My new to me $800 dollar Renegade

[Hx214]

I'm new around here. Not new to the jeep world but new to the KJ. I have a TJ and have had XJ's on and off for a few years.

I work on engines/trucks/boats/etc as a hobby and always seem to have people calling me up with a car with a blown head or jet ski they sunk and want to dump it off for cheap. About a month ago at work one of the older guys walks into my room and tosses me a set of keys and asks me if I want a Jeep. I didn't even ask him what it was, I just said, Yep!

He walks me out to the parking lot and shows me his 2004 Renegade.

I looked at him and said, sorry man, I only really buy older stuff that needs work. I just rebuild stuff for fun I don't spend much on projects. (Basically telling him it was way to nice for what I do)

He says, how about $800?

Is there an engine in it??

He says it runs great but the frame is rusted out and the ****** is leaking, and I"M SICK OF THE RUST.

He walks me over to the rear passanger side and shows me the rear control arm. (The ones they recalled) It is completely rotted through. He took it into the shop because the sway bar fell off and was banging around. They told him it wasn't fixable and they would give him $750 but only on a trade in, and told him it was unsafe to drive.

I told him that the frame looked fine and the rear control arms can be changed out (this was before I knew about the recall) I even offered to do it for him, he says no and that he was just done with it. Says he called the local bone yard and they said they would give him $750. I went down to the bank, grabbed the money and bought the guy lunch on the way back. (I didn't even bother starting it, I knew I could get what I needed back out of scrap if I had to for that price...)

My company wasn't to happy about me leaving it in the parking lot for the weekend and my car hauler was with my brother in South Carolina so it was either call a tow or drive it home 25 miles...

I checked the "leaking ******" and it was just rust on the ****** pan. It was so thin that it was leaking. (The oil pan looks nice and clean though....thank god.... I'm sick of pulling engines...) I went to napa, grabbed some ****** fluid, topped it off and drove it home with my buddy in front of me in my car. I only went 35 mph but it drove fine, so I feel pretty good about the engine.

I parked in the garage for about a month. I have been doing an engine swap on my buddies Amigo but I'll be done at the end of this week and I can get started on this baby.

I attached some pictures to show the areas I need to take care of. I got a ****** pan and new filter ready to go, after swap and top off I hope to be done there. (With the rust being so bad on the pan, whats the opinion on a ****** flush? It has 139k on the clock, and from the looks of the body, I'm going to say she wasn't taken care of very well, so I doubt the filter has ever been changed.... I'm usually not a fan of ****** flushes only because my dad had one start to leak badly after one and this has higher miles. I'm thinking I'll need to put in about 7 quarts due to the leak, and I'm reading it holds 14. Anybody have any luck either way with a flush?)

I'm going to pull the renegade rocker guards off and see if I can save them.

The other areas are the rockers on the back of the driver side and the bottom of the driver door. I have a hobart 140 mig and live in the salt belt. I've gotten pretty good at saving rockers with some light body work so I think I'm set there.

The main issue is the rust across the back window. I've noticed some of you saying you have had rust around the top, but I don't think anybody that I have found on the net has had this much of an issue. The whole thing is basically rotted out. I might be able to handle a cut out and weld in if I can find a donor piece of steel off another Liberty, but I don't know. This one worries me because of the hinges on the rear window being mounted here. I might have to get creative here with a cut off wheel and some flat stock. This one is going to be tricky. Any ideas? (I don't really want to pay my body man to do this one... I can only imagine the estimate and with only spending $800 for the truck.... I'm just not one to pay for labor... Haha)

Also, has anybody here been contacted about the recall yet? I think I was reading late april. (And I did tell the old guy at work about the recall and he didn't care.... lol. Said he was done with it either way....)

Hoping to changes fluids, do the brakes and keep this for a summer truck to pull the skis to the lake and around town. The rust on this one kind of confuses me. The control arms are rotted but the frame is pretty darn clean. The one door is rusted but the rest of the doors and 90% of the body is nice and clean too. All in all it seems like a nice 4x4.

Thanks for any advice in advance and sorry for the long post!

 

[MSReNeGaDe]

What a steal!

Sent via owl

 

[tommudd]

Looks like it was driven but never washed/waxed or anything done to it
Mines an 04 with more miles and no rust
Run it till she blows and junk it, just let me know so I can pull a few parts off of it first!:whip:

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Welcome. Nice score.

I just got my recall notice...

 

[JeepJeepster]

My gosh! What a steal you got! I'd sand the area above the rear window down and see what you've got to work with. If its just on the surface sand it down, throw some bondo on it, and paint it. Get the recall done, change the fluids, and enjoy a very cheap yet greant jeep!

Personally I'd go for the pan drop and filter change. No flush.

 

[Dave]

Welcome. What a steal.

First take it to any jeep dealer and they will run the vin# and if it is in the recall they should replace the control arms. I don't believe you need the formal recall letter in hand. Tell them you just bought it anyway.

Dave

 

[LaneKJ]

Welcome to the forum! Great story, and great Jeep!

 

[Jaber]

Welcome. What a steal.

First take it to any jeep dealer and they will run the vin# and if it is in the recall they should replace the control arms. I don't believe you need the formal recall letter in hand. Tell them you just bought it anyway.

Dave

No need to visit or call dealer. Jeep - Contact Us

 

[Hx214]

Thanks guys,

I'll definetly keep people here posted if I ever have to part it out.

I'm going to agree that it was never washed or waxed. The title said he paid 25,900 back in 04'..... that's a boat load of money to spend on something and not at least try to take care of it.... I can see the rockers and MAYBE the door having a bit of rust, here in northeast ohio they have started using this molasses slurry salt on the roads that is a complete pain the the azz to get off of frames and rockers.... After a rocker replacement I've resorted to parking my pick up and buying old cars to drive in the winter. BUT I can't understand the 3rd brake light issue.... thats just being lazy.

I'm going to see what I can save on the 3rd light issue.... honestly though the picture makes it look alot better than it actually is. If you flip up the light (it doesn't even stay in place anymore) you can see the rot. I bet if you pushed hard enough you could collapse the whole thing.

Just a few other questions. Other than the body kit is their anything else different about the Renegade model?

On the 05-07 (I think?) Liberty's there is a black plastic rocker cover. Does anybody know how those connect? Thinking if I can grind out the rust and do a fix, I can cover it with the plastic and not have to worry about the finish. (otherwise, I'm thinking bedliner)

I need to pick up a Reese style hitch and wiring harness for a trailer. I think I can find a used hitch without issue, any suggestions on a wiring harness? Hoping there is a plug and play set up.

Thanks again!

 

[Hx214]

No need to visit or call dealer. Jeep - Contact Us

Hey thanks!

She is on the list, guess I'll make a call tomorrow and see if I can get the service scheduled.

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

Thanks guys,

I'll definetly keep people here posted if I ever have to part it out...

I need to pick up a Reese style hitch and wiring harness for a trailer. I think I can find a used hitch without issue, any suggestions on a wiring harness? Hoping there is a plug and play set up.

Thanks again!

Here's a flat-4 harness from Jeep for you. Seems kinda pricey but it is truly plug-n-play. Below it is the 7-pin round harness (and you'll need the supplemental harness too.) Again seems kinda pricey but everything's there, no worries about tapping into the correct power lines, blah blah.

I found a used KJ hitch from LKQ Online (their main depot is 15 minutes from me in Akron - not too far from you either.) Search for a hitch from an '02-'07 - personally I like the factory hitch the best. Is the most hidden, comes with the mount for the harness and pops right in. You'll sandwich the gas tank skid between the hitch and the frame (don't re-use the skid bolts.) I paid $65 for my used factory hitch from LKQ and bought the correct bolts from a local RV shop.

BTW, your Jeep is the correct color and model - all others are lame. :happy175: :happy160:

Bob

 

[rockymountain]

There's a plastic cover over the rockers on the 02-04s too. It's just smaller. I ripped one off wheeling last summer. They just pop on with plastic fasteners. I would ditch those oem rails and get aftermarket ones that actually do what they are supposed to.

I go in Friday for new control arms. The previous owner of yours will get the recall notice more than likely. He probably did by now.

Nothing different with the renegade model. Just the weaker plastic roof rails and " fake" rock rails.
With a neglected vehicle like that I wouldn't know what to do with the ******. A flush at the dealer is the only way to completely get new fluid in it. That's all I know.

Got a steal I'll say! :smokin:

 

[RedJeep]

Excellent find!

And, yeah, no need for the official recall paper from Chrysler. I just called the dealer, they checked the VIN, and I'm set up for the recall work next week. They said it would take a couple hours to do.

Dan

 

[Hx214]

Thanks for the info guys,

Just called in to Jeep from the site and they transfered me over to a local dealer.

I got an appointment for next Friday.

I hope the sway bar isn't all jacked up and can't be bolted back on. I should crawl under and really look at it.

I could really care less if it is on, but I know they will give me crap about the vechile not being road worthy and they will probably refuse the service unless I order a new one if they can't bolt it back on.

 

[Hx214]

Here's a flat-4 harness from Jeep for you. Seems kinda pricey but it is truly plug-n-play. Below it is the 7-pin round harness (and you'll need the supplemental harness too.) Again seems kinda pricey but everything's there, no worries about tapping into the correct power lines, blah blah.

I found a used KJ hitch from LKQ Online (their main depot is 15 minutes from me in Akron - not too far from you either.) Search for a hitch from an '02-'07 - personally I like the factory hitch the best. Is the most hidden, comes with the mount for the harness and pops right in. You'll sandwich the gas tank skid between the hitch and the frame (don't re-use the skid bolts.) I paid $65 for my used factory hitch from LKQ and bought the correct bolts from a local RV shop.

BTW, your Jeep is the correct color and model - all others are lame. :happy175: :happy160:

Bob

Thanks Bob!

To be honest, that set up looks nice and clean, I don't think I would mind spending the extra coin just to keep the wiring nice and tight.

I always have flashbacks of trying to fix one of my trucks after some rackazz cut the wires all up and jimmy rigged a harness from an old dump truck on my silverado..... That was the last time my Dad ever borrowed my truck.... :happy175:

I'll check into that hitch to.

I see a guy on the local craigslist that is advertising a ton of hitches for sale. I emailed him and he said he has 6 different ones for the liberty. You ever see him or work with him? I think his is in Uniontown. I guess he runs a side business selling used hitches.

I'll shoot for the factory one, I always have better luck with those over aftermarkets that hang to low.

Thanks again!

 

[JeepJeepster]

Make sure you get the correct tap and run it through those threads before trying to install that hitch. You'll never get the bolts in otherwise. Someone should chime in with the type of tap and bolts you need.

I have a draw tite hitch and love it. It doesn't hang lower but it a little longer so its easier to deal with the spare. Its also rated at 750/7500lbs which the jeep can't tow but its nice knowing its stronger than my jeep.

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

Make sure you get the correct tap and run it through those threads before trying to install that hitch. You'll never get the bolts in otherwise. Someone should chime in with the type of tap and bolts you need.

I have a draw tite hitch and love it. It doesn't hang lower but it a little longer so its easier to deal with the spare. Its also rated at 750/7500lbs which the jeep can't tow but its nice knowing its stronger than my jeep.

I know they're M12's, at least CL8.8's (maybe 10's?).

Since he's already got the gas tank skid on hopefully he doesn't have to tap the weld nuts. Probably a full can of PB Blaster though given the rust the PO let accumulate on that Jeep.

Bob

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Mine are 10.9 grade...

 

[theroofable]

yes, grade 10.9 m12x45 i believe, cant remember the tread spacing, probably 1.5 or 1.75, I can look on the tap though if you need it. Just spray a bit of pb blaster in the hole, run the tap through it, and the bolt will go in nicely. I tried doing it without the tap and I could only get two bolts in, using the tap it took about 1 minute per hole. I found the proper bolts at an ace hardware store, although not every one carried the 10.9, its what you need to have.

 

[JeepJeepster]

I know they're M12's, at least CL8.8's (maybe 10's?).

Since he's already got the gas tank skid on hopefully he doesn't have to tap the weld nuts. Probably a full can of PB Blaster though given the rust the PO let accumulate on that Jeep.

Bob

Ahh, very good point. His threads should be nice and clean then.