially damaging to your wallet, it'll keep quiet about it until interrogated. This information is stored in the form of Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and can be retrieved via the odometer or a plug in reader, depending on the year of your Jeep.

If it was a loose gas cap that set the MIL, it will take several cycles of the PCM checking the problem before it's satisfied that it's been fixed, hence the advice from your dealer to drive it for a few days.

Alternately, you can disconnect your battery for about ten minutes which, among other things, will reset the PCM. If the MIL is relit after this you need to interrogate the PCM for DTCs as there's obviously a continuing problem.

redkey1 · November 2003

Thanks. Bottom line....if it doesn't go off today / tomorrow is there any problem driving the vehicle? I would not be able to get it in until Monday at the earliest and will need to drive this weekend.

mac24 · November 2003

It'll probably be ok, but I'm not going to give you any guarantees! If I were in your position I'd either go to an AutoZone, where they can read the DTCs for you, or briefly disconnect the battery to reset the PCM. Just disconnect the negative lead for about ten minutes. The only real downside is that you'll lose your radio and clock settings.

bogie64 · November 2003

hi!

i drove Tucker to work today and i'm glad that i don't have to take the bus because it's cold today. not as cold as it's going to get but it was almost 80 degrees a couple of days ago and that makes 40 degrees seem like below zero! :-)

i'm taking things slowly and getting used to driving a jeep. the great turning radius is fun when parking. i did drive on the highway a little bit and i'll probably do some more of that on the weekend, although i do drive more in the city.

i always learn something when i read the posts here. i never knew autozone could help out with figuring out what might be wrong with a car. cool!

thanks for the warm welcome to the jeep club! :-)

susan

mullins87 · November 2003

Just go into AutoZone and ask them to scan your Jeep for you. (I hope you don't need to actually do this since you just got Tucker.) They will gladly do it for free and tell you what each code means, if any are retrieved. They do this in hopes of then selling you the parts needed to fix the car.

I went ahead and bought one. I got the OBDII compliant model since everything I owned at the time was a '96 or newer model. I've used it on several occasions to fix various cars. Even if I didn't do my own work I'd still like to have one so that I'd have an idea of what the mechanic is looking at when he/she is scanning the car.

One for instance: My wife's last car, a Mercury Cougar, had an intermittant misfire. I couldn't get it to do it at any particular time, it was a random event and never would turn on the MIL or set any DTC's. So at one point I decided to hook up the scanner and leave it plugged in while I was driving it. After about an hour and a half the car hiccupped and the scanner immediately displayed a misfire on cylinder #3 message. When I got home I pulled that plug wire. Sure enough, there was a small hole in the boot at the base of the plug allowing the spark to bypass the plug. The funny part of this is that I had previously pulled the plug wires and checked them with an ohm meter, but obviously didn't notice the hole.

tsjay · November 2003

What's the matter with everyone???????

Come on, let's get some action around here.

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

mac24 · November 2003

So, did you bleed and adjust your brakes?

tsjay · November 2003

Someone is actually on this board! COOL!

Not yet, Mac.

Gonna try to set up a time with my bud at work, and we'll do both Jeeps.

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

mtngal · November 2003

I'm sitting here watching it drizzle. It stops for a while, just long enough for me to start thinking of going somewhere and then it starts again. At least my new roof doesn't leak!

I guess all of the new owners are out there enjoying their new Wranglers!

jacknimble · November 2003

Just thought I would let Twylie and everyone know I tried the fog light relay and it works great. The fog lights now act like they did on my 97, which was better.

drperez007 · November 2003

What's that all about?

drperez007 · November 2003

The dash radio/GPS...I think they call it the RB1?

tsjay · November 2003

Sorry, but I can't help ya with either question. Maybe our buds will wake start posting again, and someone will have some answers for ya. Sure been quiet in here this weekend!

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

mtngal · November 2003

Wish I could help you - I'd love to get a GPS sometime, but there are too many things on my wish list and it hasn't made it up there yet (sigh).

bogie64 · November 2003

hey!

mullins87-thanks for the info about autozone. maybe i'll take tucker in for a checkup!! :-)

i did spend the weekend driving around. a friend came up from cincinnati to visit and she brought a gift for tucker!! :-) pat and i toured the city and mtngal is so right-the jeep can be parked really easily. i could pull the crx into most parallel parking spots and the jeep i can back into everywhere.

after pat left on sunday, tucker and i drove around in the country so that i could go fast on straight roads and get used to higher speeds. the 4 cylinder has pretty good pick up at lights. i'm by no means driving tucker like a sports car, but i do need to get used to the way it drives and figure out what tucker can do.

while tucker and i were driving around in the country, i saw a flash of brown out of the corner of my eye. i put my foot on the brake to slow down and then i had to slam on the brake as a buck jumped onto the road and bounded across. he was big. tucker responded well. i wonder if i'd have seen the deer if i'd been in my crx.

i grew up in that area and i often take drives out there on sundays. it used to be a very rural area when i was younger but now it's being very developed and the deer have no where to go. i'm glad he didn't run into tucker and me and that we didn't run into him.

i was too busy over the weekend to get tucker washed and shiny. i'm hoping i can do that tomorrow since it is veterans' day and i'll be off work. don't worry-i'm not going through a car wash!

bye4now.

susan

erickpl · November 2003

Well, I got my scuba certification this weekend. Did my open water dives in Lake Mead by Hoover Dam. Was fun. Had to offroad a bit to get to the site, but I had the GC to get me there. Would have loved to have had the Wrangler, but a 4cyl up the Baker grade would have been miserable and I still haven't swapped the radiator yet. I was also concerned about having the space to haul wet suits, scuba gear, and 2 air tanks in the Wrangler. Does anybody haul a small trailer with their TJ?

-Paul

nolid5 · November 2003

How about one of those receiver hitch racks? Or would that affect departure angle too much?

mac24 · November 2003

Plenty of room in the back for tanks, wet suits, weight belts etc., just make sure that the tanks are secure. I've even had my gas powered RIX compressor in the back of mine! I also use a small utility trailer without problems, but I don't need it for dive gear.

erickpl · November 2003

My wife dives too. Would there be enough space for 2 sets of dive gear and regular luggage?

I have seen those hitch mount racks but I don't like the idea of going down the road and having all that stuff kick up off the road onto my gear.

If I didn't use a trailer, I was thinking about one of those roof racks that mount to the windshield mounts and the rear bumper. They can even flip over for a sunshade... perfect for diving and sitting out. But I wasn't sure about their quality.

-Paul

mac24 · November 2003

Depends on what you call regular luggage. My wife and I don't have a problem with four tanks, plus dive gear, plus regular stuff. Obviously, the back seat is removed and the heavy items are at the bottom.

However, the wife of a friend of mine would probably require an enclosed U-Haul trailer, plus all the interior space of a Jeep, just to carry her regular luggage for a weekend.

Like I said, it depends!

kcir1 · November 2003

I was wondering if any of you had any thoughts about an 84 CJ7. I seen one for sale at a used car lot today as I was going down the road. I have always wanted a Jeep but something always made it impractical. I've read that the older Jeeps are very primitive mechanically, which would fit me very well as I'm not a mechanic and to old to learn. Anyway back to the Jeep it has a I6 (258) with 136,000 miles on it, rebuilt 4spd and appearance is good red with oversized tires. Any thoughts on possible reliability as I said I'm no mechanic and I can't afford payments on a newer model. I've been burnt pretty good recently on a Land Rover and on a Blazer, so this time I'm asking you the owners and lovers of Jeeps. Thanks, Richard p.s. sorry this was long.

mac24 · November 2003

I'd say you have it backwards, in that you need to be a pretty good basic mechanic to run a nineteen year old CJ7. Also, in addition to the mechanical components, the condition of the chassis will at least be suspect.

The upside is that everything on it will be pretty low tech and easy to fix, though not necessarily inexpensive to fix. You'd need to regard something like this as a hobby/project, rather than a daily driver.

tsjay · November 2003

Sorry, but I have no experience with older Jeeps. I am posting just to welcome you to the group and to invite you to stick around and be part of us.

Just one question for ya... do you think you would enjoy doing work on an older Jeep, and would you prefer to be driving the Jeep most of the time or working on it most of the time? Guess that's TWO questions, huh?

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

jacknimble · November 2003

On earlier TJs, like my 97, you could turn the fog lights on with just the parking lights on. On later models, like my 01, the relay enables fog lights only with low beams - no high beams or parking lights only. Bending back pin 1 on the fog light relay under the hood lets you run with fog lights with parking lights or better - lets you use them with your high beams.

Not sure when the changeover occurred; maybe when the switch was moved from the switches next to the ash tray to the headlight/turn signal stalk?

tsjay, also took off the bumper ends - looks alot better, although it took awhile to get used to the rear bumper.

Anyone hooked up a cd changer that plays mp3s and is cheap?

Jeep Wrangler

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