Eagle

I have the NV3550 in my 2000 XJ. It's a MUCH smoother tranny than the AX-15, and it has better ratios. The AX-15 will be less expensive and more available, but IMHO the NV3550 would be far better if you can do it.

TJ Dana 30s are not a good choice -- they are low pinion. The XJ Dana 30 was high pinion through 1999, and in 2000 the XJ also switched to a low pinion front axle. The best choice for a front axle is an XJ Dana 30 with the larger u-joints, which would be one with ABS from about 1992 up, and I think any XJ from 1997 thru 1999.

^^^ :agree: :thumbsup:

The 2.5L and 2.8L share the same bell housing bolt pattern and use the same transmissions. On paper the 2.8L puts ot a bit more power, but in real life it is (as Pete wrote) an inferior engine. It is absolutely not worth the effort of replacing a 2.5L with the 2.8L. The 2.5 is an inherently superior engine, and can be tweaked to put out more power than the 2.8L.

No, it goes to the fuel pump. You're thinking or older Mopar cars that used a resistor on the coil.

What color and type of fabric do you need?

It depends on the AAL. Longer shackles allow the spring to flex more. Flexing more (meaning a wider range, not more frequently) induces fatigue faster than with a stock configuration, with the amount of flex limited by the suspension design and bump stops (if you still have them). An AAL that when disassembled doesn't match the arch of the other leaves will produce some lift for awhile, but it fatigues quickly because in essence it is fighting the other leaves. However, a "home-brew" AAL using (for example) another set of MJ main leaves with the eyes cut off the end doesn't have this problem. The arch in the AAL matches the arch of the other leaves, so the result is a stronger, longer-lasting spring. But ... you won't get a huge lift that way. Adding just an extra main leaf might generate an inch and a half of lift. But if you have a complete set of MJ springs, you can also trim the tips off the second leaves and splice them into your spring pack. You'll get more lift, a VERY durable spring, and if you don't use one-piece rebound clips that prevent the leaves from opening up a bit, you'll still have good articulation. A flexy spring with a lot of leaves is generally a better spring than one that has fewer, stiffer leaves.

You have a 2.5L 4-speed. Unless you have re-geared, your axle ratio is only 3.55:1. The 2.5L is a good engine, but it's not a powerhouse, and it does NOT make low-end torque like the in-line 6 does. The 2.5L needs to be up above 3,000 RPM to be making much power or torque. That's tough on a clutch. The reason it didn't feel like it had any power is simply that it doesn't have any power.

I'm not sure what kind of competition it is. The video title said "gymkana," which is pretty much the same as Autocross. The driving in the video, though, was more like drifting.

eeeeasssy trigger.........if we'd have known you were communicating via phone, as Pete correctly guessed, I don't think it would be a big deal. it's all good now. It's all good, except he's complaining about not getting any useful information, and I don't think anyone really knows what he's asking. I'm sure I don't.

The nutter bypass is normally done on 4.2L carbed motors isnt it? How would I apply this to my vehicle since I'm going from TBI to carbed? It was also done to the 84 and 85 carbureted 2.5L Cherokees. If you're going to go to a carburetor, you're going to need a distributor and an ignition system. The 84/85 XJ would seem like the most probable source, so it would make sense to do the Nutter bypass while installing the parts.

Where are you located?

I used to autocross, back in my pony car days. Season runner-up in class two years, state champion in class third year. That video was fun to watch, but if anyone were to actually drive like that at an event, if they weren't disqualified for being a hazard they'd be laughed right off the course. It's no different than drag racing -- if your tires are making smoke, you're not going anywhere and the name of the game is still to get around the course in the minumum time possible.

So the vent drums come out with the bezel? Excellent -- if I don't trash the bezel. Mine's a 5-speed, so I assume you want me to put it in 2nd or 4th. Where do I pull to have the bezel come off intact rather than in small pieces? Top? Bottom? Sides? Pull up like it's hinged at the top, or straight out?

The 2.5L engine came from the factory with a (junk) carburetor for the first two years of the XJ. I'm old enough to remember decent carburetors and they have a lot to recommend themselves. They're easy to work on, easy to rebuild (if you can find the kits), and they can be tuned. With injectors, the only "tuning" is to buy a larger or smaller injector. That one TBI injector for the 2.5L costs more than a carburetor would IMHO, if I had lots of $$$ I'd convert a 2.5L to a late-model, multi-port injected system and run a Mopar Stage 2 or Stage 3 cam. But if I were on a budget -- yeah, I'd throw a carb and an old-fashioned ignition system in it. Be sure to Google up "Nutter bypass" if you do this.

BUY IT! ("It's for the children")

Thanks, Taz. That makes perfect sense ... but it doesn't explain how one of the two center vents blows lots of warm/hot air, and the other blows less/colder air. I guess I need to look inside with a bright flashlight and see who/what's living in there. The FSM suggests that I can just pop the vent drums out of the face of the dash -- any verification that a fumble-fingers like me could actually do that without trashing the part AND the dashboard?

The Rancho is not a true "full" length AAL in an MJ, since the same kit also fits the XJ. It is pretty much a full-length in an XJ. It gives about 2-1/2" in an XJ and an inch less in an MJ. The kit comes with new center pins and a couple of rebound clips. (Not enough -- you can get additional rebound clips from Husky Spring www.huskyspring.com )

Yeah -- but the rest of us still have to try to figure out what he's trying to say. Life's too short - I speak English, not TXT MSG

I'm not sure. The late model XJs have a slightly more complex/civilized HVAC system than the early ones. I wasn't running a/c, just trying to get heat out of the face-level outlets rather than the under-dash outlets. I *THINK* the temperature is controlled by varying the blend of outside air and the amount of air from the heater core. But I'm not sure. But what has me baffled is why one half of the two center outlets (which look like they are in the same housing) has heat and the other one doesn't.

A few days ago we had a snowstorm that turned to freezing rain. Left a mess. My brother plowed my driveway, which basically left a sheet of ice. And it's a fairly long driveway, that gets progressively steeper (uphill) as you get to the street. Last night, unbeknownst to me, we had a dusting of snow. The snow cover just made the ice even more slippery -- if that's possible. My first clue was the sound of a truck engine revving up ... and revving up ... and revving up some more. I looked out to discover that FedEx had driven in to deliver a package, couldn't make it out the top of the driveway, and then backed into a snow bank trying to back down for a second try. So my day started by putting on warm clothes, boots, and trudging out to talk to the moron FedEx driver. They apparently have no system in place for if they get stuck. So ... I backed out the wife's XJ (hers came with a hitch, I haven't installed the hitch on my 2000 XJ Sport yet), backed up the driveway, and looped a snatch strap from the XJ to the support for FedEx's rear step platform. Then I had to explain to the dweeb (about six times :mad: ) to keep the steering wheel straight, put the truck in reverse, and NOT to gun it and spin the wheels. Took me about three modest yanks to get him free. So naturally he immediately tried to steer and back up under his own power. Mercifully, instead of smashing into the XJ he just managed to do a lateral traverse and get the opposite side of his truck stuck in the snowbank on the other side of the driveway. So, I explained yet again that he should just relax and leave the driving to us -- keep the steering wheel straight, let it idle in reverse, and let ME pull him into the center of the driveway. It took a few more yanks the second time, but I got him centered up. Then I cut him loose, parked the XJ as far away from him as I could get it, and walked out to the street so I could see when traffic was clear and wave him out so he could get a good running start. He made it. I don't think he believed me when I said I could pull him out with a Cherokee.

Dude -- This is a discussion forum, not a cell phone. Please don't use TXT MSG abbreviations on here, it makes it a LOT more difficult for the rest of us to know what you're trying to say. For example, what I see in the above is that you want to carry one more pound in the rear of your MJ. ("lb" is the abbreviation for "pound," remember?) The MJ is rated to carry 1400 pounds, so why you need to change the springs to carry one more pound doesn't make sense.

Rancho has a $50 full-length AAL that's good for 1-1/2" in an MJ. I'd go with that.

I have a problem with my 2000 XJ Sport that I need some guidance with. On a long trip last week, I noticed that when I have the heater controls set to blow through the outlets on the front of the dashboard, the two center outlets (the ones just above the radio) don't blow the same. The one on the driver's side will blow warm or hot air, and at a pretty forceful velocity if I have the fan up to anything besides the slow setting. But the outlet just beside it will be blowing cold or much cooler air, and at substantially less volume and/or velocity. I would have thought those two outlets would be fed from a common duct, but that's apparently not correct. Have any of you encountered this? Got any idea how difficult it might be to try to correct it? It has to get fixed -- this explains why my wife is never happy with where I have the heat set -- in order to send heat her way, I have to crank it up far enough that I get baked.

Argent is a color (silver/grey), not a style. The 9-slot wheel was indeed the base wheel on the YJ, but I don't think it survived to be used on the TJ. However, I've been wrong before (I just try not to admit it publicly).