Chucks96XJ

Is it just me or does it seem that on Jeeps, little 10 min jobs seem to drag on for hours..

I was having trouble with the radio reception, searched and found out there is a connection behind the kick panel. So i figured that it wouldn't take too long to fix this. So it took me 10 min to get the rusted screw out, and 5 min to repair the wire/connection. Then it took me almost 20 min to get the damm thing back together. ended up so pissed off by the lack of cooperation from my jeep i was ready to stab it with the screwdriver, lol!!

Sorry had to vent, its been a tough day from sun up to sun down.

Is it always like this for you guys??

gpXJ

Yes....yes it is. This is why I no longer try to do any modifications on my rig during the week. Too many times I've been in the driveway until 4am trying to get it put back together so I can make it to work...because I started a project in the evening after work the previous day.

Lately, things have started to go more smoothly for me, but that is mainly because I've had just about every part of my Jeep apart at one time or another, trying to fix something, that now I have all the tools necessary (so many trips to Northern Tool because I didn't have something I needed at the time) and all the bolts are fresh and stuff. With experience comes quickness.

89Laredo

yeah, like doing my ground strap today... That was a pita

OOdynamite

Yup, when I mounted up my bumper fogs I figured it would take like an hour to mount and wire to the preexisting fog light wires. Well one of the mounting screws got fubar, and it took me a while to yank out of my bumper, then the run to lowes for the bigger screw, followed by remounting. Then the wiring was snafu cuz the black wire wasn't actually ground, so I had to rewire all of it. Then one of them didn't work so I had to figure that out. So all in all, prolly 6 hours of work...

DUDE454

Same here, i got a class 4 hitch i thought id just put on in 45 min tops, well 2.5 hours later its on with only 5 of the bolts. Hard seeming jobs are easy though, it only took 2 hours to put my locker in, so... its a jeep thing

Boomer573

I don't get disappointed, because I have no expectations (especially of cost or time). I learned a long time ago, when all things are going right, something is going to happen and it won't be for the better. My worst nightmare happen one night on my military jeep (M38a1), several head bolts broke flush to the block. I took a break for the day, and the next day got a few of them out, but still had more to remove. I finally got them out over the period of a week using everything from a Dremel tool, torch, welder, wax, PB Blaster, hammer, chisel, EZ Out (which I will never use on of the again), etc. It took me 8 hours to put all the tools away from that episode.

WTF?

15 min slave cylinders turned into a 2 day project because the brake line decided to snap and it was the end of the day

LT6916

Haven't experienced it really with my Jeep. But you must not know MR2's...my alternator is laying inside the bay because I haven't dropped the exhaust yet so I can get it out.

xjmuddigger

always like that,all the small things are the most frustrating things ive done on my xj

Bimmer_2002

Yeah, it's normal. Especially if you are mechanically inclined (like me) or if you have rusted bolts (like mine) LOL!

I don't know how long it takes usually, but it took me 2 hours to change my wiper motor assembly because 2 of my bolts were very rusted. I had to run back and forth to get tools in the house and I forgot to put a piece back so had to unscrew the assembly again.

no rdplz

Yeah, it's normal. Granted, doing stuff over and over makes it go faster each time, but too many times it still takes longer than it should.

Flowpro

It's normal. Take for example Sunday. I planned on just rotating my tires, maybe an hour tops in the driveway with temps in the high 20's. I figure I'm this far I had better check out the brakes since I just purchased the Cherokee a couple weeks ago and the previous owner gave me a box with just 2 brake shoes in it. He said his son had just put them on the one side.

So I do some digging and discover a leaky wheel cylinder on the side with the new shoes and the other side didn't want to me to see since the drum wouldn't come off past the shoes.

All in all I ended up putting on a new wheel cylinder, new shoes, brake spring kit and wheel adjuster kits and new pads up front. Got done just after dark and only made two trips to the parts store. Make that three trips, I also discovered a stripped lug nut while putting the wheels back on and picked that up tonight.

Not bad for "just" a tire rotation. At least now I know the brakes are going to be good for awhile.

JSmith0055

Sounds like every single job i've ever done with my jeep lol

Pat Vogt

Lol oh yes.

Heres one for you...
2 inch Budget Boost. Rough Country estmated a 45minuet drive away time. Okay sounds simple. PB blasted for 2 weeks before band.

8 hours total over the course of 2 days and I have a budget boost. hahahaha

Its all part of the show.

Cherryokee

I am not a negative person as a rule. I am however a subscriber-believer of Murphy's Laws.

Murphy's Law #1: If anything can go wrong, it will.
.
.
.
Murphy's Law #28 (I think): The amount of time required to perform any task is inversely proportional to whatever time requirement you estimate.

As a direct result of law #28, I have learned to answer my wife (whenever she asks how long it will take to complete a task on my XJ) with the same response. That response is "I don't know, it depends on Mr. Murphy's involvement".