I Knew Nothing About Cars

At the time that I purchased my Jeep, I had only changed a tire on a car three times, and the third time, I ended asking someone to help me. I was lazy, helpless, afraid, and completely uninformed about automobile maintenance and even how they worked. I would look at an engine and see something that looked like a wall from the movie The Alien. And that's what cars were to me - alien.

I Decided on a Jeep

I was in the market for a new vehicle, and I saw someone drive by me on a beautiful day with his top down on his Jeep with his family in it. Hee looked relaxed.

I looked in my mirror. I looked tense. My truck = tense. His Jeep = relaxed and happy. I was sold! I wanted a Jeep because it would be an inexpensive convertible that was fun to drive and still sat up high like a truck.

I Bought a Jeep

I bought a Jeep and... Jeep fever! I loved this vehicle. Dropped the top to drive it home from the dealership, and I drove through beautiful October weather with the wind in my hair. I looked in the mirror. I looked relaxed and happy.

And then I drove by another Jeep that was somehow different. The guy driving it waved at me. I waved back. Why was his Jeep bigger? Then another went by, roaring on loud tires with a big red stick antenna on the back. He waved too. I waved back.

Why were these people waving at me? Why was my Jeep so small? I had shopped carefully, but everyone's Jeep seemed to have special equipment and bigger wheels than mine.

Could I possibly do this to my Jeep?

And So It Began...

I suddenly realized that everyone else who owned a Jeep was waving at me because I was kin to them in a distant way - I too had seen the wisdom in owning a vehicle that is fun to drive instead of practical and boring. I had unwittingly joined a club of people who help each other build up each other's toys into big, dirt and road eating machines!

This was fantastic!

I Did It Myself

I took my Jeep in for an oil change, and I had a bad experience. I was determined that if I could work on my Jeep to add parts to it, that I could change my own oil. I read online, and I read the owner's manual. I bought some stuff. And I did it.

Then I changed it again, and I did it better this time.

And I started doing other things, like rotating my own tires, working on my own brakes, and figuring out how to change fluids in the axles, transmission, and transfer case.

I saved thousands of dollars in just a year.

I Made This Web Site

And having been helped by so many to learn to work on my Jeep all by myself, I pay it forward to you now by writing down how I did it, how I learned it, and everything I know about it, so that you can read my web site and do what I did, and work on your Jeep.

Disclaimer

The information on this web site is provided free-of-charge. The things you learn here are presented as accurately as possible. However, no guarantees are made as to the completeness or accuracy of information.

It is entirely possible that by following the directions here you will completely and totally hose up your Jeep forever and ruin the engine, transmission, transfer case, interior, soft-top, electrical systems, or just about anything else on your Jeep to such an extent that your vehicle may become inoperable.

It is also possible that you might be working on your Jeep as described here and injure yourself by using unsafe practices or because you failed to take steps because they are not listed here. Your Jeep may fall off of the jackstands and squish you like a roach with a big crunching noise.

No matter what happens to you or your vehicle, remember that it is entirely your responsibility and not the web site owner's nor the authors of these hopefully helpful but possibly destructive and dangerous articles.

Working on automobiles can be incredibly dangerous work, and accidents, mistakes, negligence and failure to acquire adequate training or seek out a professional could be the last thing you ever do before your Jeep slides into gear, hops over its blocks and runs you down, drives into your den, and explodes, killing you, your family, and everyone in your small town in a gigantic, torrential explosion never before seen either on television or in the movies.

WARNING!

Read the owner's manual and study it carefully before ever operating your vehicle.

Use extremely safe, careful practices while performing any sort of mechanical labor.

Consult official documentation (not this website) for any information about your vehicle before beginning any work on it.

Acquire professional mechanical, auto-repair training, and own adequate safety equipment and always use appropriate tools and hardware.