Jeep Wrangler
Jeep Wrangler questions and answers
Learn All About The Jeep Wrangler At LemonFree.com, Lots Of Information, Great Deals!
Looking to Get Online Car Insurance? Learn More Here!
Q: How to remove the water pump on a 2001 Jeep Wrangler?
My brother needs to replace the water pump on his 2001 Jeep Wrangler. It is a 4.0L 6 cylinder, no A/C. Anyone know where he can find a step-by-step guide, or could provide one? Or which repair manual would be the best to purchase? Even if he could just get the order to remove things in to get to the water pump that would be great. Thanks!
A: WJ Water Pump Replacement
4.0L I6
If you are like me, then replacing a water pump doesn't sound like that much fun, but you would rather do it yourself than pay someone else to do it.
Replacing the water pump on your WJ isn't going to be that hard, but a little help with the steps would probably be nice.
This write up will hopefully give you some pointers that could save you some time in the long run and make things a little easier for you.
1) Diagnosis. First thing you probably have noticed is that puddle of antifreeze on the ground in the morning. Check your hoses first and try to determine where the leak is coming from. If it is indeed dripping down the front of the engine block, check your hoses on the water pump and thermostat housing once again, just to be sure (no sense in doing more work than necessary here). If you are in the same boat I was, water and coolant is probably seeping out of the weap hole of the water pump. This is a good sign that your water pump is on its way out.
2) Replacement.
First drain your radiator. There is a petcock drain on the lower, passenger side of your radiator. It should have a rubber hose attached. I found that a little duct tape to secure the hose straight against the shroud makes it easier to drain it into a antifreeze bottle or container.
When you look at the top of your engine this is what you will see:
Not a lot of room at all between that fan shroud and the pulleys. You could possibly do the job with the fan shroud on, but I would HIGHLY recommend that you remove it - it will make your life a lot easier.
Before you remove the fan shroud, you should unbolt the fan clutch and fan from the water pump pulley. If your water pump pulley does not have any holes in it for a special tool, your best bet for removal is probably the hammer and crescent wrench. With the pulley belt still on, get a large crescent wrench and grip the large fan clutch nut. You will need to hit it several times to knock it loose. The trick to finding out which way the nut needs to turn is to watch which way the fan spins while the engine is on. Hit the nut the same way the fan spun. My fan spins counter-clockwise, thus, the nut broke loose by me hitting it counter clockwise. Once you break the large nut loose, unthread it all the way and set it down in the fan shroud.
To remove the fan shroud, you must first remove 2 radiator hoses. The top one is on the passenger side, just squeeze the clamps, pull it off and bend it out of the way. The lower one is on the driver's side, do the same.
Next, you will need to remove the 4 bolts securing the fan shroud. The picture below will indicate where they are located. Be sure to unplug the plug from the shroud as well.
You may wonder how they even got the 4th bolt screwed in during assembly, let alone how to get it back out. Some people have said that a socket with a few extensions did the trick, but with my WJ, there wasn't enough room between sheet metal and the bolt to get a socket in there. I found just by sticking my hand through lines and hoses and using a open ended wrench that I could slowly turn it out. When putting them back in, I took one look at the situation again, tested the shroud for secureness and then scrapped the 4th bolt. I figured it would be OK without it.
Once you get the 4 bolts out, you will need to work the fan shroud and fan, up and out the top of the engine compartment. Doing this will create a VAST space for you to work in.
This is a picture of the engine once you get the shroud and fan out of the way. Note, these pictures were taken on the reassembly process, so the water pump is new and the blue rubber cap is just to protect the new threads.
To get the old pump out, you will need to remove the the small hose connected to the metal tube coming out the top of the water pump. You can leave the intake hose on for right now and pull it out with the water pump. Once you disconnect the small hose, remove the 5 bolts that hold the water pump to the engine block. Be sure and keep track which holes they went in as they may be different sizes. In the picture below, you can see the old water pump, the pulley, and the metal tube as well as the locations of the 5 bolts.
Once you get the 5 bolts removed, you may have to gently tap the water pump itself with a mallet or hammer to get it to break free from the old gasket. Be sure to have a pan below the engine to catch coolant as more will poor out at this point.
When you have the old pump out, remove the pulley's 4 bolts and set it aside for reassembly. Also, remove the metal tube and set it aside as well. Examine it for corrosion and possible replacement. Mine was in good shape so I reused it on the new pump.
The next step I did was to remove and replace the thermostat as well. This is optional, but since you have it all apart, you might as well replace it since it's only a few bucks extra.
Remove the output tube as well as the small rubber hose and disconnect the sensor from the thermostat housing. There will be 2 bolts holding the housing on. Remove those and gently tap the housing to break it free from the gasket. More coolant will drain.
Be sure to THOROUGHLY clean all surfaces where new gaskets will be mated. Here is a picture of the thermostat housing after I cleaned its surface.
At this point, remove the thermostat (remember how it was positioned) and clean all gasket material from the thermostat housing area as well as the water pump. I used some degreaser and a exacto blade for the gasket material. Be sure and clean it really well and use a rag to wipe off any cleaner or coolant. Before installing new parts, make sure any old gasket material that may have fallen into the engine channels is removed.
Cleaned water pump surface.
Once you have reached this point, it is pretty much a matter of retracing your steps to install everything again. Insert the new thermostat in the same position as the old one was and reinstall the housing with the new gasket. Use a small ammount of RTV on the new gasket to hold it to the housing while mounting it. When installing the water pump, use a small ammount of RTV as well to hold the new gasket to the new water pump. Also be sure to install the metal tube before mounting the pump. I used some high-temp sealant on the threads. According to the FSM, torque the bolts to 17 ft lbs for the I6 and 30 ft lbs for the 4.7L V8.
Place the fan shroud back in the engine compartment with the fan inside just like removal. Thread the large nut back on until snug and gently tap it with the large crescent wrench. Don't try to force it tight, the engine turning the pulley will keep it on.
Reinstall the nuts to the shroud and all hoses and fill your radiator back up. Be sure to run your engine and purge the air from the system as well.
That's about it, overall the process isn't to hard. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Good luck on your replacment!
Q: When Buying an older Jeep Wrangler is it better to buy one with an original engine or a rebuilt engine?
I am trying to purchase an older Jeep Wrangler for my husband---I have forund a few out there in my price range---but they either have 150,000 + miles on them or they have rebuilt engines---which is the best way to go??? I am trying to do a nice thing for my husband here and suprise him with this so I don't want to ask him---so any input here would be helpful---Thanks!
A: You should look for a Jeep Wrangler... since their engines are quite sensitive... with a rebuilt engine. It has a much firmer mileage and problems will most likely occur less often.
Q: How many miles per gallon should my 1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara get?
I have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4.0 with a manual tranny. I am getting about 14 mpg in town. I drive decently slow and never gas it. I am reading that they should be getting 17 in town. Is there anything I could do to increase my mpg (pcv valve, gas filter, etc) I just gave it a tune up.
A: edmunds.com doesnt say but the reviews say somewhere between 13-16 mpg
http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/wrangler/1997/consumerreview.html
Q: What size tires should i put on my jeep wrangler?
I have a 98 jeep wrangler and i wanna get a 2 inch lift on it, and i know when i get my lift its gonna look funny with the small tires i have on now.
But i dont know what size i can/should get...
Any sugestions?
A: When I first lifted my Jeep I had a 2" lift and had 31 X 12.5 BFG Mud terrains. It worked out really well.
Just my .02!
Q: What is the estimated largest size camper trailer that can be pulled by a jeep wrangler?
It is a 4x4 jeep wrangler V6 4.0L Automatic . Obviously no fifth-wheel trailers, but what would the largest potential size be?
A: The Wrangler will pull a small pop-up but you will get a lot of sway with the short wheelbase.I pulled a 12ft pop-up that weighed over 2000lbs and had no trouble but couldn't drive more then 50mph without sway.
Q: What is the best way to repair/replace a ripped seat on a 2001 jeep wrangler sport?
I own a 2001 jeep wrangler sport (stock) and the front drivers side seat has a 2 inch tear located on the side. The seats are black with random triangles and lines. I would like to stay away from seat covers. Can you replace just the factory bottom seat cloth? What is the best and cheapest fix?
A: Possibly the cheapest would probably be an upholstery shop. They'll use aftermarket cloth to make a new cover. Second would be to order the cloth from Jeep. If memory serves, yes, you can just replace the bottom seat cloth. Go to your local dealers parts department and they'll be able to find out what you need. You'll need a set of bull ring pliers and some bull rings. Look on ebay for a package deal. Reupholstering a cloth seat is really not that difficult after you understand how it's done and get a hang of using the bullring pliers.
Q: How many miles can you expect a Jeep wrangler to last for?
I just traded my 04 Jeep Liberty in for a new 07 Scion tC and I love the tC but I don't want to drive it hard. As a result I've been lookin for a jeep wrangler that I can beat on/ drive in the winter.
I found one local that's cheap. This is all the info I have about it:
Black w/ grey interior
160k miles
5 speed
4 cyl
new brake lines
rebuilt alternator
clutch replaced
asking $1,500 OBO
runs great and i just got a tune up
It would only be a second car that I occasionally drive to preserve my other car. Do you guys think this is a good buy? Is it worth the chance? Will I get many more miles out if it?
I would offer about $900-$1000...
Also it is a 1995
A: if you can get it and take cars of it i have seen those last for 300 k real easy,about every 100 thousand you need to remove the oil pan and clean the sludge out of them they seem to collect a lot of it,other than that those things will last forever,if you keep it maintained real good,i drove one until it had 285 thousand on it,then sold it,there good vehicles,good luck with it.
Q: Would I be able to convert a Jeep Wrangler into a solar powered car?
I want to buy a very cheap old Jeep Wrangler and turn it into a solar powered car. It's the only car I've ever wanted but Jeep doesn't make hybrids. I would even settle for a hybrid. But I'm just wondering if I can take an existing car body and take everything out of it to make it into solar powered. Thanks.
I also heard about the air car. What's up with that? Or should we just ride bicycles and walk everywhere?
A: yes u could..however..the solar power panels and amount u would need would far outweigh what the solar ennergy would actualy move...u could run a belt off of 1 of the back wheels and make a chicken rotissorie
Q: how do you work the sunrider soft top for a jeep wrangler?
I have a 07 Jeep Wrangler. I do not have a owners manuel on this Jeep. I was wondering if anyone knows how to work the Sunriders soft top?
A: Yes, I am sure there are a lot of people who know how to work the Sunriders soft top
Q: how do i get better gas mileage on a Jeep Wrangler?
I have a 2000 Jeep Wrangler that gets about 16 miles to the gallon. How do i get better gas mileage?
A: To be honest, you could invest thousands in the jeep to try and eek anothere 1 or 2 mpg out of it.
To get 16 mpg is pretty good seeing as I get about 14.
Best solution is to make sure you keep your foot off of the gas as much as possible.
Q: How long does it take to put the soft top back on a jeep wrangler?
i am a student and i am looking to buy a jeep wrangler. is it hard to put the top back on with one person?
A: With practice it get's easy, but here's a tip: try to put the top UP in the sun. It makes the fabric more pliable and a little stretchy. It also makes it about 200% easier to put the top on. If it's cold the material doesn't want to move much so it'll feel like it's fighting you.
Q: How fast can i drive my 93 jeep wrangler when i have it in 4-wheel drive?
I own a 1993 jeep wrangler and i was just wondering how fast i could go while having the car in 4 high. I just do not want to cause damage to the car.
A: The gear drive for 4 high and 2wheel drive is the same. You can go as fast as possible giving the conditions. The only problem is that some times the front axle has a different ratio then the back.
This means that the front wheels turn just a fraction slower then the back. On dry pavement that can spell disaster.
On 4 low the speed is limited to about 21-25 mph any faster and your really stressing the engine.
To better understand the concept imagine a mountain bike 26 inch.
Now replace the front tire with a 20 inch tire.
The bike all together travels at the same speed but the front tire is turning faster then the back.
This is not a problem because the bike is rear wheel drive. If you were to attach a chain to the front then the pedals would lock up because the tires are not turning at the same speed.
That would be the same as your transmission locking up. Read the manual or check the visor. 4 hi is for snow sand wet, slippery road.
Good luck 4wheeling. it's lots of fun
Q: What kind of air gun do I need to use to paint a Jeep Wrangler?
What psi do I set it at also? Every car is different so I'm sure I wouldn't paint the Wrangler the same way I'd paint my Jeep Grand Cherokee. Thanks for any GOOD advice.
A: Paint guns don't need to be diff from one car type to another..
A gravity fed HVLP (high vol, low psi) paint gun is what you need.. If your just doing 1 or 2 paint jobs the $40 harbor freight tools HVLP will work (I have primed a bunch of cars with mine and laid color down on a couple with it)
Pressure to set it at depends on the gun you have..
You need a good compressor (220 volt, 60 gal tank min), a wall mounted filter/water trap/reg.
Then you need a pressure reg on t he tail stock of gun... Most HVLP guns works best with 10 psi at the cap (spray nose of gun)
But thats hard to measure.. What I do is set my wall reg to 90 psi and my gun reg to 40 psi.. That works best for mine.
Q: How can I put back my 1987 jeep wrangler 6l engine distributor?
I removed my 1987 jeep wrangler 6l motor distributor, I did all the necessary marks. When I put it back ,the motor didn't start.
I think I did something wrong, I need help......
A: Check firing order did.did you set the number one piston to top dead center.When you set the distributor in was it pointing to the number one plug.Bring the #1 piston to top dead center remove distributor cap and see if the rotor is pointing at the #1plug you can be 180 degree out.the hardest thing I had was lining up the oil pump at the bottom where the distributor sets in
Q: What can i do about my jeep Wrangler shutting off suddenly?
I currently own a Jeep Wrangler 1989 model. It a V6, electric fuel injected, 40 Ltr, 6 Cylinder, auto air steering. Almost everytime i drive the vehicle it suddenly turns off. In traffic, suburban where ever. I have taken it to 3 mechanics for a diagnostic test but still nothing. I really dont want to take it to JEEP as this will cost me a fortune. HELP?????
A: These faults are tricky if they can't be duplicated for a tech. You can start with the basics and see if you can fix it yourself. 1) Check the battery connections and hold-down. Look carefully at the positive cable, if it's frayed it will have to be replaced. If it has white or green gunk on it, a wash with 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 cup of hot water will clean the gunk. Be sure to dry the battery after you're finished. Coat the terminals with petroleum jelly or grease AFTER you tighten the battery terminals. 2) Make sure the battery hold-down does just that, so the battery can't move when you turn. 3) Make sure the negative cable is clean and tight at both ends.
If this clears up your problem, you've learned that primary electrical connections are often overlooked. If it doesn't, and you or someone you know is a AAA member, ask the local club for a referral to a mechanic. Another source of expertise is your local Vo-Tech or Community College automotive program.