Words and Photos:  Ross Hildebrandt

Accel Distributor installed

(C) 2009

This is just another quick update to the work being done on the Wagoneer.  This weekend I went up to Montana to pick up a bunch of tune-up parts.  Today I had a little time to get some more things done to the waggy.

The first order of business today was replacing the old engine oil.  I replaced the oil with some synthetic 10w40 made by Mobile 1.  I also replaced the oil and fuel filters, I replaced those with Wix filters.  While I was at it, the carburetor to intake manifold gaskets were replaced.

The ignition system was up next to see some upgrades.  The old cap and rotor was well past its due date, the spark plugs and wires were also well worn.  I replaced the stock distributor cap and rotor with parts from a 1979 Ford F350.  The Ford uses a better designed cap and rotor then the Wagoneer came with.  Parts for this upgrade included a distributor spacer, distributor cap, plug wires, and distributor rotor.  I also replaced the spark plugs with NGK V-Power plugs.

The old cap and rotor set up.

Installing the F350 distributor spacer

Accel Distributor

Accel Distributor installed

After all that work was finished it was time to start working on the electrical side of things.  The waggy didn’t have a battery when I picked it up,  so I decided to pick up a battery at Wal-mart.  Wal-mart carries a MAXX Power battery that comes with a 3 year warranty.  Being the over achiever I am, I decided to pick up a 1000 cranking amp battery.  Its heavy, large, and heavy, but with a 3 year free replacement warranty, you can’t go wrong.  I didn’t even measure to make sure this thing would fit before I purchased it, when I installed it today I had about 1/4″ of clearance around the battery.  Luckily I was able to tighten it down really well and it doesn’t slide around.

While I was in there I noticed the battery cables were appalling.  I was afraid with all this new found power from the larger battery the Jeep would catch on fire and blow up.  I decided to make some new battery cables.  I had some 0/1 gauge welding cable left over from another project.  I picked up some lugs and used some heat from a blow torch to solder the cables to the lugs.  I just need to pick up some grounding straps to attach the body to the battery.

New Battery and Cables

New Battery and Cables

That’s it for today.

Get Lost 4x4 Wagoneer

Words and Photos:  Ross Hildebrandt

(c)2009

Another quick session tonight on fixing up the Waggy.

I removed the Air Conditioning unit, replaced a broken window and filled all the tires up with air.  I had to use a can of fix-a-flat to get one tire to fill up.  With the help of my father-in-law we pulled the waggy out of the garage and turned it around.  The nose is now facing the tool box and I can start tearing out and fixing a lot of stuff.  Stay tuned…..

Get Lost 4x4 Wagoneer

Get Lost 4x4 Wagoneer

Get Lost 4x4 Wagoneer

Words and Photos By: Ross Hildebrandt

(C) 2010

Well it’s a new year and what better way to celebrate a new year then to get a new project vehicle.  I’ve been wanting a Wagoneer for a really long time, so when I discovered this one I knew I had to get it.  I really love the look of this classic Jeep.

This Wagoneer is as old as the author, 31 years young.  You may be asking yourself; “Why did he buy such an old piece of crap?”  Well lets start off with some facts about this vehicle.  It only has 72000 miles on it, it has a 401 cubic inch V8, 3 speed automatic transmission, and Dana 44 axles front and rear.  There is virtually no rust on this vehicle, thanks to the dry Wyoming climate!  Did I mention its cool?

I’m not sure the direction I plan on taking this vehicle yet.  I do have a few plans I’d like to try out.  I’m planning an engine swap, a diesel engine swap.  First though, I’m going to get this V8 running so I can sell it for enough money to buy my diesel motor.

Stay tuned……

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Get Lost Jeep Wagoneer

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

Words and Photos:  Ross Hildebrandt

(c)2009

In the dead of night I always want to get the most light I can out in front of me.  The stock lighting set-up on the Jeep Commander is very good compared with other vehicles I have owned.  Unfortunately the stock fog lights always left me feeling like something was lacking.  I knew there had to be a way to upgrade the bulbs.

After going to a few parts stores in town, I couldn’t find any better bulbs for my stock 9145 light bulbs.  I noticed in the stores that the 9005 (high-beam) bulb had the same plug style as my 9145 bulb.  The 9005 bulbs are rated at 80 watts light power compared to the 9145 bulbs 45 watts.  The only difference I could see between the bulbs were the tabs.  After comparing the tabs I noticed it would be possible to trim down one tab to fit the bulb in the fog light housing.

After looking around town at bulb prices (extremely expensive in a small town without any competition), I decided to get onto eBay to purchase these lights bulbs.  I found some Nokya bulbs in yellow that seemed to fit my needs.  After a few searches on the interweb to check the quality of the bulbs, I decided to push the mouse button and order a set.  The bulbs have great ratings from what I have read on the interweb.

About 3 days later the bulbs arrived.

Below are the pictures of the install and results.

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

Jeep Commander Fog Light Upgrade

There is a new look coming for the web-pages of Get Lost 4×4.  We decided to freshen up the site with some new software and make it look a hell of a lot better.

The new look should be up and running in a few days as work and play give time!

Look for some new categories and tech articles coming your way as well!  Such as:

• Jeep Commander Repair Guides
• Trail Reports
• Editorials
• Featured Vehicles

See you soon!

Words and Photos By:  Ross Hildebrandt

(C) 2009

I came to the conclusion the other day there isn’t any really good place to get information about how to fix stuff on the Jeep Commander.  The vehicle seems to have a cult following, not many parts are available for upgrades and there isn’t a lot of information on how to fix those annoying little problems that creep up right after the warranty expires.  Being the crafty and cheep man I am, I’m fixing these problems with little to no money out of pocket.

We will be adding a new tech section specific to Jeep Commander repair!  So far up our sleeves we have:  Side Mirror Repair, Rear Brake Repair, CV Joint Replacement, and Center Console Removal.  We hope this will be a great reference to not only you, but to me, since I can’t seem to remember what I did yesterday.

Here is just a quick example of the coming format!

Words and Photos:  Ross Hildebrandt

(c) 2009

The rear brakes have finally worn out on the old Commander. They had actually been on their way out for sometime. We could not decide what kind of upgrade to the stock brakes we wanted to make.  There are a lot of choices  for brake pads and rotors, it just comes down to what kind of brake performance you want and how much money you want to spend.

We were trying to decided between drilled and slotted rotors or just keeping the rotors stock.  I decided, in the end, to just run the stock rotors.  I know, its boring, but if it works why change.  I could have just had my old rotors turned down at a local machine shop, but we decided to just bu new replacement rotors.  I decided, based upon past experience, that I would just be wasting time and money if the rotors were too warped after they were turned. The rotors cost $45 each through Napa.  The cost for turning the rotors ran about $30 each.

For brake pads we knew we wanted something better then stock.  We looked around at several different brands of brake pads and different compositions of brake pad materials.  We finally found some ceramic brake pads sold by O’Reilly’s Auto parts.  These pads are Brake Best Select Ceramic Disc Brake Pads.  These brake pads are made by Bosch for O’Reilly’s.  Ceramic pads are supposed to last longer, have lower dust, and stop the vehicle better.  So far they seem to be doing their job.  I’ll do a follow up in a few months about their performance.The pads cost a total of $45 for both sides.  These pads are sold as a set, meaning there are enough brake pads for both sides of the axle.

For the job you will only need a few tools.

• Jack
• Jack Stands
• 9″ C-Clamp
• 12mm Wrench or Socket
• 3/4 socket and ratchet
• Small Screw Driver or Pick
• Small Sledge Hammer or Dead Blow Hammer

On a scale of 1-10 brake changes probably rank a 4 on the difficulty meter.  Brake changes are pretty easy and do not require much time.  I changed the rear brakes in under an hour and took pictures.

Steps for changing the Brakes

• The first step in replacing the rear brakes is to place the vehicle on a flat level surface.
• Place a block on the front wheels so the vehicle will not move when you jack the rear axle off the ground.
• Using a jack, jack up the rear axle and support the weight of the vehicle on jack stands under the axle.
• Remove the wheels using a 3/4″ socket and ratchet or an impact gun.
• Unbolt the brake caliper bolts (2) using a 12mm wrench or socket.  Make sure to support the caliper and do not hang it from the brake line.
• Remove the rubber o-ring holding the brake rotor onto the rear axle.
• Using a hammer, hit the rotor a few times to release it from the parking brake and wheel studs.
• Remove the rotor.
• Use some brake cleaner on the parking brake parts to clean them off.
• Spray some brake cleaner on the new rotor before you install it.  There is usually a coating on the caliper to keep it from rusting.  This needs to be removed before the rotor is installed.
• Place the rotor back on the wheel studs and replace the rubber o-ring.  The manual states to use a new one, but mine looked fine and I decided to just reuse it.
• With the caliper removed  remove the outer pad by pressing on the retaining hardware.
• Now with the rear pad still installed use a c-clamp to press the piston back inside the caliper.  it shouldn’t take to much effort to press it back in.
• With the piston pressed back inside, pull the brake pad off.
• Replace the new brake pads onto the caliper.
• Use some grease on the brake caliper bolts before you bolt the caliper back up.
• Tighten up the bolts on the caliper.
• Replace the wheels and take the vehicle off the jack-stands.

We have had the brakes on for about 2 weeks now, and they feel like they have finally broken in.  The braking is really improved over the stock brake pads.  The new ceramic pads to make a bit of squeaking noises when you are backing up, but this is supposed to be normal with ceramic pads.  These pads do not make any noise any other time.  So far, we are very happy with the new brakes.  We are planning to replace the brake fluid  when we replace the front brakes, we will be going with some synthetic DOT 4 brake fluid.

Here are the pictures of the process.  (Sorry about the picture quality, I took the pictures with my Blackberry because I forgot to bring my real camera.)

First Step: Support the vehicle on jack stands and remove the wheel.

Next: remove the caliper, press this tab after you have removed the two bolts from the back, to remove the caliper.

This is the top bolt holding the caliper on. There is one more bolt on the bottom side.

Use a Flathead screwdriver or a pick to remove the rubber o-ring from the axle flange.

Removing the O-Ring.

After removing the o-ring and brake caliper, strike the disk here with a small hammer to release it from the parking brake. Make sure your parking brake is not on or the disk will not come off.

Old Disk vs. New Disk. Make sure to clean it with Brake Cleaner before installing it.

New Rotor installed.

Reinstall the o-ring in the grove to retain the brake rotor.

O-ring reinstalled with the new rotor.

Old Pads vs. New

Remove the brake caliper and begin removing the outside pad.

Bend back the tabs on the outer brake pad to remove the brake pad.

With the outer brake pad removed, use the c-clamp and brake pad to press the caliper piston back in.

Piston pressed in and brake pad removed.

Install the pads back into the caliper and install the caliper using the old bolts with some grease smeared on the bolts. Finished, Everything back together.

Words and Photos:  Ross Hildebrandt

(c)2009

It seems like just yesterday we decided to pull the trigger on our Jeep Commander.  We had been pining for a Commander for almost a year.  Once we took our first test drive we knew we wanted it.  Our first test drive actually lasted over an hour; the car dealer let us take it for a drive without the sales man.  We promptly tested the Commander to its full stock potential including some rough off-road terrain.  We knew what we needed in a new vehicle:  room, off-road prowess, powerful motor and good reliability. So far we have come to love the Commander.  Now that we have put over 70,000 miles on the Commander we do not think we’ll ever let it go.

Brand New (to us!)

Current Machine!

Current Machine

We purchased our commander as an upgraded Sport model.   The upgrades on our Commander from the base model include: leather heated seats, 4.7L V8, Sirius Satellite Radio, 6-disc in-dash CD changer, second row skylights, moon-roof, fog lights, rear-view mirror defrosters, and Quadra-Trac 2 traction control system.

Our model has the extremely reliable 4.7-liter V8.  The motor is rated at 235 horsepower and 305 foot-pounds torque at the flywheel.  The 4.7-liter V8 is an overhead cam engine with 2 valves per cylinder.  Our Commander was upgraded with the tow package, which upgrades the alternator to 160 amps, heavy-duty cooling system, tow/haul mode, and class 4 receiver hitch.  This motor has been simply perfect.  This motor returns an average fuel economy of 17 mile per gallon.  Since we spend most of our miles driving highways it’s easy on fuel.  We change the oil every 6000 miles and use only synthetic oil in the motor.  After 70,000 miles the motor doesn’t use a drop of oil between oil changes.  The only maintenance we have performed on this motor is: oil changes, spark plugs, and air filters.  This motor is a great motor.

For the rest of the drive train we have the 545RFE, 5 speed automatic transmission.  This is an electronically controlled transmission with 5 forward gears and a lower gear ratio on the downshift of second gear to soften the feel of the shift.  The first gear in the 545RFE transmission has a gear ratio of 3.00:1. When combined with the transfer low-range gear ratio and the axle ratio the Commander has a crawl ratio of 30.5:1.  This ratio feels perfect for four wheeling.

The transfer case is a full-time NV245 with a low range gear ratio of 2.72:1.  The transfer case has been for the most part trouble free.  The only difficulties we have had with it were water getting into the electrical connector for the transfer case.  We crossed a stream and the water was up to the middle of the door.  Once we got to the other side of the stream the Commander would not move.  After a bit of fiddling around we removed the plug to the transfer case, dried it out and were promptly on our way.

As for the rest of the drive train we have not had any major problems.  The axles have not broken in all our off-road outings.  So far our only gripe is the lack of aftermarket gears and lockers for the Commander. The stock gearing is not bad at 3.73:1.  One problem we do have is in the front end.  We seem to have a noise coming from the front end, it sounds kind of like rotor blades on a helicopter, it only happens when the Commander is coasting.  We have had this noise in the front for about 40,000 miles.  I have inspected the front axle and suspension and still cannot locate the source of the noise.  So, we just put up with it.  Drive shafts have not been an issue with this vehicle either.  We also have had very good luck with the brakes; we have not had to replace them yet.

As for the interior of our Commander we are very pleased.  We chose leather because we have kids, we like it, and its very easy to clean and maintain.  The leather seats are wearing very well with no signs of wear.  We use leather conditioner on the seats about every 2 months.  The seats in the Commander are very comfortable with plenty of adjustment for long trips.  Most of the interior panels are made from plastic, and while some people may think it’s cheap and ugly, we actually like it and it’s very easy to clean up after weeks of abuse.  If there were anything we could change it would be the carpet color, it would look much better with black carpet.  With the removal of the third row of seats we have increased our interior storage space by 9.25 cubic feet.  We built a custom storage are where the third row was placed.  We built this storage compartment to be at the same level as the second row seats when they are laid down.  This makes for a perfect sleeping platform inside the Commander.

As for the exterior of the Commander, the paint shows a little wear.  The trees have been a little hard on the clear coat and added quite a few scrapes into the paint.  I recently used some buffing compound and an electric buffer on the paint; with this combination most of the light scratches were removed.  The front bumper has been replaced with a steel winch bumper for extraction purposes and front-end protection.  On the sides of the Commander we custom built rocker guards to protect the doors from trail obstacles.  We custom built a rear tire carrier that ties into the frame, it carriers two jerry cans and one spare tire.

Some Quick Cliff Notes:

The Good

• Plenty of interior room.
• Rock solid reliability.
• Cheap operating costs.
• Comfortable.

The Bad

• Can be a bit thirsty.
• Not much aftermarket support.
• Small 20.5-gallon fuel tank.
• Traction Control does not do well in deep mud or deep snow.

Current mileage: 70000

Average MPG: 16-17

Usage: 30% off-road / 70% on-road

At the current time this is our set-up on our 2006 Commander.

YEAR: 2006
MAKE: Jeep Commander
MODEL: Limited

ENGINE: 4.7lt. V8
TRANSMISSION: 5-Speed automatic
DRIVETRAIN: QT2

SUSPENSION:
Removed all sway bars
FRONT: OME HD Springs, 1/2 Suspension Spacer ~3″ lift in front, Custom UCAs with 1″ uniball
REAR: Bilstien 255/75 valved 5150 Shocks.  12″ travel, Custom Rear Springs

TIRES: 255/75/17 BFG Mud KM
WHEELS: Jeep Rubicon 5 Spoke 17″
BRAKES: Stock for now

ELECTRICAL:
Garmin GPS 60CSX
Cobra 29 SX WXT CB radio
Firestik CB antenna mounts and coax

RECOVERY:
48″ Hi-Lift mounted to spare tire carrier
20k lb tow line
T-MAX EW-90000W winch
T-Max Winch Recovery Kit

OTHER:
Custom Rear Storage Compartments
Rear Tire carrier with Jerry Can mounts
Custom Front Bumper and Skid Plate
Hella 6.5″ Fog Lights
Industrial Fire Extinguisher
Optima Yellow Top Battery
On Board Air
Custom Tube Slider Rocker Protection

FUTURE MODS:
Snorkel
Front Solid Axle Conversion (3 Link set-up, JK D44 front Axle)
3 Link Rear conversion
ARB Rear Locker
4.10 Rear Axle Gears
Engine Power Programmer
Defender Roof Rack
33×10.5×17 Pizza Cutter tires
Flowmaster 50 Series SUV muffler
LED Tail Lamps
HID Headlamps

We really like this vehicle and it fits our family perfectly.  The commander works well off-road and is pretty tough.  We will continue to drive this Jeep until the wheels fall off.  It’s a very well built vehicle.

Here we go again, another attack on our community and interests.  Those “public” Representatives, who are supposed to listen to the wants of the people, are once again listening to those with deep wallets and special interest groups.

Go here and send your Representative a letter telling them you do not want Moab and Utah closed down to four wheeling.  Lets keep what is ours and free open and free.

http://capwiz.com/amacycle/issues/alert/?alertid=14061961&PROCESS=Take+Action

Words and Photos By:  Ross Hildebrandt

(c) 2009

You may have heard the phrase “Murdering your (blank) Vehicle out!”.  What the heck is that supposed to mean?  Well,  to borrow from the urban dictionary, it means to remove all the shiny stuff from your vehicle and paint all shiny stuff black.  There’s an old saying I’ve heard or maybe I just made it up, “Chrome won’t get you home.”

I have Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Wheels on my Commander for about 9 months now.  When I got them they were really nice and pretty, no scrapes or scratches, just nice and nearly new.  Thanks Bill!  Anyway, after a Summer of four-wheeling, they are scratched and looked like crap.  I had a few options with the wheels.  I could just sand the wheels and redo the clear coat sealer on the wheels or I could make the wheels match the theme of my Jeep.  So I decided to paint the wheels black to keep the look going on my Commander with a silver paint job and everything else black.

The job is pretty easy and is pretty cheap as well.  Mine was so cheap I didn’t spend any money at all.  That’s the kind of project my wife can get behind as well.  I actually had all the materials on hand and ready to go.

Materials:

• Sand paper (120-320 grit)
• 3M red scuff pads
• Masking Tape
• 6 cans of spray paint (high quality)
• Turpentine or Paint Thinner

Tool suggestions:

• Palm Sander
• Angle Grinder with a wire brush wheel

This job will probably take about an hour per wheel depending on the air temperature and how much sanding you have to do to your wheel.  To start take the wheels off and sand by hand with 120 grit paper or use a palm sander.  Make sure to scuff all the paint with your sandpaper so the spray paint will have good mechanical bonding properties.  The better job you do here, the better the paint will adhere and look.  You do not need to take the wheel down to the bare aluminum or steel; just enough to make a good clean, smooth surface for the paint to stick to.

After you have completely sanded the wheel, use a clean cloth and some paint thinner to wipe off the wheel.  Make sure you remove all the dust and finger prints from the surface you will be painting.  You may want to do this a few times with different clean cloths to make sure everything is really clean.

To paint the wheel you should really do about 5-6 light coats.  Start by spraying your first coat really light.  You should still be able to see some of the stuff under the paint.  Now before you add another coat wait about 5 minutes for the paint to get tacky, then spray each additional coat with about 5 minutes dry time between each coat.  These light coats will keep the paint from having runs, and will help the paint to have better adhesion properties to the wheel.

After you finish your last coat, wait about an hour before reinstalling the wheel.  This way the paint will be able to cure.  The paint won’t be fully cured for about 24 hours so take it easy driving around until the next day.

Here are my results.