4 Wheel Drive Zone

When it comes to GPS and navigation a few things come to most Jeep owners minds- cost and function but what can be most often forgotten in fuel savings. Yes, fuel savings due to better route planning to get to and from where you are going. With the cost of fuel over $3 a GPS is a great advantage to have; more so then just the convenience of accurate directions, to restaurants, rest areas, roads and trails.

Now let’s take a look at the features. Common to all systems are the mapping capabilities which shows highways and street signs which are large enough to see while you are driving. There are screen color options; black, white, or color. Point of interests can easily help you find restaurants and Jeep dealers. You can program the GPS to talk to you or keep it silent. You should consider how loud the voice prompts are…If you are in a Jeep Wrangler you will want some volume control!

Next consider mounting options: In dash mounting such as the RB1 Navigation Radio formed dash mount units such as the Mopar Trail Guide, or generic mounting such as a windshield suction cup. Each has an advantage and disadvantage.

When considering a dash mount vs. portable unit there are a number of things to consider: with a dash mount you have the advantage of always having it with you but the disadvantage is having your GPS set-up for just one vehicle. How about a mountable but portable unit? If you choose GPS navigation system that is portable you will be able to easily use it in multiple vehicles and also on the trail, on a bike or boat. Another very nice advantage with a portable GPS is theft prevention; you can take it with you vs. leaving it in your vehicle. Is their a disadvantage to portable? Sure, if it is portable you could leave it behind and not have your GPS available when needed.

A word on security: never leave your home address programmed into you GPS, in the event your GPS unit is stolen you are giving a guided route to your home- not good. program your local police department address instead and label it home!

Save some fuel, take an easy route, don’t get lost and consider all your vehicle GPS navigation options before making the purchase.

From 1991-1995, Chrysler offered two different sized gas tanks for the Jeep Wrangler: 15-gallon and 20-gallon. In reality, these two tanks were not different in size at all. The difference in some was a small plastic vent hose that extended down into the tank which prevented more than 15 gallons of fuel being filled into them. By shortening this hose, the tank can hold the 20 gallons of fuel it was originally made to carry. The entire conversion process is about a 60-90 minute job.

1. Raise the vehicle on jack stands.
2. Remove the plastic panel in the rear right corner near the gas filler.
This is held in place by four plastic rivets. Remove the rivets by securing the outer portion in place while prying the center outward 0.25″-0.5″ with a small screwdriver. The rivets will remove as whole pieces. Don’t damage them because you’ll need them for reassembly.
3. Disconnect the fill vent hose from the tank.
This is done by removing the hose clamp and pulling the hose off the fill vent neck. You may need to pry it, but it’s only held on with a hose clamp.
4. Remove the inner plastic fuel vent neck liner.
Inside the neck of the fuel vent hose, you can see a tube which lines the inside. This liner tube is made of hard plastic. Itýs about 9.75″ long and reaches about 7″ into the tank. Gas can not be filled beyond the bottom of this tube. Shortening it will increase the volume of gas that will fit into the tank. To remove it, you will need to pry it away from the sides with a small screwdriver and grab it with any small tool that offers a STRONG grip. I recommend a needle-nose vise grip because this tube is crammed in there TIGHT. In fact, removing this tube was the hardest task on this project. Some people removed this tube in sections by pulling out 3″, then cutting it off, and pulling another 3″ until the tube was completely removed.
5. Cut a 2.5″ section from the liner tube.
The fuel vent neck on the tank must have a section of the liner tube pressed back inside to maintain pressure applied when tightening the hose clamp (during re-assembly). I have no idea why this is, but since someone advised to do so, I didn’t argue. Cut a 2.25″-2.5″ section and fit it back into the fill vent neck. You’ll need a hammer or something heavy to pound it in. Make sure not to use a metal hammer should you be unlucky enough to strike something that causes sparks this close to the gas tank.
6. Reassemble everything in the reverse order.
Use the hose clamp to attach the fill vent hose to the fill vent neck, four rivets to reattach the plastic cover on the rear panel, and five lug nuts to mount the removed wheel.

Unless you’ve installed a sending unit for a 20-gallon tank, the fuel gauge in the dashboard will be inaccurate. Others who have done this conversion claimed the gauge won’t begin to show movement until there is 15 gallons in the tank. This was not the case for me. My gauge doesn’t show movement until 10-12 gallons remain in the tank and when the gauge reads 1/2, the tank is near empty. It used to be empty when the gauge read 1/4, but I ran the tank near dry just to make certain and it is empty at the 1/2 mark. I don’t know if the sending arm got bent by this or what went wrong, but it’s now empty at 1/2.