2004 1-ton TJ Build

[gt1guy]

Yep, get it running first. Knowing it runs will be a better feeling than you think.

 

[67StingrayJ]

I’m not sure what the heck to do. The Lady at the DMV couldn’t find a VIN when she plugged into the OBD port. In the back of my mind I’d hoped this wouldn’t be an issue.

I open the packaging on my new OBD scanner. Plug it in. Fingers crossed… dang. Nothing. I can’t get anything. I thought my OBD handheld needed batteries, I bought it brand new and never used one before. Nope. No batteries.

Off to. Rough start with these engine codes. Hopefully it’s just a fuse.

If anyone has any guidance, speak now or forever hold your piece.

 

[fl0w3n]

What do you mean nothing? Is the scanner making connection to the computer or are you saying you can’t find the things you were looking for within the computer?

Does the Jeep run right now?

Start with the basics, is your battery good? Are the grounds good? I’m willing to bet with so many things loose and no inner fenders you’re missing a ground or two.

 

[Treefrog]

On the first Jeep I had, the OBD2 wires had corroded and needed some repair.

On TJs there is a trick to get it to show the codes on the odometer. I think it is this:
Put the key in, turn from off to on 3 times quickly. Leave it in on on the third turn.

 

[RunningProblem]

Whichever one you pick you’ll think the other would have been easier. Many times.

 

[DannyK]

I assume you have photos of your build. I'll have to take a look at what you did.

Yes, I cut out the round tube front crossmember and moved the steering box forward several inches. I moved the front axle forward about 6".

 

[67StingrayJ]

Sometimes you just get lucky.
I literally did nothing other than plug the OBD2 scanner in and it worked. I was prepared for the worst too. Win.

When I went to read to codes, it askes for a Manufacturer. It didn't have Jeep in it's list of codes so I opted for Dodge thinking it would be the same. Who knows. I'll have to try again tomorrow with Chrysler and see if the codes are the same. I don't see why Dodge wouldn't have worked. Not sure what Jeep was back in 2004. I'm not even sure what Jeeps are today... Aren't they Fiat? Or Stellantus? 50% Chinese owned?

First thing I did was clear the codes. It had over 50 and it was so overwhelming. I said F that and cleared them out. I let the jeep run for 15 min and checked again. I'm sure there will be more codes to come, but for now, these are the two codes I'm dealing with.

Baby steps.

• P1495 Leak Detection Pump Solenoid Circ.
• P016102 Sensor Heater Circuit Bank 2 Sensor 2.

Google indicates the P1495 Leak Detection Pump Solenoid Circ. is some emissions BS. I care, but I have some emissions crap that is sitting in a BUSCH Beer box that I need to figure out what to do with.

Or, this broken plastic connector might be causing the error. Poor little guy never got the life he deserved.

Or, this? no fuel neck. Or a hose next to the fuel tank. Not sure what I need to do with this long term. I'm not ready to do the gas tank, but it might be my next project.

Moving on to the P016102 Sensor Heater Circuit Bank 2 Sensor 2. Google says it a sensor located behind the Cats. They looked fine when I was under them, assuming these are cats and not resonating chambers. I'm 99.99% sure they're Catalytic Converters. I'm not that ignorant, but I might as well ask the community to confirm.

Both at least HAVE sensors and they appear to be plugged in. Is there supposed to be 4 sensors in total, one before the Catalytic converters (qty: 2) and one after? There doesn't appear to be any room in the above photo for sensors before the cats. Maybe in the Exhaust Manifold?

Notice how there is no exhaust (muffler) in this pic. Could this cause errors down the road? I cleared A LOT of errors. What about running poorly?

Anyway, every day I chip away.
Fun Fun Fun.

 

[crazybluerider]

The fuel tank must be fully sealed for the leak detection code to go away. No filler neck/vent and that broken fitting will need to be fixed to make that go away.

For the O2 sensor heater codes I'd be looking at the wiring really close. Those cats appear to be somewhat new and the wiring can be damaged if the O2 sensors were handled roughly during that job. Heater circuit codes don't tend to be the sensor themselves from my experience but it could be the sensor if all the wiring checks out. Bank 2 sensor 2 is the rear pipe after the cat.

 

[Treefrog]

There was a tsb for o2 sensors and that error. Had to do it to my 05.

edit: Seems that the tsb doesn't apply to 04s. And it was for a slightly different code

 

[fl0w3n]

I let the jeep run for 15 min and checked again. I'm sure there will be more codes to come, but for now, these are the two codes I'm dealing with.


Anyway, every day I chip away.
Fun Fun Fun.

Oh shit, the thing runs? I didn't realize that.

How come you're not crawling and hitting trails yet

 

[RunningProblem]

Oh shit, the thing runs? I didn't realize that.

How come you're not crawling and hitting trails yet

Needs work

 

[67StingrayJ]

Needs work

Indeed. It's about time I revisited my to do list. Immediate action (in no particular order):

1. Address the Body lean.
2. Service King Shocks.
3. Shock reservoirs need a home.
4. Shock towers are questionable and need attention.
5. Parts under the hood hanging loose need attachment.
   • Cruse control (deleted)
   • Vacuum reservoir.
   • Fuse panel
   • Horn
   • Electrical thing I don't know what it is.
6. Emissions crap.
7. Needs Inner Fenders.
8. Gas Tank need to be fitted and/or leveled.
9. Front axle shafts, inner axel shafts and U-joints are missing.
10. Shock reservoirs need a home.
11. Water pump needs to be replaced. (done)
12. Radiator needs a flush. it has leek fix crap in it. (done)
13. Radiator fan is electric. I want to go back to stock setup. (done)
14. I need to figure out what the brakes are off of.
15. Power steering hoses leaking. (done)
16. Check engine light is on... duh.
17. Needs an exhaust.
18. Needs an Emergency brake.
19. Fluid checks. (done)
20. Steering geometry.
21. Suspension geometry.
22. Upper and lower control arm bolts.
23. Relocate battery.

Long term Wishes in no particular order.

• Lockers.
• 40" tires.
• Bead lock wheels.
• Front axle stretch (~108")
• Better Transfer case, probably from a Rubicon.
• On board air.
• Bump Stops.
• Boat sides?
• Custom roll cage and sliders.
• Fenders.
• Winch.
• Front axle stretch for ~105" wheelbase.
• Paint.
• cab enclosure of some kind.

Man, I did a lot of work and according to that list up there I haven't done hardly anything at all.

Bit by bit, I'll work on this Sh!t.

 

[crazybluerider]

1. Parts under the hood hanging loose need attachment.
   • Cruse control (deleted)
   • Vacuum reservoir.
   • Fuse panel
   • Horn

Bit by bit, I'll work on this Sh!t.

I'd be interested in the under hood cruise control parts if you want to make a couple bucks.

 

[67StingrayJ]

I'd be interested in the under hood cruise control parts if you want to make a couple bucks.

I'll have to think about it. Shoot me a PM.

Speaking of making a couple of bucks. Anyone want to buy some poison spider stuff?

I have the front competition stinger.

Their matching Spare Tire Carrier.

I also have the bumper it mounts to, though I may opt to keep it. I'm not sure if the skid plate is part of the rear bumper assembly or not. Anyone know?

For sure, 100% up for grabs is this Front Stinger and rear spare tire carrier.

I'm on the fence in regards to selling the rear bumper and skid plate. Maybe I can be per$uaded. If anyone's interested shoot me a PM.

 

[67StingrayJ]

progress has been slow. This song will help explain.

 

[67StingrayJ]

Christmas is over. Spent lots of down time thinking/working on the TJ. I decided I'm ok with a few codes being in the OBD2. most of them were gas tank related anyway. My brother in law was in town and he took one look at my setup and said "Bro, you have to so something with that gas tank ASAP."

I agreed. The tank was only tacked into place and nothing more. if ya'll recall, I drove this thing all the way to the DMV. I could have lost my tank at any pothole. The tacks were only an 1/8" and only two in total holding it on. Brother-in-law said I was crazy. Maybe he's right.

I cut the tacks, dropped the tank and proceeded to drain.

The kid I bought the jeep from had all sorts of half ass angles iron welded to the ass of the frame to hold this tank into place. After hitting my head on them more than once I proceeded to cut them off. Man, he really welded these things on.

1/2hr later and the headache was gone.

Bump stops were next. These took almost all day to get cut off. Mostly because I only had a cutting wheel for the angle grinder. All stores were closed for Christmas so getting a saws-all blade was impossible. I made due.

All the old crap cut out. Time to try and see if the tank will fit.

On a side note. I've been reading a lot about reverse steering boxes. I want to go to an Astro Steering box. Below are other's builds I want to save all for safe keeping. Maybe the'll help the next sucker.

Adding Hydro Assist to my YJ. HP44 and Astro steering box

Ford HP44 axle.... Astro Steering Box.... PartsMike high steer arms.... leaf sprung.... not really hardcore jeep tech, not really ford tech, not chevy tech, general seems like a decent place for it :) this is my current setup (note I am in the process of stretching the front and swapping out...

www.pirate4x4.com

Evolution of an Addict (Jeep Build)

pic of the rear crossmember

www.pirate4x4.com

chevy astro steering box

Anyone use the astro box on a YJ with leafs?Yep,ran the same box in the same spot but a little lower.

www.pirate4x4.com

Reverse rotation Steering box

I have a wrangler yj that i need a reverse rotation steering box for. Mounts on the inside of the frame not the outside edge. what is a make and model of a car i could use one off of?

www.jeepforum.com

CAYLEB'S JEEP WRANGLER TJ BUILD IN DETAIL

****** CAYLEB'S JEEP WRANGLER TJ WRITE UP & INFO****** If you have watched any of our earlier videos on our YouTube channel: Peck Brothers Off-Road it is no secret that there was an enormous amount of blood sweat and tears that went into this build. Here you will find more details...

peckbrothersoffroad.com

Stay Tuned!

 

[67StingrayJ]

GenRright gastank. Man, this thing is expensive but good luck finding any installation information on it. I spent several hours looking at the photos of their 4 different gas tanks that are "similar" to mine and I still can't determent which one I have. Look at their website. I have derermind I have either the 26, 23, or the 20 gal. version. But look at the photos on their website? they use all the same pics for all 3 tanks. The only way to tell as far as I've been able to deduce is to fill it up and see what its capacity is? Not ideal.

Jeep TJ Gas Tanks | Aluminum Fuel Tanks | GenRight Off Road

Extend the range of your Jeep with GenRight's off road fuel tanks. Call us at 805-584-8635 to learn more now!

genright.com

Yes, I emailed GenRight asking for help. I hope it's because of the holidays that they haven't responded to any of my 4 emails. Hopefully they respond soon. I took the above photos in hopes if determining which of their tank I have.

Maybe some experts hear a chime in.

 

[67StingrayJ]

Sometimes you just have to figure S*it out on your own. I took some cardboard and traced the gas tank profile and cut it out.

I positioned the template into place and determined the tank could indeed fit with the rear axle stretch the previous kid put on. At least for the most part.

Notice the bit of pinch weld that is hanging over the cardboard in the below photo. Originally, I thought the pinch weld portion of metal lay flat and pointed towards the front of the jeep. The kid had put cuts into it every 6" or so and it was pointing to the front.

This is my first Jeep and I didn't realize until now that that pinch welded portion of metal originally pointed DOWN. Not realizing I could have bent the pinch weld part of the body back down to it's original orientation I quickly looked to see if it would clear the rear Diff. Notice how close the back of the Diff Truss is to the back of the tank. Seeing this I thought I needed more room and that pinch weld had to go.

So I began making cuts.

Eventually, I made cut that pinch welded nonsense all the way down the width of the jeep. Time to see if I can stuff this B!tch in there.

It fits. Could use a little more trimming though. or maybe I'll bend this back down the way its supposed to be?

I'll do some Before and After photos next post.

 

[fl0w3n]

Sweet

Throw a couple tack welds on the part where you cut the pinch seam to hold it together. Probably not too critical since it doesn't look like much length.

 

[67StingrayJ]

Sweet

Throw a couple tack welds on the part where you cut the pinch seam to hold it together. Probably not too critical since it doesn't look like much length.

For sure! I just wanted to get the tank up in there. Now that I know it will fit I can take the body off in confidence.


As I promised.
Before on the left.... After on the right.

The tank is where it is supposed to be now. But now I can't access the fill nozzle. Shock tower is it the way. I might be able to make due, but there are LOTS of suspension geometry issues that I need to get worked out. This might be something I'll address when I get the body off the jeep. I for sure, 100% want the tank where it currently sits as opposed to prioritizing the shock towers.

This below is a photo of the rear drivers side shock tower, from underneath looking up. Look how little room there is between the tower and the spring. Another problem I need to solve.

Body comes off soon!

 

[gt1guy]

I'd be planing a rather stout rear bumper to avoid a giant fireball if you ever get rear ended.

 

[67StingrayJ]

I'd be planing a rather stout rear bumper to avoid a giant fireball if you ever get rear ended.

That's a really good idea.

It comes with a really strong skid plate. The entire tank sits inside it.

I also have a bumper that came with the jeep when I bought it from the kid trying to build the thing. But I do want to do a custom bumper down the road.

I'm quite pleased with the amount of clearance this tank had around the rear diff. at first glance there appears to be plenty of room.

I wanted to really see how much clearance I had at full bump. I decided to ratchet strap the rear frame down to the rear diff. I had about 3" of preload on the rear springs so I decided I'd adjust those first. Ratchet straps don't have much pull, and there is little point in fighting the springs

I pulled out the jack and decided to jack the rear end up. Yeah, I know. My tools are a little inadequate. It not the size of your tool, but how you it that counts.

I have a bigger badland jack on order from Harbor Freight. Should be here early January.

I was having trouble adjusting the shock collar. I thought the collar was just tight so got some thread lube out thinking it would help. NOPE. All it did was make a mess. Remember how little room I had between the shock tower and the shock? Turns out I can't run the shock collar any higher than it currently sits without any rubbing.

With the rear end jack up you can really see how this thing fits in there.

 

[67StingrayJ]

Not sure if I showed a good pic of the notch the previous kid did on the back part of the frame. Here's a good pic.
This is the passenger side with his notch cut into the frame with the bump stops in place before I cut them off.

passenger ide after.

Passenger side. I'm not sure what to do about these notches to the frame to be honest.

The rear shock towers don't have adequate clearance for the springs or shock collar. There is a questionable notch in the back of the frame that needs to be reinforced, I'm sure of that. And the gas Tank filler nozzle is not easily accessible.

I also don't like how the body is sitting on a 1" body lift. I'm about to do some work to the frame. I need to consider all these factors when I ultimately make a decision as to what to do next.

I think I'm still going to simulate full bump before I take the body off. I'd like to know really how much more room I have between the rear diff and the gas tank.

Bee back in a bit. :)

 

[RunningProblem]

remove the bottom shock bolt, remove the lower coil spring retainer, and slid the coilsprings off. Bolt the shock back in.
It will be easier to move the rear axle around.

 

[67StingrayJ]

I removed the rear shocks and put the jeep at full bump, or at maximum bump that the jeep can withstand without doing serious damage. The upper rear control arms hit the underbelly of the jeep where they connect to the rear diff tower. I should have snapped a photo but from what I've been reading, this is the most common limiting factor.

Just above the point where I would do some serious damage, I measured how far off the ground the body was. I got 21.5". I need to decide if this is low enough or if I want full bump to be lower. If I opt to go any lower I'd have to cut into the bed of the jeep.

just for pits and giggles I jacked the jeep up to see what sort of height I could get at full droop. Measured 37.5", for 16" of travel. This is the first time I did the math and that 16" figure surprises me.

I'm not sure where two go from here. I'm thinking I'll get a label maker and start labeling where every wire lands on the jeep mono the wiring harness. I think I need to take the body off the frame.

 

[RunningProblem]

Order some limit straps for the rear as well as tabs to weld in. If you have a 16” shock you don’t want it to fully extend. The coilover isn’t supposed to support the weight of the axle and tire. The limit straps will stretch about 1.25-1.50” and the tabs will add some length. I just had to go through this with my Cherokee.

Droop out the rear shocks to 14 1/2”.
Measure a spot from the axle to the frame.
Figure out how long of a limit strap you need with tabs.

 

[Midget]

I would also look into making some fish plates and boxing back in those frame notches, that or rebuild the rails with box tube or a motobilt/artec rear frame kit. Once you get the frame repaired/ strengthened then start looking at options for fixing the rear shock towers so everything isn't bound up and rubbing on itself. You may find a frame rail kit or straight frame section corrects your filler neck issue and shock tower placement.

 

[67StingrayJ]

I would also look into making some fish plates and boxing back in those frame notches, that or rebuild the rails with box tube or a motobilt/artec rear frame kit. Once you get the frame repaired/ strengthened then start looking at options for fixing the rear shock towers so everything isn't bound up and rubbing on itself. You may find a frame rail kit or straight frame section corrects your filler neck issue and shock tower placement.

I'm going to get some square tubing and replace most of it. A back half essentially. I want to keep the CG (Center of Gravity) as low as possible, and maximize travel in the rear. After I get the gas tank situated, I'll start cutting the back of the jeep bed out to make more room upper control arms. Right now their axle mounts hit the underside of the bed.



Has anyone ever installed a NextGen gas tank? I know where the tank is "supposed" to go, but that puts the filler neck in a precarious location.


I think I just need to get rid of that rear shock tower. I never was happy with it. The kid who pit it on didn't really take his time to make sure things fit. They bind against the shock, and I can't get any more up travel adjustment because the collar hits sooner the more you thread it up.


Silly me, when I was trying to adjust the rear preload, I just thought the collar was tight on the threads so I got some thread lubricant and smeared it all over. Shock Towers are 100% going to need some attention.

 

[CJNTN]

I believe those King adjusters have screws to clamp them down/keep them from moving also. On the right side in your last picture. It's not tight is it?

 

[RunningProblem]

They DO have screws. It’s a hex head screen and they’re easy to fuck up if you try.

Set the preload until the speings stop wiggling then give it a few more spins to make it tight as a starting point. You’ll adjust it and fine tune it later on.