Hi All,
I am the new owner of a 2004 wrangler, 6cyl, 5speed. I came out of a Toyota and I see exactly what I have been missing. I picked it up last Friday (3/25/16) and am loving it. As a preventative measure, I want to be sure that I keep up with maintenance. It has 98,000 miles on it and I am using it as a commuter. It has some mods:
-sub, amp, OEM speakers
-KC lamps on bumper
-2" lift
-bigger tires
Now, it seems to run fine, but I want to be sure to keep it running well since I drive about 100 miles a week (sometimes more). I just changed the oil. It seems to be losing coolant (I replaced that yesterday and this morning it lost a couple inches from the "full" line). I have been reading about it all day and seems like other users on here suggest that it is a rubber gasket issue. I have yet to trace it anywhere but hopefully I can do that in a week or so. I had it inspected yesterday and it passed. Sometimes, while accelerating, a chain or diesel noise seems to come from it. This is especially when accelerating around corners in second gear. Also, it is loud when in the cab while it is in neutral. Unsure if this is normal engine noise but figured I'd mention it. The sub is rattling, so I am almost positive it is blown.

Anything else to check, replace before I start romping around in it?

If it matters, I am in Philly, PA, so temperatures can dip as low as 10s in January and as high as 90s in August

I am open to thoughts and suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Congratulations on your purchase. Mine had a little crack in the bottom of the radiator. The top and bottom are plastic.. It wouldn't leak all the time. Also check the water pump.

Thanks for the info. Ill look this weekend.

Congrats on the Jeep! I have the same year with 4.0 and 5 speed. Love it! As for the noise while in neutral, that's normal. It had me concerned initially, but I've come to find that's just the noise the nv3550 makes. Sounds like it's gargling rocks. As a preventative measure I'd change the fluids in the diff, transmission, and transfer case in case it was under water previously.

it is possible that when you did the coolant, you burped the system to where it runs at an "OK" status, but could still have some minor bubbles lingering. are you checking the overflow tank when it's cold or warmed up?

my tank does show a couple inches below "FULL" when cold, but never goes any lower. it does go over by a half inch when warm, but this doesn't prompt to add anymore coolant.

if you were to pop the radiator cap off when the engine is cold, heater on full blast, and run it for about 10-15 minutes until the temps are at around 180-200 on the gauge, the coolant should remain just to the top of the radiator opening and just sort of dance up and down. some might surge out, so be cautious when standing near the front end as the fan will sling coolant all over. keep a water hose at the ready, making sure to wash or rinse away the overflow.

if you can get it to stay in the radiator with the cap off when it's fully warmed up, you can go ahead and cap it and continue to fill the overflow tank a little at a time over the course of a couple of days. but if you find yourself repeatedly adding coolant, you may have a blown head gasket if leaking is not evident.

oh, and jeeps like to do this thing where you're driving down the road at break-neck speeds (55-or-so-mph) and scare the piss outta you by having their own little seizures in the steering wheel...BE ADVISED.

and btw, welcome to the male version of the wife's book club

-Joe