Recommendations for a new to me 118k KJ?

[Falcor31]

The car has 118k miles, it's a limited 4x4, car will be used as a daily driver in the city, and will rarely see dirt, comfort around rough roads is the goal.

Already ordered the Old Man Emu KJ stock suspension on all 4 corners and full audio. Wondering what else should I do to bring the car to its optimal conditions? I'm OK spending some money to get it there, I think it's worth it, bought for 1500 DLLs.

-Car has some rust around the rear brake light, doesn't seem to affect the D pillars or go beyond it, I guess any shop can fix it, don't know if there is something I should know.

-Flush all fluids (Oil, brakes, transmission). Is transfer case or differentials recommended?

-I guess I'm sticking to the original tire size, 235/65/17 BFG Terrains. Will adding wheel spacer allow me to add wider tires?

-Should I replace all the front suspension bushings? A-Arms and Sway arms bushings. What about ball joints or tie rod ends.

-I have heard this car is prone to the hoses or motor mounts going bad, any I should keep in mind?

Really excited to come back to the Jeep community. Had an amazing TJ that got stolen, and a WK2 (what a horrible experience lol)

 

[Johnny O]

Don’t use wheel spacers. Bad juju. Go with a set of the 16x8 wrangler Moab take offs. They have 5” back space. That and some 31s. Largest you should go without regearing.

Also make sure you order 4 hockey pucks and terraflex bump stops all around.

 

[tommudd]

CAR ???? no it is not a car, hopefully it did not hear you call it that ! :LOL
Also again no to wheel spacers unless you want more issues
Whay springs and shocks did you order ?
Makes a huge difference if you go with Johnnys recommendations due to fit ment with say 925 or 926 front springs
927s would be a yes but then wider tires
Stop reading other places and stick to hear
I have a 04 I bought new with over 235000 and motor mounts are good so that is NOT a common issue
Change ALL fluids inc P/S, both diffs and transfer case , oil / filter/ air filter, flush radiator / cooling system with HOAT coolant
NGK spark plugs ( only copper ) specs on radiator support
That will be a starter

 

[tommudd]

Don’t use wheel spacers. Bad juju. Go with a set of the 16x8 wrangler Moab take offs. They have 5” back space. That and some 31s. Largest you should go without regearing.

Also make sure you order 4 hockey pucks and terraflex bump stops all around.

ONLY if he is ordering the 927/948 combo

 

[Falcor31]

This car will be daily for 1-2 years, but I will keep it for a vacation property I have. I already have my specced Tacoma 03 for fun.

Unfortunately, I ordered the KJ OME stock suspension kit from Rocky road before reading the forum
I meant to ask if you know what that kit includes? I doubt it has shipped so I might be able to cancel the order before that if Rocky Road is that bad.

-Does the OME stock kit come with the 925? I don't ever plan on putting an ARB or anything heavy in the front, or interested in lifting. I should get a 925 correct?

-I will be sticking to the wheel spacers unless there is a major issue I should know of, I have used spidertrax on multiple of my cars with no issues when done properly. I understand backspacing is better for a million reasons, but spacers should give me the wider stance I'm looking for.

-Not really looking to increase the tire size, I'm happy with stock size unless 925s look weird with stock size. What should be the recommended size for a 925 (Or the stock OEM being sent by RR) with 1.25" spacers?

-Can you elaborate on the hockey pucks + teraflex? Tried googling but couldn't find exactly what to look for. Do I just need a regular bump stop? If I stick to stock OME or 925, shouldn't the old bumps work?

-Last question for now, should I be replacing bushings now that I am replacing all the suspension? Or should I take a look and wait till I disassemble and decide from there.

Thanks for the tip on copper NGKS only, that was something else in my head. Thanks for the help guys, and if RR is that bad I don't mind trying to cancel.

 

[tommudd]

THERE WILL BE A MAJOR ISSUE WITH WHEEL SPACERS
It will allow the tires to rub way more on everything inside the wheel well in front
Plus the rear will now have the travel you can without them
Forget the wheel spacers, will not help you any at all

As far as OME should be 925/947 combo and the shocks that come with it will work since it will only give you about an inch over new stock height
IF and repeat if it is the above mentioned kit then no need for the extended bumpstops, those are needed if going with a good lift
Look over the bushing , sway bar bushings in front for sure on your JEEP

 

[Falcor31]

Here is the Libby, finally picked it up and so far I have only installed new stereo. Working with the Infinity sound system wiring was a pain but i managed to get everything working with correct polarity.

Hopefully I can get her to get a proper tuneup and flush all fluid soon, it currently feels kinda rough.

Still waiting on some kind of confirmation from Rocky road on the OME stock suspension.

Back on the Moab wheel topic, I have decided to skip the spacers and either stay with stock 17s with stock tire, or get Moabs provided it won't rub. What tire size should I get? I only want a wider stance for better stability.

 

[Deb'nKJ]

Mine had done about that mileage when I got just before Christmas &, at such a low mileage, didn't intend to do anything, except basic maintenance for a year. Done about 10,000 miles since, due for 2nd oil change &, this time a filter (which I couldn't loosen the 1st time). In January the 1st warning shot, the unmistakable tick of a failing CVJ. Within days I'd found one at a huge Mopar Dismantlers, ordered it & hoped it wouldn't get much worse before the Spring.
Just before Easter, there was the unwanted new rear brake pads x 2, because it ate RH inners (just like the WJ before it) hopefully cured by replacing the caliper. So far so good: more irritating/inconvenient than difficult - & certainly not expensive.
Managed to knock out the allignment on a very bad Scottish Highland road. In preparing for that decided to replace the tierod ends & inner tierods. No big deal &, again, those parts are cheap as chips here.
Only a week or 2 after the allignment, it suddenly staring clonking really badly, certainly there was play in that CVJ so, with some support & encouragement right here, swapped in that shaft I knew it was only a matter of time before it was needed. Not straightforward by any means but I learned a lot - & largely demystified the KJ front end for me. Trouble is - still clonks like mad! In the course of further investigation I managed to crack the axle tube, which really did seem like the end of the world (or, at least, the road for this Jeep). Thing is, none of that was the KJ's fault - I managed to source a complete diff, from the same place as the driveshaft, & they accepted a cheeky offer. Doubt I'll feel well enough to tackle the job at the weekend - but my biggest fear is, having done all that, it still clonks!
Why do I mention all this? It's already cost me more than I'd hoped to spend in the 1st year or, indeed, what I think is worth spending on a 2004 KJ & none of what you're proposing to do would've prevented any of this.
on a more positive note, stick to standard size tyres (on TJ Moabs if you can get them) because the shox alone will provide all the improved stability needed for your purposes.

 

[Falcor31]

Mine had done about that mileage when I got just before Christmas &, at such a low mileage, didn't intend to do anything, except basic maintenance for a year. Done about 10,000 miles since, due for 2nd oil change &, this time a filter (which I couldn't loosen the 1st time). In January the 1st warning shot, the unmistakable tick of a failing CVJ. Within days I'd found one at a huge Mopar Dismantlers, ordered it & hoped it wouldn't get much worse before the Spring.
Just before Easter, there was the unwanted new rear brake pads x 2, because it ate RH inners (just like the WJ before it) hopefully cured by replacing the caliper. So far so good: more irritating/inconvenient than difficult - & certainly not expensive.
Managed to knock out the allignment on a very bad Scottish Highland road. In preparing for that decided to replace the tierod ends & inner tierods. No big deal &, again, those parts are cheap as chips here.
Only a week or 2 after the allignment, it suddenly staring clonking really badly, certainly there was play in that CVJ so, with some support & encouragement right here, swapped in that shaft I knew it was only a matter of time before it was needed. Not straightforward by any means but I learned a lot - & largely demystified the KJ front end for me. Trouble is - still clonks like mad! In the course of further investigation I managed to crack the axle tube, which really did seem like the end of the world (or, at least, the road for this Jeep). Thing is, none of that was the KJ's fault - I managed to source a complete diff, from the same place as the driveshaft, & they accepted a cheeky offer. Doubt I'll feel well enough to tackle the job at the weekend - but my biggest fear is, having done all that, it still clonks!
Why do I mention all this? It's already cost me more than I'd hoped to spend in the 1st year or, indeed, what I think is worth spending on a 2004 KJ & none of what you're proposing to do would've prevented any of this.
on a more positive note, stick to standard size tyres (on TJ Moabs if you can get them) because the shox alone will provide all the improved stability needed for your purposes.

Aw man, your post is discouraging, but I doubt I will ride the liberty more than 10k per year. Hopefully, I'll have better luck.
Regarding the Moabs with stock tire size, you mean stock size for a Libby with 16 right? 235/70/16s? I'm in California and I can see a couple of 16x8 around.

 

[tommudd]

Aw man, your post is discouraging, but I doubt I will ride the liberty more than 10k per year. Hopefully, I'll have better luck.
Regarding the Moabs with stock tire size, you mean stock size for a Libby with 16 right? 235/70/16s? I'm in California and I can see a couple of 16x8 around.

With Moabs they are 8 inches wide and 5 inches of backspacing
IF lifted to 2.5 inches , you need something like at the very least 255-70-16 or my preference 265-70-16s ( which are 8 to 8.25 inches wide TREAD WIDTH )most manufactures , some are only 7.75 etc But 235-70-16s are way too narrow for an 8 inch wide wheel on any 4x4
IF only stock height basically , 925s etc forget the Moabs

 

[Deb'nKJ]

Whoops, clean forgot Moabs were an inch wider, coming from XJ's, always considered they were interchangeable - sorry.

Yup, forget about them but if you want something a little different look at Icons of Silver Stars, which are 16" but (pretty sure) still 7" wide.

Didn't mean to discourage, just urge a little restraint; run it for year & keep on top of routine maintenance (which, hopefully, will not include brake pads or driveshafts) - then you will have a good idea of what you want to spend extra money on, & how much.

 

[Falcor31]

With Moabs they are 8 inches wide and 5 inches of backspacing
IF lifted to 2.5 inches , you need something like at the very least 255-70-16 or my preference 265-70-16s ( which are 8 to 8.25 inches wide TREAD WIDTH )most manufactures , some are only 7.75 etc But 235-70-16s are way too narrow for an 8 inch wide wheel on any 4x4
IF only stock height basically , 925s etc forget the Moabs

Got it, ill just run stock with current tires for now. Thanks, Tom, you are like a KJ Guru.

Whoops, clean forgot Moabs were an inch wider, coming from XJ's, always considered they were interchangeable - sorry.

Yup, forget about them but if you want something a little different look at Icons of Silver Stars, which are 16" but (pretty sure) still 7" wide.

Didn't mean to discourage, just urge a little restraint; run it for year & keep on top of routine maintenance (which, hopefully, will not include brake pads or driveshafts) - then you will have a good idea of what you want to spend extra money on, & how much.

Yeah, it's fine, it's good to know, I appreciate it. I won't modify like crazy, just Tires + New Suspensions + Stereo. Thanks so much!

 

[Falcor31]

Update,

OME 995/947 has been installed. What a difference, car doesn't feel sluggish anymore. It's perfect on road and absorbing potholes. I might need bigger brakes, is there such a mod? I added tundra brakes to my Tacoma and its so nice when you go for bigger pads.

Also finished the BOSS floating stereo install, with steering controls, an 11 inch JBL sub in the back, Kenwoods around all 4 doors, and Memphis tweeters with a crossover in the dash.

Polished lights and foglights, added Phillips Xtreme visions to the headlights and Phillips led in the foglights.

Next I'll flush and replace all fluids, filters and sparkplugs, maybe PVC valve?

Still considering pinch weld mod and Moabs when I replace tires... there is a good discount tire deal going on right now.

 

[Deb'nKJ]

Good to hear it's all working out as you'd have liked.

Something for me to think about another year, (except the stereo upgrade - I think I've grown out of those ) although I have reservations about the received wisdom (1) in a lifetime I've only replaced a handful of shox/springs for myself: something I've only done of necessity, i.e. when they're broken or leaking. (2) premium parts on a budget Jeep just goes against the grain.

How are the LED foglights? Been upgrading lights since I was at school & have been a fan of LED "bulbs" from their early days but while they can be very bright, seldom provide any illumination in external lights - but I know the technology is changing all the time & I suspect it's one area where you really do get what you pay for.

 

[Duster]

Looks like you installed a lift. Did you change your order?

Anyways, my main reason for replying here was to say, if this is going to be a daily driver... don't go put BFG AT or MT tires on it. Seriously, don't. If you don't sometimes get stuck there's no point and it's totally not worth it.

I'm offroad daily so I have ran several off road tires. I really liked the old BFG AT's. But in all honesty I would not run them if I didn't NEED them all the time. They cost a lot and even the AT's get some road noise after a while, which also happens to be exactly the same sound as a wheel bearing starting to go. Wouldn't know cause the tires make enough noise you'd not know the difference. And you have a nice sound system. Last thing you want is road noise from tires.

Get yourself some nice street tires. Maybe a size larger now? If you are in an area where you will use it for transportation in snow and ice maybe look into tires for that, or if you have extremes get some winter tires on other wheels and summer tires on the current wheels.

Anyways, since the suspension is done, I'd go over it, make sure it doesn't need ball joints, cv's, driveshaft service etc.

Check the service records and check the transmission fluid and see what it looks like. If it's ever been serviced at all, it is likely 2k from the next service interval. In my experience the dealer didn't want to service it saying it was lifetime fluid for 2007+ and I had to go back with the manual and say I haul and toe all the time and the manual says 60k service interval for that and they did it. But I never realized before just a while ago that the service only changes maybe half the fluid. They say ATF+4 is at least a 100k fluid. I will not argue that. BUT, if only half of it was changed at 60k, half the fluid has 120k on it (118k in your case) at the next service and the other half has 60k. So 90k averaged? 60k more and the average of the entire fluid is over 100k. Full flushes are not recommended.

I'd take it to a reputable mopar service center or dealer and have all the running gear fluids changed. Then resume a more frequent trans service interval going forward.

You got a good deal. Spend the money you saved on a good once around freshening up and save the rest for any needed repairs later. Mine have been minor. Suspension, wheel bearings, ball joints, upper arms front and rear (rear more than once) rear lower control arms, an alternator, wheel speed sensors, and the AC system. I'm at 237k and would be jumping for joy if I could find another one at 118k for 1500 bucks! Lucky you.

Oh... one more thing to just spend the money on... if you got 2 key fobs with it... go ahead and buy a 3rd and do the steps to make a 3rd spare. You must have 2 in order to make the 3rd. So if you loose one of the 2 you can't make a spare yourself.

 

[tommudd]

Update,

OME 995/947 has been installed. What a difference, car doesn't feel sluggish anymore. It's perfect on road and absorbing potholes. I might need bigger brakes, is there such a mod? I added tundra brakes to my Tacoma and its so nice when you go for bigger pads. NO SUCH MOD FOR THE BRAKES

Also finished the BOSS floating stereo install, with steering controls, an 11 inch JBL sub in the back, Kenwoods around all 4 doors, and Memphis tweeters with a crossover in the dash.

Polished lights and foglights, added Phillips Xtreme visions to the headlights and Phillips led in the foglights.

Next I'll flush and replace all fluids, filters and sparkplugs, maybe PVC valve? WOULD OF DONE ALL THAT BEFORE A NEW SOUND SYSTEM lol

Still considering pinch weld mod and Moabs when I replace tires... there is a good discount tire deal going on right now. IF YOU ONLY WENT 925 / 947 FORGET THE MOABS SINCE YOU REALLY NEED TO RUN A LARGER TIRE AND EVEN WITH POUNDING OVER THE PINCH WELDS WILL NOT BE ENOUGH ROOM. SMALLER TIRES THAT WILL FIT ARE ONLY 7 INCHES WIDE SO ON A 8 INCH WIDE WHEEL NOT GOOD

THAT WILL ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS