This is what perseverance looks like while working on a Jeep. What's your story of "this should be a quick fix"....NOT

[wibornz]

I watched several Youtube videos looking for tips and tricks to get the front control arm bushing out of the front axle housing. It did not go like any of the videos said it would. I was a thinking hey, it is one bolt to remove and push the bushing out. Probably should take about an hour or so. No, six hours.

What is your it should be an easy fix Jeep story?

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[Pape]

Indeed, DYI always make sure you have a plan B and C
Did that a couples of years ago on a JK and it took a while doing all 4 links both end in the front.
The good news I was able to stop after I did half and did the other half the next weekend

 

[Bulletbill]

Ha…This is a question my wife would appreciate, especially when I yell into the house that I need her help for a minute, and that minute turns into a few hours later. That’s when she tells me that she’s ok with the Jeep the way it is and “we”don’t need to do anymore projects.

But to answer your question, one of my first projects was to take the rear seats out to add a rear seat recline kit for my kids. Everything went well until I was putting the bolts back in. One bolt would not thread correctly. Every time I tried, it cross threaded about half way down.

I didn’t want to force it, so I figured it needed to be tapped out. Drove around to every hardware, home improvement store in the area for hours but couldn’t find a tap and die set that would work. I ended up incrementally tightening it over the course of several hours to get it to seat correctly. I just kept hoping that I wouldn’t snap the head off. It probably added an extra 5 hours to a relatively simple job and I never want to try and to remove that bolt

 

[GATORB8]

The night we picked our Jeep up from the dealer, I started on the bumper replacements.

The Rugged Ridge bumpers we have use stud plates instead of bolts for the frame horns up front. They are loose and even with the included plastic retainers get pushed out of location easily. I must have spent 3 hours that night trying to get the damn thing on, and just couldn't get it.

Slept on it, got up in the morning and decided to see if the damn bolts even fit in the frame horns. Nope, one of the holes is smaller than the others (and the bolts). 2 minutes with a drill and it went right on first try.

 

[Valpo Jeep]

 

[GATORB8]

And god help you if you break an easy out in one.

 

[Grayhound]

I feel like every time I wrench on my jeep it takes way longer than it should.

From mods to oil changes. I seem to be a slow poke who doesn’t know how to avoid time wasters like dropping a nut into the bay that I have to chase for an hour…

 

[Bill_BCNtoNY]

Mine was one of the “easiest” steps of instaling my lift kit. with everything in place except the axle-side bolts for the LCAs, I discovered I had somehow shifted the axle back at least two inches.

Took me several hours over a couple of days to find a way to shift the axle where it needed to be - thank god for all the help I found here and for the kit manufacturer (who is a friend) who got on facetime with me to problem-solve over video!

 

[azwjowner]

My regear turned into the project from hell as everything that could go wrong did, including struggling to torque ring gear bolts (vise not large enough), the inner pinion race looking flush but not being completely seated, pinion nuts gouging the thread on the pinion, etc.

By the time I finished, I had spent 4 weekends working on it. I ruined the first ring and pinion for the rear and had to buy another; same with the ring gear bolts. Several purchases of shims and probably about five pinion nuts, plus a couple of extra crush sleeves. I couldn't lift my arms anymore from sledgehammering the pinion in and out so many times and lifting the Dana 44 Truetrac (which felt like it must have weighed 60 pounds) up into the axle over and over from an awkward position. I had been so worried about the gear pattern that I hadn't expected the other mechanical and physical challenges.

In hindsight, I should have made a setup rear outer pinion bearing. I also should have used a lift or removed the rear axle entirely and worked on stands.

 

[Mx5red]

Mine was one of the “easiest” steps of instaling my lift kit. with everything in place except the axle-side bolts for the LCAs, I discovered I had somehow shifted the axle back at least two inches.

Took me several hours over a couple of days to find a way to shift the axle where it needed to be - thank god for all the help I found here and for the kit manufacturer (who is a friend) who got on facetime with me to problem-solve over video!

Been there, done that! I must have weak ratchet straps because that didn’t work for me. I had to use jacks on the pinion to angle things back into place.

pretty much every Jeep project turns into a fiasco but one of the most frustrating ones should’ve been the simplest.
I once tried to change the oil on my Expedition and couldn’t get the filter off. Once you start buggering it then it’s undriveable and then you HAVE to finish the job for work the next day! I think it took me a few hours, but I started late at night. Tried various filter wrenches I had, then the idea of piercing it to turn it better, which didn’t work for shit. The thin casing just ripped like tin foil. Ended up using a screwdriver and hammer to punch it counterclockwise enough to unscrew it.

my dad told me years ago they worked on a car in the shop, they basically had to torch one off?

 

[Mx5red]

I watched several Youtube videos looking for tips and tricks to get the front control arm bushing out of the front axle housing. It did not go like any of the videos said it would. I was a thinking hey, it is one bolt to remove and push the bushing out. Probably should take about an hour or so. No, six hours.

What is your it should be an easy fix Jeep story?

I’ve been thinking of doing that and was afraid of this problem. How did you end up doing it? Heat? Chisel?

 

[jellis4148]

When adding the longer shocks to my lift. The driver rear upper shock mount bolt. I was torquing it, and it decided to break. 20 minutes turned into 2 hours.

 

[Bill_BCNtoNY]

When adding the longer shocks to my lift. The driver rear upper shock mount bolt. I was torquing it, and it decided to break. 20 minutes turned into 2 hours.

Ha! broken bolts are like a rite of passage it seems. I keep the first one that broke on me as a memento!

Updated with a pic of the culprit:

 

[John VonJeep]

There’s a reason this meme resonates

 

[dsgrey]

Not a Jeep but an older Miata. Went to change the timing belt so might as well replace the water pump while I'm in there. There's also the OEM "bolt from hell" on the alternator that needs to be replaced with a longer bolt and some other things while you're in there. Timing belt is interesting since it's installed under pressure. Got it back together, won't start and I'm a notch off. Gave up after spending all day at this point. Next day as I'm now experienced, I tore everything down and had it back together in an hour working as it should.

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