New ZJ build New to the portal

[Fefrank]

Hello all,

I have a Jeep ZJ 1995, with 250,000 miles on it , i bought it with 230,000 2 and a half years ago, and since the i've taken it to very long road trips with absolutely no problems. from provo UT to denver CO and back twice and from provo to rexburg idaho and back, no issues. The car is been bulletproof and unfortunately i dont take care of it very much other than just normal oil changes. I want to make this an expedition rig, since i am getting into the hobby. For those of you out there with expedition zjs, what do you think I should fix, or do to it to start. I pretty much have 1000 dollars to fix up anything i need for now what should i start with?

 

[xjman88]

Welcome to the portal. Nice to see another zj on here. Id go with a decent set of agressive all terrain tires and some underbody protection and a small lift. There are plenty of builds on here including mine. Check em out and find out what works for you.

 

[JakeC]

I hardly chime in here on the forum, but I enjoy the ZJ!

FeFrank, with that many miles on your ZJ, I'd definitely look into maintenance and replacing worn out parts to keep from being stranded off the beaten path. Do you have any of the receipts or maintenance history from the previous owner(s)?

A little more information is helpful as well, does the ZJ have the 4.0 or the 5.2?

Selec-trac (NP242) transfer case or the Quadra-trac (NP249) AWD transfer case?

Pictures may assist as well.

Welcome to the expedition portal!

 

[Fefrank]

Thank you for your replies and sorry for the late reply to you. the last owner was the original owner, the only thing that was done was the transmission. it was replaced at 180,000 thousand miles. no more problems. Apparently he said it had a overheating problem but I've been driving it for 2 and a half years and no problems. It has the v8 5.2l engine and the np249 transfer case. the viscous coupler is going out(has been since we go it) so i am contemplating changing to a select-trac np242. i've read about doing the swap and it looks pretty to-the-point. I also have to replace the wheel bearing but i cant seem to take out the hub assembly... anyways. pics coming soon...

 

[JakeC]

Transmissions are definitely a common nuisance in the ZJ. One thing that may help the longevity of your current one, is a transmission cooler. Some ZJ's with the tow package came from the factory with them.

Reading over at the JeepForum, people say that the price of purchasing a 242 and replacing the VC in the 249 is virtually the same and that the 249 is in fact a great transfer case with one failing part that usually lasts around 100,000 miles. I personally opted for an NP242 from a 1999 Cherokee and have performed the swap myself with a little modification to the rear drive shaft. Here's a great resource for the swap, which you may have already seen.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f13/transfer-case-swap-info-np249-np231-np242-685644/

I would definitely check out some of the components as well for wear a tear. Simple inexpensive things such as the water pump, hoses and the alternator. As for the bearing, I have yet tackle that on my Jeep.