Just another Jeep thing ??

StoneCold

StoneCold

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 30, 2016
Messages
133
Location
Middle of Colorado
As I have been working on my TJ I have had a few moments where it feels like it is fighting me. All I'm trying to do is take care of it, make sure it is in good running condition, maybe "improve" it a little. :cool:

I read other threads here and everyone seems to struggle with theirs. Breaking bolts, stuff not fitting, finding other issues as you work on something else.

I have also never had a vehicle that needs standard, metric, torx, and all kinds of other tools.

I have already started putting penetrant on every nut and bolt I think I will be removing at ANY time in the future!

Chris and others have said, sometimes you just need to walk away and come back later...:cunaooooo:

So, what do you think? Just another Jeep thing ?

SC
 
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There's always going to be a few struggles, especially on vehicles 10-20 years old. If you're in the rust belt, wrenching can be more of a challenge. Having said that, none of the 30 or so vehicles I've worked on come close to the simplicity and accessibility of the TJ. Mine is a base model 4-cyl SE so it's a very simple rig.

For many jobs, YouTube is your friend! Gives you more confidence before you even start.
 
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Mine fights me all the time, but it's a labor of love!
 
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Another SE owner here. The Jeep TJ is a simple, easily maintained vehicle in the grand scheme of things. Parts are cheap and readily available. It's not really a Jeep thing as much as it's an older car thing.
 
20+ year old vehicles, especially those driven in states that salt roads and/or used for wheelin, are going to be difficult to work on.

I have also never had a vehicle that needs standard, metric, torx, and all kinds of other tools.

That part drives me nuts:confused:
 
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Yea I don't get it. Half of the bolts are customary, the other half are metric. -______-


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StG58 said:
Another SE owner here. The Jeep TJ is a simple, easily maintained vehicle in the grand scheme of things. Parts are cheap and readily available. It's not really a Jeep thing as much as it's an older car thing.
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Totally agree with StG58...I worked on many an older car for myself or helping out mates and yes any vehicle that has been on the road that long will cause some problems with nuts an bolts etc...now throw in the fact that the Jeep is 'go anywhere vehicle' and its had anything and everything thrown at it and hey presto your having to spend allot more time with the penetrating spray.......Nobody said it would be easy, but just worth it.
 
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In terms of "modern" vehicles, the Jeep Wrangler TJ is a heaven send. It truly is about as simple as you can possibly get in this modern age of electronics, gizmos, emissions, etc.

I've owned a crap ton of cars, and the TJ is above and beyond the simplest to work on, not even a question about it. Solid axles? Shit... that makes anything having to do with the suspension a complete walk in the park in comparison to an IFS setup. The 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder are both incredibly simplistic and easy to work on engines. There's plenty of room to crawl under them, and for the most part they're really reliable.
 
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I feel your pain Stonecold, mine has fought me since I bought her with tranny problems, Everything I have tried has not worked, so now I just put in the new tcm this week and am now hopeing for so relief. ($1,275.00). If this dont do it then next is rebuild for a lot more than that. Keeping my fingers crossed that this might work. Good luck with yours.
 
If you're not 'mechanically inclined' ..... sometimes things seem that way.
Most mechanical work nowadays consists of part removal/replacement. In other words ..... removing fasteners of various types.
Most service manuals have a chapter in the front addressing the procedures/problems of working with all fasteners.
Have quality 6pt sockets/wrenches ..... heat, lubricating/penetrating fluid, hammer, nut splitter, chisels, and a torque wrench.
Read that first chapter in your service manual ...... have a coffee when things seem to be going sideways.
 
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You've just got to walk away and come back later. I always give myself plenty of time to do any given task. When I try to rush things that's when I get frustrated, break things, etc.

For example, when I installed my lift I could have done it in a day, but I let it take 4 days. I did that because I found that when I was rushing it, it was making things really frustrating and exhausting.

TJs are really, really easy to work on. Go try to work on any modern vehicle with IFS and you'll quickly appreciate how simple your TJ was designed.
 
StoneCold said:
... I have already started putting penetrant on every nut and bolt I think I will be removing at ANY time in the future!
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With regard to rusty hardware, I take my Jeeps into Krown Rustproofing every year. I do it mainly to combat body rust of course but it does wonders for nuts, bolts, screws, brackets, etc.

An old trick for rusted bolts is to try to "tighten" them before you "loosen" them. If you can even tighten them by a sixteenth or an eighth of a turn you can usually break the rust seal. Tighten, loosen, tighten, loosen, etc. and apply penetrating oil as you go. It doesn't always work but it's always worth a try. I have an O/A torch which is great but you can do a lot with propane and butane too. Last month I managed to remove the 10mm transmission mount bolts from my XJ with my heat gun. They are steal into aluminum with lots of rubber close by so you can't use anything with a flame. It worked great!
 
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Rob5589 said:
I have also never had a vehicle that needs standard, metric, torx, and all kinds of other tools.
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That is something I don't understand as to why it bothers folks. If you didn't have the little numbers on the tools, you would just find the one that fits correctly and use it. Not to mention that is how the vast majority of folks use tools any way. Yeah, it looks like a 9/16 head but the flange threw me off and it's really 5/8. So you get the one that fits and use it, why does it matter whether the number on the tool is a whole number or a fraction?

I'm far more irritated by the fact that 9/16" normal fasteners have heads that are different sizes than the nuts and the same with 7/16" fasteners. Why do some 12mm metric bolts have 18mm heads and some have 19mm heads?

Why are the tail light screws that thread into the body SAE 12-24 thread and have 10mm metric heads?

Why did Jeep use SAE threads in the frame from 98-06 for the front bumper and then use 12mm threads for the rear bumper? What was the logic behind changing from SAE threads for the belly skid to metric in 03?

As long as I have a tool that fits and works correctly, it just doesn't bother me if it has a fraction or whole number on it. I'm just glad we don't have to pick our tool sizes by the shank size like them blokes in the UK.
 
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mrblaine said:
... As long as I have a tool that fits and works correctly, it just doesn't bother me if it has a fraction or whole number on it. I'm just glad we don't have to pick our tool sizes by the shank size like them blokes in the UK.
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I restored British sports cars (MG mainly but some Triumph & Jaguar) for about 25 years as a hobby and for a few years as a business. I couldn't stand having customers and reporting my financials to the government so I got out of it. I have a pretty good set of BSW tools (Bastard Size Wrenches!) but I agree - you use whatever fits. Those cars have a lot of mixed up hardware ... large shanks/small heads, etc.
 
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mrblaine said:
That is something I don't understand as to why it bothers folks. If you didn't have the little numbers on the tools, you would just find the one that fits correctly and use it. Not to mention that is how the vast majority of folks use tools any way. Yeah, it looks like a 9/16 head but the flange threw me off and it's really 5/8. So you get the one that fits and use it, why does it matter whether the number on the tool is a whole number or a fraction?

I'm far more irritated by the fact that 9/16" normal fasteners have heads that are different sizes than the nuts and the same with 7/16" fasteners. Why do some 12mm metric bolts have 18mm heads and some have 19mm heads?

Why are the tail light screws that thread into the body SAE 12-24 thread and have 10mm metric heads?

Why did Jeep use SAE threads in the frame from 98-06 for the front bumper and then use 12mm threads for the rear bumper? What was the logic behind changing from SAE threads for the belly skid to metric in 03?

As long as I have a tool that fits and works correctly, it just doesn't bother me if it has a fraction or whole number on it. I'm just glad we don't have to pick our tool sizes by the shank size like them blokes in the UK.
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Very funny and unfortunately very true, really makes you wonder.
 
TJ4Jim said:
Very funny and unfortunately very true, really makes you wonder.
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What absolutely astounds me is the disdain for Torx and Torx Plus fasteners. The construction fastener industry is starting to catch up with automotive fasteners and move away from square drive, Phillips, and similar which are being replaced by Torx for stuff like deck screws, and high performance flat head coated screws. They are beyond excellent. Near zero cam out, low drive pressures, and of the nearly 1000 various versions I've used with a Milwaukee 18V Fuel 1/4" drive impact, not a single one has stripped or given me any grief whatsoever. They are just simply the superior drive style.
 
mrblaine said:
What absolutely astounds me is the disdain for Torx and Torx Plus fasteners. The construction fastener industry is starting to catch up with automotive fasteners and move away from square drive, Phillips, and similar which are being replaced by Torx for stuff like deck screws, and high performance flat head coated screws. They are beyond excellent. Near zero cam out, low drive pressures, and of the nearly 1000 various versions I've used with a Milwaukee 18V Fuel 1/4" drive impact, not a single one has stripped or given me any grief whatsoever. They are just simply the superior drive style.
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I notice that all the SS decking fastners at Home Depot are all T25 now which has replaced the square drive that sucked. I also tried T10 Trim Head screws for the first time last week when I was shimming a new entry door and they are fantastic, totally blows finish nails away.
 
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