PRNDL's Green Jeep

PRNDL

my steering wheel has been to moab
Original poster
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2021
Messages
944
Location
Flower Mound, TX
My wife and I brought home a 2004 Electric Lime Green Rubicon this week. This is my third Wrangler and second TJ.

001-04-rubi.jpg


Quick backstory:
My first vehicle at 16 years old was a '92 YJ. 4 cyl, 5 speed, no lift and 31"s that rubbed everywhere. I was lucky to see 65 mph on the highway, downhill with a tailwind. My girlfriend LOVED it. Years later in college, I married her. The transmission didn't last long and we traded it in.

001-red-yj.jpg


A few months after we married, she found a 2001 Sport in the high school parking lot. We brought it home and I got to work. Every bolt on choice the PO made was a mistake. I hate chrome. I hate tubes.

001-2001-tj-start.JPG


By the time I was "done", I had swapped in '03 Rubi axles, Rokmen TT, sliders, bumpers, SYE/CV, winch, JKS control arms, Currie hd steering, 35s, etc, etc. It was perfect. Whelp, as fate would have it, we had a kid early. I tried to convince myself I could keep it and run an infant carrier in the back, but I never felt right about it. What I should have done was buy a cheap, old - but safe - sedan and kept the Jeep. What I did instead as 20-something kid was sell it. In hindsight, there were other options, but I did what I thought was best for my family at the time, and I can't say I regret it. I do miss that Jeep terribly. Side note, its changed hands a few times over the years but I was able to track it down. Its in Tulsa now - V8 swap, atlas and has been stretched to an LJ.

001-2001-tj-sold.JPG


So here we are with a stock Rubi in a wonderfully obnoxious color that I absolutely love. 133k on the clock, and many more to come.

Here are the things I know need to be fixed/addressed.
  • Rear locker doesn't engage. Pump runs continuously. Front is fine.
  • The Jeep spent part of its life in PA, there are some surface rust spots to prep and paint.
  • The gas skid has a pretty decent rust hole in it and needs to be replaced.
  • The cooling system is nasty and looks to be original. I plan to replace it entirely.
  • The factory sub is not working. The head unit has been replaced so not sure if its blown or just not connected.
  • The passenger rear speaker is blown.
  • The throw out bearing is nearing the end. The clutch seems fine, but I'll replace it.
  • The hood has one major dent. I'd like to have it repaired.
  • The engine runs strong, but has a lifter tick sometimes until it warms up. Not a huge issue, but its on the list.
  • The steering feels loose. I'll have to look at it. Might be ball joints or steering joints. I'm sure its all factory. I'll eventually replace them.
  • There's a lot of fluid on the under body near the transfer case. The 241 might need to have the extension housing fix.
  • RMS might be leaking.

I'm going to start collecting parts for the forum sanctioned OME/Rancho 2.5" lift. I'm going with 285/75r16s on the factory Moabs. I'll adjust accordingly with spacers and BL where needed to fit. The plan is to have everything fixed and maintenance performed over the winter and then assemble lift and tires next spring.

Here's to my TJ sequel. Should be fun.

001-04-rubi2.jpg
 
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Had a few hours this weekend and took care of a few things.
Did some trouble shooting on the rear locker; swapped the front/rear pump tubes. The rear pump locked the front diff just fine, so at least my pumps appear to be ok. I couldn't see anything in the rear air tube to the diff. I picked up gear oil and ordered lube locker. I'll pull the cover and check the internal tube when I have time.
 
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Got around to a couple of items on the punch list this weekend.

One of the rear speakers was buzzing. I assumed it was blown but after pulling the cover, it seemed fine. Turns out it was the dome light lens. A few well placed electrical tape strips and its quiet back there.
PXL_20211007_194246956.MP.jpg


Got the spark plugs swapped. I had help from my oldest daughter. She's 12 and has really taken an interest in the Jeep and all the maintenance. Its been really fun to teach her about all the mechanical things going on under the hood.

The plugs were well worn. The rear most plug was coated in oil. Looks like the valve cover gasket has been added to the list.
PXL_20211010_221112246.MP.jpg


Flushed the Prestone cleaner coolant. The color was nasty. Refilled with Thermocure and will run it this week and I'm expecting it to be even worse. I attempted to clear up my coolant reservoir per @DuvelSteve but didn't quite get it clear. I'll try it again after flushing the Thermocure.
 
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I did a more thorough inspection of the frame and underside. There's more rust than I want to see, but so far nothing devastating. Some light areas on the body and some surface rust on the frame around the control arm mounts. Its on my list to clean it up and paint this winter.

I am looking for a replacement set of factory control arms. The bushings are shot, but worse than that, the rear lowers look to be rusted pretty well inside the arm around the bushing itself. I'll get those replaced as soon as possible. I'm planning to run factory arms with 2" springs, might as well get it taken care of now.

There's a hole rusted through the gas skid. I'll replace it with an OEM part, hopefully I can find one locally. I am a bit concerned about how the rear cross member is going too look once the tank is out, tbh.
 
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My doors, specifically the driver's side, were very hard to remove the first time i tried. The nuts were marked up like they had been removed, but the doors were stuck pretty good. It took a while, but I got them off without resorting to the jack method.

I ordered quadratec's replacement bushings and got around to installing them. The passenger side went off without a hitch. The kit is very complete and the instructions are excellent.

PXL_20211013_224228988.MP.jpg


The lower hinge on the driver side door was another story. The kit comes with a punch tool that is machined to fit inside the bushing with a lip to drive it out. I started just as I had on the three others before. This time, instead of the bushing moving, the entire hinge started to rotate. This picture is after I rotated it back in place.

PXL_20211013_230357717.MP.jpg


Not terribly worried about the paint. Should I tighten the torx bolts?

I didn't try again. The door went back on with no trouble. I guess three out of four isn't bad. :)
 
Busy weekend:
  • Flushed the Thermocure and filled with Zerex G05
  • Replaced the valve cover gasket
  • Removed the ABS tray in preparation for the locker pump relocation
  • Ordered the Toyota H4 Headlight Assembly
  • Ordered a replacement gas skid
  • Ordered 1" firewall grommets for the small hole on the drivers side before finding the original under the ABS tray
  • Orderd 6 ton jack stands
I did a lot of research/shopping for tummy tuck skids. The Savvy 03-06 is on backorder, I'm not opposed to it at all since the forum highly recommends it. If I can't source one, I'll probably go with the UCF extra-clearance in aluminum. I dont need it to be flat and it will gain me quit a bit over the factory Rubicon skid.

Probably the worst thing I did all weekend was read @Chris's build thread. I was all set on a 2.5" OME springs, a body lift and 33s. Now I'm looking at 3-4" SL, full set of arms and setting up for 35s down the road... Still not sure what I want to do here. This picture is just about where I want to be:
img_1092-jpg.jpg


I think at this time, he was on 4" springs and .5" BL and 285s... hmmm.
 
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Busy weekend:
  • Flushed the Thermocure and filled with Zerex G05
  • Replaced the valve cover gasket
  • Removed the ABS tray in preparation for the locker pump relocation
  • Ordered the Toyota H4 Headlight Assembly
  • Ordered a replacement gas skid
  • Ordered 1" firewall grommets for the small hole on the drivers side before finding the original under the ABS tray
  • Orderd 6 ton jack stands
I did a lot of research/shopping for tummy tuck skids. The Savvy 03-06 is on backorder, I'm not opposed to it at all since the forum highly recommends it. If I can't source one, I'll probably go with the UCF extra-clearance in aluminum. I dont need it to be flat and it will gain me quit a bit over the factory Rubicon skid.

Probably the worst thing I did all weekend was read @Chris's build thread. I was all set on a 2.5" OME springs, a body lift and 33s. Now I'm looking at 3-4" SL, full set of arms and setting up for 35s down the road... Still not sure what I want to do here. This picture is just about where I want to be:
View attachment 284829

I think at this time, he was on 4" springs and .5" BL and 285s... hmmm.

Hey, I remember taking that picture! I think my wife was much happier then since she could get in-and-out of the Jeep without much fuss :LOL:
 
Busy weekend:
  • Flushed the Thermocure and filled with Zerex G05
  • Replaced the valve cover gasket
  • Removed the ABS tray in preparation for the locker pump relocation
  • Ordered the Toyota H4 Headlight Assembly
  • Ordered a replacement gas skid
  • Ordered 1" firewall grommets for the small hole on the drivers side before finding the original under the ABS tray
  • Orderd 6 ton jack stands
I did a lot of research/shopping for tummy tuck skids. The Savvy 03-06 is on backorder, I'm not opposed to it at all since the forum highly recommends it. If I can't source one, I'll probably go with the UCF extra-clearance in aluminum. I dont need it to be flat and it will gain me quit a bit over the factory Rubicon skid.

Probably the worst thing I did all weekend was read @Chris's build thread. I was all set on a 2.5" OME springs, a body lift and 33s. Now I'm looking at 3-4" SL, full set of arms and setting up for 35s down the road... Still not sure what I want to do here. This picture is just about where I want to be:
View attachment 284829

I think at this time, he was on 4" springs and .5" BL and 285s... hmmm.
May want to contact Savvy and see how long the backorder is. I ordered something else but I was told delivery would likely be sooner than expected.
 
May want to contact Savvy and see how long the backorder is. I ordered something else but I was told delivery would likely be sooner than expected.
Thanks I'll do that.
Hey, I remember taking that picture! I think my wife was much happier then since she could get in-and-out of the Jeep without much fuss :LOL:
I bet. From the pace of your thread, it seems she only had a few minutes to enjoy it at this height, haha! :LOL:
 
I'm a believer in Thermocure.
PXL_20211019_184938029.MP.jpg

Left to right in the order of application:
  • Existing coolant drain
  • Preston flush
  • Thermocure flush
I didn't get pictures but the view into the radiator was a gross brown before the Thermocure and after it was back to looking like metal and much more "normal". I highly recommend.
 
Thanks I'll do that.

I bet. From the pace of your thread, it seems she only had a few minutes to enjoy it at this height, haha! :LOL:
She actually likes it, I just think she’s more into exploring and going off the beaten path versus rock crawling. That’s fine though because I’ve found that I too am not as into rock crawling as some guys are.
 
She actually likes it, I just think she’s more into exploring and going off the beaten path versus rock crawling. That’s fine though because I’ve found that I too am not as into rock crawling as some guys are.
Have you been to Moab yet? get both
 
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