08' JK (Khalipa) Build

Hey everyone!

Before winter hits, I'm hoping to add the following pieces to my JK:

-Bolt on Front and Rear control arm skid plates (bought)
-Bolt on Evap Canister Skid plate (bought)
-Bolt on Oil plan skid plate (bought)
-KC hilights long range light system on mirror mounts (installed but don't work for some reason)
-Smittybilt XRC 8K Winch (not yet purchased)

I'm not super mechanically-savy, but I've managed so far. With that said, if anyone has free time in the next couple weeks and would like to help out, I'd really appreciate an extra pair of hands.
Meals are on me!

Best,

-Miles


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From original thread:






Hey all,

Jerret told me I should definitely check out this forum.

He came to help me get my 08' JK started since all I was getting was a faint "click" when i turned the key in the ignition.
After attempting to jump it with no success, I'm out of ideas and resources to get it started again.

If anyone is in the Boston area and could give me some help, I would REALLY be grateful. Lunch or dinner is on my as well as whatever gas money you need to get to me.

I'd really like to get up and running ASAP, so shoot me an message.

Thanks everyone, and I hope to be joining you all soon on the trails!!

Best,

Miles

Click? I'd say the starter is dead. Is it still under Warranty?

You can always try (don't do it too much) to hit the starter with a hammer and get it going once or twice. New starters are $150-300 at a local store if it's not covered by Chrysler. I'm in the Back Bay all week if you need help.

Ryan M wrote:Click? I'd say the starter is dead. Is it still under Warranty?

It's no longer under warranty.
Do you think it would be difficult to change the starter? I have really limited knowledge unfortunately.

milesperhr wrote:

Ryan M wrote:Click? I'd say the starter is dead. Is it still under Warranty?

It's no longer under warranty.
Do you think it would be difficult to change the starter? I have really limited knowledge unfortunately.

On TJs it's an easy swap. I don't see JKs being much harder. Disconnect the battery, pull 3-4 wires off the starter, unbolt it from the engine block, and put the new one in. You'll probably get a core charge at Advanced/AutoZone/NAPA.

Ryan M wrote:

milesperhr wrote:

Ryan M wrote:Click? I'd say the starter is dead. Is it still under Warranty?

It's no longer under warranty.
Do you think it would be difficult to change the starter? I have really limited knowledge unfortunately.

On TJs it's an easy swap. I don't see JKs being much harder. Disconnect the battery, pull 3-4 wires off the starter, unbolt it from the engine block, and put the new one in. You'll probably get a core charge at Advanced/AutoZone/NAPA.

Oh boy..I don't want to sound too much like a rookie, but I don't think I have the tools or faith in my own competence to do that. Any chance someone in the area could help me d'you think?

Have you had the battery tested?

Low electricals can cause all sorts of funny behavior. Pull the battery, bring it to Autozone or wherever to get it tested.

I've had in the past what seemed like a bad starter turn out to be just a bad battery.

The newer models don't have a voltage gauge, otherwise it would be much easier to check that.

Welcome to the forum! Always happy to try and help out a fellow Jeeper!

Where in Boston are you?

milesperhr wrote:

Oh boy..I don't want to sound too much like a rookie, but I don't think I have the tools or faith in my own competence to do that. Any chance someone in the area could help me d'you think?

We need club bumperstickers: "ROOKIES HAPPEN"... Kidding.

I have tools, I just don't have a work schedule that's friendly. What part of the city are you in?

CrawlingForward wrote:Have you had the battery tested?

Low electricals can cause all sorts of funny behavior. Pull the battery, bring it to Autozone or wherever to get it tested.

I've had in the past what seemed like a bad starter turn out to be just a bad battery.

The newer models don't have a voltage gauge, otherwise it would be much easier to check that.

Welcome to the forum! Always happy to try and help out a fellow Jeeper!

Where in Boston are you?

Thanks for the tip!
I'm in the Kenmore square area off Commonwealth Ave.

If it was a bad battery though and not the starter or something else, wouldn't the car have started when I tried to jump it with cables?

Ryan M wrote:

milesperhr wrote:

Oh boy..I don't want to sound too much like a rookie, but I don't think I have the tools or faith in my own competence to do that. Any chance someone in the area could help me d'you think?

We need club bumperstickers: "ROOKIES HAPPEN"... Kidding.

I have tools, I just don't have a work schedule that's friendly. What part of the city are you in?

Haha kinda like a bumpersticker "dunce-cap".

I'm near kenmore square/Fenway park

milesperhr wrote:

Thanks for the tip!
I'm in the Kenmore square area off Commonwealth Ave.

If it was a bad battery though and not the starter or something else, wouldn't the car have started when I tried to jump it with cables?

Not necessarily. Typically yes, but if a battery goes really bad sometime even that won't do it. It's an easy thing to check (assuming you have a second vehicle) so it's usually worth it.

Definitely also try the bang-on-the-starter trick (Google it for further advice/instructions. Just a rubber mallet sort of deal)

So you're right near me this week. Batteries need to charge for a while. It's not just a matter of hooking up to them and trying to turn the Jeep over. Not sure how familiar you are with ultra-dead-battery-jumping.

The clicking with no start to turn over really does lead me to believe it's an alternator. Worse case scenario pull the battery and bring it to your local auto store for a 1-hr trickle charge.

Ryan M wrote:So you're right near me this week. Batteries need to charge for a while. It's not just a matter of hooking up to them and trying to turn the Jeep over. Not sure how familiar you are with ultra-dead-battery-jumping.

The clicking with no start to turn over really does lead me to believe it's an alternator. Worse case scenario pull the battery and bring it to your local auto store for a 1-hr trickle charge.

If you think it's the alternator, does this sound like a job for a mechanic? Not thrilled about the idea of paying a mechanic, but if it's what has to be done, so be it.

I think I can manage to get the battery out of there and take it to be charged, I hope. Also hope that will be the culprit and I can get the car started to drive it somewhere to be fixed

Do the headlights work and if so are they bright?
Did this problem come out or nowhere or was something not quite right up until this happened.
Like slow cranking etc.

Markmmaark wrote:Do the headlights work and if so are they bright?
Did this problem come out or nowhere or was something not quite right up until this happened.
Like slow cranking etc.

The problem came out of nowhere, and the headlights do not work.

milesperhr wrote:The problem came out of nowhere, and the headlights do not work.

Boom. Shouldn't be the starter then. Get that battery trickle charged (AutoZone- free) and let's go from there. It's the battery's 4th winter - might just need to buy a new one. Do NOT let them sell you an Optima if that's what it comes to.

Ryan M wrote:

milesperhr wrote:The problem came out of nowhere, and the headlights do not work.

Boom. Shouldn't be the starter then. Get that battery trickle charged (AutoZone- free) and let's go from there. It's the battery's 4th winter - might just need to buy a new one. Do NOT let them sell you an Optima if that's what it comes to.

Awesome (not that I will have to buy a battery, but that it shouldn't be the starter).

I'll take it to Autozone tomorrow and see what they say (no Optima battery - check!).

To all, thank you for the help, sincerely!!

-Miles

That's what we're here for, Miles.

Well then it looks like you are going in the right direction, Good luck.

JaFra wrote:That's what we're here for, Miles.

Much appreciated!

Update: It was the battery! Bought a new Duralast at Autozone and the Jeep has been running perfectly!

I also installed KC Hilights Long Range lamps on the mirror mounts today, but for some reason, they aren't working. I have already installed the KC driving lights and they work just fine, so I'm not sure why these ones aren't functioning.

I also plan on installing some of the under armor plates tomorrow.

Does anyone want to lend a hand?!

Thanks again everyone!

-Miles

Hey Miles, glad to hear that you got it going .

I'm going fuse on this one. I once had a brand new set of piaa's on my old cherokee that blew through three sets of fuses before we went to a higher capacity fuse. In which case, it was probably a faulty ground, now that I know better.

JaFra wrote:I'm going fuse on this one. I once had a brand new set of piaa's on my old cherokee that blew through three sets of fuses before we went to a higher capacity fuse. In which case, it was probably a faulty ground, now that I know better.

Thanks for the input! So if this is the problem, what do you suggest I do to fix it?

P.S. I'm installing the evap canister skid today

Best,

-Miles

Well I actually just tried to hand-torque the bolts off the evap canister and that didn't go so well...anyone have power tools?

Also wanted to do the front and rear control arm skids, but I'm guessing those bolts will be just as stubborn...

Using any PB blaster to loosen em up? That stuff works wonders and I haven't come across many bolts on my '03 that I couldn't get off by hand.

janesy wrote:Using any PB blaster to loosen em up? That stuff works wonders and I haven't come across many bolts on my '03 that I couldn't get off by hand.

I was just using a hand wrench.
Unfortunately, I don't have that tool.
It's also really tough without a lift to do any of this work.