New guy from Tucson
- Thread starter Thdoors
- Start date
Welcome aboard. Sounds like you are getting good advice here. Guessing you might be capable of turning wrenches. If so that’s part of the fun with these TJs. Even when they have issues, it’s an excuse to spend some quality time in the garage with your Jeep. Just be sure to stay away from rusty frames, broken auto transmissions, etc.
I would have commented on your 77 CJ. But seeing a photo like that is like seeing one of those horrific drivers ed movies of mangled people, you just want to look away and think of something, anything else.
I would have commented on your 77 CJ. But seeing a photo like that is like seeing one of those horrific drivers ed movies of mangled people, you just want to look away and think of something, anything else.
Right on. My wrenching is a little better than my carpentry, so this’ll be fun. Fortunately there were no mangled people involved in my crash. Just mangled egos.
Welcome to the forum, glad to have you. As far as the CJ photo, many of us had a CJ (or two or three) back in the day, so it hurts to see one that mangled, for sure. Most regret just selling their CJ, so I can only imagine how seeing it end up like that felt...good news - a TJ is a great replacement for a CJ, in just about every way!
I agree with the others - if that CL Sport has no frame rust, it looks like a good buy.
I agree with the others - if that CL Sport has no frame rust, it looks like a good buy.
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Crashing that thing definitely wasn’t one of my proudest moments. That’s for sure. It had a 304 V8 that I was getting into...as much as it would allow...lol Thanks, I’ll check it out this afternoon and report back.
So, using the forum I found a place to look up the vin for the CJ I’m checking out.
https://www.jeep.com/webselfservice/BuildSheetServlet?vin=1J4FA49S1YP733898
On page 3 it says 3.07 rear axle ratio. Is that correct for stock? I’ll definately check this one closely as I was told it has 4:10’s.
A lot of TJs came with 3.07 axle gearing, shame on Jeep. Anyway, if the PO put those tires on it, he probably did re-gear, though while 4.10 is not ideal for those tires, it's certainly better than 3.07. Unless there's any documentation to prove the re-gear, the only way to be sure is to jack up the rear end to check.
I agree with glwood. I had a 1974 CJ-5 for 13 years. I like my 2000 TJ Much better.....but I did Love my CJ back then.
Anywhere is better than MI.
I’m originally from Ohio so I know.
Hey Now!!! Store them in the winter, and they will survive!
Regarding 4WD. When I bought mine. I tested it right there in the parking lot. Going straight about 5ph I put it in 4hi and the light came on the dash and you can feel it kick in. Then going straight at about 3mph I kicked it into 4lo and again light came onand I definitely felt it kick in. Right away took it out of 4lo into 2wd. Not a complete test by any means but good enough to know the system is functioning. Don’t think you’d want to drive around the lot in 4lo doing figure 8s by any means.
Yes, however, the owner could have swapped in 4.10 gears which would be very preferably to 3.07, as that was the worst gear ratio ever offered in a TJ.
The red one is nice, if it has been in AZ it's whole life (check carfax) it should be rust free. As far as the CJ...I would certainly not wanna be the driver you hit!
Funny thing was, was that the guy I hit was a janitor at my high school and the guy I bought the Jeep from. He was driving a school van that had just dropped kids off at our auto class. I was on my way to auto class, driving like a jackass teen. After the collision we got out of our vehicles and I saw it was Mr. McMahon. That made it even worse. Luckily even though it was a t-bone collision, we all walked away without major injuries.
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So, I pulled the trigger yesterday on the ‘00 TJ. I’m trying to sort out some priorities of work (old Infantry habits never die). From what I can see to my relatively educated eye, I need the following done checked:
Steering gear box has a slowly dripping leak. From the pic, I can see those are not the original bolts mounting it to the frame. Not sure if the PO tried to fix it or not. I’m assuming since it has been pointed out in other posts that “steering and brakes” are prolly the most important, I think I should start there.
Next, I think there is a leaking RMS or oil pan gasket. There is also a soaking, slowly dripping leak. As you can see from the pics, it doesn’t look like anything out of the ordinary for a 19 year old vehicle. I could be wrong though.
There also appears to be an a/c leak somewhere (maybe one of the lines), but that is not bad. It may have been repaired and just not cleaned. The a/c and heater work great.
There is NO rust on the frame as it is an AZ only vehicle, except for when it was born.
No leaks on the diffs, or anywhere else I can see. I brought it to a shop and had it scan and for codes and there was no history of any. It’s a great looking Jeep and I just want to work on the mechanical issues before I take it out anywhere. I’ll worry about the front bumper and anything else when this stuff gets fixed.
Where should I put my priorities first. Steering, or rms/oil pan?
As always, thanks for the input!
If more pics are needed, say the word. Taking them is FREE...
Steering gear box has a slowly dripping leak. From the pic, I can see those are not the original bolts mounting it to the frame. Not sure if the PO tried to fix it or not. I’m assuming since it has been pointed out in other posts that “steering and brakes” are prolly the most important, I think I should start there.
Next, I think there is a leaking RMS or oil pan gasket. There is also a soaking, slowly dripping leak. As you can see from the pics, it doesn’t look like anything out of the ordinary for a 19 year old vehicle. I could be wrong though.
There also appears to be an a/c leak somewhere (maybe one of the lines), but that is not bad. It may have been repaired and just not cleaned. The a/c and heater work great.
There is NO rust on the frame as it is an AZ only vehicle, except for when it was born.
No leaks on the diffs, or anywhere else I can see. I brought it to a shop and had it scan and for codes and there was no history of any. It’s a great looking Jeep and I just want to work on the mechanical issues before I take it out anywhere. I’ll worry about the front bumper and anything else when this stuff gets fixed.
Where should I put my priorities first. Steering, or rms/oil pan?
As always, thanks for the input!
If more pics are needed, say the word. Taking them is FREE...
First off...Congratulations on your new Jeep! I like it!
I would do the steering first...want to be safe. Also on the RMS....check the back of the valve cover gasket, they have a tendency to leak and run down by the RMS, making it look like the RMS is leaking. Just to be sure before your tear into the RMS.
I would do the steering first...want to be safe. Also on the RMS....check the back of the valve cover gasket, they have a tendency to leak and run down by the RMS, making it look like the RMS is leaking. Just to be sure before your tear into the RMS.