89 MJ

Compression is fairly even, that’s a good sign. Numbers seem a little low, but these weren’t a high compression engine from the factory and none seem too low to run. I agree with the spark plug assessment. Ticking sound could be an exhaust leak or something with the valvetrain.

A lot of drifters use them too. I’ll have to do more research about those off roaders. Makes me wonder if it’s off roading where the tires are spinning a lot of time or if it’s under traction. They seem like a great trans so long as it is controlled with the same computer as the engine and the engine is detuned for shifts. Chrysler uses these in Hellcats, Demons, and 3/4 ton trucks after all, but they take a ton of power out of them for shifts, which couldn’t really be done with a separate engine and transmission computer from my research.

My vote is to keep it. You’d be hard pressed to find another if you decided you want another down the road.

I saw they said it was only for 96+ Jeeps. It would make it so much quicker and so much better on fuel. I did go through a bunch of research with this the other day in regards to putting one of these transmissions behind an LS. A lot of this information will be relevant though. You need a lot of parts. 1. transmission 2. transfer case/transfer case adapter 3. Bellhousing adapter 4. flexplate/torque converter adapter 5. Driveshafts 6. transmission computer Just the transmission, TCU, and adapter will run about $5k from my recent research. For that kind of money, I’d be looking at an LS swap. The other problem is with the shifts. The Chrysler computer detunes the engine when the trans is going to shift. The aftermarket trans computers don’t have the capability to do that because it is just for the transmission. Probably not a huge deal with our low powered Jeeps, but still something to be aware of when you’re in a high traction situation. To me, something that is very important is parts being able to be found. Let’s say the ring gear on this custom flexplate goes bad. How long will it take and how much will it cost to get a new one? What happens if he decides to stop making them in a couple of years? Ultimately, possible parts availability in the future and the risk of blowing through the clutches in a high throttle high traction situation were why my dad and I decided not to go that route in his truck.

Happy new year!

Another parts truck for this project acquired

Merry Christmas!

I looked into them a little bit. They're a smaller diameter than a stock one and they seem really expensive for what they are. For antidisestablishmentarianism I use my truck for (primarily daily driving and hauling stuff), it doesn't really make much sense for me to run a more off road style sway bar.

I've heard that about the older CRVs before. I think 87MJTim has or had an early 2000s one as well and really likes it. It seems that Honda made them more of a car though in the more recent years and made them less like what yours is. Mine is also AWD, but I don't think it is selectable. I will say, mine does have the optional aluminum 17" wheels instead of the basic steelies and it has leather, so maybe they put firmer foam in them so that the leather wouldn't break down. When you take mine out of eco mode, it does pretty darn good on fuel. 28 on the highway and 24-25 in the city. In eco mode, it does worse. 22 city and 26 highway if you baby it. The acceleration is ok. I think its somewhere near 180 hp, so it is probably a little quicker than an MJ. It is very much lacking in the low end torque department and the throttle response is pretty poor. You step on the gas, wait, and then it goes. I also doesn't seem to want to kick down ever. Probably fuel economy stuff. Considering how stiff the suspension is, you'd think it would hand well. It does not though. When you going around a corner, it feels like you turn the wheel, the weight transfers to the side opposite of the direction you're turning, and then it starts to go. You don't get much steering feel from the steering wheel either. These are all problems because I like taking corners quickly. If you don't every really take any corners at speed, you probably wouldn't notice these issues, but for me, its not confidence inspiring.

I didn't have to and I am not sure why your manual thinks that you would have to.

I wouldn't replace them unless there is something wrong with them. Repacked originals will likely outlive new ones. If you do need new ones, look at Timken. Most of those are made in the USA.

You have to do them both at the same time

A coin op car wash would work instead of a pressure washer

You do need to remove the mechanical fan. The mount for it is symmetrical, so no need to worry there. Correct on the pulley as well. I would not flush the system if the coolant appears to be in good shape. Before you start this, I strongly recommend spraying the engine with degreaser and pressure washing, being careful of electronics.

Please do yourself a favor and think about this a lot and drive a few. I have a 2014 that is my vehicle for going to school. It gets decent mileage, I'll give it that. The throttle response is pretty poor, the seats are uncomfortable, it is not a good handling vehicle, has a lot of road noise, the AC is not cut out for commuting around town, and it rides like a lumber wagon. I grew up riding in full size half ton and three quarter ton GM pickups and Jeeps for the most part. Most of my driving miles have been a 2000 three quarter ton GM 4x4 truck, my MJ, my Eagle, and this CRV. The CRV is the roughest riding and worst handling one of the bunch and its the lowest mileage, so its not worn out and my grandmother bought it new. My family and friends that have all either ridden or driven it have all come to the same conclusion. It is not a pleasant vehicle to be in. With the amount of time I spend driving this year with work and school, I have shipped my Eagle to me to be my daily driver instead.

I even reread the post before I commented. Whoops

You’ve got the bug now too That looks great, thank you! It being tucked up higher makes a huge difference.

Is the spare tire moving around? Lug nuts all torqued?

I think you're on the right track with a 2 post as long as you have enough slab for it. In my opinion, these are primarily for steering, suspension, and brake work. All three of those require either the wheels off or weight off of the suspension a lot of times. A 4 post would be much better for storage. The downside to the 2 post is when you walk into one of the arms or hit your head on the suspension, it hurts a ton. It's always right in the back of the head too. I'm not sure what brand lift my Dad has, but he's had it longer than I've been alive and its never had an issue. If I remember, I'll get the brand next week. I can tell you that it is 14 feet tall and I wouldn't get one much shorter than that. With the cables going over the top, it means you can only lift the top of an MJ to 12 feet or so. That sounds like a lot, but I need to duck a lot when working under it and I'm 6'ish. Make sure you get one that the cables go over the top of the vehicle, not along the ground. I've seen it where you can't hardly push a vehicle over the plate covering the cables when they are across the ground.

When my MJ comes down here, I might have to PM you to get the locations of these trails or put a little trail ride together. This looks like a blast!

Good to know, thank you. I really liked the end link brackets that he used. I kept the stock sway bar brackets on my 8.8 and the TJ ones look very similar, so with a little luck, I should be able to reuse them after slotting the holes if necessary.

I've been doing research on sway bars both for the front and rear of the MJ. I would like to upgrade the front too, but at the very least, I am wanting to run a rear sway bar. My truck is lifted, but that is irrelevant. The truck is lifted and it is staying that way, I'm not afraid of modifying sway bar end links if I have to. My truck is a SWB, so the bar must go behind the rear axle. I am also not willing to give up my 31" spare mounted in the factory location. Here's the other kicker: my truck has an 8.8 in the rear which does not have a centered pumpkin. I drive this truck pretty hard through corners and now that I have buckets that hold me in the seat nicely, its time to address the next handling shortfalls, shocks and sway bars. I know it is a solid axle Jeep and will never be a sports car, however this truck is mostly a pavement princess and it hauls stuff fairly regularly. The sway bars become a safety feature at that point. I know that some XJs came with a 28mm (~1.125" for those of us who despise the metric system) front sway bar. This is the route I will go if there is not something better out there for the front, but finding a used one in good shape might be tricky. The only aftermarket one I saw was the Addco 516 1.125" bar, but it looks like its possibly out of stock. Has anyone found any other 1.125"-1.250" bars that work that are either aftermarket or from a different vehicle? Now for the rear bar. I have found a few options here. There is the Addco 468. This seems to be out of stock and I do not like that it attaches to the shock mounts. That would be a lot of force on the shock mounts. Would it be fine? Probably, but I just don't like it. It is 7/8", which is the size I want for a rear bar. Next is the WJ rear sway bar, done in this thread. I really like that this is a run of the mill part that is not some aftermarket piece, but there are aftermarket upgrades. I also really like the mounting and might copy that depending on the route I go. I do not like the potential for interference with the leaf springs, nor the fact that a stock one is only 9/16". The third option is the 95-05 Blazer rear bar. This is probably my favorite so far. Its a GM part, so there is plenty of aftermarket support for it. Its also big. I believe it is 0.875", like the Addco. Next week, I am hoping to be checking out a 98 Explorer rear sway bar. I believe it is a 9/16" bar, but there seem to be some aftermarket options for upgrades. I also like that the mounting to the axle should be simple since it is a sway bar for an 8.8 going onto an 8.8. Has anyone done any of these rear sway bars or anything else worth considering?

I think its worth more than that. A nice 4.0 truck is worth 15-20k. This is a lot more truck than that. That said, I can't say what its really worth.

I have some thoughts on this. Thanks a lot! Now you have me wanting to add a rear sway bar and a bigger front sway bar to my truck I am going to be looking at a 98ish Explorer rear sway bar next week for my truck. I will report back if I have a chance to do that.

Looks like a good truck. Seems mostly straight and solid, so you've got a good starting point.