Repair And Fix it

Removing either the front or rear bumper on the Jeep Cherokee requires basic hand tools and a few minutes time. Even a novice home mechanic can complete the process in the driveway at home or in the garage. The bumpers are not heavy so you can do the job by yourself but a second set of hands is helpful to support the bumper as the last bolts come out. The mounts never changed over the entire production run of the Cherokee, so no matter what year Cherokee you own, the bumpers come off the same way.

Instructions

Front Bumper

1

Slide under the front of your Jeep and locate the mounts where the bumper and frame rails meet. There are two side plates, one on the each side of the frame, with three bolts securing them to the frame.

2

Loosen the three bolts on both sides of the Jeep with a socket and ratchet. Remove two on each side but leave one in place so the bumper does not fall.

3

Remove the last two bolts, while supporting the bumper. Pull the bumper straight off the front off the Jeep. On older models, there may be a vacuum line attached to a ball on the inside of the bumper. Pull the line off when you remove the bumper.

Rear Bumper

4

Open the lift gate on the rear of your Jeep Cherokee then slide under the rear bumper of the Jeep. Locate the bumper mounts on the body of the Jeep; there are four bolts on each mounts that thread into the body.

5

Remove three of the four bolts from each mount using a socket and ratchet. Leave one bolt on each mount to keep the bumper from falling on you.

6

Remove the final bolt on one side with a socket and ratchet while supporting the bumper. Slide to the opposite mount and remove the final bolt there as well.

7

Pull the bumper straight off the rear of the Jeep. Set the bumper aside and close the rear lift gate.

A bumper jack raises a vehicle in either the front or rear to gain access to the parts underneath for repairs. An air bumper jack is a bottle design that uses air pressure to raise and lower the jack. In the manual mode, you pump the handle up and down to add air pressure inside the jack and extend the saddle upwards to raise it. An air compressor connects to the bottle jack to use for raising the jack automatically instead of pumping the handle up and down.

Instructions

1

Park the vehicle on a flat surface and engage the emergency brake. Place a wheel chock or brick in front of each front wheel if you are jacking the back up. Place a wheel chock or brick behind each rear wheel if you are jacking up the front of a vehicle.

2

Insert one of the two handle pieces that are smooth on both ends into the other. Press the spring pin in one, insert the other and align the pin with the hole in the second piece. The pin will pop out and hold it in position in the hole in the handle. Attach the third handle piece to the bottom of the first two pieces in the same manner. The bottom handle piece has a U-shaped fitting on the bottom end.

3

Insert the bottom of the handle into the release valve on the bottom of the air bottle jack. Turn the handle clockwise as far as it will turn to close the release valve.

4

Turn on an air compressor and let it power up until it cycles off. Attach the air compressor hose to the air compressor by pulling the quick connector ring back, inserting it onto the fitting and releasing the quick connector. Attach the other end of the air compressor hose on the air control valve on the front side of the bottle jack in the same manner.

5

Push the bottle jack with the handle to position it under the vehicle bumper where it attached to the frame while allowing access to the air control valve. The air control valve is above the air compressor hose fitting on the jack. Place a piece of wood or two-by-four board on the round saddle of the bottle jack top.

6

Grasp and squeeze the air control valve to add air to the jack and raise the saddle under the vehicle. Release the air control valve when the vehicle is high enough off the ground.

7

Place a jack stand under the vehicle to support it. Turn the jack handle counterclockwise in the release valve slowly to lower the jack. Pull the jack out from under the vehicle.

The nature of driving on roads anywhere in the United States has the issue of small bits of debris bouncing up and hitting the front bumper causing paint damage. The smallest of pebbles at 55 miles per hour can create a scratch or paint chip that will look ugly on a new car. This problem can easily be rectified with a trip to the auto store or dealer.

Instructions

1

Examine the damage to the bumper cover. if it is a large nick, more than 1 inch, you need to use the 200 grit sandpaper. If it is less, then use the 400 grit. You are not sanding a large surface. Hold the sandpaper between the thumb and forefinger and gently rub the damaged area. You are just trying to rough the surface.

2

Wipe the area clean. It is a good idea to use the damp cloth and wipe an area around eight inches around the damage, this will keep it from getting any excess dirt under the paint. Allow to dry.

3

Paint the damaged spot. The easiest way to do this is to carefully paint inside the damaged area first and try not to go outside the lines. The touch-up paint comes with a brush on the inside of the bottle connected to the cap. Allow the paint to dry.