XJ Jeep

Trailer in a trailer

Head Mechanic — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:36:16 +0000

This was the look of the Pumpkin being transported to the school for the kids. Funny how a full half of a Cherokee will fit in the back of that trailer. And with the axle and wheels on it no less!!

I’ll be getting more pictures of the progress soon!

Long overdue update

Head Mechanic — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:00:50 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog about Jeep life. Life has been keeping me busy… with that said.. a friend of mine is a going to have his shop students work on Pumpkin. He’s a teacher and thinks it would be a great project for the kids to get dirty with. I can’t agree more! It will be fun for them. So soon updates will be coming with new photos of the progress, more info about the students and such.

Photo gallery

Head Mechanic — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 07:41:42 +0000

I got an email from Tim asking to see some pictures of my Silver XJ with the Moab wheels. These are just a few. Still working on the project. These have BFG AT 31′s with a 3.5″ lift. Enjoy!

Photo Gallery

125,600 Tire rotation

Head Mechanic — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:51:25 +0000

Needed to rotate the tires before winter comes in. BFG AT’s were beginning to “cup” a little bit.

Blower Motor Resistor replacement

Head Mechanic — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:40:42 +0000

Well… it finally happened. The dreaded blower motor problem. But it wasn’t as bad as one might think (other than dealing with cold mornings!).

One thing that was nice was this great little write up on GLXJ .
I did have to order the part from Autozone as it’s NOT a stock part (silly people). Duralast CR158 is the replacement which is only $39.99 but takes about 3 days to get.

122,000 Maintenance

Head Mechanic — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:24:25 +0000

Oil change (actual 122,540)

Replaced oil filter with Mobile 1 M-301
Replaced oil with Mobile 1 Drive Clean 5000 5w30 (5 Quarts)
Lucas Oil Treatment (1 Quart)

Replaced throttle body with big bore unit
Recharge K&N air filter (stock dropin)
Topped off washer fluid
Fuel treatment additive
Greased all zerk fittings (front end/drive shaft)
Installed Pioneer DEH-P4900IB w/iPod cable

Lift Gate gas struts

Head Mechanic — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:58:57 +0000

I got an email from Matt asking about how to get the lift gate gas struts out and replaced. This might be a simple thing but not until you’ve done it once or twice.

So, this is usually a 5-10 minute job to replace both gas struts, and I do recommend replacing both at the same time. That gate coming down on the head will leave a bump!

Have a friend with you holding the gate in the up position. Work on the first strut by removing the (2) 10mm bolts at one end. Then with a small screw driver, on the ball end, you’ll see a “clip” retrainer holding on the ball. Facing you there will be a small divit for getting the screw driver in and pulling the clip out part way. This will allow the strut to be removed. Replacement is done in reverse, just pull the clip out part way put the strut in place and lock the clip down. Then it’s just putting the bolts back in for the opposite end. Now, switch spots with your friend and do the other side.

Matt – I’ll try to get pictures up tomorrow as a reference. And thank you! I try to get to all questions and as our parents told us, “there is no such thing as a dumb question”. If you don’t ask, you’ll never learn. So ask and I’ll try to get to them all as quickly as I can. And happy jeeping!

4.0L IAT (Intake Air Temperature) Sensor

Head Mechanic — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:03:14 +0000

Based on this comment I thought I would give a little extra tip while answering the question.

Tony is getting a 112 error code with his 05 TJ 4.0L. Nice thing about the 4.0L, it’s the same in every Jeep it finds a home in. So, while it’s not very common this sensor dies, it is possible. I’ve had it happen with a previous motor swap. The “new” donor motor did have a bad sensor. It’s a quick and painless R&R (remove and replace). If you have an Autozone in your area, the website calls the sensor a “Air Charge Sensor”. Don’t ask, I still don’t get how they come up with different names than a service manual has. Part number is: SU3036 and is price at $27.99.

If you click on this picture for a larger version, you’ll see I’ve highlighted the sensor itself on the 4.0L intake. If you feel adventurous, you can follow Dino Savva’s instructions for relocating the IAT to the air box. I personally have not done this mod yet, but I’m sure I will in the future when I have more mods to do under the hood. Right now, it’s bone stock for me.

Hope that helps and gives a bit more insight to the IAT.

Oil pressure high???

Head Mechanic — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:32:58 +0000

Odd thing, you always want to know that the blood in your motor is always flowing. The only way to know that is the oil pressure gauge. Mine decided to have issues recently. On cold start it would go to 40-50psi and under acceleration, it would peg out over 80+psi. Knowing that I normally run 40psi cold and 25psi on hot idle, I started poking around the net for a reason. After finding more than one comment on NAXJA about high oil pressure gauge pegging out and it being caused by a bad oil pressure switch, I figured it was time to replace mine. Autozone had it in stock (#PS401) for $46.99. It is mounted just above the oil filter on the 4.0L motor. Using a 1 and 1/16″ socket to remove the old one, the new one already came with pipe dope on the threads. This is to make a good seal, remember this is under pressure. Total time for R&R was about 15 mins, that includes cleaning up and toping off fluids. An easy fix, a bit pricey for such a small thing, but well worth it to make sure you can see how your motor is running!

2000 XJ Fuse panel (update)

Head Mechanic — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:34:16 +0000

An update to my original post about the Fuse panel. Here is an image of the fuse panel. This is located on the passenger side kick panel.