Hello everyone, id like you to meet my baby. Shes an 02 Jeep Grand Cherokee Larado. The 4.0L straight 6. I got her after my cars timing belt went and I needed a car asap. My girlfriends friend had this sitting in the drive, her ex bfs car she was buying for him. They split and she signed the car over to me for 4 grand. it had about 127000 on it. I knew the ex bf drove it like an a**h*le. But I didn't know what I had in store for me, thought I got a deal.
02 WJ Zombie Response Build
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First off I just want to mention I have never worked on my cars really, so im pretty new to being a mechanic but the budget is tight and its so much cheaper to do it yourself. I have always wanted a car to customize, my buddies all have mustangs and ricers, but I decided I think I will build a Zombie Response Vehicle.
So I bought it about 6 months ago and the first thing I noticed was the brake petal was to the floor, so I replaced the brakes, and that seemed to solve the problem. a week later I noticed fluid dripping from it when my gf was backing out of the driveway. I had a huge hole in my rear drivers brake line. Went to the parts store and bought a line and ran it all myself, its not perfect and neat but its ran and tucked up out of the way, I wasn't going to be able to bend it by hand all elegantly like the original.
Another month goes by and I start having overheating problems, I was getting a check engine light and the code was for my fan relay sensor, so I replaced it and the fan still wasn't working and I was still getting the check engine light. replaced the part again and it was fine, another week and it started overheating again, this time without a check engine light. I replaced the thermostat and the coolant temp sensor and drove it for another couple days. drove it to my gfs house and waiting outside to pick her up my radiator exploded, cracked on the drivers side corner in the front. I replaced the radiator which was a real pain in the butt... I had never taken on a project like that before. I managed after about a week between school and work. new radiator and it still was overheating. turns out I had a blown head gasket. I took it to a shop to do the head gaskets they had to shave them down, and replaced my water pump as well. the radiator cracked, same spot while they had it but they replaced it free of charge. after 900 dollars I got my car back. finally a running reliable car. only took until January and I bought it in November. time to start some mods and finally make it mine.
I bought some black trim paint and painted all the plastics and bumpers for now, that grey is just so ugly.
I also bought some touch up paint for all the nicks and scratches, there are an awful lot, never got around to using it yet. I bought a budget boost 2 inch but I was having trouble with bolts underneath, so I had to close up shop and started spraying with pb blaster for about a week. and ordered some parts off ebay. a polar bear brush guard with 2 kc lights a, polar bear rear bumper guard, 2 rear tail light guards, and manik side step bars.
I wont the lot, 200 bucks for all of them. I was stoked! right before I went to pick them up my radiator blew again, that's 3 in 6 months, in the same spot. no overheating this time. I was in a drive thru waiting for food and boom...
cracked in the same place. I cant figure out why. anyways put the new radiator in about a week ago. and had it running until this morning on the way home from work it started with a loud thud thud thud ... loud and it was rhythmic with my speed, and the jeep moving. sounded like it was coming from the front passenger tire. im pretty sure its my cv joint and its leaking diff fluid.
seems like theres fluid on everything underneath. it wasn't like that after I finished the radiator I don't think, and it doesn't seem to be antifreeze.
So I bought it about 6 months ago and the first thing I noticed was the brake petal was to the floor, so I replaced the brakes, and that seemed to solve the problem. a week later I noticed fluid dripping from it when my gf was backing out of the driveway. I had a huge hole in my rear drivers brake line. Went to the parts store and bought a line and ran it all myself, its not perfect and neat but its ran and tucked up out of the way, I wasn't going to be able to bend it by hand all elegantly like the original.
Another month goes by and I start having overheating problems, I was getting a check engine light and the code was for my fan relay sensor, so I replaced it and the fan still wasn't working and I was still getting the check engine light. replaced the part again and it was fine, another week and it started overheating again, this time without a check engine light. I replaced the thermostat and the coolant temp sensor and drove it for another couple days. drove it to my gfs house and waiting outside to pick her up my radiator exploded, cracked on the drivers side corner in the front. I replaced the radiator which was a real pain in the butt... I had never taken on a project like that before. I managed after about a week between school and work. new radiator and it still was overheating. turns out I had a blown head gasket. I took it to a shop to do the head gaskets they had to shave them down, and replaced my water pump as well. the radiator cracked, same spot while they had it but they replaced it free of charge. after 900 dollars I got my car back. finally a running reliable car. only took until January and I bought it in November. time to start some mods and finally make it mine.
I bought some black trim paint and painted all the plastics and bumpers for now, that grey is just so ugly.
I also bought some touch up paint for all the nicks and scratches, there are an awful lot, never got around to using it yet. I bought a budget boost 2 inch but I was having trouble with bolts underneath, so I had to close up shop and started spraying with pb blaster for about a week. and ordered some parts off ebay. a polar bear brush guard with 2 kc lights a, polar bear rear bumper guard, 2 rear tail light guards, and manik side step bars.
I wont the lot, 200 bucks for all of them. I was stoked! right before I went to pick them up my radiator blew again, that's 3 in 6 months, in the same spot. no overheating this time. I was in a drive thru waiting for food and boom...
cracked in the same place. I cant figure out why. anyways put the new radiator in about a week ago. and had it running until this morning on the way home from work it started with a loud thud thud thud ... loud and it was rhythmic with my speed, and the jeep moving. sounded like it was coming from the front passenger tire. im pretty sure its my cv joint and its leaking diff fluid.
seems like theres fluid on everything underneath. it wasn't like that after I finished the radiator I don't think, and it doesn't seem to be antifreeze.
and this is where I sit now. I want to start my zombie customizations but I will have to wait until its mechanically sound. I plan on doing a 4 inch lift probably throw some aggressive tires and bushwacker flairs, I have led mood lights installed I have a 12 in sub and an 1000w amp but I need to but a head unit. I also want a cb radio in there. I am going to troll the forums and see if there are any mods id be interested in.
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Bettisco
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Like the pics keep em coming. I just got mine in May same colors as yours. I was thinking about painting my trim as well, yours looks good.
I wished I used something of better quality. Its scuffing off a little. Also I think I might be ending this build thread. Took it in for a checkup and they think I have cracked heads. Thats why my radiator keeps blowing up. =/ I have to have a talk with my mechanic and see whats going on when his shop opens at like 8. I already had head gaskets and everything replaced I dont know if I can afford any more costly repairs. He said something about an engine swap. Thats way out of budget!
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Bettisco
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That's how I got mine. I bought it for $600.00 with a blown engine, it had started with the famous Jeep head crack. I found a good used engine for $500.00. Rented an engine hoist and a week later was driving down the road. That just over a month ago. Currently I drive 70 miles daily for work with no issues.
GOOD NEWS! kind of, lol. he hooked up whatever to my radiator to see if it was getting exhaust in it. and it passed his test. he thinks it just isn't bad enough at idle but a longer drives would cause the exhaust to seap through. but he isn't sure. also my cv joint is just fine. but my right inner seal on my differential is leaking. and my oil pan has a hole in it. =/ he tried getting me to pay 500 to fix that seal now, its not leaking too bad so I have a little bit of a while to research it and figure out how to do it myself.
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Bettisco
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Ya know when I looked at the one pic showing your oil pan, I wondered if that was leaking. It looks pretty rusted. At least its not a engine swap.
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Bettisco
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Nice yours is a lot cleaner then mine. I wish I had the wood grain interior. Everyone seems to hate it but I like it. I wish my body was as clean as yours. Im full of huge scratches and a huge dent in my fender. Very nice and very clean. Perfect canvas to start with lol. Are you going to start a build thread? If so let me know ill come subscribe.
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Bettisco
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Thanks. I only have a few issues to fix. Slight death wobble, rear axle seals, muffler, a slight vibration at 55 mph, o2 semsor heater issues, and right rear window regulator. So far besides replacing the engine I've fixed 2 o2 sensors, the a/c system, installed a remote start system, repaired the wandering issue, the clockspring, installed the woodgrain, and a spare tire, plus cleaned jer real well. I may start a thread soon l'll let you know. As for the woodgrain. My gc already had it above the glovebox and drivers vent. I got the panels around the ashtray and radio from the junkyard for $5.00. The matching steering wheel cover I got at Autozone for $9.00. Ive since changed the radio and ashtray bezels again to another wood pattern to better match. In the near future I'm going to tint the front side windows and install a dvd stereo....when the wife lets me!
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Bettisco
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Well to add to my list...my radiator just split, and my windshield cracked as well! Ugh!
Took it in this morning to the mechanic. I cant figure out why shes overheating again. And shes leaking fluid bad. Its either tranny fluid or differential fluid everything under the jeeps soaked with it cant seem to find the source of the leak... hopefully this will be the last major issue. I bought her and I seem to have just been playing keep up so she was drivable. I can do preventative maintenance on her and fix problems as they arrise but its just been one huge issue after another. It drained my bank account so fast without even buying upgrades.
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Bettisco
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If your fan stopped working that could explain your overheating issue. Your fan could have stopped working due to the fan relay, they are known to have issues. If your trans fluid and differential fluids are full then your issue isn't there. If your trans is leaking then the fuid would be from the back of the engine back. If your trans fluid has coolant in it then your radiator may have ruptured internally. Check your engine oil if it looks like chocolate milk or its extremely overfull then you have a big problem! I'd start, after checking fluids, is to test the radiator cap, it needs to hold 18 psi, if so, then I'd remove the thermostat and test it to see if that is an issue. While out I'd verify the water pump is working and not wweeping. Then I'd replace the thermostat anyway. Even if all checks out Id still pull and inspect the sparkplugs and run a compression test to verify the head gasket.
My radiator cracked. I believe due to the engine being badly overheated before I replaced it. Even still my truck is maintaining 208 degrees with the A/c on. This week I'm getting a new one on EBay.
Hope it gets better for ya! Once this is done, let's hope for smooth sailing.
My radiator cracked. I believe due to the engine being badly overheated before I replaced it. Even still my truck is maintaining 208 degrees with the A/c on. This week I'm getting a new one on EBay.
Hope it gets better for ya! Once this is done, let's hope for smooth sailing.
Ive had an overheating problem for quite a while. Since I bought the jeep. Ive replaced the thermostat, coolant temp sensor, water pump the fan relay 3 times, the radiator 4 times, and had the head gaskets replaced all within the last 6 months. I got it back from the mechanic yesterday and he said that he tore it down and the heads were good and the cylinders were good. He said I have a wiring problem with my fan. He said it says its getting power to the fan sensor relay but the relay wont sent power out. He replaced it and it still wont. So he rewired it for a temporary fix for now ill post a pic later when I go outside. And he said he noticed a hissing and my jeep running kind of rough. So he replaced a bad O ring for an injector and wow. It runs so much better. No more rough idles and I gained like 2 and a half mpgs. I was averaging 12.5 and now im at almost 15. That was exciting, best part he did all that for free! Now for the bad.. I am leaking tranny fluid pretty bad now. He said it looks like just the hose to the radiator. So I filled that at a temp fix until I can get some money on payday and take care of that, and I still have that bad inner differential seal thats leaking slowly. Also my windshield wipers stopped working. Before the back sucked and barely worked, but now it works fine and the front dont work anymore. Im guessing the switch went bad so I have to replace that now. ,
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Bettisco
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Recently I was working on two friends 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokees 1 limited, 1 Laredo. both with overheating problems. Both had new radiators installed, but both continued to overheat, the limited undriveable, the laredo's overheating was after a long drive of 20 miles or so. Both had a problem with the connector on the passenger side of the fan. On the Laredo there was intermittent contact in the connector causing the fan to intermittently work. Finally it stopped working completely due to the connector melting internally. Once I wired around it the fan didn't work due to the, previously replaced, relay burnt out again. Once I replaced the relay all was OK. On the limited the connector was also the issue. This unit did not have the fan relay behind the right headlight. Once I rewired the fan it worked perfectly. I would not be surprised if you have to replace the fan soon.
I'm glad to see your getting yours in order, especially for free! The trans leak is an easy one it sounds like. There is metal tubes that comes out of the drivers side of the radiator. They go to rubber lines just held on by regular hose clamps, then the rubber lines connect again to metal ones and go to the trans. Replacement cost about 5 bucks and 20 mins. Just don't forget to start it and top off the missing trans fluid!
As far as gas mileage. My Jeep is running about 20+ mpg. I drive 35 mi each way, highway, for work. I average 19.5 in the morning, and 20.7 in the afternoon return trip according to the computer.If you are using the onboard computer only to get your mileage, then set it to your average mileage and hit reset. I found often it reads the wrong mpg, I reset it once or twice a week.
I decided I'm going to start a build post next week. Over the next few weeks/months I'm gonna try and pick up more mileage and horsepower for cheap! I'm going to custom build a cold air intake system and also make it a warm air intake for winter. I want to at least get up to 25 mpg!
Good luck and keep posting!
I'm glad to see your getting yours in order, especially for free! The trans leak is an easy one it sounds like. There is metal tubes that comes out of the drivers side of the radiator. They go to rubber lines just held on by regular hose clamps, then the rubber lines connect again to metal ones and go to the trans. Replacement cost about 5 bucks and 20 mins. Just don't forget to start it and top off the missing trans fluid!
As far as gas mileage. My Jeep is running about 20+ mpg. I drive 35 mi each way, highway, for work. I average 19.5 in the morning, and 20.7 in the afternoon return trip according to the computer.If you are using the onboard computer only to get your mileage, then set it to your average mileage and hit reset. I found often it reads the wrong mpg, I reset it once or twice a week.
I decided I'm going to start a build post next week. Over the next few weeks/months I'm gonna try and pick up more mileage and horsepower for cheap! I'm going to custom build a cold air intake system and also make it a warm air intake for winter. I want to at least get up to 25 mpg!
Good luck and keep posting!
Thanks and you too. I have loads of ideas and can see my jeep finished product in my head. Just have to get it running right before I can take it to the next level. Ill keep an eye out for your build thread. I could always use some extra horses and mpgs lol
Well things seem to be going down hill. Today on the way home from work she started having a surge of rpms, from 500-1100rpms and vibrates very bad. She only does this in gear when im stopped. If I put it in neutral then she stops. Good thing ibalready had an appointment tomorrow morning to take her into the shop to repair tranny lines.
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