- Zorba's Jeep
Glamour shots, transfer case oil change, and more!
The "new" spare tire has been a bit of a story. First, even though its the same, stock, size as the other 4: 225/75R15, its a different brand and its a bit wider at the sidewall. This made putting it on the spare tire carrier "interesting", the rubber bumpers were digging into the sidewalls to what I felt was an excessive extent. They didn't do that with the old, rotten spare, which was actually a somewhat larger tire! In any event, consulting with the Jeep forum, it turns out that its advisable to run much lower pressures than I myself would normally run. Reducing the pressure from 40 to 32 made this tire fit on the carrier much better.
A couple of glamour shots...
Look real close at the bumper end...
... and the front bumper. A TINY amount of MUD!
The "new" spare tire/wheel is on the ground temporarily. See text.This tire's story wasn't finished yet. The place I bought it from basically lied and told me that it had been balanced when it had not - there were NO wheel weights on it at all! So I decided to take it down to my friends at the local "Discount Tire" franchise to have them balance it because I knew they'd do it correctly, and probably for free! So I put the tire on the ground in the rear passenger position so that I could A) Make sure it wasn't going to pop or something, it is, after all, a used tire with an unknown history; B) See how bad it was out of balance, and C) Be able to say its been run.
So, on the drive to get it balanced, it did show up a fairly bad vibration at 50 MPH, and a bit less at lower speeds. After balancing, it is nice and smooth as you'd expect, and I'll put it back onto the spare tire carrier in the next day or two. However, on the way to the tire store, there is an empty field, and it had rained a day or so ago. So I did about 100 yards worth of "wheeling", both coming and going! Now this field isn't anything challenging, in fact I've driven the Mercedes through it in the past, but this time it had a pair of dips that were full of water that I certainly would NOT take the Benz through, so I went for it with the Jeep. WHEEEEEE! It was pretty close to needing to be washed anyway, now its a bit closer. Welcome to Florida, Oregon wheel!
The CarFAX on this Jeep told of a chickenshit recall from 2015 that hadn't been performed, and the FCA website confirmed it. Apparently, certain clutch switches (inhibits the starter unless the clutch is depressed) could develop a weak return spring over time, so FCA decided to replace them in all '06 wranglers with manual transmissions. Americans and their interlocks - most European cars don't have these switches to this day, and none of the vehicles I grew up driving did. But for sake of completeness, I took it in and let them replace the switch.
At the local Jeep dealer.
The 2020 "Willys Edition" in "Sarge Green" $40K!!While I was there, they actually had the current model Jeep (JL), The 2020 "Willys Edition" in "Sarge Green" for "only" $40K! It was mostly equipped like I would have done (including color), except it was an automatic which added $2,500 to the price. Nice vehicle, but I just can't get past the touch screen in the middle of the dash, and the over-thought ESS system which isn't designed very well from a battery standpoint. Too much damn "Technology"!
Jeep doors held wide for ease of access!
Getting ready to change the oil in the transfer case - what is THIS?
Had to loosen the skid plate bolts...
... and remove the transmission mount nuts to let the skid drop slightly...
... to extract THIS.
A rock.
Very regular in its shape, I have no idea how it got where it was...
But its now removed. Keeping it as its wedge shape may be useful!
Old ATF removed from the transfer case...
Refilled with new!
Removed tow hooks from front bumper...
To give them the Rubicon Red paint job.
Went ahead and removed the bumper so I could inspect.
Bumper back on with "Rubicon Red" recovery hooks.
The used tire I bought as a spare is now back off the ground.
Another possible source of my rain leak, caulked here.
Aftermarket tray is much larger than the one it covers/replaces!Read on for the next part!
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