Ok, so my son has bought an 04 WJ Grand Cherokee with relatively low miles (103k) a V8, and Quadratrac II awd system. He's working a minimum wage job to pay for it, fixes, and upgrades, with occasional help from his old man. He won't have his license for about a year, so he doesn't have to worry about gas or insurance yet, so that's good. We're starting out by establishing a maintenance base-line, getting everything changed, checked, fixed, and up to speed before mods begin, so this thread will be slowly updated over time.
So, here is where we start. We are still assessing the Jeep, so we started with some cosmetic things and top-offs until warm weather comes and we can get deeper into it.
The alternator and serpentine belt are new, so that's a bonus. Shocks are good and tires are near new, and the alignment is good. The springs have no sag.
We've done the following, so far...
Engine oil--just checked. It was changed 500 miles ago, so we'll run it another 1k or so, which is long as we can resist before putting a "clean up" oil in it to get any sludge or gunk out of it. There probably isn't much, because it looks like it has had oil changes every 3k to 3.5k, religiously. We've got Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w30 on deck for the next two changes, with a Fram Ultraguard filter. That oil is a deep cleaner, then we'll likely move to Mobil 1 High Mileage every 3.5 to 4k, or 1 year, whichever comes first. There is no apparent seepage or leaking from head cover gaskets, or the head gasket, so that's good. The engine mostly looks very clean.
Topped off trans. fluid...Castrol syn ATF+4. It was a couple quarts down. I doubt it has ever been changed. The existing fluid didn't look too bad. It wasn't burnt and looked reasonably clean, but it has to go. The transmission pan is seeping badly (not to the point of dripping) so when warm weather hits, we'll change the filters, put a new pan with a drain plug on, (makes for cleaner changes), seal it with RTV (WJ crowd tells me the Mopar gaskets don't do as well as RTV), and then brand new fluid, probably Valvoline or Castrol, whichever is on sale.
Changed t-case fluid. This thing requires a special fluid, so I ordered it off Amazon. The original appears to have never changed, and was very dark. We filled it with the new (proper) Mopar fluid. I discovered a drip at the rear output shaft seal, so that's on the list of fixes, soon.
Differentials....We topped off the front and rear with Walmart Supertech synthetic 75w90. The rear was a little low and the front, despite massive seeping around the cover, was barely down. Those covers will get popped off this spring and new rtv applied, then new gear lube goes in, again, full synthetic Supertech 75w90, maybe 75w140 in the rear, although it doesn't tow or even have a hitch.
Spark Plugs...New ones will be installed soon! I think the originals are still in there and should have been changed at 30k. The engine runs great, but is slightly rough at idle. Some Techron fuel system cleaner helped a little, but those plugs have got to go, along with any ignition coils that don't look good. Hopefully, that will smooth things out.
Coolant: The coolant tests well, but will be drained and refilled in warm weather with the proper Zerex G-05 HOAT coolant. Hoses look good, but we still might replace the easy ones. There may be a drip from a lower hose, so we'll address that, as well.
New Fram Ultra air filter. The old one was ready for a change!
Oil pan...The engine oil pan is rusty and seeps. We'll take it off and clean it up and paint it or may just put a new one on. We'll see. Anyway, it will be dealt with.
Brakes...This spring, we'll have the rotors turned and will put some premium pads on it, but they perform ok now. The parking brake actually works well, which surprised me in a 14 yo Jeep. We'll also swap out the brake fluid with DOT 4.
Power steering...Hoses are seeping. We'll replace hoses, flush it out, and fill it.
The gas tank skid is rusty, so we'll wire brush it and coat it with Rustoleum Rust Reformer, then Rustoleum truck bed liner over that. If it has holes rusted through, we'll replace it.
Side steps removed!
Tailgate and window struts were replaced. Hood struts are next.
We replaced a broken seat belt coupler and tightened up the a-pillar grab handles.
First Mods: Floor liners! We're leaning toward Husky Liners. Then, front splash guards. We'll also install CB and GMRS radios and antennas. (I already have those). We are debating refinishing the wheels (they arent' terrible) or plasti-dipping them black. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We have Jeep "Trail Rated" badges! We DO need stinking badges! Lol! He wants to join this forum so he can have an Overland Bound Badge, too!
That's a lot! I'll update as we go. Future plans (way out there) are an Old Man Emu light duty 1.5" lift and 30 or 31 inch all terrain tires, leaning toward Falken Wild Peak AT/3's in 30 or 31 inch size. He also likes the idea of a roof basket, although I think a 30 or 31 will fit in the spare tire compartment, so no need for hauling it on the roof. He should have plenty of room inside. Of course, a rooftop tent would be cool! Budget will only allow for an Ozark Trails Instant Tent, though.
Stay tuned!
So, here is where we start. We are still assessing the Jeep, so we started with some cosmetic things and top-offs until warm weather comes and we can get deeper into it.
The alternator and serpentine belt are new, so that's a bonus. Shocks are good and tires are near new, and the alignment is good. The springs have no sag.
We've done the following, so far...
Engine oil--just checked. It was changed 500 miles ago, so we'll run it another 1k or so, which is long as we can resist before putting a "clean up" oil in it to get any sludge or gunk out of it. There probably isn't much, because it looks like it has had oil changes every 3k to 3.5k, religiously. We've got Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w30 on deck for the next two changes, with a Fram Ultraguard filter. That oil is a deep cleaner, then we'll likely move to Mobil 1 High Mileage every 3.5 to 4k, or 1 year, whichever comes first. There is no apparent seepage or leaking from head cover gaskets, or the head gasket, so that's good. The engine mostly looks very clean.
Topped off trans. fluid...Castrol syn ATF+4. It was a couple quarts down. I doubt it has ever been changed. The existing fluid didn't look too bad. It wasn't burnt and looked reasonably clean, but it has to go. The transmission pan is seeping badly (not to the point of dripping) so when warm weather hits, we'll change the filters, put a new pan with a drain plug on, (makes for cleaner changes), seal it with RTV (WJ crowd tells me the Mopar gaskets don't do as well as RTV), and then brand new fluid, probably Valvoline or Castrol, whichever is on sale.
Changed t-case fluid. This thing requires a special fluid, so I ordered it off Amazon. The original appears to have never changed, and was very dark. We filled it with the new (proper) Mopar fluid. I discovered a drip at the rear output shaft seal, so that's on the list of fixes, soon.
Differentials....We topped off the front and rear with Walmart Supertech synthetic 75w90. The rear was a little low and the front, despite massive seeping around the cover, was barely down. Those covers will get popped off this spring and new rtv applied, then new gear lube goes in, again, full synthetic Supertech 75w90, maybe 75w140 in the rear, although it doesn't tow or even have a hitch.
Spark Plugs...New ones will be installed soon! I think the originals are still in there and should have been changed at 30k. The engine runs great, but is slightly rough at idle. Some Techron fuel system cleaner helped a little, but those plugs have got to go, along with any ignition coils that don't look good. Hopefully, that will smooth things out.
Coolant: The coolant tests well, but will be drained and refilled in warm weather with the proper Zerex G-05 HOAT coolant. Hoses look good, but we still might replace the easy ones. There may be a drip from a lower hose, so we'll address that, as well.
New Fram Ultra air filter. The old one was ready for a change!
Oil pan...The engine oil pan is rusty and seeps. We'll take it off and clean it up and paint it or may just put a new one on. We'll see. Anyway, it will be dealt with.
Brakes...This spring, we'll have the rotors turned and will put some premium pads on it, but they perform ok now. The parking brake actually works well, which surprised me in a 14 yo Jeep. We'll also swap out the brake fluid with DOT 4.
Power steering...Hoses are seeping. We'll replace hoses, flush it out, and fill it.
The gas tank skid is rusty, so we'll wire brush it and coat it with Rustoleum Rust Reformer, then Rustoleum truck bed liner over that. If it has holes rusted through, we'll replace it.
Side steps removed!
Tailgate and window struts were replaced. Hood struts are next.
We replaced a broken seat belt coupler and tightened up the a-pillar grab handles.
First Mods: Floor liners! We're leaning toward Husky Liners. Then, front splash guards. We'll also install CB and GMRS radios and antennas. (I already have those). We are debating refinishing the wheels (they arent' terrible) or plasti-dipping them black. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We have Jeep "Trail Rated" badges! We DO need stinking badges! Lol! He wants to join this forum so he can have an Overland Bound Badge, too!
That's a lot! I'll update as we go. Future plans (way out there) are an Old Man Emu light duty 1.5" lift and 30 or 31 inch all terrain tires, leaning toward Falken Wild Peak AT/3's in 30 or 31 inch size. He also likes the idea of a roof basket, although I think a 30 or 31 will fit in the spare tire compartment, so no need for hauling it on the roof. He should have plenty of room inside. Of course, a rooftop tent would be cool! Budget will only allow for an Ozark Trails Instant Tent, though.
Stay tuned!
