New to jeep, need advise

junkpile

Well-known member
Actually if you're gonna wheel this thing just go out and buy a TJ Rubicon, long wheel base or short, your choice. Then throw on a set of 2" coil spacers and a set of 33' boots and you'll be ready to scramble up and down pretty much anything you point it at.
 

2Greys

Insert title here
Club Member
Actually if you're gonna wheel this thing just go out and buy a TJ Rubicon, long wheel base or short, your choice. Then throw on a set of 2" coil spacers and a set of 33' boots and you'll be ready to scramble up and down pretty much anything you point it at.

Ultimately that would be the cheapest way to do it. However that is usually a high startup cost. When I bought mine I would have loved to get a Rubi but they were around $18k at that point and my budget was under $10k. If I had bought one it would have been a lot cheaper in the long run.
 

Mitko

The G-Spot
Club Member
Also girl friends step dad has a cherokee from florida with 280 000 miles on it.
I aldo saw one with 350 k on the clock.
And also in 2005- 2006 I personally changed more than 10 engines , all of them 250 - 280K
this doesn't mean anything.
 

brylade

Well-known member
I agree with the 4L. That inline engine is bulletproof and you wont be starved for power. (I also find the jeep with bigger tires too heavy for the 2.5)
Most of the trails around here you can do on a 2-3 suspension lift with 33's.
Make sure you get one with a Dana 44 rear axle, you'll save yourself some money later on if you want to go with bigger tires.
 

imthegreat2004

Well-known member
Mitko, I think the ship has sailed a long time ago on any uncertainty of how you feel about Jeeps.
Like I said down south you can't throw a stick without hitting someone who has a high mileage jeep. Up here they are very hard to find if at all probably because of our climate but odds are it will be a pile of rust before you even come close to hit that mileage.

That all said he asked a question and now has your input. Can we go back on topic.
He wants to know:
2.5 or 4?
What to look for?

From what he has said he wants something he can DD and do some mild trails.

My opinion is go with 4L, if he was looking to do an engine swap to something bigger like a Hemi or SBC then get a 2.5 to save money (although he would probably get more money back for selling the 4)

I would look for a low mileage TJ with as little rust and not go above 31's or a 2" Budget Boost. The 200,000 I would go over it with a fine toothed comb more for the body and frame but also get a proper trusted mechanics opinion on the engine. The 4L have a lifter tick that is usually harmless but you should still be sure. (yes I would get Mitko's opinion if needed). Try to go stock as well and not one that has been built. Nothing more annoying than undoing a previous owners mods.

If he can get a hard top it saves wear and tear on the soft top. It won't keep it any warmer than the soft top but at least you don't have to worry about cracking the windows in the winter while cleaning it
Problem rust areas are where the Transfer Case Skid attaches to the frame, back portion of frame right behind the Lower control arm and the front fenders.

Things to look out for:
- bigger tires with no regearing. If you go bigger tires you should regear, it is expensive to regear and if you don't you end up burning more gas and losing power at the same time.
- 31's is the magic point where you can get before you start spending money. for 31's you just need to spend as little as $100 for a couple coil spacers (aka Budget Boost) or a couple hundred for a proper 2" suspension lift (better as it reduces coil bind). It is mild enough of a tire size increase that you don't need to regear.
- 2" lift is ideal for two reasons 1. You are putting 31's you don't need it tall and being too tall can have its drawbacks. 2. Around 3-4" of lift you start affecting the drivetrain by vibrations which will kill your Ujoints. A bandaid to this is to drop the transfer case skid but then you just decreased your clearance (plus it looks like ass). To properly fix it involves installing a Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE) (~200) which also involves buying:
- CV rear drive shaft (~$300-400)
- Adjustable upper control arms ($280)
- Adjustable rear track bar and Bracket ($300-400) (this is optional but reduces chances of shearing off bracket off axle)

You can fit 33's on a 2" lift but then you need to either bumpstop the crap out of it ( or put in a body lift or aftermarket fenders) and regear which usually is close to $2k taking all parts and labour into account.

Oh and talk to your insurance company before doing any modification to any vehicle they may have a no mods clause.

you have explained nicely. I guess i will first buy a jeep with minimum rust on it with 4 Liter engine. Then have to meetup with you guys to see what small mods i can start with. please keep me in mind for next meetup. really want to see what you guys have :)
 

imthegreat2004

Well-known member
I agree with the 4L. That inline engine is bulletproof and you wont be starved for power. (I also find the jeep with bigger tires too heavy for the 2.5)
Most of the trails around here you can do on a 2-3 suspension lift with 33's.
Make sure you get one with a Dana 44 rear axle, you'll save yourself some money later on if you want to go with bigger tires.

yes i agree with you, it means more power more fun
 

Garrett

Well-known member
Are you stuck on jeeps? Cuz suzukis work well a 4 door sidekick or tracker would be alot cheaper and a 2 inch lift you could do it for free on a suzuki
 

Garrett

Well-known member
Ok i guess if your a jeep guy theres no changing your mind. I tried :) if you got some time to kill check out ROUGHcrawl's. Pictures your lookn for a black two door sidekick. Its on 29s and ive seen it do very well offroad with open diffs
 

Kunker

Administrator
Club Member
Take some of the advice with a grain of salt here as some advice is more aimed at the future if you get hooked on wheeling and want to go a little more hardcore.

D44 rear - nice to have, but not a deal breaker. The Dana 35 rear in a typical TJ isn't the strongest thing in the world if you plan on going 33's, or a locker at any tire size. Based on what I hear, I'm thinking a spacer budget boost and 31's might be more your speed for a good look, and enough clearance for almost all of the local trails.

4L vs 2.5L - I'll always recommend the 4L, but again, not a deal breaker. Tim/OD built a quite capable rig with the 2.5, and while he did wish for more power, it worked.


As for the meeting, come on out, enjoy a :beer: and ask away. It's held on the last Thursday of each month, and typically is at the Cock'n'Bull Pub in Bells Corners. It's been under renovations for a few months, so I honestly don't know what the plan is. Keep an eye on the event section of the forum, though, for the week of the 30th. Details will be posted up a day or two in advance (we need to get better on that).
 

Kunker

Administrator
Club Member
btw are there any offroading trails near Ottawa area?

Yep, there are a bunch. Again, keep your eyes on the events section of the forum. We also try to keep the calendar up to date. One thing to mention is that we typically stay off of the trails for hunting season, so there may not be any coming up for a while.
 

2Greys

Insert title here
Club Member
Unless it's got zero rust I wouldn't give him the price for the 99. The 2000 isn't a bad price if it is clean of rust. Cheap tires, neither mentions soft top but you can get a brand new soft top aftermarket for less than $700.

For rust look at the seams where the tub is put together. On the 2000 it looks fine but under the rear door you can sometimes see them rusting there. As mentioned the top of the fenders are notorious for rusting out. There is a plate underneath right above the front tire which is supposed to be sealed but of course seals break down and you get water and mud trapped there and it rots them away. Push on that from the top. If there is any serious give it means it may be hiding it. Also check where the bolts for the Transfer case skid crossmember attach to on the frame. They can break free and need replacement. They don't show the underneath of the jeeps but take a peek inside the frame rails and see how much scaling you see. The frame normally has holes in it just look for ones that are rusted through. One thing I had wished I had done was look at the inside wall of the frame. My driver side front two TC skid bolts had busted free and the previous owner had cut two slots into the frame and used a normal nut. I didn't realize this until a couple months later when I was replacing my backup switch.
Odds are the 4L is an NV3550 transmission which is a good transmission but pay attention to how easy it goes into first gear especially from 2 -> 1. They can be notchy (and noisy as my 03 Liberty has one as well) but if you have to grind it to find it going into gear it may mean the synchro gears are going. It was more prevalent in the AX15 which earlier manual 4L had and was an issue for them as it ended up the lube they were using in them from factory were eating the brass.

Looking at both from pictures they look relatively clean though and the 4L doesn't have ABS for sure but that was an option back then but it looks like it has AC which is a bit rare up here (there weren't as many sold with AC in Canada compared to the US for some reason).
 

Kunker

Administrator
Club Member
99 mentioned it had both tops, but for the price difference, I wouldn't bother with the 2.5 unless the 2000 has more rust than it looks. I'd still try to get the guy with the 99 down to the $4K range.

Take the time to give both a drive first so you can see first hand the differences between the two engines, and to get a bit of a baseline on how they are "supposed" to ride. And print out what Chris wrote above - great advice.
 

imthegreat2004

Well-known member
hello guys, hope you had fun over long weekend. so finally i looked at the couple of jeeps and i don't know whether that's the way jeep is but after putting it in 4x4 gear it struggle to even move especially in full 4x4 gear. also i find some oil leaks under the engine and differentials. The owner said that its just because of oil fill ups. Any idea?
 

Garrett

Well-known member
Difficulty moving in 4x4 could be lots of things. Not being used could make it hard to get in. Could be low or no oil in t case. Or when you say struggle was it just moving slower than in 2wd because it could be a geared t case.
 
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