Bought a 98 Sahara TJ a few months back that needed some TLC. In order to get the thing even moving I first had to fix the cooling system, which leaked like a pasta strainer. Thanks to some great advice and help here, I was able to replaced the radiator, water pump, thermostat, heater core, and hoses (with almost all Mopar). It's been parked in the driveway for a couple months until I had a chance to get the frame checked to see if it was even worth throwing more money into (had to have 1 stuck skid plate bolt taken out). Got word back today, the frame is in great condition, with just a couple rusted body mounts (having those replaced). Going to go ahead and order the rest of the parts now, but had a few questions before I did.
1 - Control arms, shocks, and springs need replacement. Easy enough to find the parts themselves (just going Crown, Rancho, and Moog), but I can't seem to locate any replacement bolts, which I have a feeling I might need given what I've read about them breaking off sometimes. I'm wondering what people have done for new bolts?
2 - Steering is exceptionally loose. Found a nice little writeup, but I'm a bit confused as to exactly what parts I need to order. Best I can tell, I need one each of Moog ES3096L, ES2079S, DS1312, and DS1430, as well as a stabilizer of my choice (thinking Rancho RS5000). Any additional parts needed for this job?
3 - Brakes are crap. Pedal has some "squish" to it, and the Jeep just doesn't stop well. I think I'm going to start with bleeding and replacing the front calipers (they look like junk aftermarket), and perhaps new pads and rotors as well. Rears need new shoes and drums, and the hand brake doesn't seem to really work. Lines have some surface rust on them, but it has ABS, and I haven't been able to find replacement lines for it, or even if it's worth doing right now. Thoughts on how to approach this?
4 - As I posted before, Jeep has a hard time on a cold start and the fuel gauge doesn't work super well. It was suggested to me that I replace the fuel pump assembly, or at least the fuel pump and sensor inside. How difficult is getting the tank off, and is it worth just rebuilding the assembly or replacing it entirely for a little bit more?
That's it for now. Jeep also needs quite a bit more stuff, including ball joints, exterior and interior cosmetic work, and a very thorough tune-up, though I feel like I have a good grasp on those at the moment. I'll likely update this thread later with some pictures and more questions as I go through this process. Thanks!
1 - Control arms, shocks, and springs need replacement. Easy enough to find the parts themselves (just going Crown, Rancho, and Moog), but I can't seem to locate any replacement bolts, which I have a feeling I might need given what I've read about them breaking off sometimes. I'm wondering what people have done for new bolts?
2 - Steering is exceptionally loose. Found a nice little writeup, but I'm a bit confused as to exactly what parts I need to order. Best I can tell, I need one each of Moog ES3096L, ES2079S, DS1312, and DS1430, as well as a stabilizer of my choice (thinking Rancho RS5000). Any additional parts needed for this job?
3 - Brakes are crap. Pedal has some "squish" to it, and the Jeep just doesn't stop well. I think I'm going to start with bleeding and replacing the front calipers (they look like junk aftermarket), and perhaps new pads and rotors as well. Rears need new shoes and drums, and the hand brake doesn't seem to really work. Lines have some surface rust on them, but it has ABS, and I haven't been able to find replacement lines for it, or even if it's worth doing right now. Thoughts on how to approach this?
4 - As I posted before, Jeep has a hard time on a cold start and the fuel gauge doesn't work super well. It was suggested to me that I replace the fuel pump assembly, or at least the fuel pump and sensor inside. How difficult is getting the tank off, and is it worth just rebuilding the assembly or replacing it entirely for a little bit more?
That's it for now. Jeep also needs quite a bit more stuff, including ball joints, exterior and interior cosmetic work, and a very thorough tune-up, though I feel like I have a good grasp on those at the moment. I'll likely update this thread later with some pictures and more questions as I go through this process. Thanks!
so far.