Mechanical

Mechanical
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Bosch platinum plugs (#4203)- the idle is a little rough for a vehicle with 600 miles on it. Many posters on JU have mentioned that swapping the plugs for Bosch (#4203) or Champion truck plugs (#4412) smoothes the idle out. I installed the plugs and it definitely made a difference in how the Jeep idles and throttle response is improved as well. Before swapping the plugs, the idle speed was around 550-650rpms. After installing the Bosch platinum plugs, it's around 700-750. When I removed the plugs I was surprised at how much carbon was present on the insulator of the plugs. The electrodes appeared OK, but 2 of the plugs had the electrode bent so that it was not directly over the post in the plug. Removing the coil bar and plugs was a breeze. There are 4 - 13mm bolts that hold the coil bar in place and once those are removed, you can gently pull the coil bar off the plugs. I was able to pull gently on the side toward the firewall and then gently on the side toward the radiator to remove it. Once you have freed it from the plugs, you can rotate it toward the top of the engine and lay it 180 degrees from how it is positioned when installed. This will give you enough clearance the remove the plugs. You will need a small spark plug socket and I was able to use a 6" extension on all plugs but #6. For #6, I had to use a 3" extension. Remember to put some anti-seize on the new plugs before installing them. The #4 plug was extremely tight on mine so I'm glad I got the new plugs in. I'm sure it would have been a bear to remove a year from now. Cost: $12; time to install: 30 min.

K&N Air Filter ( # HP-2004) - Not much to say here. The factory filter has a foam panel over the paper pleats and was covered in a sticky oil. It looks to be well made, but my local auto parts store wanted $27 for one, so I opted to go ahead and get the K&N. I'll keep the factory filter as a spare. The K&N was a drop in, but the pressure clamps on the stock airbox were a bear to reinstall. I'm hoping for slight MPG gains, which I've seen in my other vehicles after switching to the K&N filters. Cost $45; time to install 5 min.

PowerAid Throttle Body spacer - An attempt at cheap power upgrades. I noticed a minimal improvement in throttle response and low to mid range pull. Nothing earth shaking, but it seems to pull a bit better in normal driving. Not sure if it's worth the money, but hopefully, I'll bump my mileage a bit as well. Cost $65; time to install 15 min.

Fram Suredrain - This is a replacement oil plug with a hose attachment that screws on to drain the oil. When you are done, there is a metal cap that screws on to keep the valve clean and safe. I installed this in anticipation of putting an engine plate skid on. I wanted something that would make oil changes less messy incase the skid blocked the oil from draining straight down. I installed it at my last oil change and by the following night after letting the Jeep sit, I noticed a small pool of oil that had dripped from the Suredrain. I tightened it up another 1/8 of a turn or so and it hasn't leaked since. Fram supplies a thick copper washer that I must not have tightened down enough. It felt as snug as the regular drain plug, but the old one uses a rubber/plastic gasket, so I guess it doesn't need to be torqued quite as much. I liked the idea of the Fumoto drain valve, but even with the skid in place, I was worried about a stick getting wedged in there and draining all my oil onto the trail. The Fram appears to be pretty well made, but I've heard that the oil drains pretty slowly from the small mouth on the valve. In hindsight, the Skid Row engine skid is very well designed and I think any mess from oil changed would have been minimal. Cost $15; time to install N/A since I did it at an oil change.