[GmanWJ]

2002 Bella Blue, WJ Build

It seems like build threads are a thing here, so here's mine. Meet Bella.

>>Factory Build Info

Table of Contents:

BUILD

Suspension​

1. 2.5" Lift: OME HD Springs & Bilstein 5100 Shocks
2. Addco 684 Rear Sway Bar
3. Factory 2004 WJ 30mm Solid Front Sway Bar (no pics)
4. Core 4x4 Adjustable CAs (stock length)
5. Ironman 4x4 UCA
6. Kevin's Offroad Track Bar Bushings
7. Rubicon Express Front Swaybar Disconnects

Electrical​

1. Stereo Upgrade 2006: Fosgate Power & Infinity Perfect
2. Stereo Upgrade 2020: DDIN Kenwood and Backup Camera
3. Dual Battery and Trailer Charging Port
4. 2awg Battery and Ground Cable Upgrade
5. Auxiliary Lighting
6. Mechman Alternator and 0awg Cable Upgrade

Other & Extras​

1. EBC Brakes (good!) & Synergy Spacers (removed)
2. Whip Flags: Firestik mounts, Tusk holders
3. 3M Undercoating
4. Wolf Vinyl Decal (fight me!)

REPAIR

Suspension​

1. Rear Upper Control Arm
2. Rear Lower Control Arm (video)
3. Front Control Arm Replacement
4. Ball Joint Replacement
5. Detroit Axle Control Arm Review

Engine​

1. Fuel Injector Connectors
2. Left Valve Cover Gasket
3. Right Valve Cover Gasket
4. Water Pump Replacement
5. Valve Stem Seals & Lifters
6. Spark Plug Replacement (video)

Other Stuff​

1. Driver Door Wire Repair
2. Rear Axle Bearing Replacement
3. Headliner Repair? -- FAIL
4. Hood Emblem Replacement

I have had her since July 2002, new to me and the only new vehicle I have ever owned.

Aside from the typical routine maintenance (fluids, filters, tires, shocks, brakes, ...), some of the things I have had to fix over the years. Note: at first I had all of my service done at the dealer or quick lube shops, but after a few bad things happened I started doing it all myself. Well mostly myself. Some jobs I still take to a shop if I feel like it's over my head or I just want somebody else to do it instead.

• Rear axle "failure" and rebuild at 30k. Dealer stated the diff was empty. Odd, since they did all the service for me.
• Rear axle "failure" and rebuild at 65k. AGAIN!!
• Right rear TPM sensor replacement. Jiffy Lube smashed the valve stem for me.
• Passenger side wiper arm replacement. Jiffy Lube strikes again.
• Power steering hose, I think this was a factory recall?
• Evap cannister hose leak. Was throwing a trouble code.
• O2 sensor replacement. Threw a code so I was going to replace them all until I saw how expensive they are, so just did the one.
• Climate control panel replacement. The A/C would not blow cold air and really had me stumped. Replaced the panel out of desperation and it worked.
• EVIC overhead module replacement. Display just died. Got one without TPMS capability because I was running BFG E range tires that would constantly trigger high pressure alarms on the highway.
• Parking brake cable replacement, TWICE. What is this about?
• Window regulators on front driver & passenger doors
• Hood, liftgate, & liftglass struts several times
• Driver door panel replacement due to cracks in the arm rest. Done this twice too and need to do it again.
• Passenger side power mirror, I suspect a parking lot incident.
• Thermostat leak, replaced
• Water pump leak, replaced
• Radiator leak, replaced (& hoses)
• Starter motor replacement, solenoid was dying and threatened to strand me.
• Engine rear main seal replacement
• Rear axle seals, bearings, pinion seal

Current list of things that need to be fixed:

• Peeling headliner (failed 09/05/2020)
• Driver door panel (arm rest)
• Driver heated seat
• Heated seat switches, some lights don't work (but the switch does!)
• Clunks and creaks in the rear end (completed 11/01/2019)
• Oil seep from valve covers (completed 03/26/2018)

Obviously I am in no hurry to fix these things ...

Here we are exploring the Lost Coast some years ago. We found a remote deserted beach with a fire ring and stopped for lunch.

Follow along with my adventures with Bella on my dedicated thread:
Gman's Adventures with Bella Blue

 

[GmanWJ]

I bought it in July 2002 for $33k. After down payment, the monthly was an even $500 at 0% financing, 7 year/70k mile warranty. It's about as loaded as you can get for a Laredo. I went through all the packages and thought that the Limited upgrade was not worth the extra $5k price tag because all you really got was color-matched cladding and memory seats, maybe a dual zone climate control? I had previously leased a '99 Laredo with a Quadra-Drive, but there were some odd things about how that drive train behaved that I really did not like so I went with the Selec-Trac in '02.

Looked up my build sheet at https://www.jeep.com/webselfservice/jeep/ >> Equipment Listing.
Edit: new link https://fcacommunity.force.com/RAM/s/equipment-listing

Rearranged some of the items to my liking, but here is what it told me in all its glory:

Equipment Listing
Vehicle Description 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO 4X4 SPORT UTILITY 4-DR

[SIZE=4][SIZE=5][B]STANDARD EQUIPMENT[/B][/SIZE]
Monotone Paint
136 Amp Alternator
625 Amp Maintenance Free Battery
Anti-Lock 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
Low Back Bucket Seats
Highline Door Trim Panel
Rear 60/40 Folding Seat
Child Seat Anchor System-LATCH Ready
Next Gen Multistage Front Air Bags**
Floor Carpet
Cargo Compartment Carpet
Cargo Tie Down Loops
Front & Rear Floor Mats
Cargo Trim Panel w/Storage Net
Driver Foot Rest
Cargo Compartment Cover
Passenger Assist Handles
Full Length Floor Console
All 5-Speed Automatic Transmissions
Lock-Up Torque Converter
Selec-Trac Full Time 4WD System
Dana 30/186MM Front Axle
Tinted Windshield Glass
Front Door Tinted Glass
Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass
Flipper Liftgate Glass
Rear Window Defroster
Sentry Key Theft Deterrent System
Air Conditioning
Hood Insulation
Deluxe Insulation Group
Route 48 - UP, Mira Loma, CA
DO NOT USE - See JP, KA classes
120 MPH Primary Speedometer
Var Intermittent Windshield Wipers
Rear Window Wiper/Washer
Dual Note Electric Horns
Glove Box
12V Auxiliary Power Outlet
Power Accessory Delay
Power Locks
Power Windows, Driver One-Touch
EXTERIOR COMPONENT COLOR
EXTERIOR COMPONENT COLOR
Illuminated Entry
Warning Chime
Courtesy Lamps
Glove Box Lamp
Ash Tray Lamp
Rear Courtesy/Reading Lamps
Cargo Compartment Lamp
Halogen Headlamps
CHMSL Lamp
Bright Grille
Black Windshield Moldings
Grand Cherokee Badge
Jeep Badge
Side Roof Rails
4X4 Badge
20.5 Gallon Fuel Tank
Speed Control
Patriot Blue Pearl Coat
Fixed Long Mast Antenna
Power Steering
Tilt Steering Column
Inside Mounted Spare Tire
16X7.0 Lux Alum Silver Wheels
Protective Coating and Remover
Build To U.S. Mkt. Specifications
U.S. Dealer Retail
Zone 71-Los Angeles
JS/5712 Vehicle Family
WJ-Vehicle Family
Four Wheel Drive (4WD)/(4X4)
Left Hand Drive (LHD)
Vehicle Order Tracking
U.S. Specifications Label
California Ship to State Code
California Sold to State Code
[/SIZE]

[SIZE=4][SIZE=5][B]OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT[/B][/SIZE]
4.7L V8 Power Tech Engine
5-Spd Automatic 545RFE Transmission
3.73 Rear Axle Ratio
Dana 44/226MM Rear Axle
Vari-Lok Progressive Rear Axle
Up Country Suspension Group(97-2-26)
Heavy Duty Suspension w/Gas Shocks
Skid Plate Group
Fuel Tank Skid Plate Shield
Transfer Case Skid Plate Shield
Front Suspension Skid Plate
Tow Hooks
Trailer Tow Group IV
Class IV Receiver Hitch
7 Pin Wiring Harness
7 to 4 Pin Wiring Adaptor
Leather Trimmed Bucket Seats
Dark Slate Gray
Cold Weather Group
Luxury Group
Radio-CD/Cass/10 Disc/Infinity Spkrs
Mutually Exclusive Package
Supplemental Side Air Bags
Supp. Side Curtain Frt/Rr Air Bags
Covered Cargo Storage
Mini Overhead Console
Sun Visors w/Illum Vanity Mirrors
Rear View Auto Dim Mirror
Power Memory Mirrors, Fold-Away
Remote Keyless Entry
12V Rear Auxiliary Power Outlet
Power 6-Way, Heated Seats
Vehicle Information Center
Traveler/Mini Trip Computer
Automatic Headlamps
Fog Lamps
Security Alarm
Front License Plate Bracket
V-8 Badge
50 State Emissions
Low Emission Vehicle (LEV)
Power Steering Cooler
Hydraulic Engine Cooling
Patriot Blue Pearl Coat
All Radio Equipped Vehicles
AM/FM Cass/CD Radio w/Changer Ctrl
Infinity Speakers
10-Disc Remote CD Changer
Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Ctrls
Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
Full Size Spare Tire w/Matching Whl
P245/70R16 OWL All Terrain Tires
Goodyear Brand Tires
All Aluminum Wheels
Universal Garage Door Opener
Tire Pressure Monitoring Display
Manuf Statement of Origin
7 Additional Gallons of Gas
Spring - Left Front
Spring - Left Rear
Spring - Right Front
Spring - Right Rear
GVW Rating - 5500#
FAM: WJ TRACKING: 11031J01 MY:2002
FAM: WJ TRACKING: 10430J07 MY:2002
Customer Preferred Package 2TF
Customer Preferred Package 28F
V-8 Bonus Discount
Customer Preferred Discount
Schedule D To C Tracking[/SIZE]

Attached a parts list for the 2002 WJ so I can find it later.

 

[GmanWJ]

Reference Information & WJ Suppliers

Thought it might be nice to have a post where I can catalog any reference materials I find or that helpful forum members may post.

Reference Information

1. 2002 Jeep WJ Service Manual
2. 2002 Jeep WJ Parts List
3. Mopar Connectors Pinouts, wire colors, circuit functions for "all" the connectors on your Jeep.
4. WJJEEPS (wayback) Every WJ owner should know about this place.
5. Jeep Forum FAQ Some of the links are aging, but this is a seriously good resource.
6. Jeep Forum Suspension Too much good stuff. The Jeep Forum is the place to be.
7. Blue Sea: Sizing DC Wire and Fuses FUSES PROTECT THE WIRE, not the appliance. This one describes how to choose wire size to run the appliance, and fuse size to protect the wire.

It can sometimes be difficult to find suppliers that have products for WJs, so I decided to make a list here. I have bought and installed components from most of these guys, but a few of them are here because I may need them in the future. I would not call these endorsements, but I am mostly happy with what I include here.

Suppliers

1. Summit Not a WJ specialist, but a great supplier if you know what you need. A favorite of mine.
2. Iron Rock Offroad Lots of WJ support for mods: suspension (lifts), driveline, exhaust, armor, bumpers, brake lines, lights, ...
3. Quadratec Another good WJ provider, wide variety of more stock options.
4. Ironman 4x4 Fabrication Limited WJ selection, suspension and steering. The products are well built, Andy is a helpful guy.
5. Core 4x4 Control arms. A busy shop ... very helpful when they remember that you want to order parts from them. They will do custom colors if that's your thing.
6. Kevin's Offroad Suspension, steering, bumpers ... offroad stuff. Track bar bushings are popular for anti-DW.
7. JKS Offroad Control arms, track bars, sway bar disconnects, minimal WJ stuff.
8. Trail Forged Control arms, track bars, DIY bumpers.
9. Clayton Offroad Premium suspensions, also stainless brake hoses.
10. Addco Anti-sway bars
11. Mechman High capacity alternators ... should upgrade your factory 6awg power/ground cables to 0awg, because these things can deliver.
12. Jeep Cables Power/ground cable kits, 0awg or 2awg. Complete kits to replace the "Big 7" important bits of the power system. Made of flexible welding cable.
13. Powerwerx Design your own cables and these guys will build it for you. Slick, quick, quality, and good price.
14. Injector Repair Call Jim for new EV6 electrical connectors (I used the white face style)
15. Cascade Transmissions Get a solenoid pack for your 545RFE
16. SPC Performance Camber correction shims! Wow these are cool if you want to fix your camber.
17. Notch Customs Fiberglass fender flares.
18. Bushwacker Plastic fender flares.
19. Denny's Driveshaft Rebuild your double cardan with this kit.
20. Tom Woods Driveshafts Driveshafts.
21. Two Men One Garage Power seat adjustment gears.

A separate list for bumpers, because I am still shopping for them and why not.
Bumpers

1. HK Offroad Front: hidden winch. Rear: liftgate tire carrier.
2. ARB USA Front winch bumper. Only "Deluxe" model available.
3. Hanson Offroad Get a front winch bumper and a rear tire carrier bumper.
4. Goliath "Swamper" bumpers, front winch and rear tire carrier.
5. Blue Lake Offroad Rear: DUAL SWING ARMS, jerry can mounts, license plate bracket w/light, very nice and very expensive. Bad reputation ... seems these guys have operated under multiple names and failed every time.
6. Rock Hard 4x4 Rear: jerry can mounts, license plate bracket. Front: bolt-on winch plate
7. Iron Rock Offroad Front: IRO's winch bumper requires DIY welding.
8. Trail Forged Front: Minimal bumper with very high clearance and a winch plate.
9. Trail Ready Front winch bumper and rear bumper no tire carrier.
10. Rigid Armor Hitch mounted rear tire carrier.
11. DIY Offroad Front: Weld it all yourself.
12. Flatland 4x4 Drawings only. Get your DIY on and fab it all yourself.

Happy Jeeping

 

[GmanWJ]

Stereo System Upgrade, 2002 WJ

Back in 2006 I did a complete stereo replacement. I actually tried a few different configurations, but this was the last one. Still running the system today, although I did replace the tweets in the dash a year or so ago when the driver side quit on me. Thought I would share it with you.

PARTS LIST

Alpine CDA-9833 CD/MP3/WMA Receiver
Alpine CHA-S634 6-disc Ai-NET CD/MP3 Changer
Rockford Fosgate Power 451S 115W x 2 Car Amplifier (2)
Rockford Fosgate Power 501bd 300W x 1 Car Amplifier
JL Audio Stealthbox
Infinity Perfect 10.1 10" 4-ohm Component Subwoofer (2)
Infinity Perfect 6.1 6-1/2" Component System (2)
Infinity Kappa 10.11t .75" Tweeter (2) -- replace "Perfects"
Scosche SA-69 Speaker Mounting Brackets (2)
Scosche SAC-656 Multipurpose Speaker Mounting Brackets (2)
Lightning Audio LSD10DT-03 Strike 1-farad Cap. w/Distribution Top
Lightning Audio LS10-03 Strike 1.0-farad Capacitor
Rockford Fosgate RP7442 Distribution Block for a Capacitor, Platinum Plated
Rockford Fosgate RP7051 4-Way AGU Fused Platinum Plated Distribution Bloc
Rockford Fosgate Ground Block (3)
StreetWires ZN335 Zero Noise 3 11.5-ft. Stereo Patch Cable (3)
StreetWires ST124 12-ga. Spade Connectors 2 Pair (20)
StreetWires UF4 4 ga. Translucent Blue Power Cable (20 ft)
StreetWires UF4 4 ga. Translucent Clear Power Cable (10 ft)
StreetWires UF8 8 ga. Translucent Blue Power Cable (20 ft)
StreetWires UF8 8 ga. Translucent Clear Power Cable (10 ft)
StreetWires UF18 18 ga. Blue Remote Turn-on Lead (10 ft)
StreetWires UC12 per foot 12 gauge Blue/Silver Speaker Wire (30 ft)
StreetWires UC14 per foot 14 gauge Blue/Silver Speaker Wire (50 ft)
StreetWires BTSTC Battery Side-to-Top Mount Converter Pair
Chrysler/Dodge Wire Harness re for Chry/Dodg/Jeep 02-08
Chrysler Antenna Adapter Motor Motorola M to OEM antenna F
Chrysler Concorde/Dodge LHS 19 1998-up, E
etc.

​

Head unit replacement. Ran all new RCA patch cables. All wire patches were soldered and protected with heat shrink tubing. Wire loom where necessary to reduce clutter. Here she is with her brains exposed:

And with her new Alpine CDA-9833 brains:

All four speaker locations got a new set of Infinity Perfect 6.1 components. Dash tweeters were replaced with the new components, rear tweeters were installed in the C-pillars. Probably sucks if you are riding back there, but that's not where I ride
Factory tweets vs. Infinity replacements

Simple installation brackets I made, they don't have to be fancy

Here they are at home

C-pillar tweeters

At the time, I had already replaced the factory fronts with 3-way JBL 6x9:

Comparing the JBL with the Infinty:

Replacing with the Infinitys requires an adapter plate:

Here they are all put to bed:

Put all the crossovers under the rear seats, nice that there is room for them there

Replaced the disc changer and installed a speaker cup for the removable subwoofer box

Installed all the amps in the spare tire enclosure. Fans are triggered by a temperature sensor; when the temp exceeds 90, the fans come on. The subwoofer amp (Rockford Fosgate Power 501bd) is 2-ohm stable and the two subs are wired in parallel. When I take out the sub in the box, the load on the amp is 4-ohm. When I run both of them, the load is 2-ohm. The other two amps are Fosgate Power 451S; each runs a pair of Infinity Perfect 6.1 components. I later disconnected the Lightning Audio capacitors because I thought they were more of a drain than they were worth.

 

[GmanWJ]

REAR SWAY BAR UPGRADE

Friday afternoon was Addco sway bar upgrade day. Added the Energy suspension greasable bushings. Also replaced the links with new Moogs since they were inexpensive. Easy enough job, even for a slow hobbyist like me.

Edit: I installed the 684 bar which is 1-inch diameter. Road manners are fantastic, but it is VERY stiff and maybe not the best choice if you like to ride trails and want a more multi-purpose vehicle. If I did it again, I would try the smaller 634 version which is 7/8-inch diameter, sacrificing some asphalt cornering ability in favor of more trail flexibility but I do not know how that would affect towing stability :dunno:. (Addco K1-634-0U-538 & Energy 9.5158R)

PARTS LIST

Addco 684 1" sway bar (Addco K1-684-00-539)
Energy Suspension 9.5161R 1" greasable sway bar bushings (Amazon)
Moog K3202 stabilizer bar link (2) (Rock Auto)​

Side-by-side comparison of the stock bar versus the Addco bar.

Left side, post-install

underneath

right side

The difference in ride quality was immediately obvious, even with my sloppy, worn-out upper control arm still in place. Next up: R&R the upper control arm.

 

[GmanWJ]

Rear Upper Control Arm Refurb, 2002 WJ

How long does it take to remove a WJ upper control arm and replace the bushings and ball joint? Should not take long, right? Well it took me all day Saturday and Sunday. Word of advice when you decide to do this: do not bother with getting a Miller 8278 ball joint removal tool, just go right for the ball joint mounting bolts. And eat your can of spinach for breakfast.

PARTS LIST

Mopar 52088808AB rear upper ball joint
Mopar 52088220 rear upper control arm bushing
​

First, I did my homework by watching this guy's video:

. Really good tip on how to align the UCA with the ball joint: use a bottle jack to prop up the pinion side of the axle housing, and drop/raise the jack holding up the axle until you get the angle just right to drop the UCA right over the stud without binding. I would have been screaming if I did not already know this.

Here is the bushing on the left (driver) side with the suspension under load, before I started. Does it look like the bushing is where it is supposed to be? It looks to me like it has pulled out a little. This bushing was not really concerning me, but wondered what you guys thought.

After removing the nut from the ball joint, I installed my fancy Miller 8278 that I scored for $40 off eBay. Oh boy, this is going to be a breeze with this tool!

Well, maybe not. Things were getting really tight in there. Wrenching that thing tighter does not seem to be doing any good. I was starting to worry that something was about to break. FSM states that it "MAY" be necessary to hit the UCA with a hammer to dislodge the ball joint. It states this in big bold letters. So I hit it several times with a 3-pound sledge. Nothing happened. So I put a few more turns on the Miller and heard a crackling sound. Took a peek ... that can't be good.

Nope, not good. Anybody want a cheap Miller 8278? Glad I did not buy it new.

Plan B: remove the ball joint bolts. This was an extreme bear. Bring a long cheater bar and a lot of perseverance. When that last bolt breaks loose, it's a wonderful feeling. Followed the steps in the linked video above, it was not too bad. Here you can see the broken boot on my ball joint, after I removed the UCA.

New Mopar ball joint. That is how it was advertised on Amazon anyway. I expected it to be a lot stiffer, but I could move it fairly easily. Oh well, it was definitely in better shape than the one I removed.

Right side bushing. This was the one I was worried about. It was trashed, as expected.

Left side bushing was ok.

Replaced both bushings using a shop press and ball joint removal kit. Here's the UCA cleaned up and ready for reinstall.

No pics, post-install. It took me hours and hours to do this and got tired of taking pictures. Put everything back together and dropped it on the ground to load the suspension, then did final torque. The good news: the suspension feels better than it has in years! The bad news: the creaking and clunking has not gone away completely. I suspect the right upper spring isolator.

 

[oomanoptt]

WOW! I am impressed. I have never met anybody who bought a WJ brand new and kept it for so long. I have a million questions. With all the stories about sludge buildup, dropped seats and bad rockers.How is the V8 holding up? Do you still have the original heater core and evap cooler? Any blend door issues? Leaks on the passenger side? These are all the things we read about here and really hard to put in perspective since very, very few of us have owned them from the beginning. You are in a unique position. Oh. And whats with the pile or rocks? Beautiful country.

 

[GmanWJ]

WOW! I am impressed. I have never met anybody who bought a WJ brand new and kept it for so long. I have a million questions. With all the stories about sludge buildup, dropped seats and bad rockers.How is the V8 holding up? Do you still have the original heater core and evap cooler? Any blend door issues? Leaks on the passenger side? These are all the things we read about here and really hard to put in perspective since very, very few of us have owned them from the beginning. You are in a unique position. Oh. And whats with the pile or rocks? Beautiful country.

Hey now, don't put a jinx on me. :wink2: I actually know nothing about those issues (sludge, rockers, seats) and hope I never do. I have always run Mobil 1 and change it religiously. Motor still purrs like a kitten and has plenty of power. However, it is seeping oil from the valve covers so is due for a gasket replacement, which I tried to do once already but stalled when the injector connector tabs started breaking on me. That job is on hold until the replacement connectors get here. Once I get the covers off, I will be able to report on the state of the innards. Honestly, I am curious to see what is under there myself. I hope I don't find any sludge!

Heater core and evap cooler are original. No interior leaks and I hope it stays that way. I did have intermittent A/C issues with the thing for years and did not know what the problem was until I tried changing out the climate control panel. I noticed that sometimes if I beat on the knobs out of frustration (emergency repair procedure #1) that sometimes the A/C would start working. Changing the panel has fixed the problem ... except now I have mixed interior finishes with a faux-wood center panel from a Limited and my original silver Laredo dash trim. Oh well.

Blend door has started making a banging sound recently when I pump the heat all the way to hot. I figure a piece of foam has disintegrated in there due to age. Other than that, no problems.

That pile of rocks was somebody's idea of a fire ring. That beach was far, far away from the beaten path and errant flames in that forest are a very bad idea, so somebody built that to keep their flames contained. Probably better to just avoid fire, really. I had a sandwich

 

[oomanoptt]

I had to look close. At first, I thought it was a pile of firewood. I have a 2000 and I really like it. I have no idea about any of the PO's so I inherited a lot of uncertainty and problems. I don't recall what I was thinking back when WJ's were new other than I couldn't afford a new car at all. I see you're in Santa Maria. I am up the coast a bit in Santa Cruz. Welcome to the Forum. Its a great place for information and encouragement when you need it and at times a little paranoia. It looks to me like you have great skills and a lot of experience to share. I see a lot of the V8's on the road up here which gives me hope that not all of them are prone to dropping valve seats, which for me would be a deal breaker. Did yours come with Teves calipers? If so, are they still working or did you swap them out for Akebono?

 

[GmanWJ]

Mine came with the Akebono calipers. I guess it was fortunate that I bought at the end of the model year, because they had already made the switch.

 

[4xTroy]

Yesterday the Miller Tool 8278 arrived in the mail so I can more easily remove my rear upper ball joint. Picked it up for $40 from eBay. I'll take that, TYVM.

Very much considering the IRO adjustable upper control arm: https://www.ironrockoffroad.com/product/wj-adjustable-a-arm-short.html

If I install the 3" lift, can I run OEM LCAs or do I need to replace them? Think I will contact IRO and find out.

100% stock control arms here with the OME HD lift (3+). When you're ready to pull the trigger on the lift, be sure to talk to @Kolak. He's an IRO dealer, but will help you figure out the best way to go. OME HD springs are stiffer and may be the way to go if you have bumper dreams in your future.

I'm debating the IRO UCA... my bushings are getting pretty worn. Not as bad as yours, but close. It doesn't look like a fun job either way, but neither did an engine swap, and I got through that just fine.

WOW! I am impressed. I have never met anybody who bought a WJ brand new and kept it for so long. I have a million questions. With all the stories about sludge buildup, dropped seats and bad rockers.How is the V8 holding up? Do you still have the original heater core and evap cooler? Any blend door issues? Leaks on the passenger side? These are all the things we read about here and really hard to put in perspective since very, very few of us have owned them from the beginning. You are in a unique position. Oh. And whats with the pile or rocks? Beautiful country.

I bought mine in November '02. Not quite as loaded as this one, but pretty close. I didn't get the vari-lok axles or premium electronics. It's funny though, I put the same head unit, bypassed the infinity amp for the stock speakers, and added a 2nd amp to drive a pair of 10's.

There aren't many of us original owners around, but there are a few of us.

 

[GmanWJ]

Rear Lower Control Arm Replacement, 2002 WJ

Last weekend I replaced the rear LCAs. I bought a pair of new Mopar LCAs with bushings from Rock Auto, just to make it easy on myself. Four nuts/bolts, easy-peasy, what could go wrong?

Edit: added a video!

PARTS LIST

Mopar 52088355AD rear lower control arms with bushings (2)
​

So step 1 is to jack it up and support, basic. Step 2, remove wheels, easy. Step 3, support rear axle, no problem. Step 4, remove bolts from axle side of LCA. Problem! I don't know if the guys on the assembly line were having a bad day when they built my WJ, or if this is the way they are supposed to be built. I kind of suspect the former. But they put the nut on the inboard side of the LCA, so the bolt has to be removed by pulling it outboard, toward the wheel. The problem here is that there is a splash shield to keep debris out of the brakes, and there was not enough room to remove the bolt:

Notice that there is ZERO clearance here. The splash shield is held on how exactly? Looks like rivets. I had to remove the brake calipers and rotors, then bend the thin splash shield out of the way to get the bolt out. I hate to molest the components this way. Bent the shields back and reassembled the brakes.

When the old LCA came out, the axle immediately shifted backward so that the new LCA bushing did not line up with the mounts. I used a ratcheting strap to pull the axle back where it was supposed to be, and a bottle jack to help line things up. When replacing the axle mount bolt, I reversed the direction so that the nut was between the splash shield and the mount, I don't want to have to deal with that junk again.

Put the wheels back on and dropped it to the ground and torqued everything down. While under there, I went back to the UCA and retorqued the bolts. Interesting that after a week of driving around, they were no longer torqued to spec. Probably had to put half a turn total onto each side, I was surprised.

Also changed the oil & filter, Mobile 1 10W-30 and Fram XG16.

Next up: Valve cover gaskets, fuel injector electrical connectors.

 

[GmanWJ]

One other thing I noticed, there was a small amount of oil around the area of the axle seal. I just replaced those a couple months ago, so I hope this was just residual oil that was hiding somewhere I could not clean up. I don't want to have to do that again already.

 

[oomanoptt]

I bought my Jeep 4 years ago. It came with Teves. I figured since they had worked for that long, just leave them when I needed brakes. I had one freeze up on me a couple hundred miles from home. I was able to loosen it up and get home, but decided to swap them out for Akebonos. I had to buy 2 new calipers, new pads and recut rotors that had only one year and 1500 miles on them. The way it goes. One less thing to worry about on these things.

 

[GmanWJ]

Fuel Injector Electrical Connector Replacement, 2002 4.7L WJ

PARTS LIST

EV6 White Female Type A Fuel Injector Electrical Connectors (8 + 2)
​

TOOLS LIST

Electrical Pliers for wire stripping and crimping
Flathead screwdriver
Mini flathead screwdriver or other poking device
​

A while back, I noticed the valve cover gaskets were seeping oil onto the exhaust manifold. Not really an ideal situation, and I hate oil leaks. So I went to the local O'reillys and picked up a gasket kit. Read up on the procedure in the FSM ... oh lovely, I have to move the electrical harness, which means disconnecting all the fuel injectors and ignition coils. Here is what one looked like after 175k miles, and before being touched by me:

Per the service manual, pull back on the red tab to unlock the safety, then push on the black tab to disengage from the injector. Attempting this, the red tab immediately broke into pieces, and the black tab snapped off.

I decided these connectors will need to be replaced, probably all of them, so I ordered a set of 8 (+2 extra) from Jim at http://injectorrepair.com/fuel-injector-connectors/. The WJ uses the EV6 type. After speaking with Jim on the phone (which he answered on the first try, sweet), he told me he had a set of white face connectors with red locking tabs (not shown on the website), very similar to the factory style ... but NOT identical. He assured me any type of EV6 connector would work, but would probably have to replace the terminals.

The replacements arrived and I took a run at replacing the broken connector last weekend. Comparing the new to the factory terminal:

To remove the old connector, carefully pop the orange face off with a screwdriver:

Remove the rubber seal from the back side of the connector (the black plastic part just popped/broke right out/off to reveal the seal) (Edit: it turns out you don't strictly need to remove this seal; after disengaging the internal tabs, carefully and firmly pull on the wires and the terminals will slide through the seal and out the back of the clip):

There are a pair of black locking tabs inside the connector that hold the terminals in place. Poke a probe in there to disengage the tab and remove the terminals:

Sadly, the gold terminals did NOT fit inside the new connectors. This means replacing the terminals. Here is what Jim sent me: a pair of terminals and seals for each connector:

Installing the new terminals means cutting off the factory terminals. I found there was enough slack in the harness to get this done.

And the finished product:

After reassembling, I am happy to report that the procedure was a complete success! She still purrs like a kitten. Rock. Now to replace the other 7. Then I can replace the valve cover gasket.

 

[GmanWJ]

Left Side Valve Cover Gasket Replacement, 2002 4.7L WJ

This is what I got to do this weekend, just one side. Man, sometimes I feel slow.

PARTS LIST

Fel-Pro VS50521R valve cover gasket set
Permatex Ultra Black RTV Silicone​

TOOLS LIST

3/8" ratchet, thumb wheel, extensions, u-joint, breaker bar
3/8" sockets: 10mm, 13mm, 10mm deep socket
Torque wrench​

After replacing all 4 injector connectors on the left bank, I could finally get to the task at hand: replacing the valve cover gasket. Inspection prior to replacement: definite evidence of oil seepage.

Using a varied combination of extensions, sockets, deep sockets, and wobbly joints, it is possible to remove all the valve cover bolts. Now for the big reveal. After 175k miles running Mobil 1 synthetic, what do we see underneath? Answer: a beautiful valve train, that's what.

Removed the old gasket and old grommets (the grommets were a major pain, by the way), replaced with the new gaskets and grommets. Tacked the gasket in the channel with a few dabs of silicone here and there. Put everything back and torqued to spec 105 in-lbs. Tested it out, everything is nicely sealed.

Edit (2018/04/01): added some paint!

Not looking forward to the right side, since there are heater hoses and a bunch more stuff in the way. But it will be the next item to tackle.

 

[Bassfisher]

great info and awesome stuff here. All the stuff you do I have had to do to my wj as well. Also to make life easier on the passenger side valve cover, if you don't have one I would consider a swivel/ratcheting box end 10mm. really helps in the back corner ones and the hard to reach.

 

[GmanWJ]

I do have a ratcheting wrench like that! Lucky me, I guess. Really not looking forward to messing with the heater hoses, I would rather just leave them be, things like this usually don't like being disturbed. I suppose what I really should do is just replace the hoses since I will be messing with them. More cash ... Just Empty Every Pocket.

great info and awesome stuff here. All the stuff you do I have had to do to my wj as well. Also to make life easier on the passenger side valve cover, if you don't have one I would consider a swivel/ratcheting box end 10mm. really helps in the back corner ones and the hard to reach.

 

[GmanWJ]

It has been raining (badly needed) so I can't move the garage queen out to make room for WJ upgrades. Instead I have been reading the FSM, scouring this forum, watching videos, studying how to perform the front end suspension rebuild. In the meantime, parts have been arriving:

Moog tie rods & ends, Spicer ball joints. Control arms en route.

Never having done ball joints myself, I did not have a press, so I went to Harbor Freight to pick up a kit yesterday. Toying with the kit, I was having a hard time figuring out how this press was going to work with the WJ. My conclusion was that it was not going to work very well. Several forum posts that I read today backed that up, even saying that the HF press will bend because it is junk. What is worse is that installing the upper requires a receiver with an angled face to ensure it goes straight in, and the HF kit certainly does not have that. If you put in a ball joint slightly crooked, it will probably get damaged, and wind up being loose, sloppy, and dangerous. Then I finally found this post on page 5 or 6 of my search results:
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f310/ball-joint-replacement-1462599/#post14855003

So a big THANK YOU to texlurch for clearly listing the tools I need for this job:
OTC 7249 ball joint kit
OTC 7894 Jeep adapters

Ordered these tools from Amazon for just under $200 (ouch) and the HF kit ($113) is going back today. Better to have the right tools to do the job correctly than the wrong tools and have to do the job again. I read several discussions on this forum about redoing ball joint jobs several times before getting it right; I would rather not have to do it again!

There are also some good tips in this write-up from Stu's Offroad: http://www.stu-offroad.com/axle/balljoint/balljoint-1.htm

And thanks again to all the Jeep Forum users who have posted their war stories, writing down your experiences has helped arm me with the info I need to tackle these jobs!

 

[GhostJeepWJ]

Very nice! I have to do this to mine. All but one of the 8 are broke on mine. By reading your thread makes me realize it was easier than I thought.

FUEL INJECTOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR REPLACEMENT

PARTS LIST

EV6 White Female Type A Fuel Injector Electrical Connectors (8 + 2)
​

A while back, I noticed the valve cover gaskets were seeping oil onto the exhaust manifold. Not really an ideal situation, and I hate oil leaks. So I went to the local O'reillys and picked up a gasket kit. Read up on the procedure in the FSM ... oh lovely, I have to move the electrical harness, which means disconnecting all the fuel injectors and ignition coils. Here is what one looked like after 175k miles, and before being touched by me:

Per the service manual, pull back on the red tab to unlock the safety, then push on the black tab to disengage from the injector. Attempting this, the red tab immediately broke into pieces, and the black tab snapped off.

I decided these connectors will need to be replaced, probably all of them, so I ordered a set of 8 (+2 extra) from Jim at http://injectorrepair.com/fuel-injector-connectors/. The WJ uses the EV6 type. After speaking with Jim on the phone (which he answered on the first try, sweet), he told me he had a set of white face connectors with red locking tabs (not shown on the website), very similar to the factory style ... but NOT identical. He assured me any type of EV6 connector would work, but would probably have to replace the terminals.

The replacements arrived and I took a run at replacing the broken connector last weekend. Comparing the new to the factory terminal:

To remove the old connector, carefully pop the orange face off with a screwdriver:

Remove the rubber seal from the back side of the connector (the black plastic part just popped/broke right out/off to reveal the seal):

There are a pair of black locking tabs inside the connector that hold the terminals in place. Poke a probe in there to disengage the tab and remove the terminals:

Sadly, the gold terminals did NOT fit inside the new connectors. This means replacing the terminals. Here is what Jim sent me: a pair of terminals and seals for each connector:

Installing the new terminals means cutting off the factory terminals. I found there was enough slack in the harness to get this done.

And the finished product:

After reassembling, I am happy to report that the procedure was a complete success! She still purrs like a kitten. Rock. Now to replace the other 7. Then I can replace the valve cover gasket.