A little over a month ago, I posted in the New Member Welcome area about my first Jeep. I've been busy since then - I wanted to start a thread like this sooner, but kept waiting until I finished the next project, but I've now realized that there will always be a next project and if I keep waiting until it's "finished" I will just never post anything!
So here's the background from the intro thread:
I bought my first Jeep, a private party purchase from a Craigslist ad. It's a 2005 TJ Sport - 4.0L automatic, 102K miles, almost completely stock with the exception of brand new Bilstein 5100 shocks and 31x10.5 KO2 tires. It has the Dana 44 rear with limited slip, 3.73 gear ratio, 4 wheel disc brakes. It's a clean, no rust CA Jeep. Most of my life I've lived on the East Coast, so I'm still excited whenever I see vehicles more than a few years old with no rust. Hard top and soft top are both in good condition.
Here's what it looked like when I bought it:
I took it to a mechanic a few days later to replace the heater core (and evap too while it was open), put in a new track bar, sway bar links, front and rear differential service, and replace valve cover gaskets. Based on what I had learned from this forum, these issues had mostly been identified by me prior to the purchase of my TJ, and the costs were considered in the price I paid.
Next I did the steer stop adjustment (2 washers on each side), then took off the milk jugs.
I bought a new light switch assembly to fix the common issue with fog lights staying on all the time. This ended up being more involved than I expected, due to a melted connector and other issues I've mentioned in other threads on rebuilding the multi-function switch. I ended up removing the fog lights.
I replaced the license plate holder that was advertising for a dealer two owners ago.
I also bought H&R springs and installed them - it was my first real mechanical project and felt great to accomplish. The ride quality improvement compared to the old stock springs was just extraordinary. It really made me consider this Jeep as a possible daily driver for the first time. I've read so many great things about the combination of H&R springs with Bilstein shocks.
I spent more time than I could have imagined just trying to understand bump stops, because there is a lot of mixed information out there. If I now understand correctly, the issue here is more about the Bilsteins having a collapsed length that is slightly longer than the stock shocks on front and back. When I installed the springs, I checked to see if I need to add more to the bump stops, and there was enough margin in the stock configuration that it wasn't be needed.
I added new wheels and replaced the original stock spare tire with a matching KO2. Others here have commented that they hate shopping for wheels. I feel the same. The stock ravines are fine, really. But with 10.5" wide tires, although the steer stop adjustment works, one of the things most appealing to me about the TJ is the tight turning radius, so I went with something with slightly less backspacing than my stock ravines. The Mamba MR1X is a moab look-alike in a 15" wheel with 4.5" backspacing. I went with the matte black finish.
I don't have any mechanical experience and I'm curious to learn more through owning this Jeep and trying to do some things myself. On the other hand, I do have a combination of impatience and the means to hire a trusted mechanic when I just want to get something done.
It's getting late, so here's a quick list of things I've done (or had done) to my Jeep since I bought it:
heater core,
A/C evaporator,
new track bar,
sway bar links,
front and rear differential service,
valve cover gaskets,
bumper caps,
multi-function switch assembly,
rebuilt multi-function switch connector,
replace license plate holder,
H&R springs (1.4" lift in front, 0.8" in rear (measured with seats out and spare tire off)),
jounce bumpers,
replace stock spare tire with matching KO2,
Mamba MR1X wheels matte black,
alignment,
brake flush, bleed, new fluid,
replace radiator cap,
cleaned throttle body,
derale direct fit transmission cooler,
rear pinion seal,
thorough cleaning / deodorizing (coolant smell, pets):
carpets - taken off and washed/shampoo, removed dog hair
seats - taken off and washed/shampoo, removed dog hair
all other interior - cleaned thoroughly while carpets/seats were out, pulled plugs and hosed it down
neoprene seat covers - washed with wetsuit shampoo and deodorizer
installed sound deadening:
removable Second Skin luxury liner throughout,
a few Sound Deadener Showdown CLD tiles strategically placed, mainly on wheel wells, lower firewall (keeping them off areas where water could pool)
in doors, Sound Deadener Showdown CLD tiles and Mass Loaded Vinyl
seat risers (buchanan precision machine 1.5"),
GraBars grab handles with grommets,
RAM mount phone holder on driver GraBar,
Rugged Ridge paracord grab handles for kids climbing in back,
Daystar hood latches,
universal cloning garage door / gate opener,
bluetooth RF adapter,
LED headlights,
(JW speaker knock-offs, LX-Light, 600+ reviews 4.5 stars on amazon, $80 - just wanted to replace stock, they're OK for now),
black headlight bezels,
smoked front turn signals / side markers (REVi),
LED 3rd brake light,
LED spare tire brake light,
damaged interior pieces:
replaced scratched passenger windshield molding,
replaced cracked defrost vent cover,
fixed common door panel crack, covered with grip tape
grip tape on door sill
replaced edge trim on hood
replaced weatherstripping on windshield wiper assembly
lengthened spare tire bumpers with cut up rubber mallet
Purchased, not yet installed:
ford mustang dead pedal
boom mat sound deadening headliner
hard top quick removal bolts with tie down anchors
hard top retainer nut with clips (two clips were missing)
frame hole cover plugs
battery hold down replacement
headlight relay wiring harness
black grille inserts
Whew, now that I've written it all down, it seems like a lot. And I haven't even got to all the stuff I plan to do in the future.
I'll add some more detail on things I've done or plan to do, and more pics later.
Plans for the near future are to keep this focused on light trail duty, beaches, and getting to access points for hiking, fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities / family adventures.
So here's the background from the intro thread:
I bought my first Jeep, a private party purchase from a Craigslist ad. It's a 2005 TJ Sport - 4.0L automatic, 102K miles, almost completely stock with the exception of brand new Bilstein 5100 shocks and 31x10.5 KO2 tires. It has the Dana 44 rear with limited slip, 3.73 gear ratio, 4 wheel disc brakes. It's a clean, no rust CA Jeep. Most of my life I've lived on the East Coast, so I'm still excited whenever I see vehicles more than a few years old with no rust. Hard top and soft top are both in good condition.
Here's what it looked like when I bought it:
I took it to a mechanic a few days later to replace the heater core (and evap too while it was open), put in a new track bar, sway bar links, front and rear differential service, and replace valve cover gaskets. Based on what I had learned from this forum, these issues had mostly been identified by me prior to the purchase of my TJ, and the costs were considered in the price I paid.
Next I did the steer stop adjustment (2 washers on each side), then took off the milk jugs.
I bought a new light switch assembly to fix the common issue with fog lights staying on all the time. This ended up being more involved than I expected, due to a melted connector and other issues I've mentioned in other threads on rebuilding the multi-function switch. I ended up removing the fog lights.
I replaced the license plate holder that was advertising for a dealer two owners ago.
I also bought H&R springs and installed them - it was my first real mechanical project and felt great to accomplish. The ride quality improvement compared to the old stock springs was just extraordinary. It really made me consider this Jeep as a possible daily driver for the first time. I've read so many great things about the combination of H&R springs with Bilstein shocks.
I spent more time than I could have imagined just trying to understand bump stops, because there is a lot of mixed information out there. If I now understand correctly, the issue here is more about the Bilsteins having a collapsed length that is slightly longer than the stock shocks on front and back. When I installed the springs, I checked to see if I need to add more to the bump stops, and there was enough margin in the stock configuration that it wasn't be needed.
I added new wheels and replaced the original stock spare tire with a matching KO2. Others here have commented that they hate shopping for wheels. I feel the same. The stock ravines are fine, really. But with 10.5" wide tires, although the steer stop adjustment works, one of the things most appealing to me about the TJ is the tight turning radius, so I went with something with slightly less backspacing than my stock ravines. The Mamba MR1X is a moab look-alike in a 15" wheel with 4.5" backspacing. I went with the matte black finish.
I don't have any mechanical experience and I'm curious to learn more through owning this Jeep and trying to do some things myself. On the other hand, I do have a combination of impatience and the means to hire a trusted mechanic when I just want to get something done.
It's getting late, so here's a quick list of things I've done (or had done) to my Jeep since I bought it:
heater core,
A/C evaporator,
new track bar,
sway bar links,
front and rear differential service,
valve cover gaskets,
bumper caps,
multi-function switch assembly,
rebuilt multi-function switch connector,
replace license plate holder,
H&R springs (1.4" lift in front, 0.8" in rear (measured with seats out and spare tire off)),
jounce bumpers,
replace stock spare tire with matching KO2,
Mamba MR1X wheels matte black,
alignment,
brake flush, bleed, new fluid,
replace radiator cap,
cleaned throttle body,
derale direct fit transmission cooler,
rear pinion seal,
thorough cleaning / deodorizing (coolant smell, pets):
carpets - taken off and washed/shampoo, removed dog hair
seats - taken off and washed/shampoo, removed dog hair
all other interior - cleaned thoroughly while carpets/seats were out, pulled plugs and hosed it down
neoprene seat covers - washed with wetsuit shampoo and deodorizer
installed sound deadening:
removable Second Skin luxury liner throughout,
a few Sound Deadener Showdown CLD tiles strategically placed, mainly on wheel wells, lower firewall (keeping them off areas where water could pool)
in doors, Sound Deadener Showdown CLD tiles and Mass Loaded Vinyl
seat risers (buchanan precision machine 1.5"),
GraBars grab handles with grommets,
RAM mount phone holder on driver GraBar,
Rugged Ridge paracord grab handles for kids climbing in back,
Daystar hood latches,
universal cloning garage door / gate opener,
bluetooth RF adapter,
LED headlights,
(JW speaker knock-offs, LX-Light, 600+ reviews 4.5 stars on amazon, $80 - just wanted to replace stock, they're OK for now),
black headlight bezels,
smoked front turn signals / side markers (REVi),
LED 3rd brake light,
LED spare tire brake light,
damaged interior pieces:
replaced scratched passenger windshield molding,
replaced cracked defrost vent cover,
fixed common door panel crack, covered with grip tape
grip tape on door sill
replaced edge trim on hood
replaced weatherstripping on windshield wiper assembly
lengthened spare tire bumpers with cut up rubber mallet
Purchased, not yet installed:
ford mustang dead pedal
boom mat sound deadening headliner
hard top quick removal bolts with tie down anchors
hard top retainer nut with clips (two clips were missing)
frame hole cover plugs
battery hold down replacement
headlight relay wiring harness
black grille inserts
Whew, now that I've written it all down, it seems like a lot. And I haven't even got to all the stuff I plan to do in the future.
I'll add some more detail on things I've done or plan to do, and more pics later.
Plans for the near future are to keep this focused on light trail duty, beaches, and getting to access points for hiking, fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities / family adventures.
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