New to TJ's: you guys have me worried about maintenance

[Agee]

Hi all
New TJ owner here from cape cod-never owned a jeep or truck in my life. Always owned Hondas and Toyotas and never had any major issues and always did oil changes and regular maintenance
In July I bought this 2005 Unlimited 4.0 with 69000 miles on it to use as a beach buggy and for getting around cape cod. It will be in a garage unused from late December to early April. I am not knowledgeable to do any repairs on it myself. It appears to be in nice condition and was well taken care of by the previous owner who did the following repairs many of which I have no idea where or what they are:
new resistor motor
new oil pan + gasket
4 O2 sensors
new PCM program
automatic cooler lines
universal joint rear shift front pos
ac module
Brakes + tires replaced within the past 20,000 miles
new battery, plugs, oil + air filters, + oil change
It drives nicely and all gauges seem to be recording that everything is ok
But joining this wonderful forum with all the knowledgeable members and reading some of the posts as to how to maintain a TJ I have become a bit worried about things that go wrong with jeeps.
Should I be changing the entire cooling system and radiator at this time?
I just had a small rust area professionally repaired + painted and the underside seems in pretty good shape
Should I be doing something to the underneath to keep rust out?
I don't plan on off roading or driving on the beach
Any advice on what I should think about doing, etc would be greatly appreciated-Thanks!

 

[Chris]

A TJ is up there on the list of vehicles I'd be least worried about when it comes to maintenance. These 4.0 engines are nearly bulletproof, and when something fails on a TJ, it's very, very rarely the engine itself. The parts that fail are typically electrical components (i.e. sensors), gaskets (i.e rear main seal), or minor things like that.

There's a guy who was on here at one point who sold his TJ with 600k miles on the original engine, never having done any internal engine work to it at all. All he had done was basic maintenance (i.e. cooling systems, head gaskets, etc.) and had the transmission rebuilt 3 times (which is normal every 200k miles or so).

What you need to pay attention to is rust. If they salt the roads where you live (or if you plan on driving on the beach), you either need to very, very thoroughly wash the underside with a pressure washer after each drive, or you need to use something like Fluid Film to coat the chassis liberally about 4 times a year. That will prevent rust from forming and keep your chassis clean.

At 69k miles your cooling system probably isn't in bad shape, however, your vehicle is almost 14 years old, so if I were to suggest anything in the near future, I would suggest overhauling your cooling system (you can read more about that here: Jeep Wrangler TJ Cooling System Overhaul FAQ).

But overall, you shouldn't worry. The TJ is a very, very reliable vehicle if taken care of properly. Like I said before, the things that typically fail on our TJs are small things like sensors, not major things like engines. The other nice thing about the TJ is that it's probably easier to work on that the majority of vehicles out there.

 

[Agee]

Thanks Chris for the speedy and thorough message-really appreciate it

 

[Chris]

Thanks Chris for the speedy and thorough message-really appreciate it

No problem at all, happy to help!

You can rest easy, the TJ is a very reliable vehicle. Just be sure that if you ever encounter failed electronic sensors, always, always, always use OE Mopar sensors (or NGK in the case of the O2 sensors). All the cheap aftermarket replacements you get from the local auto part store are widely known to cause issues and not fix the problem in most cases.

 

[Equilibrium31]

Yea, they're solid vehicles for sure. Like any car, there are some issues that will pop up from time to time, but there's such a good community behind these Jeeps, it's easy to find info on how to handle any problems you do come across.

I've been driving mine since 2007 and haven't ever needed any major repair for anything. Almost anything I had to fix was something small and done with a part that cost less than $50. As Chris said, your biggest enemy is rust. As long as you're proactive in protecting your underbody and keep it clean, you'll be in good shape.

 

[primetime4]

I own a 2001 TJ and picked up a 2001 Land Cruiser last year as more of a long distance family mover. My TJ is the one I worry about much less maintenance wise. It has always started right up and has been very dependable and that is compared to a vehicle that is supposed to be the pinnacle of reliability. I do regular oil changes but that is pretty much it. There really is not much to go wrong. Sure, there will always be small leaks here and there but it just keeps on going where you point it. Rust is another story...

 

[JMT]

And the cost to repair them is usually very minimal relative to modern vehicles. I'm not mechanically inclined and I've done a lot of upgrades and things like that to my Jeep. I even got in the differential and removed the carrier and did some stuff in there. It was a little scary, but I've been working my way up the ladder of challenges. I would never do that on a modern vehicle with all the gizmos. Enjoy your Jeep and don't hesitate to work on it yourself!

 

[Mr. Bills]

Keeping up with recommended periodic maintenance is crucial. It is my practice when purchasing any new vehicle to review the factory recommended schedule and do every item on the list regardless of the odometer reading so that I have a baseline for maintenance and keep it up going forward. The only exception would be if the seller provided receipts for service from a trusted shop showing when and exactly what service was performed.

Once your maintenance baseline is established then repair as and when necessary. There is no need to preemptively replace parts.

2005 Jeep Wrangler Factory Service Manual: https://wranglertjforum.com/attachments/2005-tj-service-manual-pdf.14045/
2005 Jeep Wrangler Part List: https://wranglertjforum.com/attachments/2005-tj-parts-list-pdf.14044/

From the Factory Service Manual:

SERVICE INTERVALS

[Schedule B – Severe Duty]

Oil and Filter Change 3,000 (I use Valvoline Maxlife 10w30 and a Fram Toughgard #TG16 Filter)

Lube Steering 3,000

Lube Suspension 3,000

Lube Ball Joints 6,000

Rotate Tires 6,000

Inspect Brakes 12,000

Drain/Refill Axles 12,000 (Conventional 75W90 or 85W140 gear oil depending on which axle.
I use Valvoline High Performance Gear Oil)

Inspect/Clean Air Filter 15,000

Drain/Refill Transfer Case 30,000 (ATF+4)

PCV Valve/Spark Plugs 30,000 (whatever brand and part # the factory recommends on the sticker under the hood)

Replace Serpentine Belt 45,000

Automatic Transmission 60,000 (ATF+4 only - any brand is fine. I use Valvoline.)

Coolant Flush 102,000 or 60 months (Zerex G-05 meets Chrysler specifications)


Have fun with your new jeep!

 

[TheGanzman]

Worry about something ELSE! This is my 4th Wrangler now - parts are for the most part plentiful and relatively cheap (compared to almost ANYTHING else), they made close to 1MM TJ's from 1997-2006, so used parts are fairly prolific (unless you're looking for a mint set of 2004 Columbia Edition or Rocky Mountain Edition Fender Flares like *I* am, that is), they're body on frame, and they're pretty much entirely "bolted together". The only repair and maintenance items that *I* don't/won't do are items that I'm too lazy to do myself, LOL...

Sidebar: You "winter" on the Cape?! My hat is off to YOU, Brutha! My grandparents lived in Wellfleet - except for ONE year, they wintered in "sunny" Florida, LOL...

 

[Agee]

Worry about something ELSE! This is my 4th Wrangler now - parts are for the most part plentiful and relatively cheap (compared to almost ANYTHING else), they made close to 1MM TJ's from 1997-2006, so used parts are fairly prolific (unless you're looking for a mint set of 2004 Columbia Edition or Rocky Mountain Edition Fender Flares like *I* am, that is), they're body on frame, and they're pretty much entirely "bolted together". The only repair and maintenance items that *I* don't/won't do are items that I'm too lazy to do myself, LOL...

Sidebar: You "winter" on the Cape?! My hat is off to YOU, Brutha! My grandparents lived in Wellfleet - except for ONE year, they wintered in "sunny" Florida, LOL...

No, we winter in Florida-pretty dreary on cape in the winter.We even a had cold + dreary April + May this year
We live a few towns from Wellfleet-great town known for the oysters caught there. Have an Oyster Fest every year in October-coming up soon

 

[H_E_H]

FIrst off, this forum is incredibly helpful and resourceful. As a new, used Wrangler owner, I've learned quite a bit in the last couple of days. Thanks, guys

I own a 2001 TJ and picked up a 2001 Land Cruiser last year as more of a long distance family mover. My TJ is the one I worry about much less maintenance wise. It has always started right up and has been very dependable and that is compared to a vehicle that is supposed to be the pinnacle of reliability. I do regular oil changes but that is pretty much it. There really is not much to go wrong. Sure, there will always be small leaks here and there but it just keeps on going where you point it. Rust is another story...

In June, I purchased a '99 Wrangler Sport with 179 K miles. The owner maintained it regularly and I plan to do the same. He always added (and recommended I do the same) fuel injector cleaner and oil and fuel treatment. What do you guys think of these additives?

 

[primetime4]

I used to run Gumout through my Nissan. Never noticed any difference but thought it had to help. Shortly after doing so, the check engine lights started coming on so I stopped and have never used any additives ever since. This seemed to do the trick until the water pump died. Personally, I feel like all of these products are just snake oil. Modern fuels and lubricants are so good these days that I do not feel like additives are necessary. I would definitely worry more about parts that can wear down vs. using any additives.

 

[primetime4]

Another thing I tend to not worry about is switching to synthetic oil or vice versa. I use it exclusively despite some thoughts about it leading to leaks. Have never seen this happen and would not know how to confirm this either unless it was an obvious gush. I sometimes use the high mileage formula just in case but as long as you change your oil regularly, I do not think it matters.