isamu

Cool, I would really love to upgrade my Mazda exhaust within the nex couple of months.

YucA

we have no emissions tests here in miami...

Twin89Stangs

we have very tight emissions here...

put you on a dyno and everything!





Nice jeep

Wooffinn

Hi Isamu ,hey man cool Jeep. How do they hold up over there? I ask as a mechanic, as while I do quite a few Mazdas, the boss is into 4wd's. Unfortunately here though, the poor old Jeeps just don't hold up. 2 to 3 three years is very good before you need both diffs and your gearbox repaired or replaced and the suspensions usually need attention around the twelve month mark. The Wranglers seem to fair the best, but the Cherokees are rapidly getting a bad name.

As for emissions in Australia, they trying to get uniform rules in across the states and the rules go from a yearly inspection down south to a quick check when selling the vehicle!

isamu

Hey Woofin. I think overall the Wranglers seem to do ok, but it really all depends on what you do to them. The common components such as the Dana 35 rear axle, NP231 T-case, and the old vacumn actuated 4wd motor on the front diff are weak points. The Dana 35 is fine for light 4x4ing, but it is not made for rock crawling. Plus all wranglers from 90 on up have c-clips that hold the axles in. A common swap is a Dana 44 in the rear, or a ford 9". A Dana 44 was never an option on YJ's, but became one on the TJ's. The NP231 sucks also, because it has that stinky slip yoke, which will vibrate bad on lifted vehicles, and leak fluid under compression. There are about 6 or 7 kits on the market now to convert slip yoke into a fixed yoke. Advance Adapters makes a great kit for 350.00, which comes with a new heavy duty main shaft. You will need to put a CV driveshaft on. The vacumn actuated motor on the YJ's sucks because the hoses can crack and develop leaks, or just get caught on something and pulled off. I believe the TJ's tossed the vacumn motor, and both the wheels and driveline are constantly in motion. A hub conversion is another popular upgrade here, because of the extra wear and tare on the constantly moving axles in the front.

I don't know much about the XJ's, but there seems to be a growing number of them in the off-road scene. I think many of the XJ components are similar to the wranglers, such as Dana 35 rear axle, NP231 slip yoke. These are not the strongest of components from the factory, but there is a huge aftermarket out there.

BTW, Is the Cherokee down there the old style Cherokee that they discontinued in 2000? Or is the new "liberty" with the Cherokee name? I read an article in the magazine where the new Liberty was under the name Cherokee in the UK. The Liberty pretty much sucks with its IFS and suv qualities. It is probably great to drive on pavement, but lacks in off-road prowess. I just think it is ugly.

Well I don't know if I answered your question any, but I enjoy talking about jeeps, they are fun toys. :tounge:

Wooffinn

Hey Isamu, thanks for the response. You certainly answered some questions for me. It sounds like some of those aftermarket swaps seem to do the trick. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of options here, so usually overhauls are the norm.

To answer your question on the Cherokee, Yes the model that finished in 2000 and definately YES to agreeing with you on the **** looks of the new model.[It still sports the Cherokee badge here.] It's kinda like the new WRX style, what were they thinking? I've got plenty of customers now moving away from both models just on looks!

isamu

Yea they are ugly. The front end of the Liberty has been compared to the front of little toy cars sold at Chevron gas stations. There is a pretty loyal Cherokee following up here, and many of those people would have been ticked if Chrysler put the Cherokee name on the Liberty. That whole IFS thing is like a soar thumb in the Jeep community.

www.quadratec.com has lots of stuff for XJ's, but is kind of expensive. But hey, at least you can get a free cataloge..

www.jpmagazine. should have some good info on jeep build ups.

Wooffinn

Hi Isamu, wooffinn again. Thnaks mate, I'll go and check out that site. Unfortunately, Jeep Australia aren't very forthcoming in passing on info to independent mechanics. Strange thing is though, my local Jeep dealer is quick to call on me to help them solve tech problems. Way of the world I suppose!