Hello, everybody! I posted here a while ago searching for a new TJ/LJ. I stumbled across a very clean example in New England, that I considered acceptable given the price and location. It's a 2005 LJ, 113k miles, bone stock, very well optioned with premium appearance, power rear view, two tone seats, cruise control, Dana 44 w/ LSD, 7 speaker setup, brand new Bestop- it's just set up to be the perfect daily. The only area of any rust/rot is the inner windshield frame, and up around the rear shocks. I just had it up on a lift, and you could eat off the frame. Inside is good, too. I paid $9k, and being in the rust belt, I'll accept those things. Windshield frames are a dime a dozen. I'll post some pics of the whole rig once it's all set up & cleaned. The ones I attached are from the marketplace listing.
Anyway, there are a few concerns I have right off the bat that I want to address before I have peace of mind on my long road trips. I figured, even with my research I've been doing, there's nobody better to ask directly than the folk on this forum. With that being said, my concerns are as follows:
I appreciate any feedback, and I am glad to be back in the Jeep community. I had parked my TJ for roughly the last 5 years as the daily because I purchased another car. I missed the Jeep all the time, so I'm ecstatic to daily an LJ!
Anyway, there are a few concerns I have right off the bat that I want to address before I have peace of mind on my long road trips. I figured, even with my research I've been doing, there's nobody better to ask directly than the folk on this forum. With that being said, my concerns are as follows:
- There is an excessive amount of backlash in the front driveshaft. I have an 01 TJ, and I am almost certain this has much more backlash than that. Both have Dana 30 front axles. Is this reason for concern, or is that considered normal?
- There appears to be a whine coming from the transfer case, especially in 4WD. Again, my 01 TJ does the same, and has for the 9 years and 60,000 miles that I've owned it. Is this just normal, or acceptable?
- Cruise control doesn't work. The light comes on, but the speed won't set. Occasionally the light will come on, immediately go off, and won't come back on until I restart the Jeep. I know, it's an old Jeep, it doesn't NEED cruise control - but I am making 1000 mile round trips every month for the next few months while I move to Canada, so it certainly helps. What would cause this to not work, and could the next issue on this list be related?
- The high beams don't work. I had the original lights still in there, so I figured maybe they happened to both be burnt out. Uncommon on high beams, but I've seen weirder. I swapped in my lights off my 01 TJ, and they still didn't work. As an added bonus, I broke a wire out of the headlight pigtail. Woohoo! What might cause the high beams to not work? Fuse maybe?
- I've heard of people drilling holes in the frame underneath the control arm mounts to help drain moisture. Is this recommended? I've heard mixed feedback.
I appreciate any feedback, and I am glad to be back in the Jeep community. I had parked my TJ for roughly the last 5 years as the daily because I purchased another car. I missed the Jeep all the time, so I'm ecstatic to daily an LJ!
