Yeah, a $300 steel rear bumper and a box built out of 1/4" steel for the tank. Probably the best thing would to put a fuel cell (rubber lined aluminum tank) where the spare tire is and mount the tire on a swing-out tire mount on that steel bumper or put it on the roof.
Mopar used to make a 1/8" shield for the tank, but it's no longer in production. You may find one at Quadratec or Morris 4x4.

 

OK. I flew out and picked up the 2001 WJ.
Followed Dave's advice on checking fluids, belts, hoses, tires, taking it easy for the first hour, etc.
Drove the 1128 miles straight through solo. Fully intended to stop at a hotel for the night, but guess I couldn't wait to get back. Took 20 1/2 hours with fuel and meal stops.
The Jeep performed and handled beautifully. All gauges were right where they should have been and remained there throughout the trip.

On the less than perfect side, the ABS light was on the entire trip and there was about one and a half to two inches of water in the spare tire well.
I removed the water and made sure it was bone dry. Had some periods of rain on the way back. Checked the spare tire well after getting home and there was maybe a tablespoon of water.
Is this a common problem?

 

It's possible the rear hatch seal is leaking allowing rain water to enter at the bottom. If there was a hole rusted in the bottom I doubt it would fill up. Check the seal and replace it if you can. If water can get in, so can monoxide.

The ABS light is quite common. I spent a lot of money on the system and concluded there was a malfunction in the pump unit. It's not required to function in NY for inspection, so it never got fixed. I never liked it when it did anyhow. This may sound like a redneck stunt but I put a piece of black electrical tape over the light! I tried pulling the fuses on it but I kept getting a weird message on the VIC. "Memory seat disabled. Seat belt not connected." WTH? I don't have power seats and the seat belt WAS connected! I put the fuses back in. I pulled the bulb and the red "BRAKE" light came on. That light only comes on when the fluid level is low. It does not tell you when something is wrong with the system until the fluid level is low!

BTW, check for recalls. Mine was recalled for seat belt shoulder harness bolts, a computer reflash, and an intake manifold heat shield install. They are free. Don't let the dealership jerk you around and make you pay for them. The trailer hitch recall is another ball of wax.

 

Thanks Dave.
One other small item that I forgot.
We filled the windshield fluid which all leaked out. I filled my granddaughter's 98 Wrangler windshield fluid and checked next day and it was empty also. In both cases I could not find where it was leaking.
Are these tanks prone to cracking over time or is it more likely to be a hose or connection?

 

It's my understanding they are prone to cracking. It could also be the seal around where the pumps are mounted. I know the coolant reservoirs are.

 

After driving the Jeep back home 20+hours through rain storms and crazy traffic and driving it around town for a little over a week, I believe that I'm bonded to this vehicle!
And I haven't even tried the four wheel drive yet or been off road.

 

Sucked you right in, didn't it? Just remember the lowest parts of the jeep are the differentials and the trans crossmember. The t/case on the WJ is tucked up pretty well, but can still get hit when going offroad. I got stupid once and went on a trail that got steadily worse with no place large enough to turn around. I bottomed out a couple of times, but all the damage was a broken muffler clamp.

The Selectrac 242 t/case has 2 different 4wd options. Actually 3 if you include low range. 4wd part time locks the t/case to drive both axles together at the same speed so it tends to bind in turns unless you're on loose surfaces. 4wd full time allows speed changes between the axles so they can drive at different rates when turning. It's like a 3rd differential in the drive train. The only problem with this is if you're sitting with all 4 wheels on ice, only 1 wheel will be driving, whichever has the LEAST traction! In this case simply shift to part time, then you've got 2 driving. Low range is part time in case you were wondering. 2wd, 4wd part time, and 4wd full time are shift-on-the-fly anytime by just lifting your throttle foot and shifting smartly. I've shifted from 2wd to 4FT at 60 mph when encountering snow blown across the highway. 4 lo takes a bit if finesse to get it to engage on the roll. I have found the easiest way for me is to stop, put the trans in park with my foot on the brake, shift to low, ease my foot off the brake letting it roll while pulling on the shifter until it it engages, then shifting the trans out of park. I haven't ground any gears that way. BTW, there is a shift lever stop detent before the neutral position so you don't go too far when shifting to 4wd full time. You have the press down on the shifter to go beyond the stop.

The love affair has just started! BTW, I just put a Flowmaster 50 muffler on mine. Nice deep mellow sound without being loud and obnoxious.

 

"Sucked you right in, didn't it?"
Yep. Like a fly to a venus fly trap!
Thanks Dave for the 4 wheel drive info. I am a novice in 4 wheel drive in every sense.

 

IDK where you are, but do you get much snow to contend with? That's the main reason I bought mine. It's great for that and is just about unstoppable. IDK if I told you but I deliver newspapers and get out there before the plows come out to play. I've pushed thru snow that covered the headlight on occasion and it just kept going. I must mention that most of the snow we get is "lake effect", light powder that blows around and covers the roads with drifts. I sometimes have to bust thru the snowbanks where the plows have not plowed a side road yet and that can get interesting at times. I put a shackle where my hitch ball would normally be so I have a rear recovery point in case I have to be towed out, but haven't had occasion to use it yet. When it gets bad I use Part time 4wd, but if I have to make tight turns, I shift down to Full time so it's more controllable. The front end tends to "push" in Part time.

My rear differential blew apart last December and locked up, making the t/case pop out of 2wd. After replacing the rear end, it wouldn't go back into 2wd so I'd been driving it in Full time 4wd since then. Just 2 weeks ago, I got a replacement t/case installed. It could have been repaired easily but I didn't have the time to mess with it.

 

North Carolina. We get snow a number of times every winter but not like yours. As I recall 10" is the most snow that we have gotten in a single storm. Good to know that the WJ handles well in snow especially with our long steep incline of a driveway.
Sounds like you should be compensated by the city for plowing snow for them.

 

Brrrr! Don't talk about the City! I live in a country suburban Township! Syracuse can go suck lemons for call I care. I'm on good terms with the Town plow guys. A lot of my streets are cul-de-sacs and when I get there and they are plowing it, I dim down to parking lights and wait until they are done or go on to the next one and come back later. Sometimes the driver will see me waiting and flash his lights, I dive in and do my customers, flash my lights and continue on. The problems I have are with the private driveway contractors! They don't give a F*** if I'm there or not. There was one guy who got caught stealing a customer's newspaper! Not by me, but it was caught on cellphone camera. The guy lost his job over it!

Most of my customers live in $300K to $500K homes with some up to $1 mill! Mostly HOAs but no Gated Communities. The customers I've actually met are nice and appreciate how hard it is to get them their paper dry and on time. There ARE a few A-holes though. I've got one guy who says if it's not in a bag, regardless of weather, it's a missed delivery! Once in a while, more so lately, they'll have a press breakdown and the papers are late. My customers know it's not my fault and that I do the best I can.

I used to hate driving in the snow, but since I've been using jeeps, I actually enjoy it! The hardest part is driving around in sub-zero weather with the window open! It's especially hard when you get sleet in the face!

 

Dave you have me anticipating winter and 4 wheeling in snow!

In post number 6 of this thread you didn't mention window repairs. I've read that the plastic part attaching the cable breaks fairly routinely. Have you had this problem?


Dave1123 is about to pass 10k posts!
Thanks for taking the time to pass on your hard earned knowledge.

 

IDK, what happened to 2 of mine was the tape stripped at the gear inside the motor housing and split the case. Sometimes the little "sash roller" wheels fail and the tape jumps the track. It's plastic! Anything can happen!

 

I have been away, unbelievably, for almost five years.

Does anyone have any info on dave1123? His last post was on 10-28-2021.