Jeep Overhaul and Chasing Down Check Engine Lights

I had just made it home from my drive home from Montana and we were leaving for Big Bear the following evening. I had taken Gidget to the car wash and the check engine light came on, again.  What the heck!

We decided it was best to have her looked at, so I called up Jeepcare Center in HB and spoke with Dustin. He said I could bring her by right away and he would have a look.  The moment I pulled up a recognized his face. I had went to High School with Dustin Kuhn and now here he was the owner of this Jeep shop. He told me that the Jeep had the wrong spark plugs and that she needed a new Fuel Injection Module. So I had him change the spark plugs and decided I would wait a little to do the fuel pump as it is a little pricey, but that if I don’t turn the key three times before starting, it could make the check engine light turn on again until I get that fixed. Yay! The fun of owning a Jeep, I’m told that things like this happen all the time and to get used to it.

Jeepcare Center

We did make it to Big Bear and did go off roading.  While offloading the JKS sway bar broke and the check engine light did come on again. We decided it would be best to do some work on it this weekend. We purchased a ton of fluids to do the 60K maintenance suggested by the manufacturer. We also reached out to JKS to see if they would replace the sway bar that broke but we were told that they wouldn’t because we were not the original purchaser.  We expected this and so it was not a big deal, they were pleasant to speak with and we still consider their products top notch.

I was warned by many that JEEP stand for Just Empty Every Pocket. I am finding this to be both humorous and true. You can literally rebuild a Jeep from the ground up from a catalog. Without getting too far into completely rebuilding the Jeep with fun aftermarket stuff we decided to do the basic overhaul which included doing some maintenance, repairing items that broke and doing some upgrades. Although all of these items were purchased – not all was able to be installed. We had to break it into 2 weekends. (*was done first weekend)

4 Wheel Parts Riverside

• Sway Bar Disconnects – Rubicon Express
• Fuel Module – O’Reilly Autoparts*
• Trektop – Bestop*
• K&N Air Filter
• SmittyBilt Rear Bumper & Tire Swing Out*
• Bedrug Front Carpet Kit*
• Transmission Fluid
• Transfer Case
• Differential Fluid
• Radiator Fluid
• Associated gaskets and seals

4 Wheel Parts Riverside

It felt like Christmas as I looked at the back of the Jeep loaded with tons of goodies. We were happy the stuff fit in the back all in one load. Notice we had already prepared the top for removal once we got there and they let us use their dumpster for the disposal of the old top. We drove back to the house and unloaded all the stuff. It was a hot day and we knew we were limited on time so we started with things we wanted done more immediately, the fuel module, the new top, carpet and the back bumper with the tire swing.

We had planned accordingly and tried to have the least amount of fuel possible in the tank when replacing the fuel tank module. We also made sure to let the new top sit in the sun for a while prior to putting it on so that it would be flexible and a little stretchy.

It was a hot day in Riverside to do all of this work but we powered through it the best we could under the shade of an old E-Z Up.

Working on the Jeep

The fuel tank module was relatively easy to replace but had to run to the store really quick to get some needed tools to help with some of the lines that were being removed.  Did a quick rinse off of the tank on the grass removing the old Montana mud and let it dry out in the sun.

Jeep Fuel Tank

The new top had instructions that said it would take 2 hours to put on the Jeep.  We didn’t do it all at once so it is hard to say if it took longer or not, but it definitely wasn’t easy. Even though we had let the top sit out in the sun and it was practically melting, the top was still tight and had to tug and pull to get it on. Glad we kept the instructions as they were helpful. Even though it seems it is a given on how to put it together there is a certain order in which to assemble the top. Following the directions was actually helpful…for once.

Jeep Trektop Bestop

Installing the carpet was fairly easy. It was precut to fit around the center console and seats so that they did not need to be removed. There were pieces of velcro that were attached in key areas so that it would stay down but yet be able to be removed for cleaning if necessary. It did require that some of the bolts holding the center console be removed for installation but there were only 3 bolts. Not too difficult.  We highly recommend the BedRug carpet kit.  It has dramatically reduced the heat produced through the floor boards.  Noise has also been cut down, only to be replaced by the howling top. Oh well, it’s a Jeep.

Last we tackled the rear bumper and tire swing out.  This was the most difficult out of all that we did on this first weekend. The area to put the swing arm on the bumper was a tight fit and thus we had to loosen the bumper to allow for arm to go on the hinge. We also were not provided with the proper bolts to mount the swing out tire. With a little tightening of the proper bolts the weld broke loose near the hinge.  A sure sign of sloppy welds, broken directly at the weld indicating low heat and minimal penetration.  Its a disappointment to see the SmittyBilt product break like this but not worth it to have to take it all apart and return it.  We will fire up the trusty Lincoln 210 Mig welder and make the repairs ourselves. SmittyBilt has come a long way since the old triple and double the chrome bumpers but it is still budget armor.  At a later date we will consider a Stateside brand or fabricate it ourselves.

We had done all that we could do in the heat and we had plans for the night, so we wrapped things up having completed the fuel tank module, the top, carpet kit and the rear bumper with the tire swing.

She’s lookin’ good!

Overhauled Jeep

We worked on the Jeep the next weekend and we were able to complete the rest of the overhaul. I had noticed that some of the black plastic on the Jeep was looking a bit gray and wanted to detail Gidget a little.  She was looking so good with the new black top that I thought it was only proper to give the exterior a little love to go with the new top. There are so many brands to choose from but we went with Meguiars products to make the exterior plastic to look black again, rub out some scratches and make the tires shiny black. I wish I had taken some better before and after pics of the plastic because the Meguiars worked like magic and was easy to apply. The tires look nice and shiny black and it promises it won’t sling black on the car and it hasn’t thus far, but we will see.  I was not so impressed by the scratch 2.0 but it did a decent job.

Replacing the JKS sway bars was not so easy. The bolts were seized and we had to cut them off. It was fun to watch the sparks fly as we cut them away though! We replaced the JKS Sway Bar Disconnects with Rubicon Express Sway Bar Disconnects. They were easy to install.

Stupid Bolt!

The rest of the work on the Jeep was not too exciting, just basic maintenance. Two things we want to share – you need a 17mm for the transmission drain plug and a 14mm for the fill plug. These are massive in size and are not found in typical tool sets. In fact, we had to visit two auto parts stores with no luck and finally found them at Pep Boys.