school me on TJ jeeps..

[emerson.]

Anyone own/owned one?
4banger vs the I6?
Hardtop vs softtop?
Simplicity of working on them?
Any input is good input

[hfabricius]

Get a 6 cylinder. 4 cylinder just isnt worth the trouble. Both the manual and automatic transmissions are almost bulletproof. Top depends on the climate you live in, long winters I would go with hardtop, short winters with a soft top aren't to bad. Very easy to work on since the Wranglers hood could be opened very wide. I had a friend with a 2001 TJ and I have done a lot of work on Jeeps between Wranglers and Cherokees.

[emerson.]

Winters are 2-3 months. Can get to be -degree temps with the wind chill. And common problems I should look for?

[hfabricius]

Look for wet carpet or rusty floorboards cause sometimes the cowls on the TJ's can leak. Also, the factory radiators can start to leak where the plastic end caps are clamped on the core. They make aluminum replacements that work 10 times as good as the original. The exhaust manifolds on all Jeep 4.0s will eventually crack around the collector so that's a pretty common replacement part that takes an afternoon to do. Oil leaks around rear main seal and harmonic balancer which is the oil pan gaskets, also easy to replace. If the oil pan or exhaust components are dented than thats a clue that they have been seriously offroaded. Leaky slip yoke joint at the rear of transfer case and leaky axle tube ends. Any play in drive shaft or axle shaft u joints are easily fixed with new u joints. Last thing I would have to say would be any slop in steering like wobble at certain speed or clunking when turning. Hope all that helps, also check JP Magazines website and find their Jeep TJ buyers guide, it has a wealth of information that is very useful as well as difference between progressing years of the TJ.

[Eric535]

i love my tj. 98 4 banger manual. such a fun car to drive. i live in wisconsin and i have a soft top and im fine. car has never let me down. places that rust are usually the rocker panel area.

[ahalfacre5]

jeeps don't last.. simple as that. they are built to tear themselves apart they look sweet but little shit is always needing to be fixed

[emerson.]

Idk cause those 4.0 motors have proven themselfs, hell hasn't really gone through any major changes for 30 some years. Jeeps after tj have a mini van 3.6 lol and I've heard those are complete trash.

[Komzorz]

jeeps don't last.. simple as that. they are built to tear themselves apart they look sweet but little shit is always needing to be fixed

My 225k mile XJ disagrees with you.

TJs are great vehicles. 4cyl models suck, the 4.0 H.O. is legendary in its simplicity and reliability. If you get a hardtop, you'll never take it off. If you get a soft top, it'll be noisy and probably a little leaky. Almost everything is rather simple to work on. I've never encountered anything that I would consider truly challenging.

One thing I will say about Wranglers though, is that you pay a lot of extra money for the cute little body. A Cherokee is more or less equivalent offroad (can't fit as large of tires stock, meh), way more practical for daily use, and costs half as much.

[emerson.]

I'll play the extra molla before id consider a cherokee lol

[CrusherCurtis]

The transmissions definitely aren't that good, and my exhaust manifold is currently cracked. Any way get one you'll love it. Try and find an 4.0 5 speed with a D44 rear axle. Definitely get both soft and hard top.

Mine:








Definitely don't mount a 33 to the rear tail gate like me:

[emerson.]

Nice jeep lol your close to me too, sell it to me lol

[Stanley Rockafella]

terrible fuel economy...and horrible wind noise when doing highway speeds.

I'd pass unless you ACTUALLY plan on doing some off roading with it. Then it's a worthwhile investment.

[MR E30 325is]

jeeps don't last.. simple as that. they are built to tear themselves apart they look sweet but little shit is always needing to be fixed

Sounds like a typical E30 to me.

I have run my XJ (mind you it has a 6" LA lift and 31's to further the abuse) through its paces back and forth more times than I care to count. It fires up everyday and gets me to where I need to go, whether or not that involves giant mudholes or steep muddy hills. The 4.0 is a spectacular engine and has earned its right to be referred to as reliable.

[slammin.e28]

Typical ramp travel index (20 degree ramp) on a TJ (1997) is 532.






1996 Range Rover is 600.

[emerson.]

Huh?