My New (Used) Cherokee Part IX

For the last two days I’ve been working on getting the tools organized. If I plan to continue improving me new (used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee, I need to have quick access to my tools. I have a set of tools that I received as Christmas present about four years ago. It’s only a 54-piece set, but has metric as well as standard tools and comes on handy when it comes to doing simple work; I carry it in my Jeep me just in case.

 

However, sometimes I need others tools, which I have, but finding the specific tool I need is not that simple. So I bought myself a seven drawer tool box, inexpensive but practical and it also has a compartment for large tools and equipment. The problem, again, is finding the right tool. If you throw the sockets in one drawer, open wrenches in another, screwdrivers in another, etc., though an improvement, in most cases it’s still difficult to find the correct tool you need. So my solution was to organize the tools into shadow boards.

 

Making shadow boards tool holders can be simple and inexpensive, or not so simple and expensive, depending how you choose to do it. There is shadow board material where by heating the tool and placing it on the material, it creates a perfect holder for the tool; however, the material is expensive. For my tools I chose a camping air mattress foam pad, though a rubber exercise matt will do as well.

 

To create the board, I simply measure the length and width of the drawer where I plan to place the tools and then measure and cut the foam to those dimensions. The next step is to place the tools on the foam and arrange them so I can get as many tools on the board as practical, leaving enough room between each tool for handling purposes. I then trace the tool onto the foam using a marker, remove the tools and cut the tool layout.      

 

One drawback of using a shadow board is that though the tools are well organized, they take a heck of a lot more room than if the tools were just placed inside the drawers. One of my options was to get a larger tool box with many more drawers, but I wasn’t about to spend my money on a toll box that will only be used occasionally. My other option was to create shadow boards, using a piece of ¼” plywood as a backing and placing them on top of another inside the equipment compartment. When working on my jeep, I can easily grab one of the shadow boards and have the tools closed by. To keep the foam from sliding off the plywood, I use a good quality double-sided tape.

 

You can take a look at some of the shadow boards I’ve completed by using this link http://felix1956.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!7F3406706715C95A!23921, then select Tools from the left pane. If the link doesn’t work, just copy it and paste it to your browser. Well, I must complete my project, so I’ll say good bye for now. Have a great day you all!  

My New (Used) Jeep Cherokee Part VIII

Today, I decided to service the cooling system. This is a task neglected by many, but one that can have an impact in prolonging engine life and/or preventing a major repair. Removing the fuel pump will have to wait as I decided that it was best to fill up the gas tank before the price of gasoline goes up due to Gustav.

After inspecting the radiator and heater hoses and clamps, I headed to the store and purchased antifreeze, a thermostat and a new radiator cap. I also purchase an antifreeze treatment, which will supposedly provide a lubricant for the water pump. By the way, this new antifreeze is supposed to last for five years or 150,000 miles.

Anyway, I got home, parked my car on the driveway, placed a container under the truck and tried to open the drain valve. I couldn’t get my fingers in far enough to turn the valve open, not even after removing the front grill, so I decided to disconnect the lower radiator hose instead. After draining the old fluid, I reconnected the hose, added the flush, filled the radiator with water and ran the engine for about 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes had passed, I turned the engine off and, carefully, disconnected the lower hose again to drain the radiator. While the system drained, I removed the thermostat housing by first disconnecting the two hoses (radiator and water heater), the temp sensor’s electrical connector and removing the two supporting bolts. I then removed the thermostat from the housing, but not before scraping the old gasket from the sealing surface; leaving the thermostat in placed prevented gasket debris from falling inside the housing. I also cleaned the cover, paying close attention to the sealing surface.

Using a water hose, I introduced water through the thermostat housing, making sure to flush the engine block well. I repeated the same process to the heater core, by injecting water through the hose that I had previously disconnected from the thermostat housing and then flushed the radiator.

Next, I installed the thermostat; making sure it was facing in the right direction. I then applied RTV to both sides of the gasket, placed it onto the cover ensuring the bolt holes holes were aligned, placed the cover over the housing and installed the two supporting bolts. After tightening the bolts, I reconnected the two hoses and the electrical connector.

I followed by reconnecting the bottom hose to the radiator, cleaning the overflow tank and adding the radiator treatment. I poured a gallon of antifreeze on a container followed by a gallon of water; 50/50 mixture. I filled the radiator with the 50/50 mixture, installed the new cap and then filled the overflow tank to the “full” mark. I started my jeep and checked for any evidence of leaks; none were detected.

After putting my tools and equipment away, I took the jeep for a ride just to make sure. So far everything looks great…there are no leaks and the truck is running great and cool. See you next time.

 

My New (Used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee Part VII

Well, I haven’t receive any responses concerning my new (used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee fuel filter or the black box located underneath the car. With respect to the fuel filter, my plan is to drop the fuel tank sometime this week and remove, inspect and replace any filters installed within the fuel pump package. As for the black box, I went to O’Reilly and Auto Zone Auto Parts and provided them with the number located on the part’s tag and the pictures I took, but nothing came up in their computers. Our best guess is that the box is actually a fuel vapor trap canister, but don’t know for sure. I will find out one way or another; maybe by taking a trip to the dealer.

Aside from that, it has been raining here in San Antonio almost daily. We needed the rain of course, but having so much rain around this area is kind of unusual. Last Saturday, my wife and I went out for a ride and to shop around, and since then, my Jeep has been parked on the driveway. Yesterday, the alarm system began to chirp and then it would go off; using the alarm control would not deactivate it unless I open one of the doors.

It was late evening and I didn’t feel like messing around with this problem, so I used the valet parking feature to deactivate the alarm. This morning, at about 11:00 am, I tried to start the truck and not only it wouldn’t turn, but there was no electrical power at all. I opened the hood to check the battery and it was completely dead. So I cleaned up the battery posts and connectors and hook a battery charger. While the battery was being charged, I looked around the engine compartment for anything unusual.

My Jeep has a built-in engine compartment light attached to a bracket, which is attached to the hood. It works with gravity and opening the hood completes the electrical circuit needed to turn the light on. When I bought the Jeep, the light didn’t work. I bought and replaced the light bulb and it worked like a champ, but apparently I didn’t attach the light to the bracket correctly. As I drove around, the light felt off the bracket, hangging vertically. This of course completed the electrical circuit needed to turn the light on. In other words, the truck sat on the driveway for almost four days with the light inside the engine compartment on, which of course drained the battery.

The alarm chirping was just a warning about the electrical current running low; I didn’t know that then, but now I know. As for the light, I placed it back on the bracket, but this time I made sure it was attached correctly, but just in case, I will check it out as soon as I am done with this post. It’s dark outside, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to verify whether the light is on or not. As for the battery, I used distilled water to fill each cell to its proper level, charged it and it’s working like a champ…so far.

Well nice readers, this is all for now; until my next post. To all, have a nice day.

My New (Used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee Part VI

There are two things that puzzle me about my new (used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee. First, there’s no fuel filter listed for it anywhere. I searched the internet and supposedly the filter is located above the fuel tank in the fuel pump module. I did get underneath the vehicle and checked, but did not see a filter. The fuel pump itself is submerged inside the fuel tank, so perhaps that’s where the filter is located. The Cherokee manual does mention about inspecting the filter, but it doesn’t provide a location, or how to carry out the inspection.

Form previous experience I know that the Cherokee has a fuel pump inlet filter, but that filter is designed to prevent damage to the pump from particles, not to keep the injectors clean. If any reader of this blog happens to know where the fuel filter is located, where it can be purchased and how to replace it, please let me know.

Secondly, there’s a black box of some sort located underneath the truck above the rear-left axle, held by a bracket and three nuts. It has three lines, which I assume are fuel lines, coming from the tank and going to the engine. It has been raining for the last few days here in San Antonio, so I have not followed the lines to figure out where exactly where they connect to the engine, but will soon when the weather clears.

The box has a barcode attached and has the following numbers: (P)04854112 and (T)CA0747EJ045. A searched online didn’t yield any useful information.

Again, if any reader of this blog has any information about the two items mentioned, (fuel filter and “block box”) please let me know. Use this link link to view photos: http://felix1956.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!7F3406706715C95A!23921

My New (Used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee Part V

Today it was time to replace the differential oil. Though it’s obvious that the previous owners of my new (used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee took good care of it, it doesn’t hurt to replace all fluids just in case. Also, there was evidence of fluid leakage around the differential’s cover plate.

I first headed to O’Reilly Auto Parts to buy two quarts of gear oil and a tube of Heat Resistant RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanization) silicone to seal the cover plate. O’Reilly Auto Parts have treated me well for many years so I just don’t go anywhere else, unless they don’t have what I need of course. I then drove back home and parked my Jeep on the driveway. I laid two large garbage bags and newspaper under the truck to protect the driveway from any spills and a container to catch the oil. I didn’t jack up the jeep as there was plenty of clearance underneath, but using jacks may make the task easier.

The differential cover plate on my Jeep does not have a drain plug to drain the oil. The two alternatives are to use a suction pump to remove the oil through the filler hole or to remove the cover plate. Even if there’s no leakage around the cover, I recommend removing the cover plate; it’s the perfect time to inspect the gears and make sure the differential is in good working order. In my case, the only option was to remove the cover due to the fluid leakage.

I first loosen and removed all the bolts, except for one each on the upper part to hold the cover loosely attached while it drained. Using a flat tip screwdriver, I carefully pried the cover loose, allowing the oil to drain into the container. After the oil had drained, I removed the cover by removing the upper bolt.

I inspected the gears, looking for metal particles and/or missing gear teeth; to my relief everything looked just fine. Using a clean rag, I wiped all remaining fluid from inside the differential and the cover plate. With the aid of a blade, I remove the old RTV from both mating surfaces and wiped them clean.

After making sure all surfaces were cleaned and dried, I applied the RTV to the cover plate mating surface, installed the cover plate on the differential housing, making sure the bolt holes were aligned correctly and then installed and tighten all the bolts. After waiting for the RTV to cure, I serviced the differential with the gear oil until the oil began to spill out the filler hole. I then reinstalled the filler-hole plug and checked for any evidence of leaks. So far, after driven for a few miles, I haven’t notice any leaks, but must check frequently as slow leaks may not be so obvious to detect.

But for now, I must sit back, relax and think about my next Jeep Cherokee project. See you soon.

My New (Used) Jepp Cherokee Part IV

Though I’ve have not done anything special to my new (used) 2001 Cherokee yet, I have taken a few steps to ensure that it’ll last for many years to come. For starters, I added Slick 50 for high mileage engines, though manufactures and, many of so called “expert”, warn against it. I have used Slick 50 on all my cars since 1981. Does it work? I’m not sure, though I’ve never had any problems with the cars engines’ internal components. Perhaps that had more to do with the preventive maintenance than with Slick 50; I just don’t know. However, until proven otherwise, I will continue to use it.

I’m also using Lucas Fuel Treatment or what they called “Tune-up in a Bottle”. It supposedly “cleans and lubricates your entire fuel system and upper cylinders” and “delivers better combustion for more power and higher mileage with lower emissions”. Again, I don’t know how true that is or whether or not these statements are an exaggeration, but from experience I know that fuel is not necessarily a top-notch lubricant. Lucas fuel treatment supposedly makes the fuel slicker, providing better lubricant properties to fuel components, including pumps and other moving parts.

A gallon of this stuff can treat up to 400 gallons of fuel. I bought a gallon and a 5.25 oz. bottle, which holds enough treatment to treat 25 gallons of fuel. Every time I filled up the tank, I poured a bottle of this treatment into it and then refill the bottle from the gallon container…buying the gallon saves a bundle.

Finally, I did some auto detailing; paying attention to those areas normally ignore by SUV or truck owners. For example, most people wash or wax their SUVs, trucks or Vans, but fail to pay attention to the roof. No before long, the paint begins to fade from the lack of attention. This includes the roof rack as well. Other areas normally not taking into account are the side moldings and the wheel well. Many car owners spend hours washing, waxing and maintaining their cars, but fail to condition the side moldings and other non-metallic, unpainted parts. Making sure these parts are well condition will make it easier to keep them clean.

To condition the roof rack, side moldings and wheel well, I like to use tire gel. I had tried other, sometimes more expensive products, but they don’t last as long as tire gel. Tire gel tends to stay put for a long time, maintaining that shinny look while providing a non-stick surface. I just pour a few drops on a clean rag and then apply a thin coat to the moldings, roof racks and part of the wheel wells. Then, with the same rag, I apply it to the tires, turning the rag often to make sure I don’t spread dirt all over. I stay away from sprays, not just because of the overspray, but because a bottle of gel last much longer…no waste.

Well, I will be looking forward to my next Jeep project. I don’t know when the differential oil was replaced, so that will be a good project to tackle next. It has been raining here in San Antonio for the last two days, so I must wait until the weather clears. Until we meet again, have a nice day.

My New (Used) Jeep Cherokee Part III

I’m back. I previously mentioned about replacing the spark plugs, cleaning the injectors and so forth on my new (used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee. Well, even though I did all that, the idling was still a little rough. Not “ugly” rough, but enough to bother me some.

Since I had previously owned two Cherokees, I gained a little experience about these inline six-cylinder engines. By the way, I just love these engines; easy to work with, accessible, especially on the Cherokees and they don’t suffer as much from vibrations issues as V6 engines. With a little of TLC (tender loving care), these engines will be at your service for many years to come.

Well, back to the rough idle issue. From the experience I gained, especially from the 92 Cherokee, which I owned for 12 years, I knew that rough idling could possibly be caused by air-fuel mixture, spark plugs, oxygen sensor and/or vacuumed leaks problems. There are other possibilities of curse, but I wanted to start the troubleshooting with the easiest, most accessible and least expensive component.

I’m not a mechanic; well at least not a car engine mechanic. I retired from the Air Force where I worked as a jet engine mechanic and I currently work as a gas turbine engine technician, huge energy producing engines weighing over 400 tons; so you can say I’m mechanically incline. From experience I know that dirt can cause many problems to engines and it’s usually the best place to start when it comes to solving fuel system problems…you know, like dirty fuel filter, dirty fuel injectors, dirty air filter, dirty oxygen sensor, dirty throttle valve. Well, you get the point!

The idling on my 01 Jeep is controlled by the Idle Air Control Valve or IAC for short. It’s a very simple valve, controlled by an electrical solenoid. The biggest issue with the valve is carbon deposit, which can obstruct the air passage to the manifold. I decided this would be a good place to start. By the way, I’m not suggesting you take your engine apart to fix common problems. This is what I do because I like to take things apart and because by taking it apart, it would give me a better idea of the condition of other parts…but I had made many costly mistakes, so be careful.

I had already cleaned the engine. This is a good practice; it prevents dirt from getting inside your engine as you remove the components. The IAC mounts to the throttle body and the throttle body is easily accessible, so I decided to remove the throttle body itself. First, loosen all screws mounting the components to the throttle body; this makes it easier to remove these parts once the throttle body is removed…you don’t want to fight your way holding the throttle body while trying loosening the screws, as some can be really tight.

So here we go. I first disconnected all cables, including electrical connections, attached to the throttle body…no need to mention these cables here, they are easy to spot. I loosen all screws, you need a Torx-head screw driver for this (damn engineers), then I removed the four bolts holding the throttle body to the engine and, carefully, removed it. You may want to replace your seals and gaskets while at it, but I like to keep them if they are in good condition (hate to throw things away), so I tried not to break them as I removed the parts.

Once the throttle body was removed, I removed all the components attached to it; including of course the IAC, which once removed I noticed it was covered with heavy carbon deposits…a possible cause to my rough idling issue. However, it wasn’t the only part covered with carbon, as the butterfly valve inside the throttle body had plenty of it as well.

Once all the parts were removed, I proceeded to clean the components with throttle-body spray cleaner…don’t use carburetor part cleaning. Also, be careful not to get this chemical in your eyes, mouth or through a cut…it’s not good for you. Additionally, remove any o-rings from parts before spraying the solution…especially if you want to reuse them. One more thing, when cleaning the IAC, make sure the unit is upside down. You don’t want to spray this stuff inside the IAC body because the residue left behind may cause problems later on. I used a small brush, q-tips and a rag to aid in removing the carbon and used as little spray cleaner as possible.

By the time I was done, the throttle body and all its parts looked just like new. I reinstalled all the components, including the seals and gaskets and then installed the throttle body to the engine. After making sure all previously removed connections were back in place, I inserted the key in the ignition switch, crossed my fingers and fired up the engine.

And just like that, the idle issue was gone and my jeep was running as smoothly as ever. And not only that, but the throttle body and all its parts were as cleaned as a whistle…just the way I like it.

This is all for now. See you soon.

My New (Used) Jeep Cherokee Part II

On my last post, I briefly went over about how I got my new (used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee. I bought it in July 30, 2008; just 16 days ago. I’m on vacation, so I got to spend a little time with it.

So far I have replaced the oil/filter, spark plugs/boots and transmission filter/fluid. I also removed, inspected and clean all fuel injectors. Additionally, I cleaned the engine and engine compartment, washed the exterior and used Armored All to safeguard all rubber moldings and vinyl from the harsh sun’s rays. From the white residue left around moldings, I deducted that the truck was recently waxed. The paint looks fresh and in excellent condition, so I will rather wait till just before winter to strip the wax and apply a new fresh coating, but one that doesn’t leave a white residue though.

As for the interior; it looks clean, but I will be giving it “my personal touch” sometimes next week. I did apply the Armored All as mentioned above, but there are some areas that need a little bit of extra attention. There are also a few items I want to add to the interior, like catch-all floor mats and liner from WeatherTech or similar manufacture. They usually cost more than stock or regular floor mats, but prevents an accidental spill from ruining the carpet. A liner is an effective way to maintain the carpet on the back of the truck clean and prevent fading.

I also want to add a CD-changer, preferably one with MP3 music capabilities…if I can afford it that is. Adding a CD-changer will allow me to keep the stock CD-Cassette unit that’s installed to maintain Jeep’s originality. From the looks of it, the unit was hardly used; maybe the owner didn’t care much about CDs or cassettes and preferred to listen to the radio instead. I, on the other hand, like to listen to my salsa music while cruising; a CD-changer, especially with MP3 capabilities, will allow me to listen to many hours of music without changing CDs.

By the way, a day after I bought the car I got an alarm system installed to help protect my investment. The first night, after I got the alarm installed, I hardly got any sleep. The alarm came on every time there was a loud noise, like from a passing car. I adjusted the alarm sensitivity, but it took me about three days to adjust it according to the traffic condition around my neighborhood. Though a false alarm can be a pain in the “ear”, I didn’t want to adjust the sensitivity so low as to defeat the purpose of having an alarm system in the first place.

Incidentally, if you get a car alarm system install on your car, make sure the antenna (usually a thin-black wire) is placed straight up. Mine wasn’t and I could not get the alarm activated from farther than 10 feet. With the aid of a coat hanger wire, I was able to pull the antenna up behind the dashboard and between the windshield and side panel. It’s straight-up, out of site and the alarm can be activated from inside my home without any problems. You’ll be surprised to learn that such a little trick can make such a different.

One more thing before I leave you for today; my jeep is parked on a driveway, as my car garage has been turned into a family room. The overhead is well protected from the sun’s rays by four large oak trees (though I did had problems with bird dropping; I will let you know how I fixed that on a future post), but the driveway itself is too narrow and parking another car next to my truck, I’m afraid, could lead to dints and dents. My solution was to widen the driveway without having to obtain permission from the city. Getting permission from the city will lead them to declare the job as an improvement to my home, possibly leading to higher property taxes. I have not yet completed the project, but so far it looks very nice and will add over five feet to the width of the driveway…photos coming soon.

Well, this is all for now. By the way, I haven’t forgotten about posting some pictures of my jeep; they will be coming soon. So please stay tune and don’t forget to leave a note on your way out. See you soon.

My New (Used) Jeep Cherokee Part I

I want to dedicate this blog to Jeep Cherokees enthusiasts. I just bought a 2001 Jeep Cherokee, this will be the third one I owe and will hopefully keep it for many years to come.

I bought my first Cherokee in December 1996. It was a 1992 Cherokee Sport, black exterior, gray interior, fwd drive with a 4.0 straight six litter engine. It wasn’t fancy…no power windows or power door locks, but it ran well and looked great. In 2003 I bought a 2000 Cherokee Sport. This one was fancier; it had power windows, power door locks and power exterior mirror. It had the same type engine as the 1992 Cherokee, but with less mileage and a little more power. My wife kept the 1992, while I drove the newer one.

 

In 2005, while driving to work early in the morning, a driver on another vehicle ran the red light, forcing me to hit the brakes hard. The pavement was wet and I skidded off the road, impacting a telephone pole head on. I was fine, but my 2000 Cherokee had some serious front damage. I got it fix through my insurance company, but I lost my love for it.

 

About three months later, my wife hinted that she wanted a different car, other than the 1992 Jeep Cherokee. So I headed to a local dealer and traded my 2000 Jeep for a 2000 Mercury Villager. The Villager looked almost new, had all power and it was just what my wife wanted. I took it home, gave the keys to my wife and I took back my 92 Cherokee.

 

It needed some work, as my wife didn’t take care of it. I cleaned it inside and out and had a new paint job done to it. It looked just like new again…it was my pride and joy. But the good times only lasted so long. Early in 2007, my older daughter ran into my jeep while backing out of the driveway, damaging the rear left door. I was upset, but there wasn’t much I could do. However, it didn’t end there. About two months later, a teenager running late to work, ran into my jeep, this time putting some serious damage to the rear right door, the back fender and twisting the chassis.

 

I could have fix it, but decided against it. I drove it with the ugly dents and damages until May 2008 when I trade in for a Kia Optima as a gift for my youngest daughter. I travel a lot on company provided car rentals so I really don’t need a car, at least for nine months out of a year. However, three weeks ago, while searching online at an auto dealer used car inventory, I found this 2001 Jeep Cherokee.

 

It had 86000 miles, one owner and, according to the Car Fax report, it had been pretty well maintained. So I called the dealer, took a look at it and took it home. It has a gray color interior and exterior, power door locks, power windows, power mirrors, CD-Cassette receiver, cruise control, new tires, new Jeep logo wheel covers and it’s immaculate…inside and out. I won’t be driving it much, but will be spending sometime making it look great.

 

I will tell you a little more about this truck on my next post; things I installed and things I’ve done or plan to install. I will also post some photos so readers can get a “better picture” of what this SUV looks like.

For now, I’d like to hear from you, the reader. Tell us your Jeep Cherokee story and what you like or don’t like about your SUV. I’m also interested about your suggestions concerning maintenance, improvements or performance ideas, or just simple how to make the truck look terrific.

 

Please make this your blog, but stay within the subject (Jeep Cherokee) and keep it respectful and clean. See you soon.