New to the Jeep world.

[Scoob]

Hey everyone. I've been on the Portal a little while now, mostly browsing and posting occasionaly. At first I planned on setting up my Subaru WRX for some adventures, which would've meant I would have to un-lower it and remove a few of the other modifications I did to the suspension which I didnt want to do. But I realized early on that it wasnt really suitable for anything but light offroading. So I decided to keep it on the street.

So my girlfriend and I started looking for a Jeep. We looked at a ton of different ones, then came across this one. We got a pretty good deal on it, and we both liked it, so we took it home today.

It's a 05 SE with 41,000 miles on it, 6 speed. At first we didnt care for the 4 cylinder, but after driving it we found that it would do just fine. I actually dont see anything wrong with it after driving it around all day and night, but I'll wait till I get it down some trails before I get a real opinion about it.

There does seem to be something wrong with the transmission though. It's rough going into first and second unless I rev it above 3k rpms. And it makes a clicking sound sometimes when you put the clutch in. I know some of the older 5 speeds had some problem with the clutch fork, but I dont know. I'll have the dealer figure it out under warranty.

Anyway, I only got one picture of it the other day at the dealer with my cell phone.

We went out and got it dirty tonight (about 2 hours after we drove it off the lot), and I'll have those pictures hopefully tomorrow. Only plans I have for it right now is a small lift, maybe 3" or 4", and either some 32's or 33's. Still thinking about it, and how far I want to go with it being a 4 cylinder.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[modelbuilder]

Welcome....I love my Jeep like I love my Dog. It's my best friend.:smiley_drive:

 

[jeepmedic46]

Welcome to the world of Jeeps. You'll love your jeep off and on road.:smiley_drive:

 

[grahamfitter]

Welcome, Scoob!

Nice Jeep. I'll defer to others about the transmission/clutch noises -- My '97 and '05 (both 6cyl) are pretty smooth -- but if its serious you can get your money back under the Mass. lemon law.

I haven't driven a Jeep with the soft doors but I do find the zips on the soft top (especially the rear window) bind with dust and mud. Candle wax keeps the zips smoother for longer. Might be useful at those pesky toll booths!

Cheers,
Graham

 

[luk4mud]

Welcome....I love my Jeep like I love my Dog. It's my best friend.:smiley_drive:

And I've heard you with that dog ... at night ... in your tent. Never knew a dog could howl like that.

 

[modelbuilder]

And I've heard you with that dog ... at night ... in your tent. Never knew a dog could howl like that.

Well well well...

You know as well as I do that it was Ms. Trona howling like a dog. Plus my dog isn't that furry.




.

 

[Scoob]

You should be happy with the Jeep. The offroad capabilities are great in the 4 banger. For the highway they may come up a little underpowered.

Yeah I figured out the highway part today when I looked down and I was doing 55 in a 65. I was origionally going 70 and hit a slight incline I guess and the speed just dropped. It really doesnt bother me though, getting up to speed takes a little while, but I didnt get it to go fast.

 

[luk4mud]

Yeah I figured out the highway part today when I looked down and I was doing 55 in a 65. I was origionally going 70 and hit a slight incline I guess and the speed just dropped. It really doesnt bother me though, getting up to speed takes a little while, but I didnt get it to go fast.

As long as you hang onto the Subaru for the highway, that 4 banger will be just fine off road. See Joe, I even stayed on topic this time, despite my alleged ADD.

 

[NOMADIC_LJ]

1- If you go to 33's you're going to need to regear to 4.56 or 4.88's (with the 4banger, you currently have 4.10's with the Dana 30/35 combo). That will take care of the power issue

2- I would do a complete fluid swap. This should be done whenever you purchase a used vehicle anyway. If it has fluid in it, change it! If you're having trouble shifting, it may just need new tranny fluid or maybe its very low.

3- Welcome to the Jeep world. Jeeps require more upkeep then most vehicles but if you service it regularly it will last you a VERY long time.

Enjoy

 

[luk4mud]

1- If you go to 33's you're going to need to regear to 4.56 or 4.88's (with the 4banger, you currently have 4.10's with the Dana 30/35 combo). That will take care of the power issue

2- I would do a complete fluid swap. This should be done whenever you purchase a used vehicle anyway. If it has fluid in it, change it! If you're having trouble shifting, it may just need new tranny fluid or maybe its very low.

3- Welcome to the Jeep world. Jeeps require more upkeep then most vehicles but if you service it regularly it will last you a VERY long time.

Enjoy

Gears are probably lower than 4.10's. I think the 4cl D35 combo often has 3.07's? Also, bear in mind that going to 33's with that D35 is doable, but it IS pushing the limit of the capability of that axle. You may want to pick up an extra set of shafts now.

 

[4Rescue]

So wait... You bought a Jeep from a Stealership that already has tranny issues???

Well mate I hope you've budgeted for some repairs in the near future. It's not unheard of (as in it happened to me) for Stealerships to go so far as to put sawdust in the crankcase etc to quell ticks and knocks. Then a few hundred miles later you're footing a pretty hefty repair bill. I'm crossing my finger's for you that this is not the deal in your case. I'd hate to see you get a new Heep and have it go belly up on you, that would suck eh. Sending positive vibes to your Jeep NOW :nanananananananananana:

That said, get your gearing figured out for the size of Tires you'll want to run and maybe even over gear it (as in a Numericaly higher gear set). The 4 Banger really needs to be geared right (like all 4cylinders do) to perform well. They (the 4banger) IS a ton of fun off-road, it's a grunty little motor and really unless you're into bottomless mud pits or run alot of sand where you need more HP you'll be perfectly happy. To save your clutch I'd suggest running in 4lo most times as it'll keep the motor revving wich is what most 4 bangers need to do.

Luk4Mud is right, 33's will be about the limit of a Stock D35 (and probably pushing it with the front axle). However in the last few years there have been some great advancements to beef these axles up like new shafts etc. So even if an Axle swap is out of the question for now you've got options. BUT, if you can swing an axle swap sometyime, there are ALOT of new options that are direct bolt-in for the TJ. They now make the Tj bracket'd JK axles in a Rubi/D44 variety with E-lockers already in place. That is one sweet deal IMO.

Cheers

Dave

 

[NOMADIC_LJ]

Gears are probably lower than 4.10's. I think the 4cl D35 combo often has 3.07's? Also, bear in mind that going to 33's with that D35 is doable, but it IS pushing the limit of the capability of that axle. You may want to pick up an extra set of shafts now.

actually we were both wrong.

3.73 - 1998-2006
* Optional ratio used with 6 cyl manual and automatic except the Rubicon
* Standard ratio used with most 4 cyl automatics
* Standard ratio used with 4 cyl 6 speed

And I agree you would not want to go bigger then 33s on the D35 but there is way more to it then that.

Type of wheelin, actual tire width etc.

 

[luk4mud]

actually we were both wrong.



And I agree you would not want to go bigger then 33s on the D35 but there is way more to it then that.

Type of wheelin, actual tire width etc.

Thanks for researching, Nomaic. It's sure alot better than me guessing.

 

[Scoob]

Yeah I didnt really have any intentions of going bigger than 33's. Right now I'm thinking of just 31's and a 2.5" lift. That should make me plenty happy for a while.
And as for the transmission issue, I took to a Jeep dealership today and was told it is a clutch issue, so I'm dropping it off tomorrow. The dealership is going to take care of everything. I told them when we were buying it that I was worried about it and I wouldnt even think about it unless I was guaranteed it would be taken care of. They guaranteed me it would be taken care of, and if they dont want to take care of it, I'll just look into the lemon law. But I'm sure they will take care of me, from what I hear they are a pretty reputable dealership.

I gotta say though, after driving the Jeep for the last 6 days, and then driving my Subaru tonight, my Subaru feels like a friggin race car. I'm glad I have both the Jeep and the Subaru though, they are both really fun in different ways.

Thanks for all the info and suggestions too guys. It's making things alot easier for me since I'm new to Jeeps.