vintagetech
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- pennsylvania
ok, so i'm just looking for a sanity check here from people much more expirenced before i go starting any real work. i've just recently purchased my first jeep, a '95 cherokee, quite by accident. (my jetta got totaled and it was all i could afford) it's a good vehicle, and i am getting to like it. gas milage is killing me, but there isn't too much to be done about that from what i've read.
so now that i've had the jeep for a bit, and have done my reading on them, i've started to work out what i'd like to do with mine. a lot of this is going to take time (money, time and daily driver issues all playing their part) to get done, but some things are going to need to be done soon, and i figure if i'm going to do anything with it, it'll pay me well to plan all this out before i start any work. that said, here's what i'm looking at:
this will be a mostly daily driver vehicle. while i do intend to take it offroad at least occasionally (in no small part because i refuse to be one of those people who buys a 4x4 and never uses the four wheel drive, i have to lug that extra axel around, i might as well use it) it will likely spend 95% or more of it's time on suburban roads. with that in mind, i don't want to do anything like 7" lift, 35" tires, or full lockers. all of that would be wasted for my current use of my jeep, not to mention making it harder to drive, and possibly my gas milage worse. among the things it needs right now, are:
1. a new set of tires (currently 225/75/15 front, 245/75/15 rear. don't blame me, that's the way i bought it.) matching tires are definately important, so i've gone over a number of brands and sizes, and i'm currently wondering what you'd suggest. again, mostly daily driver, but i don't want to sacrifice any more of it's offroad performance than i have to. i'm currently looking at either sticking to stock size, or putting either 245/75 or 265/70 all around. brands that i'm considering are general (these looked nice, and cheap), kumho, or dunlop. any other suggestions on size or brand would be appriciated. i'd prefer something that i could if i chose go to any tire seller and purchase insted of something i need to order special.
2. new shocks. my rear shocks are starting to make noise, so i'm going to need to replace those soon. there are lots and lots of different shocks available for this vehicle, and i'm having one hell of a time figuring out which one would be preferrable over any other, mostly because there isn't really any numeric way to compare how hard or soft they are under different circumstances. the obvious solution to me is to get a set of adjustables, that way i can tune it to the way i drive, but those are pricey, and no gurantee to be any better than a fixed set. i drove my jetta for a long time, it handled any curve i ever threw at it at any speed. i must confess, i drove like a maniac. it's a rough transition to something this big. with that in mind, i think i'd like a slightly stiffer shock for street use (or anything else to prevent as much of that body roll as i can) but when i do use it offroad, i'm sure a softer shock would be better. i also have no intention at this point of lifting it. i may at some point (probably shortly after the first time i get it stuck on or hit something) but not soon. advice here is most needed, unless i want to stick with stock, or play russian roulette, and just order something.
3. "rear main seal" from what i understand, it's the crank seal at the flywheel. to replace this, i've been told that the transmission needs to be dropped to use a one piece seal, which is supposed to be better. i've read that it can be done without using a two part seal, but i don't consider myself good enough to do it without scratching something, and i know that i'm not good enough to replace the things i might damage if i did. not that i have any question about replacing a seal, but i do want to replace the transfer case while the transmission is down. it's not something that i "need" to do, but living near phila, a straight fourwheel drive vehicle isn't all that useful in most driving conditions. even when we do get enough snow here to actually cover the roads, within 12 hours (this winter being an exception), usually due to plowing, the roads are a mix of snowcovered and clear, and little way to know what you're going to find when you turn on to any particular one. that says to me, that replacing my 231 t-case with a 242 would make my jeep much more useful to me when bad conditions do arise. from what i've read, it seems like this should be a very simple thing to do once the transmission has been pulled. the most confusion i have on this right now is the spline counts. i have the 4.0 HO, AW4, nv231, chrysler 8.25 / dana 30. it looks like i should have a 23 spline output, though i don't know any other way to tell but by included equipt. the other thing i've read about i believe is the slip yoke. these changed at points, and i can't figure out what i'd need to do to adapt one type to the other if needed (would this be fixed with the SYE?). if i can be sure of the spline count, i should be able to go to any salvage yard, yank a 242, shifter and bezel (from any jeep, or just an XJ?), and pretty much just drop them in mine right? am i underestimating the effort involved in this with the trans already removed to do that seal? is there any major reason i wouldn't want the 242? is there any way to test one of these before i install it, or is it just bolt and pray?
4. wheels. i think i'd like to put a set of lower backspace wheels on it. i loved my jetta, and while i know all too well that my jeep will never be the low-slung sporty sedan my jetta was, i would really like to do what i can to improve it's handling. i drive hard, and i know it. my jetta was nearly always either at full-throttle, or stopped. if i can make my jeep corner a little faster and more stabily, i want to do it. from what i've read, factory wheels are 5.25" backspace, which says that going to 3.5" with an 8" wheel would give me some significant extra width. i'm sure fender flares would need to be modified, as well as possibly some other things, and i've read very different accounts of possible wheel bearing damage due to low backspace wheels. i would love to hear some thoughts on this, as well as a side question about wheel width. how wide a wheel should i have for say 225 to maybe 295 tires? (i seriusly doubt i'd ever go bigger than 295) stock are 7, 8's are widely available, 10's get more expensive, and would there even be a reason to run 10's for me?
5. diffs. again, not something i need to do, but something i think could seriously improve the vehicle. i said i don't intend to do anything serious off road with it. no rock crawls for me (yet). so putting something like a detroit or lunchbox in it seems kinda stupid. i'm having a hard enough time getting it to handle the way i want it to as is. on the other hand, an open diff off road is a recipie for getting stuck. so i'm thinking the true-trac. the price isn't bad, they make them for the 8.25 (would need the upgrade to 29sp axel shafts, but those are supposed to be much stronger anyway, and junkyards are cheap) doesn't have the problems with handling anywhere near as bad as full lock, and will also majorly improve my performance off road. i'd love to do an ox, but that would require a new axel. although, considering that, is there a way to make the 8.25 non c-clip? i don't like the idea of losing a wheel. if not, a new axel becomes a consideration. i've considered the arb, but i work in electronics, and have seen way too many devices it was cheaper/easier to throw out than fix because they lost a motor (vcr's, cassets, cd's, dvd's, hard disks, floppies, the list goes on). i don't like the idea of putting my ability to get out of whatever i've gotten myself into in the hands of one of the most failure prone machines ever devised by man (of course, i'm sure that says something about the things i tend to get myself into). not to mention they are quite expensive.
as an additional project, and something to keep me busy while i'm waiting on / getting all this sorted, i'm building a new TCU based on the PIC18f4550 which will include both "manual" and automatic shifting modes (hardware development is one of my hobbies). any help or info on how the OE TCU determines shift points would be helpful, though not necessary. i do however want much more info on the torque converter before i mess with that too much. from what i've read, aside from overheating, this is the one part of the trans you can actually break with poor controller function. as this is my daily driver, i want to be entirely sure i'm not going to kill anything. if anyone is interested, i'll be happy to share schematics and code when i'm done.
ok, so now with all of this laid out, i plan to do 1 and 2 as soon as i've got money to do so. those strike me as pretty basic things just to get it back to reasonable shape, 3 i'm planning on in the next 6 months to a year, basically it's gonna come down to how long i can put up with adding oil versus when i get out to a junk yard to get the parts. 4 and 5 are things that are going to come when i can get to them. (read tax return and/or raise) any input would be welcomed if it'll help me figure out how to do this right. money isn't my only concern, but it is definately one of them. another is that i see no reason to repeat work to accomplish what i'm trying to do when i can plan a little bit and get it all done at once. my biggest concern is that this is my daily driver, and i can't afford to be without my car for long, nor can i afford to make it any less reliable due to mods. so thanks for taking the time to read the small novel this has become, and let me know what you think.
so now that i've had the jeep for a bit, and have done my reading on them, i've started to work out what i'd like to do with mine. a lot of this is going to take time (money, time and daily driver issues all playing their part) to get done, but some things are going to need to be done soon, and i figure if i'm going to do anything with it, it'll pay me well to plan all this out before i start any work. that said, here's what i'm looking at:
this will be a mostly daily driver vehicle. while i do intend to take it offroad at least occasionally (in no small part because i refuse to be one of those people who buys a 4x4 and never uses the four wheel drive, i have to lug that extra axel around, i might as well use it) it will likely spend 95% or more of it's time on suburban roads. with that in mind, i don't want to do anything like 7" lift, 35" tires, or full lockers. all of that would be wasted for my current use of my jeep, not to mention making it harder to drive, and possibly my gas milage worse. among the things it needs right now, are:
1. a new set of tires (currently 225/75/15 front, 245/75/15 rear. don't blame me, that's the way i bought it.) matching tires are definately important, so i've gone over a number of brands and sizes, and i'm currently wondering what you'd suggest. again, mostly daily driver, but i don't want to sacrifice any more of it's offroad performance than i have to. i'm currently looking at either sticking to stock size, or putting either 245/75 or 265/70 all around. brands that i'm considering are general (these looked nice, and cheap), kumho, or dunlop. any other suggestions on size or brand would be appriciated. i'd prefer something that i could if i chose go to any tire seller and purchase insted of something i need to order special.
2. new shocks. my rear shocks are starting to make noise, so i'm going to need to replace those soon. there are lots and lots of different shocks available for this vehicle, and i'm having one hell of a time figuring out which one would be preferrable over any other, mostly because there isn't really any numeric way to compare how hard or soft they are under different circumstances. the obvious solution to me is to get a set of adjustables, that way i can tune it to the way i drive, but those are pricey, and no gurantee to be any better than a fixed set. i drove my jetta for a long time, it handled any curve i ever threw at it at any speed. i must confess, i drove like a maniac. it's a rough transition to something this big. with that in mind, i think i'd like a slightly stiffer shock for street use (or anything else to prevent as much of that body roll as i can) but when i do use it offroad, i'm sure a softer shock would be better. i also have no intention at this point of lifting it. i may at some point (probably shortly after the first time i get it stuck on or hit something) but not soon. advice here is most needed, unless i want to stick with stock, or play russian roulette, and just order something.
3. "rear main seal" from what i understand, it's the crank seal at the flywheel. to replace this, i've been told that the transmission needs to be dropped to use a one piece seal, which is supposed to be better. i've read that it can be done without using a two part seal, but i don't consider myself good enough to do it without scratching something, and i know that i'm not good enough to replace the things i might damage if i did. not that i have any question about replacing a seal, but i do want to replace the transfer case while the transmission is down. it's not something that i "need" to do, but living near phila, a straight fourwheel drive vehicle isn't all that useful in most driving conditions. even when we do get enough snow here to actually cover the roads, within 12 hours (this winter being an exception), usually due to plowing, the roads are a mix of snowcovered and clear, and little way to know what you're going to find when you turn on to any particular one. that says to me, that replacing my 231 t-case with a 242 would make my jeep much more useful to me when bad conditions do arise. from what i've read, it seems like this should be a very simple thing to do once the transmission has been pulled. the most confusion i have on this right now is the spline counts. i have the 4.0 HO, AW4, nv231, chrysler 8.25 / dana 30. it looks like i should have a 23 spline output, though i don't know any other way to tell but by included equipt. the other thing i've read about i believe is the slip yoke. these changed at points, and i can't figure out what i'd need to do to adapt one type to the other if needed (would this be fixed with the SYE?). if i can be sure of the spline count, i should be able to go to any salvage yard, yank a 242, shifter and bezel (from any jeep, or just an XJ?), and pretty much just drop them in mine right? am i underestimating the effort involved in this with the trans already removed to do that seal? is there any major reason i wouldn't want the 242? is there any way to test one of these before i install it, or is it just bolt and pray?
4. wheels. i think i'd like to put a set of lower backspace wheels on it. i loved my jetta, and while i know all too well that my jeep will never be the low-slung sporty sedan my jetta was, i would really like to do what i can to improve it's handling. i drive hard, and i know it. my jetta was nearly always either at full-throttle, or stopped. if i can make my jeep corner a little faster and more stabily, i want to do it. from what i've read, factory wheels are 5.25" backspace, which says that going to 3.5" with an 8" wheel would give me some significant extra width. i'm sure fender flares would need to be modified, as well as possibly some other things, and i've read very different accounts of possible wheel bearing damage due to low backspace wheels. i would love to hear some thoughts on this, as well as a side question about wheel width. how wide a wheel should i have for say 225 to maybe 295 tires? (i seriusly doubt i'd ever go bigger than 295) stock are 7, 8's are widely available, 10's get more expensive, and would there even be a reason to run 10's for me?
5. diffs. again, not something i need to do, but something i think could seriously improve the vehicle. i said i don't intend to do anything serious off road with it. no rock crawls for me (yet). so putting something like a detroit or lunchbox in it seems kinda stupid. i'm having a hard enough time getting it to handle the way i want it to as is. on the other hand, an open diff off road is a recipie for getting stuck. so i'm thinking the true-trac. the price isn't bad, they make them for the 8.25 (would need the upgrade to 29sp axel shafts, but those are supposed to be much stronger anyway, and junkyards are cheap) doesn't have the problems with handling anywhere near as bad as full lock, and will also majorly improve my performance off road. i'd love to do an ox, but that would require a new axel. although, considering that, is there a way to make the 8.25 non c-clip? i don't like the idea of losing a wheel. if not, a new axel becomes a consideration. i've considered the arb, but i work in electronics, and have seen way too many devices it was cheaper/easier to throw out than fix because they lost a motor (vcr's, cassets, cd's, dvd's, hard disks, floppies, the list goes on). i don't like the idea of putting my ability to get out of whatever i've gotten myself into in the hands of one of the most failure prone machines ever devised by man (of course, i'm sure that says something about the things i tend to get myself into). not to mention they are quite expensive.
as an additional project, and something to keep me busy while i'm waiting on / getting all this sorted, i'm building a new TCU based on the PIC18f4550 which will include both "manual" and automatic shifting modes (hardware development is one of my hobbies). any help or info on how the OE TCU determines shift points would be helpful, though not necessary. i do however want much more info on the torque converter before i mess with that too much. from what i've read, aside from overheating, this is the one part of the trans you can actually break with poor controller function. as this is my daily driver, i want to be entirely sure i'm not going to kill anything. if anyone is interested, i'll be happy to share schematics and code when i'm done.
ok, so now with all of this laid out, i plan to do 1 and 2 as soon as i've got money to do so. those strike me as pretty basic things just to get it back to reasonable shape, 3 i'm planning on in the next 6 months to a year, basically it's gonna come down to how long i can put up with adding oil versus when i get out to a junk yard to get the parts. 4 and 5 are things that are going to come when i can get to them. (read tax return and/or raise) any input would be welcomed if it'll help me figure out how to do this right. money isn't my only concern, but it is definately one of them. another is that i see no reason to repeat work to accomplish what i'm trying to do when i can plan a little bit and get it all done at once. my biggest concern is that this is my daily driver, and i can't afford to be without my car for long, nor can i afford to make it any less reliable due to mods. so thanks for taking the time to read the small novel this has become, and let me know what you think.
