OP
That would be an interesting idea. Their is a comedic amount of space infront of the motor but would assume you’d need to run a very odd shifter set up or go auto to do.
4-cylinder build plan advice needed
- Thread starter The4bangertj
- Start date
That would be an interesting idea. Their is a comedic amount of space infront of the motor but would assume you’d need to run a very odd shifter set up or go auto to do.
For the shifter they did something like this. You're moving the transmission forward approx 6"
If you go with the Black Box I D20 combo you do not have to move the engine forward.
Only way you should do an auto swap is with more cylinders in front of it. 2.5 with an auto is the physical embodiment of crushing disappointment.
Are you currently having engine problems? With all the changes you are mentioning, I don't see it being wise to swap in another 4 cylinder, especially at the ~$4,000 price range. If your motor is worn out, and you need to replace/rebuild it, spend that money on a swap, at least to a 4.0. You could likely do a 4.0 and ax15 at the same time, and I bet both of those together would cost the same or less than a rebuilt 4 cylinder.
OP
I’ve always thought about swapping a 4.0 but assumed the cost and labor is more than just welding in new motor mounts and wiring making it almost a ground up swap still. If it really is that easy then i would be interested in just doing that too. My 2.5 has 200k on it with a slight valve tick but is healthy otherwise. A motor swap will atleast not be an option if this motor does go out earlier than i expected and still need to drive it to work every day as i would assume a shop cost to swap one would be more than just a 2.5 swap.
I would love to ls swap but i know that is a much bigger project than just an 4.0 swap and ive been under the impression that my 30/44 would also need to be swapped to hold the power too making it a huge cost difference.
Do this. Find a wreck that has been rear ended or rolled, that way you know it was driven to the scene. Keep it on standby until you're ready to make the swap.
Do you know why? Are you sure it's from the valve and not the injector?
OP
Hopefully I’ll have a garage at that point. How long do yall think it would take with a donor tj?
Im not 100% sure but the tick sounds like the same tick I’ve heard almost every 2.5 and 4.0 make so I’ve never been worried about it.
This is a Yes & No answer from what I understand. Obviously if you were to attempt this your best bet is to find a wrecked or since you're going back east a rusted donor rig so you've got something to pull parts off of.
You'll need new motor mounts for the 6 cyl. Then if you have a SYE on your transfer case you'd want to move that to the donor rig since your t-case is 21 spline. You'll need the 4.0 engine wiring harness & PCM. If you went with an auto (32RH) you might need to swap in the radiator from the donor rig.
The reason I've always said that it's about the same amount of work as a V-8 swap was that really the only thing you're not changing is the radiator for the 4.0 swap. If you did a Magnum V-8 swap it's blending about 20 wires and swapping the radiator.
As far as your axles there are plenty of people here who are running exactly what you have with 35" tires and a 4.0 with no issues. Your axles could handle V-8 power as long as you were dropping in a stock engine.
How fast can you swap drivetrains? Frame mounts need welded in too.
Then there is the inevitable chasing down of issues.
I would try to get a halfway decent cheap 4.0l tj as a donor that you can warm up and drive a little bit to verify shifting,etc. You might want to just put your body on the 4.0l jeep and anything else nice like ac or cruise. Then you can sell a 4cyl tj when you're done that has all the worst stuff on it.
With my track record I don't try to say it's a quick job anymore since every time I think it'll take 2-3 hours it takes me 2-3 days.
I've read of people doing a drivetrain swap in a long weekend but everything has to be right. As with everything there always seems to be those little things that take the longest to finish. You might have a running driving rig but then still have things that need to be fixed or tweaked over the next few days.
I've read of people doing a drivetrain swap in a long weekend but everything has to be right. As with everything there always seems to be those little things that take the longest to finish. You might have a running driving rig but then still have things that need to be fixed or tweaked over the next few days.
The only downside to v8 swaps is the emissions angle if applicable.
For the money i have into my stroker 6 i could easily have double the hp i have now,or high teens mpg's with a 5.3l.hell or a 2000$ 5.2l/ax15 combo. Smog rules are sunofagun to work around
OP
I just feel if I’m that close to using such little amount of the original Jeep left I should just buy a nice lj and swap all my crap over then sell the 4cyl lol
He has a 97 like mine so keeping it emissions legal is actually pretty easy. EVAP canister & purge valve & cat & O2 sensors and you're done. While the Magnum won't get the MPG of a LS it's the easier swap if that was his desire.
Obviously the 4.0 is the easier of the 3 swaps since it's all factory.
Then your budget goes from 4k$ to 20k,lol.
Body swaps are super easy. I combined a blown up 97 2.5l and a low miles 97 4.0l rollover sahara to make my father a great rig. All done i was 5k$ in for something he hasn't had to do anything to in about 8 years.
Mine is a 97 also. It used to be that way here but i wouldn't attempt a v8 swap on anything that needs smog these days. Which is why i mentioned smog potentially being an issue.
California wants to force me to play with older presmog toys? Lame but my 70 cheb needs some love anyway.
OP
Fair point lol same reason I never got an lj to begin with. Long term I was hoping to put historic tags on it ant some point where it’s not an daily and not have to worry about any inspections or emissions anyways.
Didn't know CA had gotten that bad. And WA stopped doing smog testing so I haven't had to deal with it.
All of WA? How did that pass with the
's in the seattle area?Thankfully my county only smogs apon purchase/sale or bringing a vehicle out of state.