Jeep Wrangler

2001wrangler · May 2001

Why worry about scratching the nuts on the door studs? Just throw the nuts away after you remove the doors the first time!

tsjay · May 2001

Thelma Jane passed the 8000 mile mark this morning when I went to get our breakfast at Hardees.

She has had not one mechanical problem in those 8000 miles. There have been no problems of any kind other than the small paint run on her tub's right rear corner and the blistering paint on her hard top, which was repainted at DC's expense with no hassle.

She is still getting 18 MPG with my normal driving to and from work (27 miles each way)with a little local driving mixed in.

I wish I had bought a Jeep years ago. I wouldn't have been trading vehicles so often! I can see where I might have bought a TJ, if I had been driving a YJ for a few years. Just a couple Jeeps over the last ten years or so would have been far better than all the trading I've done!

I really can't see ever getting rid of Thelma Jane! I might some day buy a different kind of vehicle to go with Thelma, but I think I'll ALWAYS have a Jeep.

People at work laugh at me when they hear me say that I will be keeping my Jeep a long time, because they all know my history of trading cars so often. I guess I'll just have to show them.

tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

http://members.aol.com/tjoh298765/thelma.html

tsjay · May 2001

I had to put Thelma's top and doors back on today. The weather forecast calls for rain all day tomorrow and into Tuesday morning.

It broke my heart to have to do that! I was having so much fun with the top and doors off!

To add insult to injury, I accidentally let the door hinge scrape against the fender when I put the drivers side door on, and it scuffed off a little paint. I touched it up, and it isn't very noticeable.

I wish I had gotten the soft top and the half doors! I would probably still take the half doors off, but they ought to be a lot easier to handle, with less chance of scraping the paint.

People, are you listening? If you are going to get a Jeep, get either the dual tops or just the soft top! The hard top is a bear to take off and put on!

tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

saharanut · May 2001

The problem is a man of your age shouldnt be lifting something so heavy...
But..i'll still take your advice & get dual tops..

Snut

yellowman · May 2001

I'm going to be doing this soon, perhaps as soon as a week from now - just hard to find the time!!! But when I do, I'm planning on having a friend hold the door while I lift up - that way maybe we can avoid what happened to tsjay when the weight of the door caused it to sway and knock into the fender. Sound like a good idea? Also, I'm sort of dreading the job of taking the hard top off, after all of tsjay's warnings. On the other hand, I'm kinda curious about it and I'm PSYCHED to drive around topless and doorless.

yellowman

p.s. - I'm at about 1,600 miles in 1 month of driving - catching up to you tsjay!

bhowell2 · May 2001

When I remove or replace the doors, I sit on the door opening with my feet on the ground and balance the door on my thighs. This give me the control of not scratching anything plus you can use your legs to push up when removing. Hope this helps. Brian

jeephead · May 2001

Thanks for the advice on tow hooks/hitch. I would like to get a hitch for towing my brother's boat around the lake where I live. His driveway is pretty tight to get into with a trailer (mailboxes on the other side of the road) so with the short wheelbase, it should be a lot easier to back the trailer down the drive. My brother has a Chevy Tahoe he uses as the regular tow vehicle, but he doesn't like to get the leather/carpet sandy and/or wet. I think it would be easiest to go with a hitch in the back, and then get a hook attachment for it.

JeepHead

pizzadude · May 2001

Hey everyone,

I finally had my wrangler off-road...It was incredible. My friend had a '97 TJ with a 4 cyl. and I have a '00 with a 6cyl. I was amazed at the ability of the jeeps. anyone who hasn't done a bit of trail riding is totally missing out on the capabilities of a jeep. They are definately more at home off road than they are on the highway. Unbelievalbe experience. I think I will be joining a local jeep club here to do more trail rides.

Just thought I'd share a bit and urge you all to at least try it out if you already haven't or are a bit shy.

later on...

-pizzadude

twylie · May 2001

Pizzadude - I seem to remember you're an Atlanta guy. Did you go to north GA or NC for your off road adventure. Drop me a line off the board if you want. I'd love to join you guys next time you go.

-twylie
treyatewyliedotcom

twylie · May 2001

Karen posted this on the meet the members board, but I didn't know how often people read that forum. I think we'll all agree that aside from the lousy gas mileage, we should be able to mount a good argument as to why our vehicles are better than everyone else. It's a pretty small club that can claim excellent off road prowess, AND a convertible, AND an endless supply of aftermarket goodies to customize our Jeeps to be uniquely OURS! Anyone up for showing up in force to make sure the Jeep crowd is THE dominant group of owners?

#63 of 63 News & Views Chat! by KarenS HOST May 07, 2001 (11:08 am)
This week's topic:

My vehicle is better than yours because....

Brag about your ride on Tuesday, May 8, 5-6pm PT/8-9pm ET in the new News & Views Weekly Chat

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

-twylie

wranglerwanted · May 2001

Is it a better deal to buy soft doors and then get hard windows, vs going with the full doors? How much do the doors weigh? They are full steel right?

Thanks.

tsjay · May 2001

I would go with the half doors.

I regret not getting the soft top and half doors on Thelma Jane.

I got the hard top only and the full metal doors. Those doors are HEAVY, much heavier than you would expect them to be.

I think I would take the doors off when the top was down, if I did have the soft top and half doors. The half doors would be a lot easier to handle.

tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

cvirgo · May 2001

I just bought my first Jeep- a 98 Wrangler with Dana rear end. Does anyone know why they dont put Dana in the front end at the factory? I believe its available as an aftermarket product

spoog · May 2001

Ok - What is with that dashboard? It looks like it's straight from a cheap Dodge Dart or PLymouth Sundance.

I would prefer a dashboard like the one on the CJ.
Give me a color matched dash with just two or three big round gauges. The current dash is just cheep looking and makes the Jeep feel cramped.
It doesn't fit the Jeep at all.

Why even bother with the soft top? Who in their right mind wants zipper windows?

I would just get the hard top and then a bikini-top for the summer. The soft top seems like a pointless item. Plus, the full doors would seem to do a good job of keeping massive wind off you in higher speed open top driving conditions.

twylie · May 2001

welcome to the board. Post the 411 on that new Jeep!

I think all the Jeep diff/axles supplied in the Wrangler are all manufactured by Dana, but the model designations differ front to rear and even rear to rear, depending on the Jeep you have. I think the front axle for all TJ's is the Dana30. the standard axle for the rear is the Dana35 with an upgrade to the Dana44. As the numbers go up, the strength of the axle increases and allows the use of oversized tires with less risk of breakage. One great question I don't have any info on is why a 30 in the front and a 35 in the rear. The only explanation that makes sense is that normally, only the rear axle is being driven and therefore having any stress placed on it. Off roaders love the 44 since you can run pretty large tires without as much worry of snapping the axle shafts. For a street Jeep, it's probably overkill, but part of the 30" tire package. I hope this is the oinfo you're looking for, and welcome to the group.

-twylie

tsjay · May 2001

I noticed yesterday on the way to work that Thelma's blinkers weren't working. There was no indication on the instrument panel that they were on when I tried to use them.

I stopped by the DC dealer in the town that I work in, but they couldn't look at it then. This is not the dealer where I bought her. They gave me a 10:00 AM appointment for today.

I will let everyone know what the problem turns out to be. The fuse looks good, so I guess that's not it.

tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

twylie · May 2001

are we taking guesses on this one...? My guess is a bad flasher relay if the fuse is OK. I meant to mention this last evening on chat tsjay. I'm sure you'll let us know how it turns out.

-twylie

ckingsbury · May 2001

Spoog, I agree that the old panel was classier, but at least we got the round headlights back.

Hard tops are not that bad if you only move them on/off twice a year. They are warmer and quieter, and I recommend them if you live north of the Mason-Dixon line (I'm a Bostonian). The full steel doors make much better sense if you have the top up 50% or more of the time. I rarely take mine off for safety and security reasons, as I am a city mouse. Bikini tops are useless in a thunder shower, so I never considered them a substitute for the real soft top.

TSJay- have you looked at some of the half-size soft top options out there? You could get a good package for about $150 that would let you leave the hard top in the garage for the next few months...

-cwk.

spyrodragon · May 2001

You realize that you are addicted now, right??? LOL, get ready to spend on some mods. JEEP= Just Empty Every Pocket.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your little adventure and are happy with the abilities of the jeep. Now there is ONE thing that will help out on a stock jeep. Disconnect your front sway bar. You'll be suprised at how much flex you will gain! And since you are addicted now, check out a Jeep Jamboree. That's where you'll see people with some incredable Jeeps. If you feel like driving up to the tip of NC I'd say join the Murphy, NC Tellico Jamboree. Me and my girlfriend (dragonfly03) will be up there in October for that one. Should prove to be quite fun. You should look into it if you want.
well, glad your wheelin now.

Happy Jeepin'

rs1157 · May 2001

For the door screws that get chiped, I recomend replacing the screw with a stainless steel screw, you can get one at a hard ware store pritty cheap, or from a car mag.

I have a Sahara with dana 44, trac lock, 30 tire, auto and full doors, on soft top.

Only get the full doors if you are not taking the top down often, it does look weird with the doors on, with the top of.
If I would buy a jeep again(of course I will) I would get a sport Amber Fire, or Steel blue, half doors, Stickshift, upgraded seats, convenient options, and soft top. I would then put tire and wheels of my choice, put multiple lights all over the jeep. When time comes to replace the soft top, I can get it it Spice or DK tan and i can purchase the role bar covers extra. Also I would probable get the upgraded sound system, it is worth it, and of cours AC.

Forget the Auto. I have never driven a stick, but when you are driving that jeep you always have an earge to put your hand on the auto lever. If I get sick of the black flares, I can always order a paintable pare from one of the mags. There is no loss. ABS tracloc and D44 are great, but in a jeep that might do light offroading at most, is useless. ABS in a jeep is to civilized, tracloc is a safty option in a jeep, which is a whats that wordironic, no, I can't think of it. Well cant complain about my sahara, top of the line, another ironic, statement.

On the 4 bangers. Not a bad idea. Wish it had 160 hp like the new 2.4 comming soom, that would be plenty. 120 to lottle. 190 is to much. When you are in 3 gear on the high way, and not looking at the speed, speeds can climb up word of 75, don't want to tell you how fast I went, will make you scream, only sustained that speed for half a minute or so, good news is there was no flapping at all, just wind noise. 3 gear is 1:1 ratio, with the stich you get an econo 1:0.75 which will not let you accelerate as fast. I have driven a Mitsu Montero (big one) a C220 Benz, and the wrangler is like a sports car, it's power to weight ration is better then that of a regular mustang, which is 0-60 in 7.0 seconds, in other words fast. Wranger probalbe is a second behind, but still pritty fast. In other words, If you want to save some cash, and are not a speeder, the 4 is exceptible, have If I had a chance to buy again, I might consider one. Then again if they offered the 4.7 V8 I might consider that. Well that is my 2 cents

Jeep On

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

Anyone here drive with the windscreen down?

Opinions?

Who posted the info on roll cages? Could you repost with a link? If I get a jeep, I would put in a roll cage (heard you can't trust built in one for that purpose.

tsjay · May 2001

Sorry, Mr. Twylie, but no cigar for you.

The problem is the switch itself on the steering column. They had to order a new one, so I will have to go back later and have it installed.

They said the part might be in by Friday.

tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

stever · May 2001

tsjay · May 2001

Thanks for the suggestion. That's the same thing Twylie was suggesting when he and I were chatting last night.

I might get one of those hard top hoists from Quadratec. They have one for $139.95 that looks like it ought to do the job. I could then take the hard top off or put it on by myself. The six torx bolts and the two latches are no problem at all. It's just the lifting and moving of the top that is such a bear.

That half top is something worth looking into also. That would be even better, I guess, because then I could actually drive around when it's raining. Are they hard to take off and put on, and how much space would it take up in the back when not in use?

tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

kwilson4 · May 2001

I bought a brand new Wrangler Sport on Sunday (had 2 miles on it). The following day I almost lost the left rear wheel after a couple wheel studs broke. I'm not sure if there was a defect in the batch of studs that were used on my Jeep, or if the lug nuts were not properly tightened at the factory. Has anyone else heard of a similar situation on Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge vehicles?

goducks1 · May 2001

Twylie, what happened? didn't see you in the "best vehicle" chat. I was all alone until dragonfly joined in to help defend the Wrangler.

tsjay · May 2001

Let's see....

Welcome

Congratulations

BUMMER!

That is scary! I'll bet the lug nuts weren't tightened. The dealer didn't do a very good job in his inspection of that Jeep.

Would like to hear more about your Jeep.

Tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

twylie · May 2001

Sorry I let you guys down. I got tied up in a production problem and just walked in the door. It's almost 10 my time and I'm about 2 hours too late... How was the chat? I really wanted to be there.

-twylie

sfjeeps · May 2001

The stock roll cage is quite adequate for most people but for the nuts like myself who gets into the off camber situations too often, a custom roll cage is cheap insurance to keep the limbs attached to the body. If you go to my message on 2171, you will find the photos and some info.

slpmom · May 2001

i had always heard that taking the soft top on and off was a time consuming pain in the neck, but my 16 year old daughter has it down to a less than 5 minute procedure. :-)

stever · May 2001

Are you on the "A-list"?

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

kwilson4 · May 2001

Tsjay, Besides the wheel falling off experience, I really like my Jeep. I got a black 5-speed Sport with the dual hard/soft tops, dana 44, trac loc, CD, new console subwoofer, A/C, and the 30" tire and wheel package. I'm thinking about picking up the add-a-truck, but it seems like it would take up too much room in the already space-limited vehicle. This is actually my second Jeep; I used to have a ''73 CJ5, but had to get rid of it do to the expensive maintenance. It's good to be back in a Jeep.

scomo · May 2001

I have finally ordered by TJ (yeah!) but the question is will it be a 2001 or a 2002? The dealer said they order the Jeep and DC continues to build 'em until probably early July, when they'll do the minor retooling (no real 2002 changes) and fire the assembly line back up and the Jeeps rolling off will be 2002s!! Since there is no difference except for the front seats and the black paint on the mirrors (it's flaking) I'd rather get a 2001 & the 4.9 @ 60 mos financing.
Is this how it works...? Now how do I survive part of the summer w/o my Jeep...?

Scomo
(ordered Red Sport TJ soft-top, 5spd, full doors, AC, CD, Dana 44, trak-lok, grizzly wheel pkg..)

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

Are Canyon wheels and Grizzly wheels the same?

Anybody have a link so I can look at them?

What other wheels are available? Would one be better off just getting cheap steel wheels for tall narrow snow tires, and then get aftermarket ones with big wide tires for "fun"?

pizzadude · May 2001

Hey Spryodragon...you are right, I'm addicted! It is such a blast. My friend and I are already planning the next outing. I will have to try disconnecting the sway bar. I had thought about that, but wasn't sure what kind of terrain we would hit. I should have because i crossed this ditch that left my front left and rear right wheels high and dry. And since I don't have a locker in the rear (or limited slip) i wasn't going anywhere. I think the extra flex in front would have dropped one tire onto the ground for traction. Awesome! I get excited talking about it. My wife actually wants to go next time, so maybe she will like it and let me j.e.e.p. (empty the pockets..) on more parts and goodies. A Gibson cat back is already on order. Then I need some lights for that rack. Then i think i'll get the grille guard and better side steps. ( i hate these factory ones)

Talk to you later! BTW, I will have to check out the vacation time for the Jeep Jamb. in NC. Thanks for the fyi!

later.

-pizzadude.

tonkadave · May 2001

I have made a small page with pics of my jeep. I have the Canyon wheels. I like them alot and they are 15x8 so you can put about any tire on them. They seem pretty easy to clean as well. Heres a link to my page.

http://www.homestead.com/jeepville/tonkajeep.html

twylie · May 2001

Congratulations on ordering that Jeep. I hope you make it in under the order deadline for a 2001 model. Your dealer should be able to give you a VON if your order has been submitted to the factory. If they can't give you one yet, it hasn't been ordered. Tonka ran into this when his dealer didn't have allocation to place an order. If you can get a VON, than you should be able to find out when it should be built. I have some ordering notes from when we bought ours that may be helpful to you:

http://www.ewylie.com/jeep/ordering.htm

Good luck on the waiting; on the board it's been anywhere from 3-7 weeks lately.

-twylie

mysterie · May 2001

I am looking to purchase a 2000 or 2001 Wrangler Sport, but my husband is wary. Our roommate owns an '85 Cherokee and has had many problems with it (but she didn't have it checked out before purchasing it), i.e., blow-by, transmission, alternator, master cylinder, and some electrical problems with the indicator and hazard lights.

I wonder if this is typical of a Jeep that's 16 years old, and if anyone has had any major maintenance troubles with their newer Jeeps (1994 to present), or if Jeeps tend to need a lot of maintenance. My husband is also afraid that maintenance is expensive, compared to other vehicles, but he has not had experience with many vehicles, as our roommate's is pretty much his first. Does anyone know if Jeep maintenance is costly, comparatively, or of another site where I could find this information? For comparison's sake, my husband wants to buy a new Volvo, since he has heard that they last a long time.

Any help is much appreciated.

pizzadude · May 2001

Twylie...sorry i didn't post you sooner. I missed your message because i didn't scroll up far enough. I'm actually a yankee from pennsylvania...no georgia boys here.

But, we went out near Harrisburg, PA (our capitol.) It was a lot of fun.

Do you do much off roading? I've always wanted to try it out, but never really had muc opportunity.

Chat at you later!

-pizzdude

tonkadave · May 2001

Hey, where are you at in Pa? Im in Aston, Delaware County.

kwilson4 · May 2001

mysterie, when I bought my first Jeep, someone told me "welcome to the million dollar Jeep club". I wasn't sure if it was because of the maintenance or the accessories at the time, but it turned out to be a lot of both. Of course I had purchased a 1973 CJ5, which had its share of electrical and clutch problems, as well as other problems. Engineering has come a long way since 1973, but to some degree, a Jeep is a Jeep, and may require more maintenance than other vehicles. As you may have read above, the left rear wheel fell off of my new 2001 Wrangler the day after I bought it. I'm hoping that the manufacturer or dealer just failed to tighten the lug nuts down. Anyway, I love my Jeep (have always loved Jeeps), but to many people it's a love/hate relationship. I'm sure other people on this message board can give you an idea of their experience with their 2000 or 2001 Jeeps. Hope this helps.

pizzadude · May 2001

tonkadave,

I actually live in Lancaster, just outside the city. Is Deleware county on the east side of Chester co. or are you further north? Maybe you know some good wheelin' spots.

-pizzadude

tonkadave · May 2001

I live on the Chester/Delaware County line. not far from you. There are a couple spots I know of in Northern Lancaster County, which i've been to before in my truck. Its in the Furnace Hills Section, near the Lebanon County line. Give me an email and maybe we can set up a run with a few jeepers.

drew_ · May 2001

...at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/jeepchat.html

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

madman390 · May 2001

Just wanted to pop in now, while I can and say hello. Once again, I can't make it to the chat. But I do have some exciting news. I checked the status of my Jeep (thanks twylie) and it's being painted (steel blue). I don't know exactly how long it takes to be completed, but I won't be taking delivery till 31 July anyway. It's just fun to know what stage of existance the Jeep is at!

Take care.

Madman

tsjay · May 2001

WAY TO GO! CONGRATULATIONS!

It took you a while to pull the trigger, but you finally did it. I am happy for you, my man.

The waiting is going to be tough, I know. It took me so long to finally place an order that the waiting after the order went in was easier than what I was going through before ordering.

I never had one doubt that I wanted a Wrangler, but I just couldn't figure out how I was going to be able to trade so soon after buying that 2000 Grand Prix GT only eight months earlier.

I got to the point that I just couldn't stand it any more and took out a home equity loan to pay off part of the debt on the GP. That was in mid November of 2000. I had been craving a Jeep for several months by that time.

So, it was a relief to know that I was actually getting one, and that made the waiting a little more bearable.

tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

nkelly1 · May 2001

I am looking to buy a wrangler... are there and problems I should know about?

tonkadave · May 2001

Congrats on your jeep order. I got mine in only 3 weeks. I heard that if they get your order in by may 11th, you will get the 2001. After that, I think there is a period where no new orders are allowed till the 02s start running. I will bet you'll get the 01 if they get your order in by tomorrow

tsjay · May 2001

Take the time to read a bunch of the posts in here, and you will learn a LOT!

Any specific questions, and you can just post them. People here are great about answering questions.

Check out my buying experience:

http://members.aol.com/tjoh298765/thelma.html

I have my invoice now, but I haven't added it to the web page yet, but I'll share any and all of the info with you.

tsjay

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

twylie · May 2001

only problem is that after you drive one, you'll want to own one. After you own one, you'll wonder what your problem was and why you didn't get one earlier...

tsjay's advice is on the mark. Reread a bunch of posts and post any specific ?'s here.

Good Luck!

-twylie

Jeep Wrangler

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