Am I just outdated?

[unkamonkey]

I love it, on a few vehicles you have to take a front tire off to get to the battery.

 

[MOguy]

One of the ways I've managed to do as much as I do is I refuse to have car payments and work on my own stuff.

Guess I'll just stick to stuff...I'll be the millionaire driving the ZJ with a million miles

That was my plan but my 4Runner let me down at less than 170k. I ended up getting another vehicle with a payment but I bought a very complete warranty that my local mechanic recommend and has never had a problem with. I got an addition 120k mile warranty or ,4 years that cover everything bumper to bumper.

 

[unkamonkey]

A lady friend put around 380,000 on her 4.0. Several water pumps and a transfer case. Ohio is not a good state for vehicle bodies. She finally sold it and got something new. I talked her into waiting a few years...

 

[MOguy]

A lady friend put around 380,000 on her 4.0. Several water pumps and a transfer case. Ohio is not a good state for vehicle bodies. She finally sold it and got something new. I talked her into waiting a few years...

If you are talking bout the 4.0 in the Toyota it probably isn't an 2004. There were a couple of years where they had head issues. I did like my 4Runner until it let me down way to soon. It had decent power and got decent MPG for an SUV. I was hoping for at least 250K out of it.

 

[comptiger5000]

The biggest thing it seems is this: if you want to make any vehicle truly last, you need to learn as much about it as possible (as far as how to diagnose it, how it comes apart, etc.). Or have a good mechanic that knows them well. The Ford truck story above is proof that not every mechanic is a star at diagnosing stuff. That's where the real skill often lies.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I could keep a ZJ running forever, but that's mostly because there's not much of one that I haven't taken apart and put back together and not a lot of problems I haven't already seen, diagnosed and fixed. Including weird sensor issues like when I had a TPS connector get flaky and cause an intermittent high idle. I've seen a lot of people chase their tails for ages on that exact problem until they mentioned it to me and I told them to wiggle the connector to see if it idles down (and if it does, replace the connector).

 

[Mitch502]

The biggest thing it seems is this: if you want to make any vehicle truly last, you need to learn as much about it as possible (as far as how to diagnose it, how it comes apart, etc.). Or have a good mechanic that knows them well. The Ford truck story above is proof that not every mechanic is a star at diagnosing stuff. That's where the real skill often lies.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I could keep a ZJ running forever, but that's mostly because there's not much of one that I haven't taken apart and put back together and not a lot of problems I haven't already seen, diagnosed and fixed. Including weird sensor issues like when I had a TPS connector get flaky and cause an intermittent high idle. I've seen a lot of people chase their tails for ages on that exact problem until they mentioned it to me and I told them to wiggle the connector to see if it idles down (and if it does, replace the connector).

Take that to the extreme...I know there will always be a failure point, but with the new advanced things, there are a lot more. I can't "rebuild" a sensor, but I can "rebuild" a throttle body.

 

[BigDaveZJ]

At this point, I'm pretty sure I could keep a ZJ running forever, but that's mostly because there's not much of one that I haven't taken apart and put back together and not a lot of problems I haven't already seen, diagnosed and fixed.

.
This is the exact reason I'm keeping the unibody of my ZJ cobbled together, as I have touched just about every nut, bolt, and screw on that entire Jeep in the close to 18 years that I've owned it. When the unibody fails beyond the point of repair, my plan is to find another ZJ and swap my drivetrain over due to my familiarity with the existing motor, trans, and t-case.
.
This past summer we were out on Hell's Revenge in Moab with several rigs, some ZJ's, some WJ's, and a WK. Something in the electronic shift mechanism for the t-case went wonky and the WK wouldn't go into 4-Lo. Then the whole vehicle went into limp mode, all the time being stuck in 4Hi. We were starting the exit of the trail, just above Tip Over Challenge when this happened. Ended up having to basically drag the WK out of Hell's Revenge behind my ZJ even though there was no real mechanical issue. Not something I'd like to encounter on my own.
.
That being said my wife now has a '15 JKU that we'll be putting 35's on and taking out in the hills. I don't know squat about that thing and it's a bit concerning. I'm sure I could figure out anything on the suspension or something like an axle shaft. But with all the sensors there is no "rigging it" to get off a trail. I saw a guy in Moab who bent his drag link on his JK out on the trail, and the JK went into limp mode because of the stability control system. I would imagine you could just adjust the drag link back into spec, but that's just an additional level of headache. Ran into another guy on the trail who got some water somewhere and couldn't get his Jeep to even crank. Pretty sure he had to be towed out of the trail.
.
Like a previous poster mentioned about a mechanic friend, my daily drivers have been leases for quite some time so that they are covered under manufacturers warranty and someone else's problem the entire time I own them. I haven't DD'd my ZJ since '04, and wrenching on it is much more enjoyable when it doesn't have to get me to work the next day. It's also much easier to work on than this new stuff.

 

[vintageracer]

I can't "rebuild" a sensor, but I can "rebuild" a throttle body.

Problem with this thought is that you still need a working SENSOR mounted on that "Rebuilt Throttle Body" to make your "Just Rebuilt" throttle body work!

 

[HRPINDC]

I think new cars are far more reliable than older ones. The technology enables us to do so much more with less and get better fuel efficiency. Look at some of the high horse 4s. Ford's ecoboost is putting out 310 hp. Not long ago you would need a V8 to get those numbers. Tune ups are at 100,000 miles.....Yeah, there are lemons out there, but for the most part today's cars are much more reliable. When they do break though, you're in for an expensive fix for sure. That's why I got the Unlimted warranty with my Jeep.

I do miss my 68 Chevelle and the ease with which I could work on it. But I spent a lot of time under that hood. I just don't have that kind of time anymore.

 

[NatersXJ6]

I guess I have to be the dissenting opinion on this one.

For the price of a decent socket set you can get a simple Laptop computer (another tool) and software such as Autoenginuity.

I may have spelled that incorrectly, but the point remains.

Diagnosis by computer is simple and generally easy. It doesn't take a PHD to learn the basics of how these systems operate, and troubleshooting is troubleshooting. I especially love the fact that stuff rarely has to be done anymore. I had my last car for 165000 hard miles and did nothing but oil changes, tranny fluid, tires, an alternator and a couple of struts. I never even needed to do the brakes. My father in law was complaining about the cost of headlights for his 2002 Mazda. I pointed out that he hadn't changed a headlight in 15 years... I've been even longer...

My 05 F250 power stroke has needs more repair than most of my vehicles but even that hasn't been impossible as DIY. With a basic skill set, YouTube, diagnostic software, and the ability to read forums, anyone can bang out anything these days. Old school mechanics just need to stop being afraid and expand their knowledge by about 15-20%... they will be surprised by how easy life has gotten.

I always get nostalgia when a see my neighbor working on his 72 Chevy. Then I remember how good life is without them! All my old Chevys usually ran... but when they did... it was like crap. My new cars usually run great... and when they don't, they are back up quickly with little fuss.

They don't make em like they used to is a good thing!

 

[MOguy]

I think new cars are far more reliable than older ones. The technology enables us to do so much more with less and get better fuel efficiency. Look at some of the high horse 4s. Ford's ecoboost is putting out 310 hp. Not long ago you would need a V8 to get those numbers. Tune ups are at 100,000 miles.....Yeah, there are lemons out there, but for the most part today's cars are much more reliable. When they do break though, you're in for an expensive fix for sure. That's why I got the Unlimted warranty with my Jeep.

I do miss my 68 Chevelle and the ease with which I could work on it. But I spent a lot of time under that hood. I just don't have that kind of time anymore.

I don't think anybody is denying any of that, but what about 20 years from now when you want to swap out another motor or passenger side fender. And then there is the insane price tags on new cars.

 

[JandDGreens]

I really liked reading through this thread. I have a 91 XJ and love that it is relativley easy to work on. So far (knock on wood) has not left me stranded. (But it is my weekend warrior and not my dd) I do the majority of the repairs ànd also keep the normal spare parts that commonly wear out.

We would really like a new 4-Runner some day, but my biggest fear is the complete feeling of hopelessness of not knowing a thing about it if we have a problem out in back country. No vehicle is fool proof, but the nice thing about a newer vehicle is all those creature conforts they afford.

 

[BigDaveZJ]

With a basic skill set, YouTube, diagnostic software, and the ability to read forums, anyone can bang out anything these days.

You're right. If your vehicle is in your shop/garage at home. But if you're stranded in the middle of nowhere without cell service to do the research you're screwed. When cutoff from the interwebs and having to rely on just what you know, an older vehicle is much simpler to diagnose.

 

[Mitch502]

Problem with this thought is that you still need a working SENSOR mounted on that "Rebuilt Throttle Body" to make your "Just Rebuilt" throttle body work!

You're right. However, a non working Tps sensor on a older jeep will cause a rough idle/loss of some power, but will default back to the o2 sensors and such to at least run pretty decent.

If the Tps sensor quits working on something without a cable, you're stranded

 

[Mitch502]

Problem with this thought is that you still need a working SENSOR mounted on that "Rebuilt Throttle Body" to make your "Just Rebuilt" throttle body work!

You're right. If your vehicle is in your shop/garage at home. But if you're stranded in the middle of nowhere without cell service to do the research you're screwed. When cutoff from the interwebs and having to rely on just what you know, an older vehicle is much simpler to diagnose.

Exactly... The problem might be best defined that everything seems to have an interdependence on one another... Making it hard to diagnose and make trail repairs