2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ

Grassland

Well-known member
Good to see you found an old WJ in decent shape!
I don't envy you for pulling the dash apart.
Did you do the heater core and blend doors while you had it apart to deal with the AC vent issues?

I'm surprised that the 265/70R16 don't run.
I had a 2002 WJ Laredo with 4.7 and tow package I did a 2" coil lift on and replaced the coil isolators and my 245/75R16 rubbed at full lock going off the driveway.

Have you done any maintenance to the NV231?
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
Good to see you found an old WJ in decent shape!
I don't envy you for pulling the dash apart.
Did you do the heater core and blend doors while you had it apart to deal with the AC vent issues?

I'm surprised that the 265/70R16 don't run.
I had a 2002 WJ Laredo with 4.7 and tow package I did a 2" coil lift on and replaced the coil isolators and my 245/75R16 rubbed at full lock going off the driveway.

Have you done any maintenance to the NV231?


Thanks! I did not do the heater core and blend doors. They were all in good shape while I was in there.

Also no to the NV231. I will probably do a fluid change in a few months when I get some time.
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
From the weekend trip we had a great time getting out of the desert. Seeing he pines and enjoying cooler weather was fantastic.

Our first stop was Mortimer Farms in Prescott, Arizona. We've made a tradition of going up there each fall, which is a great reason to take some time away from work and see the family.
Kids and I Mortimer Farms Resize 10-12-19.jpg


There was a lot to pick from in the fields. One of them my older son grabbed was about 35 lbs.
Kids at Mortimer Farms Pumpkin Patch Resize 10-12-19.jpg

We got to enjoy the corn maze too.
Summer Kids at Mortimer Farms Pumpkin Patch Resize 10-12-19.jpg

Though it was fun there, the crowds started to roll in so we headed to a quieter place. After some driving through the woods on some unpaved roads, we decided to get out and walk around Goldwater Lake.
Goldwater Lake-2  Resize10-12-19.jpg

I need to go back up here soon for some finishing. Usually all I catch is a good view of the water, but I'm ok with that.
Goldwater Lake Resize 10-12-19.jpg

I even climbed some rocks with the kids, little guy included. My wife wasn't too thrilled...
Sterling and I at Goldwater Resize 10-12-19.jpg

Of course, I need a shot of the Jeep as well.
Grand Cherokee at Goldwater Resize 10-12-19.jpg

After a while of messing around, we headed to downtown Prescott for a walk and to grab dinner.
Downtown Prescott Resize 10-12-19.jpg
Sierra and Tristan Prescott Courthouse Resize 10-12-19.jpg
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
Good to see you found an old WJ in decent shape!
I don't envy you for pulling the dash apart.
Did you do the heater core and blend doors while you had it apart to deal with the AC vent issues?
I thought the blend door issue only affected Jeeps with the electronic dual zone climate controls?
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
I thought the blend door issue only affected Jeeps with the electronic dual zone climate controls?

Usually that is the case which is usually seen on the Overland package Jeeps. However, the motors can fail, and a common failure is the blend door hinge causing there to only be heat. I think the removal and reinstall was under 10 hours: when I had everything out I didn't want to wait for parts to come in.
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
It's been a while since I made an update. With the holiday season that just passed, I was doing a lot of garage storage and organization work: mostly adding a garage attic with a pull down ladder, flooring, and LED lighting.

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This was so I can finished my Oldsmobile project car, and have more organized work room in the garage for the Jeep and other projects. It also helped having everything in the garage during a recent, and rare hailstorm. Our winter in the Phoenix area has been certainly different.

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We also had family in town from Chicago for Thanksgiving, and hosted at our home for Christmas.

One positive note from the holiday season is the plethora of items that going on sale on Amazon: including LED flood lights and wiring kits with relays.

I also had the opportunity to get annoyed enough of seeing the Dometic fridge slide tucked under the garage cabinets since late October to install it. Since we use the WJ close to 7 days a week (4 days a week for me going to work, and 3 days as a family vehicle in lieu of the GMC truck) I wanted to rear storage to be more practical.

As you can see from the install below, the slide makes it much easier to get to the fridge, especially for my wife. Even though I used cable ties to clean up the hold down straps' appearance, I enjoy knowing I can pull the fridge if needed. It is mounted using steel anchors, so I can pull the entire slide to get to the spare tire. I contemplated making a platform that covered the whole cargo area and used u-bolts on the factory mounts, but I didn't get that far. Behind the slide I have a basic tool bag (everything from the CD changer area went to this bag) and an umbrella, which I've needed a good amount this winter to my surprise. Also, to the left of the fridge is a sunshade which is a must here in the summer. Since the Jeep is garage stored, I'm not to worried about it on weekends.

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For the longest time, on and off, the fridge was in the dead center of the rear cargo area: held down via ratchet straps to the factory supplied hold downs. It worked well, but was horrible when it came to space efficiency. For normal weekends, I need to fit the fridge, medium, sized stroller, and still have room for groceries, bags we take for the day, etc.

Also, powering the fridge was another problem. The factory, rear 12V plug is the cargo area is 20 amp (which shocked me) which is more than enough power, but made the plug extremely hot, and pulled a huge draw which wasn't good for the battery. Another issue was that I was using a constantly hot dash plug to keep the fridge on, while the other plug is key-powered and for the Sirius radio at the moment (I need to hard wire it); this meant my wife would unplug the fridge to charge her phone while she was using the Jeep, and the fridge may or may not get plugged in and the plug may or may not come loose from being manipulated. So, I hardwired it to a switch on the dash with LED indication. This also helps if we go out of town or let the Jeep sit at home as we can just flip a switch as to not drain the battery.

The fridge is the switch to the right, the left one if for the new LEDs I mentioned above. I'll cover those in an upcoming post very soon.

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Overall the cargo area is much cleaner now.

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ZMagic97

Explorer
I ended up having another project this weekend, which while mostly cosmetic, was something I've been wanting to do: fix the front and rear bumper damage.

When I bought the WJ, the front bumper had paint coming off (which has worsened) and the rear, driver side bumper had damage from being hit in some fashion.
WJ Before Cladding Liner 1-11-2020 Frnt Bumper Damage.jpg
WJ Before Cladding Liner 1-11-2020 Rear Bumper Damage 2.jpg
WJ Before Cladding Liner 1-11-2020 Rear Bumper Damage.jpg

In order to solve the problem, I can either buy new (or new to me) bumpers and prep and paint them, or repair and paint what I have. Since I am aiming to keep costs low and not aiming to make it new looking, I decided to repair what I have and prep everything for coating. I ended up using Raptor Liner (a but cliche I know, but it filled my needs for a "cheap" repair at under $200 for everything) on the bumpers and cladding. I took all around photos before starting.

WJ Before Cladding Liner 1-11-2020 Driver Side.jpg
WJ Before Cladding Liner 1-11-2020 Passenger Side.jpg
WJ Before Cladding Liner 1-11-2020 Rear.jpg

Here's the kit I used: came with everything besides tape and an old towel I used to keep the dripping from getting all over the floor.

Raptor Liner Box 1-11-2020.jpg
Raptor Liner Box Opened 1-11-2020.jpg

I prepped everything with 180 grit sandpaper and cleaned it with alcohol. I also used body filled on the rear bumper area. I didn't get it perfect when looking at the height/contour of the other side, but it looks much better to me.

WJ Cladding Liner Prep 1-11-2020 Passenger Side.jpg
WJ Cladding Liner Prep 1-11-2020 Rear Bumper.jpg
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
Overall I'm very happy with the results. The bumpers certainly look much better.

WJ After Cladding Liner 1-12-2020 Frnt Bumper Damage RESIZED.jpg
WJ After Cladding Liner 1-12-2020 Rear Bumper Damage.jpg



And the all around shots:

WJ After Cladding Liner 1-12-2020 Driver Side.jpg
WJ After Cladding Liner 1-12-2020 Passenger Side.jpg
WJ After Cladding Liner 1-12-2020 Rear.jpg
WJ After Cladding Liner 1-12-2020 Front.jpg



As well as a couple nice profile shots:

WJ After Cladding Liner 1-12-2020 Rear 2.jpg
WJ After Cladding Liner 1-12-2020 Driver Side 2.jpg

I was my first time using a product like this, but I'm really happy with it. It took some time to prep and lay, and I know it's not professional. However, for a daily driver and do-it-all rig, I'm very pleased. It also help up well with snow, mud, and water the following day. I'll post more about that soon.
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
One thing I forgot to mention was a new antenna was needed for my ham radio: the fiberglass Firestik I used to have was snapper off by a tree a few weeks ago. I was in need of a better mounting bracket anyway.

The antenna I now have is a Nagoya TB-320A with a MFJ-345M mount. I like this combination much better, and the reception seems to be great so far.

New HAM Antenna 1-11-2020.jpg
New HAM Antenna 1-11-2020 2.jpg
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
The day after I applied the liner, I decided to take the family out for the day. We went from our home in Goodyear up to Crown King, Arizona (the front way. The back way is more time consuming and difficult). The drive there takes about two hours and is 92 miles. About 1 hour/30 miles of it is off pavement.

The drive up is mostly desert, but scenic.

Road into Crown King 2 1-12-2020.jpgRoad into Crown King 3 1-12-2020.jpg
Road into Crown King 1-12-2020.jpg

Once we were into Crown King it was about 12:30 since we had a late start of the day. We decided to stop at the famous saloon for lunch before heading down more off road trails. I didn't get any shots in town besides this one. As you can see, there was some snow left.
WJ in Crown King  1-12-2020.jpg

Th inside is small but cozy. It was in the low 40's so the wood pellet stove inside was helpful.
Sterling and I in Crown King Saloon 1-12-2020.jpg
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
We left Crown King for Prescott via Senator Highway. The road is all off road and requires moderate clearance and 4x4 usage. This part of the trip was an additional 4.5 hours and about 40 miles.

Snow was very abundant immediately after we left. It came and left the views as we changed elevations in the mountains.
Senator Highway 5 1-12-2020 RESIZED.jpg


The views across the valleys never disappointed either.
Senator Highway 13 1-12-2020.jpg

There was a good mix of green and white around us most of the time.
Senator Highway 14 RESIZED 1-12-2020.jpg


We had to stop and admire the running water from the snow melting. We took the time to do a lot of the trail with the windows down and sunroof open to enjoy the sounds of water running, as well as the silence.
Senator Highway 16 RESIZED 1-12-2020.jpg

Even did a few small water crossings.
Senator Highway 17 RESIZED 1-12-2020.jpg

And snow got thicker and deeper as we got close to Prescott in our elevation gains.
Senator Highway 18 RESIZED 1-12-2020.jpg

We finally arrived in Prescott at about 6pm. We stopped to stretch our legs for a bit near the Prescott Courthouse.

WJ at Downtown Prescott Courthouse RESIZED 1-12-2020.jpg

Sterling in Downtown Prescott 2 RESIZED 1-12-2020.jpg

Since I had work the next day and the kids had school, we made a quick stop and fueled up for a straight shot home. Two hours later, we were home from a long 10 hour day, but had a great time on the trip.
 

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