Hello from South Australia

OzJohn

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2020
Messages
6
Location
Adelaide Australia
Hi there,

I finally got here via Land rover (20 years) Land cruisers (5 years) and Hi-lux (5 years). I must say I'm impressed so far although I haven't covered many km.
The TJ is tatty having been a second car all its life with the only off road trips being 2 wheels on the grass verge. Its done 100K km and has no marks at all underneath. Its been hit in the rear end and needs a new bumper, other must do's are rocker cover gasket leaking, radiator leaking, differential pinion seal slight leak, rear differential cover plate slight leak, rear trailing arm bushes worn and steering dampener worn. I've no brake lights and the odd globe has blown.
We're just getting into winter so it gives me time to sort this lot out before the better weather and the beach.
I hope I wont ask too dumb a questions but Jeeps are new to me.
All the best
John
 
Hi there,

I finally got here via Land rover (20 years) Land cruisers (5 years) and Hi-lux (5 years). I must say I'm impressed so far although I haven't covered many km.
The TJ is tatty having been a second car all its life with the only off road trips being 2 wheels on the grass verge. Its done 100K km and has no marks at all underneath. Its been hit in the rear end and needs a new bumper, other must do's are rocker cover gasket leaking, radiator leaking, differential pinion seal slight leak, rear differential cover plate slight leak, rear trailing arm bushes worn and steering dampener worn. I've no brake lights and the odd globe has blown.
We're just getting into winter so it gives me time to sort this lot out before the better weather and the beach.
I hope I wont ask too dumb a questions but Jeeps are new to me.
All the best
John

Welcome to the forum, lot of you down under guys here, and don't worry about dumb questions as this is not one of those forums, We just try and help other Jeep people.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hog
No such thing as dumb questions. But doing a search before you ask is smart :) as there are years of answered questions here. Welcome from Texas !
 
Welcome to the forum.

Australia is a beautiful looking place, but thank goodness we don't have the lift laws/regulations here that y'all have there.
 
Welcome aboard. All of those issues sound like basic maintenance plus a bumper swap. All easy and you will find plenty of advice on products and procedures. I'll start with one, a Lube Locker for your differential cover gaskets are useful labor savers for future forrays into the diff. Any basic steering dampener is as functional as the real expensive models with marketing hype. Stick with a MOPAR radiator if you can. If you have any buddies in Dubai, lots of rust free RHD TJ's in the junkyards here for parts. I like Fel-Pro gaskets and for the differential, Spicer parts are trustworthy. I attacked my front differential and steering using a scortched earth policy and replaced or upgraded everything, including the brake components, just because it is a fun rig to work on. BTW, you lost points for not posting pictures. Lame entry bro.
 
Welcome, welcome! Doesn't sound like anything too serious. Valve/rocker cover gaskets are a common issue, just be sure to get the FelPro gasket if you can.
Radiator leaking is also common. Do yourself a favor and resist the urge to get an aluminum aftermarket rad...unless you spend major bucks for a good brand, you'll likely end up right back to a leaking radiator inside of a year. Even though they may seem pricey, your best bet is an OE Mopar rad. Differential pinion seal is a bit of a bitch in that, technically, you should reset the torque on the pinion nut by measuring the drag but some have just carefully marked the position of the nut and put it back exactly where it was (check youtube for vids on doing that...but don't trust any that give a specific torque specification...that's wrong). Differential cover leaks are easy; a good cleaning and apply ultra black RTV or, preferably, The Right Stuff sealant. As for the control/trailing arm bushings, if those are OEM control arms, you can either replace the entire arm with OE or upgrade to adjustables. It rather depends on what your long-term plans are. Steering dampers are cheap; it's usually getting the old one off that's a pain. Brake lights can be bulbs, switch, or wiring...if they are LED bulbs, they could just be in backwards.

1591417310131.png
 
Another Aussie! TJs seem to be quite popular down in Australia, huh? Welcome to the forum! Post some photos when you get a chance.
 
Hi there,

I finally got here via Land rover (20 years) Land cruisers (5 years) and Hi-lux (5 years). I must say I'm impressed so far although I haven't covered many km.
The TJ is tatty having been a second car all its life with the only off road trips being 2 wheels on the grass verge. Its done 100K km and has no marks at all underneath. Its been hit in the rear end and needs a new bumper, other must do's are rocker cover gasket leaking, radiator leaking, differential pinion seal slight leak, rear differential cover plate slight leak, rear trailing arm bushes worn and steering dampener worn. I've no brake lights and the odd globe has blown.
We're just getting into winter so it gives me time to sort this lot out before the better weather and the beach.
I hope I wont ask too dumb a questions but Jeeps are new to me.
All the best
John
Welcome to the forum Northern California, I’m sure you will find all the answers you are looking for here.
 
Crikey @OzJohn looks like a big list of 'to do's' but like other have said ...these are not unusual for a Jeep and all part of the fun. ;)
Even though Im in the east island ( NZ ) lol I do have some Jeep business contacts in Oz...so I maybe able to help track down some parts you need.
Welcome to the Jeep TJ family....this forum has a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrDmoney
Thanks for the help and advice, much appreciated.
I'll get some photos this weekend, have to make it look pretty to go in for the inspection so I can register it in South Australia. If the inspectors are having a bad day they could give it the complete work over which would mean I'd have to complete all the jobs before I can drive it, and I dont want that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kiwi TJ
Good luck on the inspection... just tell them it’s a Jeep.. it always needs something done to it😂.. welcome to the forum