96 Swap

[jdog]

real questions are how much work do you want to do?

If you get a offer during your swap are you gonna want to finish the 96 swap?

How good at electrical are you and do you feel confident enough to figure out the harnesses?

how long are you wanting this project to take? are you gonna need this for school or is it like a second vehicle?

keep in mind any project started usually takes longer then expected to finish( but you should know that)

 

[89 MJ]

9 hours ago, jdog said:

real questions are how much work do you want to do?

If you get a offer during your swap are you gonna want to finish the 96 swap?

How good at electrical are you and do you feel confident enough to figure out the harnesses?

how long are you wanting this project to take? are you gonna need this for school or is it like a second vehicle?

keep in mind any project started usually takes longer then expected to finish( but you should know that)

 

It can be a second vehicle. I’m comfortable with all of the wiring. 

[cruiser54]

Just not worth it. Keep the Renix and get driving it. Easy. 

 

HO myth buster

Renix in 90 made 182 HP. HO in 91 made 190 HP. That's 8 HP difference. 

HO only made more HP than Renix at higher RPMs and not a bit more torque. HO had a 58 mm throttle body versus a 52 mm throttle body on a Renix. That’s 20% more air available through the HO throttle body. The HO also had a better design header. See where I'm going with this? 

It’s only a 4% horsepower increase…..

The whole 8HP was not mostly from the head, but from the bigger TB and better exhaust manifold.

Put a 60mm TB from www.strokedjeep.com on your present manifold using the Renix head, eliminate the "crush" in your headpipe with proper re-routing, and go for it. 

HO stands for Highly Overrated.
 

[89 MJ]

37 minutes ago, cruiser54 said:

Just not worth it. Keep the Renix and get driving it. Easy. 

 

HO myth buster

Renix in 90 made 182 HP. HO in 91 made 190 HP. That's 8 HP difference. 

HO only made more HP than Renix at higher RPMs and not a bit more torque. HO had a 58 mm throttle body versus a 52 mm throttle body on a Renix. That’s 20% more air available through the HO throttle body. The HO also had a better design header. See where I'm going with this? 

It’s only a 4% horsepower increase…..

The whole 8HP was not mostly from the head, but from the bigger TB and better exhaust manifold.

Put a 60mm TB from www.strokedjeep.com on your present manifold using the Renix head, eliminate the "crush" in your headpipe with proper re-routing, and go for it. 

HO stands for Highly Overrated.
 

Thanks. I’m going to be using your website through the swap. 

[Pete M]

1 hour ago, cruiser54 said:

Just not worth it. Keep the Renix and get driving it. Easy. 

 

HO myth buster

Renix in 90 made 182 HP. HO in 91 made 190 HP. That's 8 HP difference. 

HO only made more HP than Renix at higher RPMs and not a bit more torque. HO had a 58 mm throttle body versus a 52 mm throttle body on a Renix. That’s 20% more air available through the HO throttle body. The HO also had a better design header. See where I'm going with this? 

It’s only a 4% horsepower increase…..

The whole 8HP was not mostly from the head, but from the bigger TB and better exhaust manifold.

Put a 60mm TB from www.strokedjeep.com on your present manifold using the Renix head, eliminate the "crush" in your headpipe with proper re-routing, and go for it. 

HO stands for Highly Overrated.
 

 

 

all true points.   (though I'm sure Don would argue against that last one ) 

 

but for this particular truck I feel the 96 harness would be better.  Us hardcore nuts know the older Renix stuff can work just fine, but he's looking to sell a highly modified MJ.  True originality is already out the door.  having OBD2 can become a selling point on an already update truck where he's looking for top dollar. 

 

but we're arguing over someone else's time and money so the choice remains his. 

[Minuit]

HO myth buster buster:

 

+ Significantly better electrical design out of the box, affecting almost all systems.

+ Cleaner engine bay layout.

+ More options easily added, including cruise control.

+ Easier upgrades, including 95/96 brake booster, ZJ disc brakes on D35s starting in 1990, and 120mph speedometer. Larger pool of drivetrain parts with year-correct spline counts for easy 4WD conversions or replacements in case of mechanical failure.

+ No more cable-driven speedometer or janky cruise control setup with outboard computer. Cruise control functionality is now built into the ECU.

+ Standard oil filter thread out of the box.

+ No more dealer-installed A/C hackjobs.

+ Larger A/C compressor.

+ Improved cooling system reliability.

+ Self-adjusting ECU that learns a tune, supports bi-directional controls, and throws fault codes. 1996 uses the bare minimum required OBD-2 integration with the old body style.

+ Significantly simplified vacuum system.

+ Adjustable rear proportioning valve.

+ One key for all locks.

+ Grille can no longer be installed upside down.

+ 2.5L engine uses multi-point injection with similar design to 4.0L engine.

+ Deliciously corny early 1990s graphics and stripe packages, essentially standard issue.

+ HO Comanches are far rarer than Renix-era Comanches, and will probably go up in value more.

      -Not so nice if you're in the market for one.

 

- Boring interior choices.

      +but all of the interior parts save the gauge clusters and clocks are the same as the Renix years.

- No Renix Engine Monitor substitute

- Power windows and locks removed from Comanche option list

      +but can be added back seamlessly using entirely factory components that are correct to the year by making two wire splices.

- Less factory chrome, if you're into that.

      +but that has not historically been much of a roadblock for ***chrome freaks***.

- Less like owning an old car, because for the most part it just works. Some people enjoy the tinkering factor, which is essentially the only reason I still own my 89.

- Smaller pool of fuel sending unit donors.

- 1996 has a lot of one-year parts.

      +but they made more XJs in 1996 than any other year.

 

These are the real benefits of the HO years. 8 HP and a single ft-lb of torque is academic. All of Renix's faults can be overcome by a savvy and persistent owner, but a HO truck is so much more likely to just damn work. This is factory-vs-factory and does not factor in a Renix to HO swap, which is by its very nature a lot of work and presents plenty of opportunities for hackjobbery.

 

Not necessarily an exhaustive list. I wouldn't strip a truck to the firewall for the sole purpose of de-Renixing it, but the temptation would be very real if I were also doing an engine swap.

[89 MJ]

Thanks, this is all being considered. 

[Pete M]

28 minutes ago, Minuit said:

+ Grille can no longer be installed upside down.

 

 

less to do with the topic at hand, but kudos to you nonetheless.   

 

 

 

[omega_rugal]

On 8/11/2020 at 7:53 AM, cruiser54 said:

The whole 8HP was not mostly from the head, but from the bigger TB and better exhaust manifold.

 

what about cam profile? in order to get rid of the EGR they added more overlap, i´m no expert but dint that moved the HP and torque up in the RPM range?

[cruiser54]

Same cam 87 to 96. Maybe longer.

No more torque anywhere than what a Renix had.