BigWidd's Big Adventure

[BigWidd]

Another newbie here.
We purchased a 06 Unlimited Rubicon in October of 2018. The vehicle only had 62,000 miles and was in very nice condition. Or so I thought.
The owner told us "This Jeep is in perfect condition and doesn't need a thing, no oil leaks, blah, blah, blah."
It drove okay and seemed to be everything he said. I had been looking for a TJ and specifically targeted the Unlimited because of the longer wheelbase.
My preference was an automatic and hoped to find one in Yellow. So this checked all the boxes for me. And the wife liked it as well......win, win!
When I met him at the Credit Union a couple of days later, he handed me a cheap code reader and said, " I Thought I would give this to you in case the Check Engine Light ever comes on." I did not think much about it at the time. But the very next day, it was at the forefront of my thoughts. The blasted CEL lit up like a bad omen.
Biscuits and Gravy.....now what???
To be continued......

 

[BigWidd]

Just to foreshadow, this does eventually get around to Wrangler Fix.

 

[BigWidd]

Continuation of post #309.

Since the CEL was on now, I plug in the code reader so generously provided to me by the previous owner, only to find that it did not work. So, I take a trip to the nearest O'Reilly Auto Parts and the smiling employee comes out with his code reader and plugs into my newly acquired "Thrill Ride". He looks at the screen and says, "Uhhh, how much ink do you have in your pen?" I think to myself, this can't be good. He starts reading off the codes, P0218, transmission over temp; P0714 harsh shifts; P02098 bank 2 lean condition; P0455, P0456 & P0457 large and small vacuum leaks. Good thing I had a nearly new pen.
I come home and sit down at the computer and bring up this very forum, and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Page after page of discussions regarding the very issues I was facing. I asked myself, ugh, did we just buy a big piece of sh**? Welcome to the Jeep lifestyle my friend.

To be continued....

 

[Wranglerfix]

Just to foreshadow, this does eventually get around to Wrangler Fix.

Good morning Big Widd,

Hard shifts, 0700 codes, o2 sensors all Lead back to the pcm. You can call me to discuss further if you’d like.

866-888-7710

Thanks,

Mark

 

[GorillaBiscuit]

Continuation of post #309.

Since the CEL was on now, I plug in the code reader so generously provided to me by the previous owner, only to find that it did not work. So, I take a trip to the nearest O'Reilly Auto Parts and the smiling employee comes out with his code reader and plugs into my newly acquired "Thrill Ride". He looks at the screen and says, "Uhhh, how much ink do you have in your pen?" I think to myself, this can't be good. He starts reading off the codes, P0218, transmission over temp; P0714 harsh shifts; P02098 bank 2 lean condition; P0455, P0456 & P0457 large and small vacuum leaks. Good thing I had a nearly new pen.
I come home and sit down at the computer and bring up this very forum, and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Page after page of discussions regarding the very issues I was facing. I asked myself, ugh, did we just buy a big piece of sh**? Welcome to the Jeep lifestyle my friend.

To be continued....

Oh man! I feel your pain and frustration. Last year in June I bought my dream Jeep, an 05 LJR with 46k miles. Bone stock, rust free, perfect condition. Then when I put about a half a tank of gas through it, and bam CEL! I started getting the throttle body position sensor code, and no matter how many throttle position sensors I put in it, it would not go out. I took the throttle body off, cleaned it throughly, replaced the camshaft sensor and the crankshaft position sensor, spark plugs, tried fuel additives, and nothing was working. The Jeep was driving very rough, not accelerating like it was supposed to and shifting hard from first to second. I had that overwhelming sinking feeling in my stomach that I had bought a piece of crap that was cursed and I would be stuck with it and never able to fix it. It definitely is a terrible feeling!
As a last resort, I called Wranglerfix and talked to Mark. He was able to find info about the stock PCMs going bad and not reading the TPS correctly and throwing off the whole fuel system causing bad running conditions. It's not really common, but apparently it happens.
I ended up buying a Wranglerfix PCM, and it changed everything! My Jeep was no longer cursed! It runs like a new Jeep with only 47k miles should now.
I'm hoping you have a similar experience to share, I know you mentioned that the story is coming around to Wranglerfix. Lol
It really is a great PCM, and Mark is very passionate about his company and his product. I'm very happy and grateful that Wranglerfix exists because I would have driven that Jeep off of a cliff if I wasn't able to fix it! Lol

 

[BigWidd]

CONTINUATION OF POST #313

After the shock of discovering all the error codes and the possibility of the Jeep needing a replacement ECU, I did what most of those on the forum were suggesting, and just unhooked the battery each time the check engine light came on.
I should also mention that the morning after we made the purchase, I walked out into the garage to take the Jeep for a drive and noticed a wet spot underneath. I got on the floor and slid under to take a look. Wouldn't you know it, the dreaded rear main oil seal was leaking. After looking at it more closely, I could see that the seller had carefully wiped the rear of the oil pan and the lower portion of the bellhousing to make it appear that there were no leaks. But there it was, a 3 inch wide spot of fresh oil. Man, you can't believe anything a seller tells you about the vehicle you are buying.
Not to be deterred, the wife and I take it out for our maiden voyage as the new owners.
Since we live in Utah, the mountains are just a two mile drive from the house. We had gotten about a mile off the pavement when I hear a loud clunking noise. It appears to be coming from the right rear. I get out and have my sweetheart drive along at walking speed so that I can try to determine what is making the noise. She doesn't have to go far. About 5 feet to be exact, the right rear shock had come loose at the top and was clanking against the fuel tank skid plate. What the what?? I use one of my shoe laces and tie it up, we turn around and head for home.
Back in the driveway, I get on the ground again and slide under for the second time that day. One of the bolts that is used to secure the shock to the frame is loose, but still in it's threaded nutsert. I can see the second bolt (or should I say, what's left of the second bolt) has broken off in the nutsert. And it is obvious it has been broken for some time. This is were I inform you that the seller told me he put new shocks on the Jeep about two weeks prior to the sale. The shocks look new, but he obviously installed this one using only one bolt in the upper mount. I was lucky enough to drill out the remains of the broken bolt and preserve the threads. Voilà, my first major repair, but certainly not my last.

TO BE CONTINUED:

(I am not sure how long to make these posts, It's kind of a fun story to tell, but I don't want to make them too long and boring).

 

[BigWidd]

Oh man! I feel your pain and frustration. Last year in June I bought my dream Jeep, an 05 LJR with 46k miles. Bone stock, rust free, perfect condition. Then when I put about a half a tank of gas through it, and bam CEL! I started getting the throttle body position sensor code, and no matter how many throttle position sensors I put in it, it would not go out. I took the throttle body off, cleaned it throughly, replaced the camshaft sensor and the crankshaft position sensor, spark plugs, tried fuel additives, and nothing was working. The Jeep was driving very rough, not accelerating like it was supposed to and shifting hard from first to second. I had that overwhelming sinking feeling in my stomach that I had bought a piece of crap that was cursed and I would be stuck with it and never able to fix it. It definitely is a terrible feeling!
As a last resort, I called Wranglerfix and talked to Mark. He was able to find info about the stock PCMs going bad and not reading the TPS correctly and throwing off the whole fuel system causing bad running conditions. It's not really common, but apparently it happens.
I ended up buying a Wranglerfix PCM, and it changed everything! My Jeep was no longer cursed! It runs like a new Jeep with only 47k miles should now.
I'm hoping you have a similar experience to share, I know you mentioned that the story is coming around to Wranglerfix. Lol
It really is a great PCM, and Mark is very passionate about his company and his product. I'm very happy and grateful that Wranglerfix exists because I would have driven that Jeep off of a cliff if I wasn't able to fix it! Lol

GorillaBiscuit,
My story is very similar to yours. Just quite a few more wrinkles to it. I plan to keep sharing if I don't get booted off the forum!

 

[MountaineerTom]

@BigWidd , man you had to get right at it as soon as you bought your Jeep.

 

[BigWidd]

CONTINUATION FROM POST #319.
CHAPTER 4

After reattaching the shock absorber I thought it might be a good idea to check the other three shocks and have a good look at the rest of the suspension and undercarriage. This is probably a good time to mention that the Jeep already had the Teraflex Long Arm lift kit and 35" tires. From the look of things, the lift kit had been in place for some time. The skid plate under the transfer case has three bolts attaching it to the frame on each side. Between the plate and the frame rail, there are spacers about 3/8" thick. I noticed one of the spacers on the passenger side was missing. When I looked closer, what do I see but another broken fastener. I did not know it then, but later discovered that Chrysler-Jeep, in their infinite wisdom, uses crushable threaded inserts for these frame/skid plate fasteners. Anyone of you that have tackled this type of repair, know that dropping that skid plate is hardly a one person job. But I did not have another person close by so I set about doing it myself.
I do not consider myself an expert, but I am not exactly a rookie at automobile repair. By profession, I am a body and paint guy, so I have some skills in my back pocket. After dropping the skid plate, I drilled out the threaded insert completely. I went to the local hardware store and found a "coupling nut", as I recall the thread size was 10mm x 1.25. The coupling nut was about 40mm long. Using a die grinder and carbide bit, I was able to enlarge the hole just enough to slip the coupling nut up into the lower frame rail and weld around it. Having a welder at home makes some repairs easier to do for sure. The spacers I mentioned earlier, were made of aluminum. As luck would have it, I had a piece of scrap just the right thickness and was able to fashion a replacement spacer. Mission accomplished, I bolted the skid plate back in place. Repair number two.
Two days later, it was time to visit the gas station for a fill up. Some of you can already guess what happened next. I pulled up to the pump, inserted the pump nozzle and pulled the handle. Three seconds later, I find myself standing there with gasoline on my lower pant legs and shoes, the gas came spitting back out of the filler neck. Curses, I could not run the pump slow enough to get any gas into the tank. Each attempt was met with the nozzle clicking off almost immediately. I headed back home for another session at the computer checking this forum and looking at You Tube University. That blasted tip over valve was stuck and it required dropping the fuel tank to remedy it.
By now, my wife had already developed a nickname for the Jeep, but I can't repeat it here.

To be continued:

 

[BigWidd]

CONTINUED FROM POST #323
CHAPTER 5

As I mentioned in my first post, we purchased the Jeep in mid October and it was now the first part of November. I had spent several hours reading posts on this forum and watching videos on YouTube. From my research, I had a pretty good idea that the P0218, P0714 and P02098 codes were in fact ghost codes being a result of the failing ECU. The P0455, 456 and 457 codes relating to large and small vacuum leaks were most likely genuine fault codes.

I was not driving the Jeep because I could not put gas in it and the wife and I were in the middle of some remodeling and updating projects on the house. My sweetheart and I have reached the age were it is time to downsize. We no longer need this size of home and we want to get out of doors and have some fun while we are both still in good health and have a fair amount of mobility. Hence the purchase of said Jeep. Since it was going to necessary to drop the fuel tank to fix the tip over valve, I thought it best to see if I could diagnose the vacuum leaks. I started in the engine compartment, inspecting all the hoses and vacuum ports I could find. I slowly worked my way underneath and towards the rear of the vehicle. In the process of this, I did discover were the vent hoses are for the differentials, transmission and transfer case, so that was a bonus. At my place of employment, I have access to a database called All Data. Using that as a reference, I was able to locate the charcoal vapor canister. On an 06, that rascal is tucked up behind the right rear tire. It is necessary to remove the splash shield and a metal bracket to reveal the hidden gem. By the time I got this far into the diagnosis, I had not found any problems with vacuum lines but as I removed the metal bracket, I could see a plastic corrugated line that attached to the purge solenoid and vapor canister. That corrugated line is about 3/4" in diameter and went from the purge solenoid and across the top of the fuel tank. I could not see where it terminated at the far end, as the fuel tank is too close to the bottom of the body tub. As I was inspecting the line, I spotted a split in the corrugated section were the line makes a 90 degree turn. I had found my large vacuum leak.

It was obviously going to require dropping the fuel tank to replace this line. The brainiac that I am had a light go off in my head realizing that I could get two birds with one stone here. Replace the vacuum line and fix the tip over valve at the same time. I stopped at the local Jeep dealer and found out that the line was still available. I had to special order it but was glad to do so. In the meantime, I used some electrical tape to cover over the split. I then searched around the garage until I found an old throttle cable from the garden tiller I had lying around, and used it to fish down the filler neck and push the tip over valve open enough that I could put some gas in the tank. I drove the Jeep the next couple of days and the code for the large vacuum leak never came back.


The Jeep had a set of 35" B.F. Goodrich Krawlers. I understand that they are great rock crawling tires but I can tell you one thing for sure, they are miserable road tires. It was time to start looking for some different tires.

The picture shows the Jeep the day we brought it home.

To be continued:

 

[GorillaBiscuit]

@BigWidd , it sure is a good looking Jeep! I really wanted a yellow LJR, but ended up finding a flame red one instead.
Looking forward to the next episode, I'm anxious to find out what happens.

 

[BigWidd]

@BigWidd , it sure is a good looking Jeep! I really wanted a yellow LJR, but ended up finding a flame red one instead.
Looking forward to the next episode, I'm anxious to find out what happens.

GorillaBiscuit,
Thank you for the nice comments. It has been an interesting journey since purchasing the Jeep. I originally started sharing these stories with my brother-in-law. He lives on the east coast and is not into cars as such, but was always asking me what was going on with the Jeep.
I have a friend that immigrated from Iran to the U.S. many many years ago. He speaks english very well but one of the language quirks he uses, is to put the plural form of a word in the wrong place. For instance, in speaking about his cars (he has several), he would refer to them as "piece of sh**s instead of "pieces of sh**. I told this to my brother-in-law, so now when he inquires about the Jeep, he asks "what's the latest with the piece of sh**s?"
It has been fun for me to share the stories here on the forum. Lots more to come, I will include some pictures as well.

 

[BigWidd]

CONTINUED FROM POST# 324
CHAPTER 6:

It took about a week for the replacement fuel tank vapor line to arrive. I did not want to drop the fuel tank until I had the parts in hand. The research showed me what the fix was for the tip over valve, and several people suggested that it was best to replace the filler hose during the process. The consensus seemed to be to get the GM filler hose with the flapper valve built into it. So I ordered one of those as well.

On a Saturday morning I started into this repair. Removing the fuel tank was relatively straight forward. I have viewed many videos of people working on their Jeeps and I was a bit nervous that, like so many others have experienced, half of the fasteners would break or strip the threads as I loosened them. But I got lucky here and all of the bolts and nuts came loose without having to say any cuss words.

This is where I need to pause and give a shout out to all those on this forum as well as other forums, that take the time to post answers to the questions posed here. The resources found here and on YouTube are invaluable to all the do it yourselfers. I am a proud graduate of many courses from YouTube University!

Once the tank was out, I set it on some saw horses and pried the old vapor line out of the plastic clips and snapped the new one in its place. To repair the tip over valve it was necessary to remove the fuel pump module. Getting the lock ring off was pretty simple. Using a hammer and a dull chisel, it popped right off and halfway across the garage floor. Getting it back on took a great deal more effort. I was forced to enlist the help of the missus to get that part of it done. I applied a light coating of grease to the o-ring but still could not put enough downward pressure by myself to get the lock ring to engage. I had my wife push down on the lock ring with two small pry bars, 180 degrees from where I was swinging the hammer. After several attempts, a smashed thumb and lots of cuss words, it finally grabbed and locked in. My wifes tender ears were burning after that episode. I can't speak for the rest of you out in repair land, but cursing helps me relieve tension and keeps me from throwing wrenches across the shop. My mother would be shocked and dismayed.

One of the curses of being a painter is that I cannot put things back together without cleaning them and applying some sort of paint. In my younger days, I displayed my cars at shows around the state. So detailing and making things look like new has been one of things I enjoy doing. So I that vein, I washed and cleaned the fuel tank. Cleaned, sanded and painted the tank straps, along with spraying bedliner on the tank shield. For this reason, every job I do on the Jeep takes me far longer that it would for anyone else to do. It's one of my many quirks.

If you look closely at this photo, you might be able to see a flap of the electrical tape I used for the temporary repair on the vapor line. It is at the right side of the tank where the line takes a 90 degree turn upward.

To be continued:

 

[BigWidd]

CONTINUED FROM POST #327
CHAPTER 7

The wife and I had registered for the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab. Since it was now getting toward the end of November, I knew it was time to concentrate on finding a solution to the problem with the ECU/PCM. I began scouring the internet looking for a possible supplier. This would end up taking a lot longer than I had anticipated.

I felt it would be in our best interest to get a replacement PCM before the trip to Moab. There were some other issues that needed to be addressed as well. When we purchased the Jeep, it did not have a spare tire, or even a spare tire carrier. The guy that sold the Jeep to us, told me when we first looked at it, that he had owned several TJ Jeeps and liked to buy and sell them regularly. Again that didn't mean anything to me at the time, but now we had the Jeep at our house, and I had been using it for a couple of months, I started to notice a few things about it. Why did it not have a spare tire carrier? The rear bumper had no end caps on it and there was a brand new Reese trailer hitch mounted under the bumper. I could also see wear marks on the grille where cables had been routed to a winch at one time. There were small holes in the dash and console where I am guessing a CB radio and microphone had been mounted. I could see marks on the left rear downtube of the roll bar left behind by a fire extinguisher?
My gut feeling is that the seller had purchased this vehicle knowing all about the PCM issues, and stripped all the goodies from it for use on another Jeep. Then he just waited for someone like me to come along and take it off his hands. I realize that when you own a vehicle, you can do whatever you want with it. I have no regrets about our purchase.

To my mind, it is a good thing to have a spare tire on the vehicle when you travel. So that state of mind led me to search for a new rear bumper with a tire carrier. I found one I liked that was manufactured by LOD. So I ordered it up and specified that it be shipped in bare metal. That thing about being a painter..... At the same time, I found some new wheels and ordered a set of tires. Of course I had to get 5 wheels and tires. It's a good thing that purchasing a Jeep was as much my wife's idea as it was mine. The cost of all these repairs and upgrades was starting to add up.

This shows the rear of the Jeep as we bought it. Notice the lack of a spare tire and carrier.


When the rear bumper and wheels arrived. I set to work getting them ready to put on the Jeep. I wanted both the bumper and wheels to look different than what most owners would do with them. The rear bumper was painted partially yellow to match the body of the Jeep. The lower half of the bumper I sprayed with Raptor Bed Liner. The idea of doing it that way was when it got scratched on the bottom, I could just use a rattle can of bed liner to touch it up. The has proved to be a decent way to do it. The wheels are not real beadlocks, just the faux version. I thought it might look better if I just painted the outer rim. Add a little accent if you will. I good friend of mine has a small paint room attached to his workshop and graciously allowed me to use the room for a couple of days.

You may have noticed that I drilled three holes in the step area of the bumper. I installed small red led lights in there.

The story of the replacement ECU/PCM is going to be a long one. So that will take a few chapters in itself.


To be continued:

 

[MountaineerTom]

CONTINUED FROM POST #327
CHAPTER 7

The wife and I had registered for the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab. Since it was now getting toward the end of November, I knew it was time to concentrate on finding a solution to the problem with the ECU/PCM. I began scouring the internet looking for a possible supplier. This would end up taking a lot longer than I had anticipated.

I felt it would be in our best interest to get a replacement PCM before the trip to Moab. There were some other issues that needed to be addressed as well. When we purchased the Jeep, it did not have a spare tire, or even a spare tire carrier. The guy that sold the Jeep to us, told me when we first looked at it, that he had owned several TJ Jeeps and liked to buy and sell them regularly. Again that didn't mean anything to me at the time, but now we had the Jeep at our house, and I had been using it for a couple of months, I started to notice a few things about it. Why did it not have a spare tire carrier? The rear bumper had no end caps on it and there was a brand new Reese trailer hitch mounted under the bumper. I could also see wear marks on the grille where cables had been routed to a winch at one time. There were small holes in the dash and console where I am guessing a CB radio and microphone had been mounted. I could see marks on the left rear downtube of the roll bar left behind by a fire extinguisher?
My gut feeling is that the seller had purchased this vehicle knowing all about the PCM issues, and stripped all the goodies from it for use on another Jeep. Then he just waited for someone like me to come along and take it off his hands. I realize that when you own a vehicle, you can do whatever you want with it. I have no regrets about our purchase.

To my mind, it is a good thing to have a spare tire on the vehicle when you travel. So that state of mind led me to search for a new rear bumper with a tire carrier. I found one I liked that was manufactured by LOD. So I ordered it up and specified that it be shipped in bare metal. That thing about being a painter..... At the same time, I found some new wheels and ordered a set of tires. Of course I had to get 5 wheels and tires. It's a good thing that purchasing a Jeep was as much my wife's idea as it was mine. The cost of all these repairs and upgrades was starting to add up.


View attachment 142061

This shows the rear of the Jeep as we bought it. Notice the lack of a spare tire and carrier.


When the rear bumper and wheels arrived. I set to work getting them ready to put on the Jeep. I wanted both the bumper and wheels to look different than what most owners would do with them. The rear bumper was painted partially yellow to match the body of the Jeep. The lower half of the bumper I sprayed with Raptor Bed Liner. The idea of doing it that way was when it got scratched on the bottom, I could just use a rattle can of bed liner to touch it up. The has proved to be a decent way to do it. The wheels are not real beadlocks, just the faux version. I thought it might look better if I just painted the outer rim. Add a little accent if you will. I good friend of mine has a small paint room attached to his workshop and graciously allowed me to use the room for a couple of days.

View attachment 142063
View attachment 142064View attachment 142065View attachment 142066View attachment 142067View attachment 142068View attachment 142069

You may have noticed that I drilled three holes in the step area of the bumper. I installed small red led lights in there.

The story of the replacement ECU/PCM is going to be a long one. So that will take a few chapters in itself.


To be continued:

I have the same LOD bumper/tire carrier and was wondering what the three round holes were.

Any pics of the lights installed in there? Sounds like a neat idea.

 

[BigWidd]

I have the same LOD bumper/tire carrier and was wondering what the three round holes were.

Any pics of the lights installed in there? Sounds like a neat idea.

MT,
I will take a close up photo of the bumper with the lights and post it. Won't get it done until tomorrow.
If I remember correctly the lights are 3/4" diameter (anything larger would not fit in the space), I found them on Amazon.

 

[MountaineerTom]

MT,
I will take a close up photo of the bumper with the lights and post it. Won't get it done until tomorrow.
If I remember correctly the lights are 3/4" diameter (anything larger would not fit in the space), I found them on Amazon.

Ah I see, I bet I know what they are. I used some 3/4 round LED's in my empty spare tire lug holes as 3rd brake lights after installing my LOD bumper/tire carrier.

I'll bet yours looks good.

 

[GorillaBiscuit]

@BigWidd , looking great! I really love what you did with the wheels and rear bumper and the tire carrier.

 

[BigWidd]

I have the same LOD bumper/tire carrier and was wondering what the three round holes were.

Any pics of the lights installed in there? Sounds like a neat idea.

MT,

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. My wife had some health issues that we have been dealing with. Everything is good and she is recovering nicely.

The pictures are not the best but hopefully they show what you were asking about. The small LED's in the bumper came with the rubber grommets when I ordered them. The center hole was a bit difficult to drill. I used a 3/16" bit to make a pilot hole and then a unibit to get to the 3/4" finished hole size. I could not use the unibit in the center because the bracing for the hitch receiver is in the way. For that one, I had to use a die grinder with a carbide cutter to enlarge it. Not a perfectly round hole when I finished, but the grommet covers it anyway.
You can see in the photo I took after dark that I have also swapped out the original tail lamps for a set of LED style. I got them from Quadratec and they are quite a bit brighter than the originals.

 

[MountaineerTom]

MT,

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. My wife had some health issues that we have been dealing with. Everything is good and she is recovering nicely.

The pictures are not the best but hopefully they show what you were asking about. The small LED's in the bumper came with the rubber grommets when I ordered them. The center hole was a bit difficult to drill. I used a 3/16" bit to make a pilot hole and then a unibit to get to the 3/4" finished hole size. I could not use the unibit in the center because the bracing for the hitch receiver is in the way. For that one, I had to use a die grinder with a carbide cutter to enlarge it. Not a perfectly round hole when I finished, but the grommet covers it anyway.
You can see in the photo I took after dark that I have also swapped out the original tail lamps for a set of LED style. I got them from Quadratec and they are quite a bit brighter than the originals.


View attachment 142673View attachment 142674

No problem, I’m glad she’s doing well.
That looks really good! I just recently put the same tail lights on mine.