JEEP REPAIR FOR DUMMIES
Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:01 pm
Hi all - I have a 1997 TJ Wrangler 6 cyl Automatic I purchased used in February 2008. It currently has 124,000 Miles on it. I am experiencing a couple of issues with it and would like to make these repairs on my own, however, be forewarned I am a rookie at this but not afraid to try it myself. I have Haynes and Jeep Bible books I refer to as well.
1) What should a Wrangler be RPM'ing at when it warms up? It currently is at the line directly below the 1000 RPM mark and that feels high to me. Also, experiencing a pretty heavy vibration when Jeep is in park or sitting with foot on brake in Drive. My dash is buzzing and everything around it. Not idling rough, just this awful vibration.
When this started I took it to my local off road shop and they told me the fan clutch had to be replaced so that is why the idle was so high - it was not kicking down after the initial warm up. This work was done however, the issue still there plus now the fan makes a squeek that was not there before. And the idle still seem high to me.
A friend suggested maybe my throttle body was dirty so I took off the air hose and sprayed with Carb cleaner and cleaned the throttle body and the "butterfly" or little trap door which I held open by pushing that little arm next to it. I used a toothbrush as well and it was pretty dirty. It seems to have lowered the RPM's just a bit better than before. I tried not to spray too much down that pipe below the trap door. How far can I reach down with the toothbrush and Carb spray before I hurt something? This was my first time doing this too but seemed easy enough.
Someone else suggested to change Temperature Sensor and this would kick the idle down. I found where that is on the Jeep but just wanted to confirm right thing to do???
Other than that, the Jeep is running great (and fast) and not throwing any codes or stalling or not starting.
Also cleaned and oiled my K&N filter - which had not been cleaned since Oct 2009 - my bad
however, I have this marked on my calendar for follow up every 3 months.
2) When braking or turning a corner, on rear passenger side by back tire something makes a POP POP sound - sometimes several times in a row. My shop said the rear track bar bolt area was egg shaped and he welded a round washer there to tighten it but I still hear that POPPING sound.
3) Heater knob started to work only on OFF and on HIGH. Well due to cold weather recently the knob completely split and fell off so I am using pliers now to turn off and on. Is this an easy fix for both of them? Checked Haynes manual but they show a YJ toggle switch and not what I have.
4) Changing diff fluids - should bolts be removed by hand or OK to use Impact gun? Also I read some owners use a tube to drain the fluids instead of removing the whole diff cover, but again others thought it better to remove the whole cover and apply new sealant along with new fluids of course. I am on the fence here on which is better to do.
Apologize for such a long post! Thanks for all the advice you can give me here!
1) What should a Wrangler be RPM'ing at when it warms up? It currently is at the line directly below the 1000 RPM mark and that feels high to me. Also, experiencing a pretty heavy vibration when Jeep is in park or sitting with foot on brake in Drive. My dash is buzzing and everything around it. Not idling rough, just this awful vibration.
When this started I took it to my local off road shop and they told me the fan clutch had to be replaced so that is why the idle was so high - it was not kicking down after the initial warm up. This work was done however, the issue still there plus now the fan makes a squeek that was not there before. And the idle still seem high to me.
A friend suggested maybe my throttle body was dirty so I took off the air hose and sprayed with Carb cleaner and cleaned the throttle body and the "butterfly" or little trap door which I held open by pushing that little arm next to it. I used a toothbrush as well and it was pretty dirty. It seems to have lowered the RPM's just a bit better than before. I tried not to spray too much down that pipe below the trap door. How far can I reach down with the toothbrush and Carb spray before I hurt something? This was my first time doing this too but seemed easy enough.
Someone else suggested to change Temperature Sensor and this would kick the idle down. I found where that is on the Jeep but just wanted to confirm right thing to do???
Other than that, the Jeep is running great (and fast) and not throwing any codes or stalling or not starting.
Also cleaned and oiled my K&N filter - which had not been cleaned since Oct 2009 - my bad
however, I have this marked on my calendar for follow up every 3 months. 2) When braking or turning a corner, on rear passenger side by back tire something makes a POP POP sound - sometimes several times in a row. My shop said the rear track bar bolt area was egg shaped and he welded a round washer there to tighten it but I still hear that POPPING sound.
3) Heater knob started to work only on OFF and on HIGH. Well due to cold weather recently the knob completely split and fell off so I am using pliers now to turn off and on. Is this an easy fix for both of them? Checked Haynes manual but they show a YJ toggle switch and not what I have.
4) Changing diff fluids - should bolts be removed by hand or OK to use Impact gun? Also I read some owners use a tube to drain the fluids instead of removing the whole diff cover, but again others thought it better to remove the whole cover and apply new sealant along with new fluids of course. I am on the fence here on which is better to do.
Apologize for such a long post! Thanks for all the advice you can give me here!
