OldBuzzard's 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

[roverhi]

Just had a dealer do the 2505-005-13 Service Bulletin fix. They said it's still a no charge fix. Drove the Jeep home and did the key on without starting engine routine and still got the flashing CEL light. Hopefully it just needs a few more driving cycles to work. Will report back after more drive cycles.

 

[roverhi]

Drove to Home D and back and checked for flashing CEL after. Solid light no flash. Called the SMOG check place and they said to come over. They checked for initialization which was good and the car passed. Thankyou for the information about the Service Bulletin. Saved me a ton of headaches trying to fix an unfixable SMOG check issue and wasting a lot of un-needed parts .

Car was a garage queen owned by a couple of snow birds who only put on 28,000 miles before I bought it. Interestingly the LJ had originally been sold in LA and shipped from LA to Maui. It seems like it would have failed the CA SMOG check with the initialization problem when sold. Asked the Dealer's Service Mgr about that and he said new cars don't get SMOG'd as the State assumes they meet the requirements.

Old Buzzards write up and photos need to be in TJ Resources and How To forums.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Just had a dealer do the 2505-005-13 Service Bulletin fix. They said it's still a no charge fix. Drove the Jeep home and did the key on without starting engine routine and still got the flashing CEL light. Hopefully it just needs a few more driving cycles to work. Will report back after more drive cycles.

I'm glad to learn that dealers will still do the fix, and for free.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Shock Absorber Problem

A year ago, I installed a set of Skyjacker Black MAX shocks. I like the ride. But these shocks have a problem.

When I installed them, the bottom of the rear shocks would not tighten up correctly. The FSM calls for 74 ft. lb. but it would not tighten to more than about 50 ft. lb. I could keep tightening, and the mounting flange wings would squeeze tighter against the rubber, but it would never go above 50 ft. lb. It felt soft as I tightened it, never really getting firm. So I left it there.

I recently disconnected the bottom of the rear shocks to let down the axle for some other work. And I discovered why those bolts would not tighten. Skyjacker uses a split steel bushing inside the rubber. When you tighten the bolt, the flange is supposed to squeeze against the bushing and pinch it very tight. But in this case, the bushing just deforms and collapses. Shame on Skyjacker for using a cheap bushing here.

The bushings were very badly deformed, crushed on the inside, with jagged ends cutting into the rubber.

I bought a couple of Hillman 1/2-in I.D. x 5/8-in O.D. x 1-1/2-in Length Seamless Steel Spacers p/n 880421 at Lowes for $2.34 each. They look a wee bit better than the junk Skyjacker uses.

They're a little too long, so I cut off 1/8" to match the OEM spec of 1-3/8" for these bushings.

I had to rig a tool from sockets and a piece of all-thread to press out the damaged bushings.

The new seamless bushings slid into the rubber by hand. I had to use a crowbar and big ChannelLock pliers to spread the wings of the mounting flange a little.

I put the bottom of the shock back into place and torqued the bolt to 50 ft. lbs. It tightened up solidly with only a couple of cranks of the torque wrench, without any squish-down feeling like it previously had. I went on up to 74 ft. lbs. with a couple more cranks, and it still felt very solid. No crush with these seamless sleeves.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Shock Absorber Problem

A year ago, I installed a set of Skyjacker Black MAX shocks. I like the ride. But these shocks have a problem.

When I installed them, the bottom of the rear shocks would not tighten up correctly. The FSM calls for 74 ft. lb. but it would not tighten to more than about 50 ft. lb. I could keep tightening, and the mounting flange wings would squeeze tighter against the rubber, but it would never go above 50 ft. lb. It felt soft as I tightened it, never really getting firm. So I left it there.

I recently disconnected the bottom of the rear shocks to let down the axle for some other work. And I discovered why those bolts would not tighten. Skyjacker uses a split steel bushing inside the rubber. When you tighten the bolt, the flange is supposed to squeeze against the bushing and pinch it very tight. But in this case, the bushing just deforms and collapses. Shame on Skyjacker for using a cheap bushing here.

The bushings were very badly deformed, crushed on the inside, with jagged ends cutting into the rubber.

View attachment 370409

I bought a couple of Hillman 1/2-in I.D. x 5/8-in O.D. x 1-1/2-in Length Seamless Steel Spacers p/n 880421 at Lowes for $2.34 each. They look a wee bit better than the junk Skyjacker uses.

View attachment 370410

They're a little too long, so I cut off 1/8" to match the OEM spec of 1-3/8" for these bushings.

I had to rig a tool from sockets and a piece of all-thread to press out the damaged bushings.

View attachment 370411

The new seamless bushings slid into the rubber by hand. I had to use a crowbar and big ChannelLock pliers to spread the wings of the mounting flange a little.

View attachment 370412

I put the bottom of the shock back into place and torqued the bolt to 50 ft. lbs. It tightened up solidly with only a couple of cranks of the torque wrench, without any squish-down feeling like it previously had. I went on up to 74 ft. lbs. with a couple more cranks, and it still felt very solid. No crush with these seamless sleeves.

Does Skyjacker have a different torque spec for those shocks?

 

[OldBuzzard]

Does Skyjacker have a different torque spec for those shocks?

Good question. I don't see a spec anywhere. The "Installation Instructions" tab on their web page is empty.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Rear Leveling Spacers

This LJ likes to drag its butt. It has a 2" spring lift. With the extra length behind the rear tires, it comes down on the trailer hitch fairly often. And it's been collecting dings in the factory gas tank skid, too.

The Jeep leaned to one side by about 1/4". Switching around the unequal-length OME springs just moved the low spot around.

So I used StreetRays 1" aluminum spacers, and turned them down on a lathe to 5/8" (passenger) and 7/8" (driver).
https://www.streetrays.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=303471437115

That gave it about 3/4" of additional lift at the rear, giving it a bit of rake, which should help the butt-dragging problem a tiny bit. And it got it closer to level side-to-side, not perfect but better.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Body Lift

I have a new Savvy gas tank skid which can tuck the gas tank one inch, but it needs a body lift to do it. With a body lift, I can also do a partial tummy tuck. And it will give some extra tire clearance for when I switch from 31" to 33" tires (which will also help the butt-dragging problem incrementally). And the larger spare tire will fit above the bumper.

So I installed a Savvy 1.25" body lift. First, I removed the fan shroud bolts and let it hang there. I removed the fuel filler ring. Installation was quite straightforward. All of the bolts broke loose easily, without penetrating oil - it's nice to have a mostly rust-free Jeep. I did one side at a time, leaving the bolts loose but still in place on the other side.

Of course Savvy doesn't bother their customers with instructions. So I followed the JKS instructions, except for the radiator supports, which are different. I pushed the rubber bumpers to the side a little, and squirted silicone lube in there, around the plug, and then twisted it back and forth. Then I pulled the bumpers out gently but firmly, working them back and forth, trying to save the nib. It worked, both came out without breaking. I used a little more silicone lube to press the bumpers into the new extenders, twisting until they fully seated.

When I first installed these, the bolts pushed the rubber bumpers back out of the extenders about 1/4". So I added 3 washers under the bolt head. Getting the bolt in place, with the washers, is an interesting challenge. I removed the chrome ring in front of the headlights to access the holes. A long socket extension with a wobbly swivel made tightening easy.

It's a good thing I removed the fuel filler ring first. The hose on this Jeep will not stretch far enough. I'll just let it stand there for now (it's pretty stiff). The gas tank will come up an inch when I install the Savvy gas tank skid, and I'll re-install the ring then.

The body lift changed the angle of the steering shaft through the firewall, making it rub a little. Thanks to @Irun for pointing out the problem, and the solution, here: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/body-lift-recommendation.60559/post-1113782
I bought the Hooke Road riser bracket here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SJQVNN9/?tag=wranglerorg-20 (and maybe got the last one, it's now marked "Currently unavailable").
I installed the riser (sits on the frame by the exhaust manifolds), and re-greased the bearing while I had it out. It works fine, even though the lower bolt hole is a little too low. The nice, clear instructions with color photos neglect to tell you to move the bearing from the old one to the new one. It raised the steering shaft back to a reasonable angle.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Motor Mount Lift

Along with the body lift, I installed a Savvy 1" motor mount lift. That puts the fan back up inside the shroud, so no shroud mods are needed. And it will allow a tranny lift with a partial tummy tuck.

Getting the factory motor mounts out went well, even with the air conditioner pump blocking the bolt on the driver side. I don't know why people cut off that bolt. I just loosened the three bolts on the engine bracket, which then tilted enough for the big bolt to come right out.

First problem: The Savvy bolt extenders won't go into the Savvy lift blocks. The holes are 0.001" smaller than the extenders. After asking around on the forum, I re-drilled the big holes to 5/8", and filed them a little to get the extenders to slide in easily.

Second problem: After installing the motor mount lift on the passenger side, I couldn't get to the nut with a wrench. I had to remove the bottom bolt in the engine bracket, torque down the motor mount nut, then replace the engine bracket bolt.

Third problem: I hear more engine noise than I used to, and there is a rattle-clunk over every bump in the road. I wired the gas tank filler over to the side to keep it from bumping around. I checked the exhaust since it moved a bit, but it didn't seem to be bumping anywhere. @Woodrow showed the problem here, along with the solution: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/woodrows-97-green-tj-moderate-build.51602/post-1126424
The passenger side lift block is sitting against the rear engine bracket bolt (photo above). Engine noise is transmitted directly into the frame, and whenever the engine moves a little, it pulls away and clunks back against that bolt. I removed the lift block, and trimmed the end in a couple of places. I also ground away some metal on the engine bracket and the frame where it was close enough to knock together.

Fourth problem: Can't shift into 2nd, 4th, 6th, or reverse. Tilting the engine up, without bringing the tranny up with it, left the shifter leaning back far enough to hit the bezel for the leather shifter boot. I popped out the bezel, and will leave it loose so I can drive it until I get the partial tummy tuck, which will bring the tranny up to level, or a little higher.

Body lift and motor mount lift completed.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Hide the crack

After doing the body lift, the TJ has an unsightly "butt crack" at the rear, and another ugly "crack" at the front. I'll hide those cracks with a little "makeup for Jeeps" (metal and rubber).

Before you ask, no, that's not my real license plate number.

I bought an aluminum flat, 1-1/2" wide, 1/8" thick, and 6 feet long. Prices are all over the place, from $22 at Ace to over $50 at the other big box stores. If you have a real metal supplier near you, you may be surprised that you can buy the same piece in 16 or 20 foot lengths for under $20. Mine gives me one cut free, because hauling a 20 foot piece of flimsy metal in a TJ is, well, complicated.

I'll mount it to hang from the tub, even with the back, and curving around the body lift pucks to attach to the tub flange. There are three holes in the back of that tub flange where standoffs will hold the crack cover, and a hole at each end where the plastic access flaps for the tub corners are held with plastic plugs. I'll use those holes to attach the ends of the cover.

The tub flange is about 1-7/8" in from the back edge of the tub. I'll need standoffs about that long, minus 1/8" for the thickness of the aluminum cover.

I bent one end of the flat bar around a 2-3/8" pipe to 90°. This curve approximates the curve of the body pucks and the corners of the tub.

I held it in place under the tub, checked fitment, and decided on spacing for the other bend (the total length should be about the 50", the same length as the bumper). The curves should reach about 1" beyond each body puck. I marked it, keeping in mind where the curve should start and end. I bent the second curve into the flat bar around the pipe to 90°.

I held it in place again, and marked both ends for trimming. The first curve needed 1/4" trimmed off, and I took about 18" from the other end. I filed the ends square and smooth.

I cut three pieces from a 3/4" round of aluminum, and trimmed them to 1.810" long (determined by experimentation with a piece of wooden dowel). I drilled them lengthwise with a 3/16" bit, and countersunk them a little. None of the local hardware stores even carry this stuff any longer, so a real metal shop, or Amazon, will get you some.

I cut two 1/2" long pieces from aluminum angle, 1-1/2" wide by 1/8" thick. These will be used to attach the ends of the cover to the tub flange. I held everything in place on the Jeep and marked the parts for two screwholes in the crack cover and the angle brackets. With the angle brackets attached, I held it on the Jeep again and marked the hole to go into the tub flange. I also marked the three holes for the standoffs, and drilled everything to 3/16". I countersunk the three holes in the crack cover for flat head screws.

I used all stainless hardware: three 2-1/2" flathead #10-32 screws, nylock nuts, and fender washers for the standoffs, four 1/2" panhead screws and nylock nuts for the little end brackets, and two 3/4" panhead screws and nylock nuts for the tub flange.

Note: At first I used panhead screws and washers for the three standoffs, so some of the pictures will show those. But I didn't like the look, so I switched to flathead screws.

I polished the aluminum crack cover with a heavy duty Scotch-Brite pad (the coarse one for non-coated cookware) and wiped it down.

I laid the crack cover on the bumper, and slid three 2-1/2" stainless #10-32 flathead screws in place, and with the aluminum standoffs behind them. With enough prodding, I got the crack cover in place, with the three screws through the flange holes, and the angle brackets around behind the tub flange.

I screwed everything in place.

I added a couple of washers between the angle bracket and the tub flange on one side to bring the crack cover forward a little, touching the body puck, to make it even with the bottom rear of the tub.

 

[OldBuzzard]

The front crack looks bad too, and needs a cover.

This one is odd-shaped, and has stuff in the way. I decided to use a piece of 1/8" thick rubber, which is available from various Amazon vendors. I had an old surplus sheet (after a lifetime of collecting stuff). It has some curl, but fortunately it's kind of going the right direction.

My Jeep has a chrome grill, which is simply attached at the factory over the basic painted grill with four plastic plugs. I can slide the rubber up between the two grills to just below the seven vertical vents. The chrome grill will pinch the rubber in place.

I removed the sway bar cover, and the sway bar bushing bolts, and slid the sway bar forward to get some room to work. I moved the factory body tag over toward the center so it wasn't hanging by one little corner, and bent it down over the flange lip a little. I pried the bottom two plastic plugs from the chrome grill (broke them), and replaced them with 1/4-20 screws and nylock nuts. The chrome grill is pretty snug, I can only pry it out about 1/4" from the painted grill.

After taking a bunch of measurements, I cut a piece of 1/8" thick rubber, 33-3/4" by 4-1/2". I made cutouts for the sway bar mounts at the lower corners, 3" long by 5/8" deep. And I made cutouts for the chrome grill tabs in the top of the rubber, 2-7/8" deep by 1-1/2" wide, aligned with the tabs.

I slid the rubber up between the two grills, with the cutouts around the chrome grill mounting tabs. Holding it up tight in place I tightened the new screws to pinch the two grills together. It hangs down and curls forward a little to clear the metal flange below the grill, and the steering box.

After bolting everything back in place, the front crack is covered nicely.

It remains to be seen if the rubber will stay in place, and how it weathers, and how well it can be cleaned.

 

[Irun]

Great job! Writing down what you did will be very useful to others that might be intimidated by the work!

 

[OldBuzzard]

Great job! Writing down what you did will be very useful to others that might be intimidated by the work!

Thanks. I hope others will get some use out of this. Your postings in your build logs have certainly helped me a great deal.

 

[Noxid]

a truly most excellent thread. thanks for this. giving me lots of ideas for my 90k+ mile 2005 LJ

 

[OldBuzzard]

Thanks, Noxid. I've learned a huge amount on this forum, and it's nice to be able to add a little to it.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Gas tank skid

Another step in reducing this LJ butt-dragging problem: a Savvy aluminum gas tank skid, with a 1" lift. Now that the 1.25" body lift is in place (required to do the gas tank lift) I can install this skid.

It took about 2 weeks from my order to receipt, and it arrived in a box, all buttoned up like this:

It even has instructions available from Savvy <GASP>, a nice 7-page clearly-written PDF file with color pictures. Doesn't sound like Savvy, does it?

I had dropped the gas tank last year to fix the fuel burp problem and replace the fuel pump, so previous experience helped. I wiped off and blew out the fuel line connectors with compressed air, before disconnecting them, and there was quite a bit of dirt in them. You don't want that getting in the lines. The '05-'06 doesn't have a pressure relief Schrader valve on the fuel rail, so I pulled the fuel pump relay and cranked the engine a few times to partially relieve the pressure. I still got about half a cup of gasoline over my gloves and on the floor when I disconnected the gas lines. The three connectors (gas line, return line, and evap line) on the '05-'06 are different from preceding years, so use instructions for your vehicle year to keep from breaking them.

I lowered the tank slowly, watching the cable to the pump. If it pulls, it will break the connector off of your pump, which will ruin your day. When it was low enough to reach, I released the cable.

After removing the plastic tank from the OEM skid, I weighed the skids:

OEM skid ≈ 27 lbs.​

Savvy skid ≈ 32 lbs.​

The Savvy instructions are good, but they have a couple of big holes.

I bolted the steel mounting flanges into the aluminum skid in the position for a 1" gas tank lift.

Problem #1
Guessing which position to mount the straps in is exactly that, a guess. The instructions say essentially nothing about this. There are 3 possible positions: front and rear straps both in the bottom hole, both in the top hole, or one in the top and the other in the bottom. And no matter which way you try them, you will be wrong, unless you're luckier than me. Mr. Blaine explains why this is so hard here, in #7 and #13:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/trouble-installing-savvy-gas-tank-skid.37185
You have to put the tank in the skid to find out if the straps are right.

Problem #2
When the straps are discovered to not quite reach, or to overlap, you have to remove the tank from the skid. The instructions say nothing. Go ahead, pull, pry, prod, shove, and when nothing works, try this. Place a board under the little ridge on the end of the gas tank, propping up the end about a half inch. Shove down hard on the skid. That end of the gas tank stays up while the skid goes down. Do the same on the other end. Quick and easy. On the third go-round, I ended up with the front straps mounted high and the rear straps mounted low.

Problem #3
The edges of all of the steel mounting flanges are sharp. Mr. Blaine says to file the top edges of the sides to reduce shaving plastic. I saw some of that, but the real problem was the rear corner angles. They have a sharp, square corner which was cutting a deep gouge into the tank every time I placed and removed it.

I wish I had known to grind that corner before gouging my tank. I don't mind the slight shaving on the sides, but this corner angle gouging problem should be mitigated by Savvy during manufacture.

I installed the tank and skid, and found one tight spot at the driver rear corner. The skid touches the frame, bending a wee bit as I tightened the bolts, but it came right up into place. I already had connected the cable and the three hoses, and didn't want to lower it again, so I didn't grind it. Perhaps I should have test-fit the skid in the Jeep before installing the gas tank.

Measurements, before and after, show the rear of the skid now sitting almost 1-3/4" higher than the OEM skid did.

Before:

After:

Eventually I would like to get a DirtWorx rear bumper with integrated trailer hitch to make a lot more room under the rear. Meanwhile, the trailer hitch is heavy steel, so if I hear a bump back there, it's not too worrisome.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Tires

The tires which came on the Jeep were Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac 31x10.50-15. They still had a lot of tread and were in good shape. I really liked them, and thought they were a little more grippy than the BFG ATs I had on my previous Taco. The only thing I didn't like about them was how they liked to hydroplane in heavy rain on the highway. No straight grooves in the tread to direct the water. But that's a problem for most AT and mud tires.

I decided it's time for 33-inchers. I like the narrower 10.5" wide tires which stay under the fender flares pretty well. That limited my options pretty severely, but BFG still makes them. So I got five BFG AT T/A KO2 in 33x10.50-15.

The folks at Discount Tire rang them up with their built-in $300 tip (5 each Certificate for Repair, Refund or Replacement). They didn't ask, they just tossed that on the bill. I wouldn't mind them asking if I wanted it, but they weren't going to mention it. Some people like them, some don't, and they shouldn't be an "opt-out if you notice we snuck those in there" kind of thing. I said no.

Even without a tip, those nice folks delivered the tires with a bonus: free extra air, and super-tight lug nuts. As expected, they had 38 PSI. And lug nuts torqued at 120 to 145 ft. lb. I promptly reduced the pressure to 28 PSI. I'll have to play with pressure, probably in the 26 to 28 PSI range, so see what they like. And I loosened the lugs and re-torqued them properly. I hope they're not stretched.

I suspect lug bolts are listed in the manuals for the torque required to hold the wheel properly, instead of the maximum torque that bolt could withstand. Manufacturers know that tire shop gorillas are going to over-tighten them, and they don't want a lawsuit when wheels fall off from stretched lug bolts. But I could be wrong.

The tires rub on the CA a little when turning right, but not left. I had a washer under the left steering stop for the previous tires. I added one to the right side, which helped, but they still rub a little. I'll fix that eventually — might have to re-check my axle centering first.

I got the tires before installing a body lift (above). The 33" tires would not go over the bumper on the spare rack. With the body lift, the spare fits with room to spare <heh>. The bottom tire bumper was a little too snug, which made it hard to close the tailgate, and would have eventually bent something. I placed a washer on the bottom lug bolt, which cocked the bottom of the tire out a tiny bit. Now the tailgate closes just like it used to.

The speedometer is off now, of course. I'm working on a speedo corrector . . .

 

[voodooridr]

Tires

The tires which came on the Jeep were Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac 31x10.50-15. They still had a lot of tread and were in good shape. I really liked them, and thought they were a little more grippy than the BFG ATs I had on my previous Taco. The only thing I didn't like about them was how they liked to hydroplane in heavy rain on the highway. No straight grooves in the tread to direct the water. But that's a problem for most AT and mud tires.

I decided it's time for 33-inchers. I like the narrower 10.5" wide tires which stay under the fender flares pretty well. That limited my options pretty severely, but BFG still makes them. So I got five BFG AT T/A KO2 in 33x10.50-15.

The folks at Discount Tire rang them up with their built-in $300 tip (5 each Certificate for Repair, Refund or Replacement). They didn't ask, they just tossed that on the bill. I wouldn't mind them asking if I wanted it, but they weren't going to mention it. Some people like them, some don't, and they shouldn't be an "opt-out if you notice we snuck those in there" kind of thing. I said no.

Even without a tip, those nice folks delivered the tires with a bonus: free extra air, and super-tight lug nuts. As expected, they had 38 PSI. And lug nuts torqued at 120 to 145 ft. lb. I promptly reduced the pressure to 28 PSI. I'll have to play with pressure, probably in the 26 to 28 PSI range, so see what they like. And I loosened the lugs and re-torqued them properly. I hope they're not stretched.

I suspect lug bolts are listed in the manuals for the torque required to hold the wheel properly, instead of the maximum torque that bolt could withstand. Manufacturers know that tire shop gorillas are going to over-tighten them, and they don't want a lawsuit when wheels fall off from stretched lug bolts. But I could be wrong.

View attachment 385214

The tires rub on the CA a little when turning right, but not left. I had a washer under the left steering stop for the previous tires. I added one to the right side, which helped, but they still rub a little. I'll fix that eventually — might have to re-check my axle centering first.

I got the tires before installing a body lift (above). The 33" tires would not go over the bumper on the spare rack. With the body lift, the spare fits with room to spare <heh>. The bottom tire bumper was a little too snug, which made it hard to close the tailgate, and would have eventually bent something. I placed a washer on the bottom lug bolt, which cocked the bottom of the tire out a tiny bit. Now the tailgate closes just like it used to.

The speedometer is off now, of course. I'm working on a speedo corrector . . .

Those are what I run in the winter, I've been running them at 26 and they seem to be smooth over rough roads without being "floaty"

 

[bobthetj03]

Ditto, 26 psi provides good even wear. I'm about 60% thru mine.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Yes, thanks, I've seen that quite a few people run 26 PSI in 33-inchers. I'll probably try that soon. Waiting on a couple of parts . . .