Oppo: School me on the TJ

"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley) 01/23/2020 at 16:04 • Filed to: None

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Sad news? My driveway is too small for even a crosstrek. Good news? I could 100% get my wife to sign off on a TJ. What should I look for or know?

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 16:16

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You need one of these. A

slipperysallylikespenguins > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 16:21

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I6 all the way, don’t even consider a 4cyl. They are beyond slow.

InFierority Complex > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 16:21

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I don’t think it’s my kind of show and it probably hasn’t aged well. I’m not going to rain on your parade if you want to check it out.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > InFierority Complex 01/23/2020 at 16:30

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Bill Shatner! Heather Locklear! Wow they have not aged well.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 16:32

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They're good cars, Bront.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 16:43

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It should be pretty obvious from the get-go that they’re going to be a very rough ride.

Keep up with the usual Jeep maintenance though and they’ll keep going virtually forever, though as mentioned in another comment, don’t get the I4 if you care about having power on tap.

Jim Spanfeller > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/23/2020 at 16:50

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Those look very interesting, though I feel like they look kinda flimsy. They’re probably not, but I would still worry that it’d collapse and crush the bottom car...

M.T. Blake > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 16:52

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Nothing less than the 4.0l and 4wd. Other than that it’s all personal preference. 

Wacko > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 17:37

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4.0 no 2.slow,

Check for frame rust, check frame for rust.... front fenders also tend to become rust. And did I mention check frame for rust.

They are easy to work on( trust me you will work on it). If you want to biggen the tires, the Sahara is a good start cause the have the gear ratio and Dana 44 if I remember correctly.

And check frame for rust.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 17:51

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Well, you definitely will want to take lots of “singles”, few big bills and leave the Rolex at home. No fancy jewelry. And plan your first night around The Donkey Show...

Oh, wait, are you talking about a different TJ?

Nevermind.

My bird IS the word > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 18:02

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Its a jeep thing you wouldnt understand.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/23/2020 at 18:03

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Well, you definitely will want to take lots of “singles”, few big bills and leave the Rolex at home. No fancy jewelry.

Probably applies to buying a 20 year old used jeep as well

HammerheadFistpunch > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 18:15

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It’ s the best wrangler IMO. good engine, coil springs, good support. Most importantly...its the right size.

people gloss over how wide the JK/JL got. Its size advantage covers a multitude of sins in lack of hard core off-road gear. A stock TJ will do trails you would want a locker and an upsize of tires in a JK/JL.

This 4 cylinder manual on 31's did great compared to cars with bigger tires and lockers.  

ranwhenparked > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/23/2020 at 19:14

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Shatner’s wigs have become more realistic over time, though. 

Censored > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 19:19

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Rust rust rust. Check 5 times over. The frames rust right at the control arm mounts and the transfer case skid from the inside out. You can feel around 8nside the frame through the holes for scaling. If it is rusted, it isn’t the end of the world, there are pre made replacement stiffeners available, but the Jeep better be dirt cheep.

05 and 06 autos have pcm issues in the trans controller that cause hard 1-2 shifts when cold, there are tons of threads online about it. Recently, a company has had success with fixing the pcm, but it is nearly a grand to have done. Not all Jeep’s are affected, but it sucks if it is.

00 -01 had a head cracking issue. Was replaced with the tupy head. Again, there are endless articles online about how to spot it and fix.

Opdm’s fail and there is a better designed one by crown automotive that fixes the oems weaknesses. Countless articles yada yada yada.

Make sure if it has a lift that it doesn’t also have a dropped pitman arm. They usually are a guaranteed source of death wobble.

4.0's leak from the rear main and sometimes the rear of the valve cover, get used to it.

Look for one with a Dana 44 rear end rather than the Dana 35 if you plan on lifting and going to larger tires. Rubicons have them front and rear. Sahara’s have them in the rear and it was an option on sports. The diff cover is significantly different between the 2 so a quick look will tell.

Sweet spot years were 97-99 and 02-04. The latter has a slightly updated interior that may be desired, but it is slight and usually doesn't matter.

It’ll be the most fun vehicle you own.

Ask any other questions, these were the first things I thought of.

Nothing > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 19:27

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I’ve been debating TJ + 4Runner vs new JLU Rubicon for a while. Somewhat clean TJs here still run in the $10k range (more for Sahara, Rubicons). The financial burden would be about the same, except for the cost of two vehicles and the upkeep a TJ would need. A Gladiator would tick a lot of boxes, too.

Anyway, TJs are cool. Get one.

Censored > Wacko 01/23/2020 at 21:07

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Sahara’ s have the d44 rear , but still 3.73's. the only “geared” Wrangler was the Rubicon that has the d44 front and rear and 4.11's.

Just Jeepin' > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 23:35

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As long as you don’t buy my lemon , you’ll be fine.

The LJ, of course, is the best daily driver, and comes with Dana 44 rears (both axles for the Rubicon). It also has the 3500 pound tow capacity (not sure how the Canadian tow ratings work).

Soft tops are annoying in the winter due to the brittleness of the windows and difficult zippers. A hard top hoist is helpful if you want to use a hard top.

Gas mileage sucks on the Rubicon, thanks (I’m assuming) to the off-road gearing. I get 12-13, typically.

I think the 5-speed manual is generally more robust than the later 6-speed, but the top speed is nice for highway driving, at least with my gearing. I haven’t driven a 5-speed for more than a few miles. I did very much prefer the clutch on the 5-speed, but again, only drove it a few miles.

Best deals are definitely on the 4-banger. I’ve considered getting one on occasion as a backup vehicle, definitely wouldn’t want one as my primary (but, never driven one, so others’ opinions are the driving factor there).

Good luck. They’re addictive.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Just Jeepin' 01/24/2020 at 00:42

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It also has the 3500 pound tow capacity (not sure how the Canadian tow ratings work)

3500lbs = 200 geese and 6 beavers or 5 moose.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/24/2020 at 07:04

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I’ve owned a few. I love them and will own another at some point. It can’t be stressed enough to check the frame for rust. I’ve looked at so many with rusted frames I’ve lost count. Half of the time the owners/sellers didn’t even know about it and a few had been covered with expanding foam or duct tape and painted (shady bastards).

The trouble areas are easy to check. Right in front of the rear wheels where the frame starts to curve up to clear the axle and the trailing links connect, run your hand up the inside of the frame. That’s where it’s usually rusted through, sometimes the outside, but not as common as that spot gets washed usually. It also happens where the transfer case mounts, one I looked at I could wiggle that brace/skid by h and and watch it move independently of the rest of the frame.

It is repairable, I’ve repaired one I got really cheap that had rust in the rear section. The patch piece is around $200 and my w elder charger me $400 to cut out the rotate replace it. Well worth the money since those with rust aren’t worth a thing and most people won’t fix them.