Haha I do back in the UK just not here in Spain.If you own a Jeep like this and don't even have a massive socket set, you should really be questioning your life decisions
Fixed that this morning though.
Jeep Wrangler TJ 4.0 Build Log
- Thread starter Martynt74
- Start date
Fixed that this morning though.
Ok so first problem and completely my own doing!
There was a very badly wired up LED dome interior light which looked awful and didn’t work.
I traced it to a switch hidden in the dash but that did nothing.
I decided to remove it but didn’t disconnect the battery. When removing the wire it had a broken plastic bit and some exposed wire. This caught a bolt and presumably shorted based on the burning smell/smoke.
I carried on and removed the wire (literally just spliced into another 12v wire by twisting and taping) and removed the earth which was hot glued to the frame.
Everything seemed fine until I came home after a meal out and had no headlights.
The interior lights come on with the switch as do the side lights.
I’ve checked the fuses but can’t see anything tripped.
Any ideas where I start?
The headlights are sealed units so the fact the side beams come on suggests that power is getting to them.
There was a very badly wired up LED dome interior light which looked awful and didn’t work.
I traced it to a switch hidden in the dash but that did nothing.
I decided to remove it but didn’t disconnect the battery. When removing the wire it had a broken plastic bit and some exposed wire. This caught a bolt and presumably shorted based on the burning smell/smoke.
I carried on and removed the wire (literally just spliced into another 12v wire by twisting and taping) and removed the earth which was hot glued to the frame.
Everything seemed fine until I came home after a meal out and had no headlights.
The interior lights come on with the switch as do the side lights.
I’ve checked the fuses but can’t see anything tripped.
Any ideas where I start?
The headlights are sealed units so the fact the side beams come on suggests that power is getting to them.
have you found any online wiring loom description (haynes etc) to confirm purpose of any wires ?
headlights will be on a relay with the higher current they use(or are they led), so maybe you somehow fused a relay, usually plug in thumb sized blocks somewhere that wiring loom desc would reveal,
can maybe swap relay blocks between fogs&high-beam temporarily to test any theory.
e: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...ice-manuals-fsm-technical-documentation.4618/
headlights will be on a relay with the higher current they use(or are they led), so maybe you somehow fused a relay, usually plug in thumb sized blocks somewhere that wiring loom desc would reveal,
can maybe swap relay blocks between fogs&high-beam temporarily to test any theory.
e: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...ice-manuals-fsm-technical-documentation.4618/
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Ok that's really helpful thanks. I clearly know very little about cars and so the term relay is lost on me. Certainly lots of reading needed! Headlights are standard bulbs, however LED ones are next up, as even when they worked on Friday night they were very poor.
UPDATE - The above documents suggest there's an additional headlamp fuse. Having checked that it's blown. Just need to find somewhere that'll sell a spare. I've found lots of the regular sized fuses in shops, but not the MAXI size. Also assume the colours changed at some point, as these 30A ones are yellow and seems green are the common colour.
So as everyone loves pics, and to prove i am certainly not the handsome, 6 pack having, long hair cool surfer dude i alluded to earlier. Here's me next to the thing which will probably take up a lot of time/money in the coming years!
The main things were giving it a decent clean. It was fairly shocking that the car turned up and was filthy inside and out. I had assumed a dealer would at least valet it before delivery!
I then moved around and noticed the bonnet doesn't shut right, the door doesn't quite shut right, the hard top doesn't quite line up, and the drivers side control arm is bent. Behind the bent control arm there's also a bracket hanging down.
All these issues are on the drivers side suggesting it's possibly taken a whack on a rock at some point. All things i guess need to accept on a 25yr old Jeep, it drives well though and the tracking is good. My wife loves how loud the engine is (this is a complete lie). Although i've been surprised at how quiet it is inside the cabin other than wind noise from the badly fitting hard top.
Other thing to note is that whilst i hadn't known for sure, i have confirmation it includes A/C, which saved me lots of angry looks as i'd initially told my wife it didn't. It's actually pretty damn good.
Onto the lights, here's how the interior light had been spliced into the 12v wiring. My biggest experience with electrics and wiring is either in Hifi related terms, or some basic electrical wiring. In both cases it's usually obvious what each wire is and they're minimal. Tackling a bit mess of wires is definitely new to me!
As such, this is all i get from the headlights. Very scary when driving home around 10 miles at 11pm along unlit, winding mountain roads.
The white wire and the grounding for the interior light have been removed, along with the switch. At some point i'll want to wire in another interior light, but i'd rather one that looks a little more oem that a basic panel.
For now, i've made the decision to drop it off at a local garage. My lack of knowledge/experience around any possible impact damage suggests it makes more sense to start any learning on a car in a reasonable state than something with proper issues!
On another note, i've bought some side steps. My wife can barely get into the car, and Friday night when she was tired i had to practically lift her in!
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Another update. €50 went in on Friday night, today it was gone again after only about 120 miles of driving. Works out around 18mpg which is better than i'd expected. Just stuck a full tank of premium in at €118. However, having come home and doing some reading, it seems there's absolutely no point of using premium fuel in this engine so all i've actually done is waste about €11.
Headlights are now fixed, which is good.
Also took the car to a local garage, given the alignment issues on the control arm, bonnet, bumper and door. I wanted to make sure everything was fine. It drives brilliantly and yesterday i had a grin on my face as i went to pick something up from my dads. It's not fast at all, but handles way more fun than i'd ever hoped for.
Guy had a look and then took it for a drive. Came back saying it's one of the best he's driven which was good. I'd started to get the fear i'd bought a lemon, so was nice to hear. He said he wouldn't suggest doing anything. However he did bend the door back into shape with his hands, so hopefully that helps wind noise.
When i get back later in the year, i'm gonna book it in for a proper check/service as i imagine a lot of rubber seals will be dried up and benefit from being replaced. The hard top is also pretty faded, he quoted €200 for spraying it. I might go with white to help with the sun although my wife pulled a face when i suggested that! No point doing it yet though, as when i'm in the UK it's gonna be parked up under loads of pine trees at my parents.
Headlights are now fixed, which is good.
Also took the car to a local garage, given the alignment issues on the control arm, bonnet, bumper and door. I wanted to make sure everything was fine. It drives brilliantly and yesterday i had a grin on my face as i went to pick something up from my dads. It's not fast at all, but handles way more fun than i'd ever hoped for.
Guy had a look and then took it for a drive. Came back saying it's one of the best he's driven which was good. I'd started to get the fear i'd bought a lemon, so was nice to hear. He said he wouldn't suggest doing anything. However he did bend the door back into shape with his hands, so hopefully that helps wind noise.
When i get back later in the year, i'm gonna book it in for a proper check/service as i imagine a lot of rubber seals will be dried up and benefit from being replaced. The hard top is also pretty faded, he quoted €200 for spraying it. I might go with white to help with the sun although my wife pulled a face when i suggested that! No point doing it yet though, as when i'm in the UK it's gonna be parked up under loads of pine trees at my parents.
hadn't realised - that underside look incredibly good nick - where had it lived it's life - nowhere with salt.
bit lower mpg in return for reliability of a naturally aspirated engine - automatic too?
It came from Madrid and the original paperwork shows Madrid, so guess it's been there forever bar a few changes. Spanish cars seem particularly good in this regard luckily.
Got some side steps so that my wife can get in easier
Downsides being it seemed they changed the mounting between 97-00 and 01-06, typically i didn't know that (who would!) and bought the wrong ones. I was just happy to have found some for sale over here!
My model TJ has 7 mounting holes, the newer ones have 4. Typically the ones which look like they would at least line up....don't. So they need holes drilling in. The new ones then have a little hook bit which will need grinding off.
I definitely do NOT need to buy a grinder and drill over here, so that's a job for a local garage.
Downsides being it seemed they changed the mounting between 97-00 and 01-06, typically i didn't know that (who would!) and bought the wrong ones. I was just happy to have found some for sale over here!
My model TJ has 7 mounting holes, the newer ones have 4. Typically the ones which look like they would at least line up....don't. So they need holes drilling in. The new ones then have a little hook bit which will need grinding off.
I definitely do NOT need to buy a grinder and drill over here, so that's a job for a local garage.
Stupid stupid country. I wish i lived in the USA!
I figured since i was laying sound proofing in the tub, it might be a good idea to replace the carpets given they're 25yrs old. People rave about something called Bedrug. It's waterproof and mould resistant so ideal in this scenario.
Buy it in the USA for €400, so about just over £300 at current rates.
I can find them in a single store in all of Europe which is based in Germany. €620 on there, plus €100 shipping to me in Spain. So just over double the USA cost. I had thought about creating a huge order in the USA as there's quite a lot i want. However the one company which has everything quoted me €2400 in postage costs!
I figured since i was laying sound proofing in the tub, it might be a good idea to replace the carpets given they're 25yrs old. People rave about something called Bedrug. It's waterproof and mould resistant so ideal in this scenario.
Buy it in the USA for €400, so about just over £300 at current rates.
I can find them in a single store in all of Europe which is based in Germany. €620 on there, plus €100 shipping to me in Spain. So just over double the USA cost. I had thought about creating a huge order in the USA as there's quite a lot i want. However the one company which has everything quoted me €2400 in postage costs!
That's lovely, but asking her to sweep them after each use might be a bit much no?
buy on ebay perhaps?
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Yeah, i saw that. However many won't post to Spain due to the size, the one place i've found wouldn't even combine 2 item postages. So once you add £250 postage, it gets to a similar price.
I've found a local guy setting up as a Jeep accessories dealer. So have dropped him a line.
I've found a local guy setting up as a Jeep accessories dealer. So have dropped him a line.
Took the Jeep to the local garage to get them to add some nutserts for the side steps and also weld some new mounting plates. Left it with them almost 2 weeks only for them to not do anything, guy was very apologetic and maybe my fault for saying no rush!
Said to leave it for now and went to pick it up, tried to start it and got nothing. They jump started it for me and i drove around a bit before heading home. Then came to use it the next day and it was dead again. I bought a 12v battery jump starter which arrived yesterday. Tried it this morning and the engine kicked into life, but only when i gave it gas (might as well use a bit of American eh!) Taking my foot off the throttle caused it to die. Seems the battery feeds the ignition and this suggests it just wasn't holding a charge.
No idea how old the battery is, so figured it made sense to switch it out. It's going to be sat at my parents place for ~5 months and he might use it occasionally, and also i have some friends heading over to their parents house in the summer so said they could use it too, so made sense for it to be reasonably reliable.
Went to the same garage who could order one the same day. About €30 more expensive than if i'd ordered it direct, but the benefit of a bit of support if it turned out the battery was fine and it was something else. Picked that up at lunch and got it fitted, drove back to the garage who checked it over and confirmed it was charging as expected. The new battery is about 10mm taller than the old one, and there was a washer in place before to hold it down tight, that didn't fit and the nut wouldn't hold it down enough, so luckily the garage had a variety of spares to sort that out. So worth the piece of mind going there.
Now to enjoy it for a week before heading home. They have a friend who's an old neighbour who can weld/spanner and i was aiming to speak to him about the side steps, but i seem to have massively ****** him off at the weekend and he blanked me when saying bye to my parents so will have to see if he holds a grudge
Said to leave it for now and went to pick it up, tried to start it and got nothing. They jump started it for me and i drove around a bit before heading home. Then came to use it the next day and it was dead again. I bought a 12v battery jump starter which arrived yesterday. Tried it this morning and the engine kicked into life, but only when i gave it gas (might as well use a bit of American eh!) Taking my foot off the throttle caused it to die. Seems the battery feeds the ignition and this suggests it just wasn't holding a charge.
No idea how old the battery is, so figured it made sense to switch it out. It's going to be sat at my parents place for ~5 months and he might use it occasionally, and also i have some friends heading over to their parents house in the summer so said they could use it too, so made sense for it to be reasonably reliable.
Went to the same garage who could order one the same day. About €30 more expensive than if i'd ordered it direct, but the benefit of a bit of support if it turned out the battery was fine and it was something else. Picked that up at lunch and got it fitted, drove back to the garage who checked it over and confirmed it was charging as expected. The new battery is about 10mm taller than the old one, and there was a washer in place before to hold it down tight, that didn't fit and the nut wouldn't hold it down enough, so luckily the garage had a variety of spares to sort that out. So worth the piece of mind going there.
Now to enjoy it for a week before heading home. They have a friend who's an old neighbour who can weld/spanner and i was aiming to speak to him about the side steps, but i seem to have massively ****** him off at the weekend and he blanked me when saying bye to my parents so will have to see if he holds a grudge
Well, despite spending the last month clearing stuff out of the house ahead of the relocation to Spain and making sure my wife is fairly brutal on anything unnessecary to save space. I've taken it upon myself to stock up on Jeep parts to take over given pricing in Spain isn't great. Only nice small things though that won't take up much space....
Current purchase is of a Soft top roof.
I'm currently winning an auction for a centre console. Mine doesn't have the section between the seats, in Spain these are rare as hell and even if you do find one they're upwards of €200. This one is a bit rough, but hopefully a can of plastic spray will sort it
Also eyeing up some front seats. Seams the leather ones from a Hyundai Coupe are a great fit and look pretty decent
Current purchase is of a Soft top roof.
I'm currently winning an auction for a centre console. Mine doesn't have the section between the seats, in Spain these are rare as hell and even if you do find one they're upwards of €200. This one is a bit rough, but hopefully a can of plastic spray will sort it
Also eyeing up some front seats. Seams the leather ones from a Hyundai Coupe are a great fit and look pretty decent
Centre console won and should be delivered soon. It's been stuck in a Yodel distribution centre for a week, but hoping it's not lost!
And i have my seats. Out of a Hyundai Coupe but from a few articles i've read, they're a good fit for the jeep. Not bad for £100
No rips and just need a wipe down. One thing i hadn't thought about at all was the different between LHD and RHD seats. I'm hoping there's no material difference and i can just switch them around!
And i have my seats. Out of a Hyundai Coupe but from a few articles i've read, they're a good fit for the jeep. Not bad for £100
No rips and just need a wipe down. One thing i hadn't thought about at all was the different between LHD and RHD seats. I'm hoping there's no material difference and i can just switch them around!
Soldato
Hopefully means the worn bolster starts being on the "low traffic" side and you get a fresh bolster to start rubbing against!
just a thought - they have pyrotechnic pre-tensioners ? that will be compatible with the jeep - or, you transplant the mechanism
( having removed seats from a bmw way back ensuring these don't fire when you are manhandling seat - a tab + disconnecting battery first, was main concern,
wondered if they could break your arm/fingers )
Chuck a cover over the car, that sap will eat away at the lacquer and any fabric it gets on.
Also, it's a proper pita to remove.
Good point, although both bolsters look in surprisingly decent condition
Ooof, no idea. There is a cable, but i think they might just be for the seatbelt sensor. I don't really care about leaving them disconnected though.
Yeah, especially in the heat of summer. I tried to get him to put it under his car port but apparently his car is more important
Literally calling you a pleb.