Jeep Wrangler

erickpl · October 2005

Glad I was able to be there with my wife to share memories of Ross Allen. While Teddy's mishap delayed the ceremony, I'm SO glad we had the chance to honor Ross Allen.

Combine Teddy's mishap with me getting stuck at Dog Leg and Debbie getting hung up on that root has us both thinking about going bigger. But for me to go bigger than I planned, I have to think D44 swap and regearing.

If I go up to a D44, I'd probably want to run 35's. What kind of gearing would I need to maintain SOME semblance of power to the wheels from a 2.5L?

Wish I could find a good used 2002 or 2003 Rubi and just build Kermit 2.

Yeah, like THAT will happen heheh.

-Paul

jefferson1964 · October 2005

had 400 messages to catch up on...lots of good info and Tom my thought and prayers are with you!

Ive put my 05 rubi unlimited as my daily driver. I was using my 98 GC which i really enjoy...but paid it off and put it up for my wife to use when she gets outta her lease. I really have enjoyed driving the unlimited as a daily driver although with these HIGH fuel prices im seeing far less wranglers on the road so not as many Jeep Waves

I have 8,500 miles on her so far and not one problem.....

keats · October 2005

Wish I could find a good used 2002 or 2003 Rubi and just build Kermit 2.
A 2002 Rubicon would, indeed be hard to find. :P

Where are the action pics from weekend, Tom and Paul?

4rider · October 2005

"A guy in our group Saturday snapped an axle shaft in his Dana 35"

Does he have manual trammission? Would an auto trans be in a better position in this type of problems(with the inherent slippage in the torque converter)? I was wondering why there were so few Jeeps with auto trans???

keats · October 2005

My wife has been out of Town this week and I've been driving our 04 Grand Cherokee instead of the Rubicon. It has been a nice change of pace. It is so quiet and smooth. *lol* It's made me bump up my timeframe for putting the hardtop back on to tomorrow.

wpowell · October 2005

This seems to be a recurring topic so I thought I would share my anti-bug tactic. Every time I start a highway trip during love bug "season" I spray all bug prone areas with WD-40. The bugs wash right off along with the oil residue. I'm sure the WD-40 also cuts the wax off the finish, but I can't imagine any other way of removing love bugs that would leave a coat of was intact. I have done this for over a decade with a 1/2 dozen cars and never had a problem with painted, plated or plastic finishes. Just my $.02, hope it helps someone.

Mark

05rubisahara · October 2005

Any possible cure for water coming in through the cowl vent? Does anyone make a scoop or cowl cover to aide this problem? I previosly had a 2000 Sport and it never leaked. Gotta do something rather than constantly trying to dry out the carpet....which now stinks. Anyone ever heard of a dealer fixing such a problem? At present, my wife has surrendered her spot in the garage and her Liberty is in the driveway while my Wrangler dries out. Don't think this scenario will last long.

Harlan

tsjay · October 2005

4rider:

Autos are very common out west, from all I can gather. I think autos are very popular among the rock crawlers out there.

As far as the likelihood of breaking a Dana 35 on a vehicle with an auto vs. one with a manual, I think it would be the same. The tires could spin and grab with either transmission, it's this spinning and grabbing that snaps the axle shafts.

Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?

tsjay · October 2005

Harlan:

That leak on Thelma Jane that was due to the poor seal around the heater box was fixed in one visit to my dealer. By all means, take your Jeep back for warranty work to get the leaks fixed.

Tomster
Have you hugged your Jeep today?

mac24 · October 2005

As far as the likelihood of breaking a Dana 35 on a vehicle with an auto vs. one with a manual, I think it would be the same. The tires could spin and grab with either transmission, it's this spinning and grabbing that snaps the axle shafts.

In that sitution it would be the same, but in general an auto is easier on the whole drivetrain than a manual. You can't dump the clutch in an auto, nor select the wrong gears, and it also cushions against violent 'on/off' of the gas pedal.

mac24 · October 2005

Any possible cure for water coming in through the cowl vent? Does anyone make a scoop or cowl cover to aide this problem? I previosly had a 2000 Sport and it never leaked.

If water couldn't enter the vent then neither could air and you'd have a very stuffy Jeep. It's designed so that water can drain out of the bottom of the plenum, and as your '02 Sport demonstrated, it works well. Don't confuse a quality control problem with a design problem. Get it fixed under warranty, and have them clean or replace the carpet as well.

mtngal · October 2005

Autos are often preferred by people driving in really soft stuff, like sand. It is easier to get started without spinning your wheels - with a manual you have to really be careful with the clutch and gear selection. Spinning wheels is not desired in sand - that's how you can get really stuck. All you have to do is go down to the beach and watch some people just dig big holes while spinning a wheel. That may be another reason why they are popular out west.

4rider · October 2005

thx all the great reponses. Another reason I brought this up is that I haven't got any luck in buying a reasonable conditioned used Warngler with 4.0+auto in San Jose area. Approx 90+% advertiesed are sticks. Even the new ones in the dealerships are mostly sticks. So I am still waiting for the right one to come by.

o2curius · October 2005

Thanks Tomster, this is info that will come in handy. Gives me the excuse to buy the flares I was loooking at. The wife will surely send you her "thanks"...hahaha. Looking to get some pics up ASAP, hopefully B4 the flares and tires. I'll check into some wheels with a smaller backspace. Again, TYVM.

drewmeister · October 2005

I know this is probably an unnecessary post, but if it saves someone an interior replacement it's worth it. My sister-in-law had a very nice Passat, and it got wet (open sunroof). She left it in the garage for a few days and forgot to open up the windows. Result: Total loss. The interior molded. I know Jeeps are inherently less prone to that in that they aren't sealed very well anyway, and the interiors are meant to be weatherproof (somewhat), but just in case, keep the windows down in the garage...

tidester · October 2005

Your SIL may want to investigate treating the interior with hydrogen peroxide which is very effective at treating mold and mildew. The downside is that high concentrations are used and may produce other undesirable results on fabric.

tidester, host

jacknimble · October 2005

Just trying to see if I could be the first post on page 1000.

stever · October 2005

Hang out for a while and be quick, Jacknimble, and you can snag post 20,000. :-)

You must be like me - every time my odometer rolls over something neat, like 12321 or 55555, I have to nudge my wife and point it out.

Steve, Host

keats · October 2005

Made the switch back to the hardtop yesterday. 2 hours of work, but I love it. It's like driving a different vehicle!

wpowell · October 2005

I hope to get my CCW (Cheap Chinese Winch) mounted this weekend so I guess I should learn to use it properly. Can you guys please give me some pointers on preparation and use? Thanks in advance for your help!

Mark

erickpl · October 2005

RTM - read the manual. It SHOULD have good information on preparation and how to use it properly and SAFELY!

If you don't know what you are doing, you can SERIOUSLY injure yourself.

Warn has some information on good winching techniques on their site as well.
http://www.warn.com/corporate/images/90/TechGuide_PN62885-A2.pdf

-Paul

wpowell · October 2005

Thanks Paul, the Warn booklet looks helpful and I have printed it out for reference. The manual for my winch is written in Mandarin. Just kidding

I hope that some of you will take a minute to pass along some real world words of wisdom that may help me and other novice winchers from losing an arm or (gasp!) scratching the paint on the hood.

Thanks again.

Mark

erickpl · October 2005

I wasn't trying to be smartalec. Reading up is the best way. Also watching others do it really helps.

Couple of points:
keep weight on the cable (blanket, coat, etc) so if it DOES snap, recoil is diminished
WEAR LEATHER GLOVES unless you like metal in your hand
Try to do as straight a pull as possible
Secure your winching vehicle so it isn't pulled towards the stuck one. Lodging bumper against a tree gently, strapping back to another vehicle or tree helps. When operating winch, stand away from it as best you can, keeping an eye on how it is being spooled in.

The Warn booklet is what I referred to after watching people do it.

-Paul

drewmeister · October 2005

Would have been a good idea, but the dealership said interior replacement, and insurance covered it! I was surprised as well...

She now has another Passat in a very nice dark blue. If I wasn't so into Jeeps, it seems like it would be a very luxurious car to own for the price.

05rubisahara · October 2005

Good point. As a matter of fact, the Wrangler has been in the garage a few days with windows opened and carpet layed back in hopes of drying out. Scheduled with the dealer on Tuesday to hopefully cure the problem.

Thanks,

Harlan

texasjeep · October 2005

I took my TJ to get an inspection. They were unable to read anything. I also rented a OBD reader and got the message "Vehicle is not responding".
Anyone have an idea what the problem is?

Thanks.

mac24 · October 2005

Faulty PCM, OBDII socket, or the wiring between the two.

mac24 · October 2005

In addition to the excellent advice from erickpl, (i) make sure you keep the engine running if possible in case you get the battery too low to restart, and (ii), this is how not to spool the winch line

:

Apologies to jeff62301!

mac24 · October 2005

Just a suggestion, but why don't we save the page for Tom to make an 'In Memory' post for Ross Allen?

Would that be appropriate Tom?

durability05 · October 2005

Just bought a Garmin GPS , not the Trail Guide that Jeep will be selling, but the equivalent called the Garmin Quest. It only cost $379, less than half the price, but no cradle with speakers, and you have to load the Map from a CD. The Trail Guide I think has a solid state hard drive with all 50 states. I can only load California and Nevada with its 120 megs. The Trail Guide mounts on the dash coin tray above the radio. The Quest I mount above the instrument pod with its windshield suction mount and the unit resting above the dashboard to take some of the weight of the suction cup mount. Good location too because of its small color screen. The lighter socket cord mounted speaker is hard to hear at high speeds, but OK at low speeds.

jefferson1964 · October 2005

well now i wish i had been able to get the dual top option which was not available when i purchased in December. The soft top is nice for summer and quick top offs but now that winter is coming i sure would like a hardtop for the colder temperatures and less noise......oh well.......

jefferson1964 · October 2005

i was looking into one of Garmin Quest as i have a Garmin V and its been terrific but wanting to give this one to the wife. Never had a problem with any Garmin product the only thing i would like to see is newer city maps our here in Dallas that Garmin has are about 4 years old so no newer streets are shown........

tsjay · October 2005

Mac:

That's mighty nice of ya.

It would be cool, if I can just make sure I'm logged in as we get to that point.

I guess that will be ten posts from this one, if I remember the number of the last post correctly (19989?).

Tomster
Have you hugged your Jeep today?

tsjay · October 2005

"I took my TJ to get an inspection. They were unable to read anything. I also rented a OBD reader and got the message "Vehicle is not responding".
Anyone have an idea what the problem is?"

Tex:

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but...

your Jeep has passed away.

Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?

99tj · October 2005

Made the switch back to the hardtop yesterday. 2 hours of work, but I love it. It's like driving a different vehicle!

I'm with you Keats. Does feel like a different vehicle. We've had rain for a week straight here in the East, and is not supposed to stop until Saturday

Hoping to put my hardtop back on, on Sunday.

-Dan

redrocker15 · October 2005

Very cool suggestion, Mac! I think we just need to run it up to 19999 and then chill. Tom's on often enough that it shouldn't be a problem! So, I'm getting close to using the Krylon Fusion paint to spray my faded flares. Has anyone else already done this? Seen lotsa talk, but no results.

Y.H!
Gary

redrocker15 · October 2005

A quick comment: if anyone decides to contact Chip Foose and the "Overhaulin'" people to use my 98 SE (Eugene) as a project, I'll cooperate. I'll act incredibly surprised that it was "stolen" and my wife would be a great "insider". Just wanted to give youa "green light" in case any of you were thinking such thoughts.....

Gads! It would be cool enough just to get his artist concept sketches!

Y.H!
Gary

99tj · October 2005

Haven't posted in a while (read every day) and figured it was time to make a post.

I recently bought the "Mopar Soundeck" off EBAY. It's an older item and I don't believe they sell it new anymore.
It fits behind the back seat and is similar in shape to the "add a trunk". I have a Pioneer head unit, so I couldn't use the wiring harness as it was. I finally gave up and let my local stereo installation place figure out the wiring. They hooked me up for $45. Well worth avoiding the headache.

My point to this post is that I'm very happy with the Bass that's coming from the subwoofer. I just wanted to feel a little bass as I went down the road and this more than delivers. Plus, there's still some room behind it to store items.

-Dan

texasjeep · October 2005

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but... your Jeep has passed away
Well too bad for my Jeep, because I am going to keep running it.

Anyone ever have a spare key made? I had lost my keys and someone got a spare made for me while I was out of town. It cost $120. $43 for the key and $81 to program it.
I believe you can buy a blank key off ebay for about $10 and as long as you have two keys, you can program it yourself. You may want to look into this before you lose your second key and have to pay the big bucks.

mac,
I guess the dealer uses the OBD connector to program a new key. Any idea if the dealer could of caused a problem for my connector/pcm to no longer work?

mac24 · October 2005

Any idea if the dealer could of caused a problem for my connector/pcm to no longer work?

It's possible, but fairly unlikely. I'm not sure how old your Jeep is, but don't forget that your PCM is covered under the 80K emissions warranty.

tsjay · October 2005

19997

tsjay · October 2005

19998

tsjay · October 2005

19999

tsjay · October 2005

Thanks, everyone.

I sure miss my Puppy Dog. It will be four weeks this coming Monday since I said my goodbye to him.

For those who didn't know about him, his name was Ross Allen, and he was my best friend and Jeepin' Buddy for ten years.

I created a website in his honor...

http://home.earthlink.net/~tsjay53/

karlw90 · October 2005

..did it really take you two hours for the hardtop?? Ugh. I have to put mine on soon, and it's an Unlimited so it has more torx screws to tighten. It only took me about 30 mins to take off, why so long to put back on??

Tom:
I read your dedication page to your dog, very nice. I'm very close to my dog, he's only 7 so hopefully we have many more good years with him. I loved how your dog ate McDonald's with you.

keats · October 2005

2 hours was total time to wash and prep the soft top, get the soft top off, get the door surrounds off and stored, get the soft top wrapped up to keep dust off it, hang it up, roll up with the windows in the Clover Patch window roll, and put on the hardtop.

I cannot imagine putting an Unlimited top on without the hoist. The swb hard top is hard enough to get on. It's not that it's heavy, but it's very awkward.

mtngal · October 2005

Tom - what a great collage, I just love the photo of him carrying his own MacD's bag. Don't you just know that right now your Ross Allen is talking to my Winger and telling him all about trails you rode on. And Winger is returning the favor with telling him all about the trails we've both hiked on and driven on. Winger never saw the Unlimited, so they'll be able to relate to each other about riding in the back of the Sports we own. Do you suppose they've gotten to the "Let me tell you about this great, BIG tree..." stage?

Hope all you Wrangler owners are staying safe out there (it's pretty quiet around here lately).

gman1259 · October 2005

It only takes me about 20 to 30 minutes, and I have to deal with bolts that hold my CB mount. I run the jeep through a hand wash car wash first, then I drive home remove the window, roll them up, fold down the top remove it, cover it, and then hang it in the garage. I purchased quick release bolts from EBay, which really make it easier to remove and install the top.

gman1259 · October 2005

Tom,

This is beautifulThere is nothing else that can be said...

keats · October 2005

20 minutes? No way. I don't think that is possible, really, even with the disconnects. Here's what I know, at 4 p.m. I left for the car wash, at 6 p.m. I was done. Now, I am very meticulous. I clean all the gaskets, make sure everything is perfect, wrap up the soft top to keep dust from getting on it, box up my door surrounds...but 20 minutes? It takes me 7 minutes just to get my top down...

Jeep Wrangler

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