Jeep TJ Unlimited

A 2006 Jeep TJ Unlimited has been my dream car and in early 2020 I was finally able to get my hands on one.  I can't remember exactly what I envisioned owning it would be like but I have a feeling it was something closer to this

And a little less like this...

I had been wanting a project car and my plan was to fix anything that broke myself.  This plan got off to a quick start when the radiator cap started leaking

A quick run to the auto parts store to buy a new radiator cap and I was feeling like a real mechanic.  This optimism might have been presumptuous as I was not yet through the gauntlet the first year turned out to be.  

Next, my heater core started to leak.  Coolant was condensing on the inside of the windshield and filling the cab with a sweat sticky smell.  The heater core is in a very tough place to work on and I was moving to Phoenix Arizona.  Figuring I wouldn't need the heat very often, I punted and just bypassed the heater core

The most difficult issue I have faced to date was the fuel pump dying.  The first time, pictured above, shows us dropping the gas tank and replacing the fuel pump.  This however was not the only time it failed.  Originally I figured the pump was just EOL.  The second time it failed it was more concerning.  I checked the voltage and current of the wiring harness and everything looked good.  Assuming the pump was just defective I replaced it a second time.  The second replacement pump also failed shortly after being installed.  This made it doubtful that something was not causing the pumps to fail.  After some sleuthing dirt / FOD was found in the fuel tank.  This foreign material was getting clogged in the pump and causing it to burn out

While the first year wasn't all fun and games I'm thankful for the opportunity to become more literate in automobile repair and all the friends who picked me up and towed my Jeep around