Topic: *** Introduce yourself here! ***

[tbirde7]

Hello everyone another newbie here.  I just got my first jeep at 44 years young lol. It's a 98 TJ  2.5 chili pepper red.  I don't plan on doing any kind of lift.  I do plan on possibly rebuilding the engine and boring it out to get alittle more Hp.  I just ordered a pacesetter header and plan on replacing the entire exhaust with 2 1/2 pipe.  The Jeep is fun to drive can't figure out why it to me so long to get one.  Anyhow, I am a retired Marine GySgt "OOHRAH" living in Wilmington, NC if anyone is close and wants to check out Jeeps or work on em just let me know.

Thanks
Mike

[Steve97tj]

Whats up guys. I signed up for the forum a long time ago not adding much i guess but for some reason just had to re-register.

Anyways, I live in the upstate of south carolina and have had my 97 TJ for about 10 years. It's currently sitting on jackstands while i swap in a waggy 44/ford 8.8, stretch with a 3-link front, 4-link rear. Should have the rear done soon and i'll start tackling the front. Always enjoyed all the information i've gotten here and hope to maybe help someone out as well.

[JerryBransworth]

Hey guys, obligatory introduction post here. First forum I've ever seen with Epic Fail Guy emoticons, so that's win already.

I've been driving a 98 2.5L Auto TJ for 6 years now. Bumped it up to 33 x 12.50 tires and 2.25" BB about 3 years ago without regear, still on 3.73s. The 2.5L has been plenty for me for all my needs except for highway driving with this gear ratio. My main goal has been to keep the thing as fuel efficient as possible, so the quest for HP has been to restore the use of 3rd gear on the highway, which it lugs immediately out of right now and back down to 2nd, so highway driving is spent near the rev limiter at 4500 RPMs in second gear. To that end, I'm hoping that adding a bit more power will allow me to use 3rd gear on the highway again and ultimately increase drivability and fuel economy a bit in doing so.

I've already installed a 4.0L TB and done the 19g gas tank mod, but have not yet ported the intake manifold neck to match the TB. I plan to switch to a Ford electric cooling fan, swap in 19lb injectors, and port the neck of the intake manifold to match the TB, and to do each sequentially over the course of several full tanks of gas to measure the impact on fuel consumption. If that combination of things doesn't get me 3rd gear on the highway then I plan to swap in a Ford 8.8" rear and HP Dana 30 up front both geared in 4.56.

To anyone interested in the fuel efficiency of their 4cyl, I've been logging my mileage for the past four years and noting the points at which I did a few mods. I just posted that full history on JF along with a regression analysis I ran to analyze some of the variables. That post is at: http://tiny.cc/agwejw .

Thanks for the very informative site, I've used a lot of the information here already in executing some mods and optimizing the performance of my 2.5L.

[JerryBransworth]

Edit per above, not 19lb injectors, actually 4-pintle injectors in 24lb or whatever the j-yard replacement is.

[jmakinen]

So... how to start this.....

I've been in love with Jeeps since I was a kid. A friend of my dad used to stop by about once a month, and drove a clean red YJ, back in the early 90's. I used to love seeing that Jeep, and always wanted my own. My dad must've felt the same, because in 1995 he bought a brand new soft-top YJ. Growing up in Michigan, the Jeep was definitely put through it's paces. My dad drove that thing everywhere- old logging trails, up steep hills, over fallen trees. Our whole family loved that Jeep.
Eventually the Jeep started not loving our family back. Slowly sucking up money here and there, my father finally drove it into the backyard, and there it rests. Two weeks before leaving for Afghanistan, my father said when I come back, I can have the Jeep.
So now, I wait patiently for my time to return home. I have a great woman, and miss her much. I have a great family, and miss them too. And I really miss my dog. But most of all, I miss that damn Jeep!

[JerryBransworth]

Just make sure you get back here safe and we'll have a go at that YJ. It doesn't sound like it's going anywhere if it tried. When can we expect you back, 18 months?

In the meantime you just let that Jeep marinate. Come back to a nice dry-aged YJ and we'll put a spit shine on that thing that'll make dad proud. Best wishes over there, get back quickly and safely!

[hbdelux]

The new guy here. Had my share of jeeps. As it sits right now got a 95 YJ with 33s and slilp yoak elim.  Just returning for deployment in afghanistan can't wait to get my hands back on it. Lookin to do a soa and rim swap here soon. Well thanks for lettin me join!

[Pencejt]

Hello all, finally requested a login, but have got tons of good info. Thanks. I am in Chicago with my 95 yj
2.5 auto that is just turning 179000 miles. It is pretty much stock (for now) except for painted (khaki) hardtop and cammy wheels. 4.0 throttle body with stock airbox with restrictor plate off. Purchased last may daily driver. Just replaced head gasket, hand/dremel sanded guts and ports. Valve job (hand grind) replaced leaky htr core, waterpump, radiator, hoses, therm, and temp sensor, fuel and trans filter. Trans is srating to slip between 2nd and 3rd had ran low on way home due fo leaky hose. For now good ffor around town threw some amsoil in til I save more cash and look at my options for rebuild vs reman or new need least amt of down time one job deliv 3 days a week.

[jmakinen]

Just make sure you get back here safe and we'll have a go at that YJ. It doesn't sound like it's going anywhere if it tried. When can we expect you back, 18 months?

In the meantime you just let that Jeep marinate. Come back to a nice dry-aged YJ and we'll put a spit shine on that thing that'll make dad proud. Best wishes over there, get back quickly and safely!

I should be home right around the end of April/early May. I've been gone for about 4 months now, so only 8 more to go! And no, the Jeep shouldn't be going anywhere.

As for mods when I get home, I plan on the usual-

4.0 Throttle Body
Airraid TB Spacer
Port-matched Intake Manifold
FoMoCo Electric Fan
Better plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor
30 inch tires (because I have a new set already)
Inertia ring

And then the not-as-usual

S-10 bastard leaf pack lift
Spare head port-matched & polished at home
Either ported exhaust manifold or headers
AX-15 transmission
Ford 8.8 rear

Until I get home & start my build, I'll mainly be lurking around, searching, checking threads, and all that other jive. I rarely post unless I have a question I cannot find the answer to, so you probably won't see much of me posting. But I will be here, trying to figure out how to best build my heep... err..... Jeep!

[sharpxmen]

[...]
4.0 Throttle Body
Airraid TB Spacer
Port-matched Intake Manifold
[...]
Inertia ring
[...]
AX-15 transmission
[...]
I rarely post unless I have a question I cannot find the answer to, so you probably won't see much of me posting.
[...]

 - you don't need to port-match the 4.0L t/b to the manifold (it's large enough), you do need to do it for a bottom bored 4.0L t/b or 62mm t/b
 - unless you do a lot of low rpm crawling you don't need an inertia ring, it takes HP in normal operation.
 - go with an NV3550 rather than AX15
 - you should start your own build thread in Members Projects and updat it as you go, it's a good way to keep a log of your mods.

[jmakinen]

- you don't need to port-match the 4.0L t/b to the manifold (it's large enough), you do need to do it for a bottom bored 4.0L t/b or 62mm t/b
 - unless you do a lot of low rpm crawling you don't need an inertia ring, it takes HP in normal operation.
 - go with an NV3550 rather than AX15
 - you should start your own build thread in Members Projects and updat it as you go, it's a good way to keep a log of your mods.

Thanks for the advice! I'll be starting a build thread when I get home, can't really do much wrenching in the 'stan lol. I'll start a pre-build thread to get ideas for parts & advice on said parts, and stop clogging this up.

Oh, and I really like the way this forum is set up. Can't wait to pick a few brains, then show off my work!

[JerryBransworth]

- you don't need to port-match the 4.0L t/b to the manifold (it's large enough), you do need to do it for a bottom bored 4.0L t/b or 62mm t/b

Is this also true of the 2.5L TJ? Mine’s a ‘98 with a standard junkyard 4.0L TB, and when I put it on there was definitely a few millimeters of intake manifold lip on the inside of the TB. …I remember reading the dyno results from the guy who tried it in several configurations but can’t remember if it applied to my model. Mine seems to run a little rich – fouled out 2 cats 10,000 miles apart even after new 02 sensors – so I figured it might be a good idea for something I can do in the driveway. I’m aiming to use 3rd gear on the highway again (auto w/ 33’s) for better cruising speed and fuel economy, so I’ll take every little bit I can get. Any logic in porting the manifold on a ’98 2.5L TJ?

As for mods when I get home…

I’m also preparing for the electric cooling fan in the near term and probably the Ford 8.8 in the long-term. If I stay a step ahead of you I’ll be sure to post pics and notes. Stay cool over there, see ya in a couple months.

[sharpxmen]

Is this also true of the 2.5L TJ? Mine’s a ‘98 with a standard junkyard 4.0L TB, and when I put it on there was definitely a few millimeters of intake manifold lip on the inside of the TB.

well, i have a 95YJ, on mine there was nothing sticking out from the manifold opening inside of the 4.0L t/b. Now it also all depends how far down the sealing surface was machined from factory (the further down the larger the opening), if you put the t/b on and open the butterfly you'll find out quickly if there;s a need for that or not. don't use the gasket to figure it out, sometimes it is larger than the bottom of the 4.0L t/b (all the ones i've seen). if there is a need to match it would be minimal though, i have a spare intake i can measure and compare with a t/b (i'll do that later today and report back)

[JerryBransworth]

Oh man you don't have to do all that for me! I've been searching all over for an hour now for a writeup I've seen in which a guy overlays a 4.0L TB onto a 2.5L intake manifold with the gasket and gunk stripped and the surfaces really clean, and from an overhead shot you can see the neck on the manifold a couple clicks narrower than the base of the TB. I imagine the gasket obscures the direct observation for most swappers. The guy in the writeup took a dremel to it and opened up the manifold inlet to more closely match the 4.0L TB's output diameter. I've hesitated to do the same because I'm not very good at keeping metal shavings out of the work area. I recall he just stuffed a rag into the plenum, rubbed vaseline around the inside and shop-vac'ed everything clean when he was done.

Driving me nuts that I can't find the writeup or any pictures from it. Very rare that Google can't deliver. A couple guys in this thread sounded mildly satisfied with the result: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f12/porting-intake-341154/

I'm still undecided...maybe if I end up pulling something out of that area anyway I'd go for it. Thanks for the response though sharp, it seems like you're the one who's answered everything I end up searching for. I was going to ask for specific injector options for my '98 but already found a thread where you laid them all out already. Thanks for providing all the content a midnight searcher could ask for.

[sharpxmen]

no worries, i was in the garage all day but i forgot to look at it . good luck with your mods, keep us posted.