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Motor swap, mj-mj, 2.5-4.0


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Okay so I have acquired a donor mj a 1991 4.0 auto 4x4 sb. The frame is completely rotted to $#!& and not worth saving. I have a 1988 2.5 5spd 4x4 Lb.

 

I plan to do a motor/tranny swap since my body and frame on the 88 are mint but it has the small 2.5. The 4.0 with the bad frame fires right up and drives but the frame starts to fold.

 

So I'm looking for as much input as possible since I plan to start the swap in 3 weeks.

 

Here's my plan. Park them side by side and gut my 2.5 completely pull the motor tranny tcase and all the electronics. Then I plan to swing in the 4.0 and tranny bolt it in then attach the tcase and cross member. Next I plan to bring over everything from the 4.0 motor bay and bolt it in leaving just the harness. Once everything is over I plan to bring the harness over and connect it.

 

Now all that should be left is my interior harness and ecu. So I plan to bring over the interior harness and ecu and hooking it up then bring over the 4.0 steering column (column shift) and it should be

 

And I know I have to have my driveshaft rebuilt but is there anything I'm missing or should do differently or tips I feel it should be straight forward and easy since it's a full donor mj

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Find someone who needs the 2.5 parts, brackets, pulleys, etc........they have become impossible to source these days. 

 

 

Sounds like you got it, straight forward.....but, of course, nothing is ever straight forward. 

 

Fuel system too, rad support, rad. 

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@Jeep Driver I know the rad and rad support luckily it's a bolt in swap. But what exactly with the fuel system other then the pump. I know the 4.0 pump puts out more then the 2.5 but that's it.

 

Also @omega_rugal somewhere I saw a list of roughly how many of each model was built even down to the packages

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 i found this

 

MJ Production numbers:

 

1985: 29,245

1986: 33,386

1987: 43,070

1988: 43,718

1989: 25,311

1990: 9,576

1991: 5,188

1992: 952

 

XJ Production numbers:

 

1984 - 93,326
1985 - 120,328
1986 - 107,225
1987 - 139,295
1988 - 187,136
1989 - 207,216
1990 - 151,230
1991 - 151,578
1992 - 137,826
1993 - 144,961
1994 - 123,391
1995 - 120,234
1996 - 286,463
1997 - 258,958
1998 - 182,845
1999 - 186,116
2000 - 165,590
2001 - 120,454.

 

but nothing about trims or engines... btw, the XJ do outsell the MJ by... a lot

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If I were doing it, I would first pull everything out of the good truck, clean and paint the inside of the engine compartment, then swap over the 4.0L wiring harness first. I'd do the engine and drive train last, after the harness is all in place.

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If I were doing it, I would first pull everything out of the good truck, clean and paint the inside of the engine compartment, then swap over the 4.0L wiring harness first. I'd do the engine and drive train last, after the harness is all in place.

 

Yes, this.  It's MUCH easier to run the harness without the engine in the way.

 

You also need to redo your fuel lines.....the 2.5 ones that attach to your TBI won't work with the fuel rail and return line on the 4.0.  The 4.0 lines have QD's on them, but the 2.5's don't.  I opted to splice in the 4.0 ends (cut out of a junkyard XJ) into the existing hard lines along the front framerail.  Again, much easier to work on without the engine/tranny in the way.

 

Eagle it's 2 separate harnesses right. And only go threw the fire wall at the bulkhead

 

It's one big harness but it can be disconnected into 2 separate pieces on the passenger side at the ignition coil area.  The headlight harness is also a separate harness that plugs into the driver side part of the main harness.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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