General Jeep Questions

I'm back in the market for my 3rd Jeep. I've owned an '88 YJ 6cyl and an '85 CJ 4cyl. The CJ was crap (bad engine, among other things) and the YJ wasn't too bad except for that dreaded carb. Anywho, I'd like to spend up to around $6500 CDN for one but I'd like to do it right this time. Hence, I have a few questions:

  1. I know the 87 to 90 carbs are crap on the YJ's. What are some advantages and disadvantages to the following: - 87-90 with a swapped in Weber - 91-95 with fuel injection - pre 87 CJ ...do I keep it stock? rip out computer? swap in something?

  1. I hear a lot of bad about the Puegot trannies in the YJ line. Is this just for the 87-90 ones or does it continue up to 95? What about the CJ trannies? I've heard the 3speed autos are good for off-roading. For some reason I'm hesitant to buy an auto ...is this unjustified?

  2. I bought one 4cyl 2.5L and everyone told me afterwards that it's a mistake to buy any 4cyl Jeeps. I've noticed anything with a 4 is pretty cheap compared to a 6 or 8. Is this because the 4 doesn't have enough power for a modified Jeep? What engines are the best? 4.0L hi output, 4.2L, old CJ
6cyl, CJ 304 V8?

  1. Are fiberglass tubs good for offroad, especially strength-wise? I live in the salt belt of Canada and so anything with a metal body rusts to hell but I've heard some horror stories of the glass tubs offroad.

  2. Are there any particular lift kits/body kits or other mods that I should watch out for? Any brand names or styles of doing them that will cause problems?

  1. Anything else?

Thanks!!!

Reply to
griffin
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The 2.5 is not a bad motor and is a pretty sturdy mill. (it is based off the old 232/258 block like 4.0 is) I have one in a 2000 Cherokee that I bought new that wife dirves to work and such and it has over

80K miles on it now and it has been very reliable and never failed to start and run well be it 20 below and near 100 out. It has stock sized tires and stock 4.10 gears and it does fine. It does not have the power to cruise 80 all day on hills but at lower speed and around twon the engine is very torquey and pulls very well for its size especail at lower RPM's. Where these engine "fail" as poor power plants off road is that people lift them up and put big tires on them and never bother to regear the axles. (they "think" they can tune fix this with exhaust and intake but they cannot) If you had a Jeep with 35's and a 2.5 with some 4.88 or 5.13 gears it it, it would surprize you how well it would do off road. It would not be a good high speed highway cruiser (not because of RPM from gears but because of increased drag from lift and tires vs power avaible) but it would be a fine off road machine that would be lighter up front, easier to keep cool and use less fuel off road extending the "fun time". I have been off roading and driving 4x4 for over 35 years now and some on the most fun vehcile I have had off road were smaller ones that were lighter and geared deep. One exception to this was back in the later 70's I had a friend in NC that had a old 52 Dodge miltary truck that looked like a jeep on steriods. It was 100% original complete and in very fine order. It had a flat head 6 banger that was good for about 70 HP or 80 HP so in this 3 ton "jeep" with a engine driven winch on front of it. It hand a total of 8 speeds did not care to go much over 40 MPH or so but it was a TANK off road (max speed in first low was just a few MPH) and would go anywhere you pointed it and if the hill was too steep to drive up, you could use engine driven winch to pull you up with no worries of winch overheating. I had a change to buy that thing back then and I regret not doing it and storing it and bringing it out to play with from time to time.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

The carb from 1982 to 90 is pretty much the same one. It 'is' a Weber-Carter BBD according to the cast on the float bowl.

I don't find 'any' trouble at all making any of these year's carbs just purr. I can go vertical up sand pit walls and hold 400 rpm as I chug to the top, so can any others I have tuned. We also get over 20 mpg highway 'and' pass Canadian emissions.

The big trick is to follow the tune up schedule. The carb is supposed to get a kit every time the engine gets new or refreshed spark plugs.

No one does this then they can't understand why a 20 year old carb runs like crap.

For all these years, it is easy to get rid of the computer which you have to do if you swap the carb out anyway or it will run like a pig and drink gas. That is the 'Nutter' bypass.

We have 315K km on our 88's Peugeot tranny. The clutch has been sometimes leaking fluid out for years and sometime not, but it still goes fine.

The CJ's had solid trannys, mine has the Borg Warner T5.

Yup, a 4 is lacking for modified vehicles if the gears aren't changed, other than that I have wheeled with a bunch of 4 bangers and didn't notice it at all.

Well, I have some some serious off roading here in Canada including having the rubber side up a couple times and my 'glass body is doing pretty good. I did manage to crack the glued seam where the firewall meets the floor in one roll over and crack the door post in an argument with a tree. Easily fixed.

I got a sweet body made from a gent near Kingston Ontario. Sucker has diamond plate in the firewall and a 1" waterproof plywood core in the floorboards sandwiched between the double shell. I got the one piece front flip clip for it.

Everything fit on perfect too including the hard doors and top and I fit my 'Laredo' chrome grill insert into the front clip no problem.

I had a local truck spring shop order in a new set of CJ springs. The took the pack apart and arched them for a 2.5" lift while replacing the top free leaf with a pre-arched 'keeper' spring.

The took my old front spring pack apart, arched that with another keeper spring to match the new backs.

This was in 2000 and it had held perfectly.

Good luck!

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06
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(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
Reply to
Mike Romain

You really need to go back and ask yourself what you really want to do with your jeep. The CJ's and back have a lot of nostelga and a lot of rust. Galavanized body sheet metal was introduced for the YJ models and the last 6 months of production on the Cj's For your price point, you really should look at the early model TJ's, you should be able to find decent '97 or '98 models for that money. Just as capable off road, much nice ride on road. 2" lift can be done for $100 with the spring spacers.

1) The Carter BBD can be a pain but properly set up and maintained, they are fine. Getting rid of the computer helps a lot.

2) I run a Peugot in my '87 behind the 4.2, never had any problems with it. Of course I tend to be a smooth driver and take care to not pound either the Jeep or the tranny even when I go funny places. You can take your chances, swap it out for the Asin-15, or just avoid those years.

3) The 4cyl is a solid and tough engine. Pretty anemic at 70 mph freeway speeds with the jeep aerodymanics but you will never notice the difference off road (ok, DEEP mud needs HP to spin the tires free)

4) No experieince with fiberglass.

5) 1" body lift is f> I'm back in the market for my 3rd Jeep. I've owned an '88 YJ 6cyl and an '85
Reply to
RoyJ

The 4 cyl. YJ's all have fuel injection, run decent, and the axle ratio is

4.10/4.11. If you're not going to completely overhaul it from the ground up, then maybe you're going to keep the existing axle ratio. The power is of course less than a six, but you don't have to deal with a carburetor and the axle ratio makes up for it to some extent off road. Unless you are mud or gravel racing you're not going that fast off road any way.

You can find unrusted bodies in New Mexico, but I don't know the import rules and regulations.

Saludos cordiales,

Earle

Reply to
Earle Horton

Hmm ok, so as long as I change the gears to match any mods I do, then this engine is good enough? I will only be using it as a "for fun" daily driver in the summer just for light inner-city cruising around with the top half off. The rest of the time it'll be used for mud offroading - nothing TOO serious but I do need some power to get out of the thicker stuff.

Are there any differences between the 4's of the CJ/YJ/TJ line? The 4cyl TJ's from '97 to '99 seem to go pretty cheap relatively speaking. I've seen some around 100 to 120km for 8-9000.

Reply to
griffin

I don't need any *crazy* mods but I'd like to put a 2.5" skyjacker spring lift and throw some 33" BFG MT's on. Should I change the gears for this? Is this a bad lift idea? Anything you'd recommend?

Reply to
griffin

Cruising around inside the city in summer and mudding (nothing insane, but still rough enough I want some good power). It will likely only get about

3000 to 5000km/year, if that. I just want some 33" BFG MT or similar, an ample lift to support it, and enough power to have fun in the mud.

How about the 2.5" skyjacker spring kit?

Reply to
griffin

I don't mind forgetting I have a 5th gear so I don't lug my engine with my 33's and 3.31 gears, but then I have a 'glass body and the 258 so it goes nice. I can still use 5th, but it costs gas, about 5 mpg better without it.

Off road we have low range so never have issues.

As mentioned, 'I' had a big truck spring shop do my lift. They do not sell gold plated springs like the 4x4 shops do or use platinum tools like the specialty shops also use. :-)

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06
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(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
Reply to
Mike Romain

The 4cyl is cheap because they aren't in such demand as the 6.

Trail riding, you won't notice the difference in power, assuming you are geared well. On the highway, that's another story.

The 4-cyl TJ's have 4.10 gears, you would probably want to change to at least 4.56 or 4.88 to get your engine in a decent power range.

Reply to
Matt Macchiarolo

That's bad, it means your shop can't send the kids through Harvard on the profit from a 2" lift, you didn't contribute to the economy nearly as much as you should have.

In other news, I had a transmission fluid leak on the '93 GC, it was up front where the transmission cooler lines connect to the transmission cooler. I took it to a shop that I trust and they tightened the hose clamps so I'm guilty of the same failure to contribute to the economy, I should have taken it to the dealer who would have replaced the transmission, radiator, cooler and then sold me a 2007 GC Limited.

Just think, if I'd done the right thing, I'd have a brand new GC with a

30 year mortgage..... you can't imagine how guilty I feel!
Reply to
XS11E

I also wanted the stock springs because I have the hardtop package with the big spring packs. I can load it full with roof racks and a back carrier rack and it just makes it ride smooth.... I run full usually on trips.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06
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(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
Reply to
Mike Romain

I think this is actually what is bugging me. Why is this the case? I just remember everyone telling me that my "little 4-banger" doesn't have the juice and I should sell it and invest in a 6. Is there a reason the 4's are so low on the resale market? I notice that most of the 4cyl are completely stock and often have the hardtop on in the summer so perhaps they are purchased by and stereotyped as "family Jeeps" for vacationing and just basically fun "soccer mom" vehicles.

Reply to
griffin

In my area, no soccer moms, they get suburbans. The 4cyl Jeeps are commonly bought as high school 'go to school' cars or as HS graduation presents. They are usually soft top, 4cyl verisions, driven in the summer, tend to sit all winter as the kids are away at school. Eventually the kid graduates from college, has no need for a 5 year old soft top while living in New York or wherever. And they certainly are not cross country road trip vehicles to visit the parents on a long weekend.

Also, take a look at the orig>

Reply to
RoyJ

This guy is so full of it. He thinks 3.31 gear with a 33's is a GREAT combo and he does not even know how to change a diff cover gasket let along a gear set or what it can do. DO NOT take his advise and ham string your on and off road performance. People like Mike are why some complain about needing bigger motors because they fail to understand the importance of gear ratio. I will not even get into the effect the tall gears have on wheel traction due to torque inpout into a tall ratio with bi tires because this completely escapes Mike because he beilieve ina magic force that keep both wheel planted the same regardless of drive shaft input torque. He does not even like know what Newton Law is let alone how it applies here

Another stupid answer, 33's without regear reducing power about 15 to

20% in a ALL gears and ranges if you do not regear.

Yep you talk big but farm everything out.

YOue may call this a attack but when some one is looking for advise starting out they do not need your "foorget 5th gear and use low range" as the right way to do things. You give Jeep owners a bad name.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

Again the reason for this is that there is a LOT of guys out there like Mike Romain that act like "experts" and know it all and tell you to install lifts and big tires and keep stock gears and so what if you loose 5th and need low range all the time. (hello, this is telling you that you have a gear ratio problem) It is mentallity like this that causes this hype about it being a bad motor because many think the solution is a tune, bigger carb or custom exhaust and if that fails, a bigger engine rather than realize that deeper gears will help a LOT more overall. (not just a opinion but rather the physics of it all too) I knew a guy that had a old YJ with a 4 banger and 35's and 5.13 gears in it and he beat the heck out of it off road and it held up and surprized many as to what it would do and where it would go. He finially killed the motor when he hydrolocked it and busted it when he sunk it unexpectadly. BTW, it had over 150K on it too.

One day I may buy one more Jeep (I have owned over a dozen 4x4's in over 35 years and four of them Jeeps) I what to find a old clean YJ one of the last years built with a 4 banger that has not been lifted and do a mild lift and runs maybe some 33's andwith some 4.88's or so in it and just play around with it. It will not be a daily driver. BTW, I have a old and now rare J20 Jeep truck that I have owned for almost 22 years now that is still 100% stock and it is a beast. With its 4.10 gears and 360 V8 with stock sized bias plied nasty traction grip 10 ply tires, you rarely need low range for anything. This is the way I like my 4x4 geared so low range is used when you need a slower speed, not because you are so over geared that you cannot do much without it off road.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

It's not a bad mill, but most TJ's end up with the six mainly because of the "more is better" perception. There is almost no aftermarket support for the

4-banger, and there is little you could do to tweak it for more power.

For a trail vehicle or a build up basis, I think it would make a good choice since it would be lighter and there tends to be fewer "bells and whistles" on the SE models.

Reply to
Matt Macchiarolo

Maybe, if you show us some pictures of your Jeep doing something, like Mike's pictures at:

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Or doing some climbs,like mine:
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or:
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or:
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Andnot an example of your poor workmanship, a YJ that doesn't even have an aircleaner:
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God Bless America, Bill O|||||||Omailto: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com
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Reply to
L.W. (Bill) Hughes III

Lies and more lies.

And you know nothing about jeeps.

Or much else, loser.

Hahahahahahaha!

Reply to
Pink Freud

Careful, what he /really/ wants is a picture of YOU to add to his huge collection of Usenet Men.

And everyone but Billy knows why.

Reply to
Pink Freud

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