nullptr
Full Access Member
Hopefully this thread will detail the progress and mods done to my 2005 Liberty Limited in my quest to get it where I want it. Sadly, due to some issues not entirely out of my control, progress is going to be slow until next year (2016).
First, let's start off with a little back story. A few years back, I traded in my trusty '93 Cherokee (2wd, but super clean) with 198k miles on it for a brand spanking new 2012 Chevrolet Colorado Crew-Cab, 4x4, with the 5.3L V8. It was black, with black leather interior, on the bigger Z71 wheels. I was in love.
Slowly, though, over the course of ownership, I came to realize that I dun goofed. My daily commute is only a few miles, so I wasn't putting a lot of miles on the truck, and I rarely actually used it as a truck (twice, that I can think of). Worst of all, I take one or two cross-country trips a year to visit my family in Michigan. This involves loading a 65lb mutt into whatever vehicle I have, plus all my stuff, and hitting the road. The truck... wasn't so good for this. The dog didn't really fit, and once she was in, all my cloths and stuff had to go in the bed. Also, the truck was rated at 18/22, which it never got. I was lucky if I saw 12 city, and 16 highway! It was decent off-road, though.
Last fall(2014), I decided that my parent's needed a 'new' car. By new, I mean something newer than a '97 Chevy Venture with 250k miles, a bad transmission, no heat or AC, and an electrical fault that required you to disconnect the battery everywhere you went. I wanted to get them something reliable and that got good gas mileage that they could load up with the dogs and drive to Florida. In the end, I ended up finding an '06 Rav4 with 82k miles that fit the bill and budget. Since I was driving it to Michigan for Christmas, I transferred the plates from the truck to the Rav4.
This turned out to be a mistake.
For the month and a half I drove it, I fell in love with little CUV's utility and interior space. So the thought was planted, and over time, I started looking at what was available. The Rav4 was nice, but I wanted a true low-range transfer case. So that narrowed things down somewhat. I also decided that it had to shorter, length wise, than the truck so I could fit it in the garage. Very quickly the CRD Liberty rose to the top of my list, and I started shopping.
After many disappointments, I expanded my search to include non-CRD Liberties. Sure, the MPGs would have been nice, but my short commute wouldn't have been good for it, and the CRDs are more difficult to find parts for. Still, I wasn't finding much that really excited me. One that I really wanted to like ended up having some serious issues during the test drive once we got over 55mph (it was a white-knuckle ride!), and the dealership was not interested in fixing the problem before sale or budging on their price, so I walked.
On January 4th, 2014, I drove 90 miles south to take a look at a 2005 Limited, in Silver, with 76k miles on it. It had the Selec-Trac transfer case, a sunroof, and leather seats. All things I wanted.
Test test drive went well, and I was pretty happy with the price. The dealership was ecstatic over my trade, and actually offered me more than I owed on it. So, after filling out several trees worth of documentation, I began the long trip home in my new Jeep.
The next weekend, the radiator started leaking. :blah:
As of this post (03/29/2015), I've done some simple maintenance and upgrades:
Still, so far, I've been impressed. It runs great, and is honestly pretty spirited around town. The gas mileage has been better, by far, than the old truck. I'm also very pleased with how it handles at low speeds, the turning radius on this thing is great for tight parking lots and off road trails.
Now, on to some pictures! Here we have the day I brought her home. It started to rain halfway home, of course, and the old wipers were utterly useless. :emotions34:
Here's where she sits as of today. I've replaced the old window ventshades with some in-channel units. The old ones were crooked as hell, and the passenger side ones were mounted way too high. They were a real pain to get off. :favorites68:
Got my AppRadio3 installed, too!
The Jeep branded cargo cover was cheaper than the Weathertech one, and honestly, nicer.
My nice, clean engine bay...
First, let's start off with a little back story. A few years back, I traded in my trusty '93 Cherokee (2wd, but super clean) with 198k miles on it for a brand spanking new 2012 Chevrolet Colorado Crew-Cab, 4x4, with the 5.3L V8. It was black, with black leather interior, on the bigger Z71 wheels. I was in love.
Slowly, though, over the course of ownership, I came to realize that I dun goofed. My daily commute is only a few miles, so I wasn't putting a lot of miles on the truck, and I rarely actually used it as a truck (twice, that I can think of). Worst of all, I take one or two cross-country trips a year to visit my family in Michigan. This involves loading a 65lb mutt into whatever vehicle I have, plus all my stuff, and hitting the road. The truck... wasn't so good for this. The dog didn't really fit, and once she was in, all my cloths and stuff had to go in the bed. Also, the truck was rated at 18/22, which it never got. I was lucky if I saw 12 city, and 16 highway! It was decent off-road, though.
Last fall(2014), I decided that my parent's needed a 'new' car. By new, I mean something newer than a '97 Chevy Venture with 250k miles, a bad transmission, no heat or AC, and an electrical fault that required you to disconnect the battery everywhere you went. I wanted to get them something reliable and that got good gas mileage that they could load up with the dogs and drive to Florida. In the end, I ended up finding an '06 Rav4 with 82k miles that fit the bill and budget. Since I was driving it to Michigan for Christmas, I transferred the plates from the truck to the Rav4.
This turned out to be a mistake.
For the month and a half I drove it, I fell in love with little CUV's utility and interior space. So the thought was planted, and over time, I started looking at what was available. The Rav4 was nice, but I wanted a true low-range transfer case. So that narrowed things down somewhat. I also decided that it had to shorter, length wise, than the truck so I could fit it in the garage. Very quickly the CRD Liberty rose to the top of my list, and I started shopping.
After many disappointments, I expanded my search to include non-CRD Liberties. Sure, the MPGs would have been nice, but my short commute wouldn't have been good for it, and the CRDs are more difficult to find parts for. Still, I wasn't finding much that really excited me. One that I really wanted to like ended up having some serious issues during the test drive once we got over 55mph (it was a white-knuckle ride!), and the dealership was not interested in fixing the problem before sale or budging on their price, so I walked.
On January 4th, 2014, I drove 90 miles south to take a look at a 2005 Limited, in Silver, with 76k miles on it. It had the Selec-Trac transfer case, a sunroof, and leather seats. All things I wanted.
Test test drive went well, and I was pretty happy with the price. The dealership was ecstatic over my trade, and actually offered me more than I owed on it. So, after filling out several trees worth of documentation, I began the long trip home in my new Jeep.
The next weekend, the radiator started leaking. :blah:
As of this post (03/29/2015), I've done some simple maintenance and upgrades:
- Bosch Wipers
- O'Reilly's AGM Battery
- Mobile One oil change
- New spark plugs
- New air filter
- New PCV
- Transmission Flush and Filter
- Power Steering Flush
- New Upper and Lower front ball joints
- New Radiator and hoses
- New rear glass release microswitch
- New rear door latch
- Weathertech floor mats
- Jeep cargo mat
- Pioneer AppRadio3 install
- In-channel window ventshades
- 'Jeep Liberty' tire cover
Still, so far, I've been impressed. It runs great, and is honestly pretty spirited around town. The gas mileage has been better, by far, than the old truck. I'm also very pleased with how it handles at low speeds, the turning radius on this thing is great for tight parking lots and off road trails.
Now, on to some pictures! Here we have the day I brought her home. It started to rain halfway home, of course, and the old wipers were utterly useless. :emotions34:
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Here's where she sits as of today. I've replaced the old window ventshades with some in-channel units. The old ones were crooked as hell, and the passenger side ones were mounted way too high. They were a real pain to get off. :favorites68:
You must be registered for see images attach
Got my AppRadio3 installed, too!
You must be registered for see images attach
The Jeep branded cargo cover was cheaper than the Weathertech one, and honestly, nicer.
You must be registered for see images attach
My nice, clean engine bay...
You must be registered for see images attach
Last edited:
