Would you consider moving from XJ to WJ and upgrade?

[JChatary]

Personally, I am very happy with my 2000 4.7 WJ. Right now I have 151K on mine, and outside of the usual things that go out when you have 151K on any vehicle...I've had no real issues whatsoever. It's a very capable vehicle for the overland type travel I prefer going on (I'm running a 4" IRO kit on 31" BFG's) and yet it's still very smooth and comfortable on the highway.

On a side note...I think I've drooled more than I care to think of regarding the Iceland Offroad fender flares and front winch bumper! My tax refund may very well go towards that!

 

[Root Moose]

If memory serves me right:
*XJ front is 60", 5 on 4.5" lug pattern
*WJ front is 63", 5 on 5" lug pattern
*and a full width Ford Dana 44 is 65", 5 on 5.5 pattern.

You can hardly tell that my grand had full widths under it since it is only a few inches different anyways. The big kicker with an axle swap on a WJ is that if you eliminate the rear ABS you loose your speedometer and the transmission wont shift out of first gear. There are ways around it but just something else to consider. If you have any other questions about the swap let me know.

Good call on the width difference between stock WJ and full size width. With the use of an OEM style offset you'd be hard pressed to notice a difference.

Regarding the ABS tone ring, there is a thread at NAXJA of a guy that did the ABS retention when putting in a different axle. IIRC it was just a matter of getting the tone ring machined and pressing it into place (simplified). It must be possible to do similar on a WJ.

How did you address the rear ABS thing? I'm not seeing a tone ring on your shafts.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Personally, I am very happy with my 2000 4.7 WJ. Right now I have 151K on mine, and outside of the usual things that go out when you have 151K on any vehicle...I've had no real issues whatsoever. It's a very capable vehicle for the overland type travel I prefer going on (I'm running a 4" IRO kit on 31" BFG's) and yet it's still very smooth and comfortable on the highway.

On a side note...I think I've drooled more than I care to think of regarding the Iceland Offroad fender flares and front winch bumper! My tax refund may very well go towards that!

When your 4.7 fails, can you swap in one of the newer 305-315hp 4.7's in the WK, Dakota or Ram?

 

[wjeeper]

How did you address the rear ABS thing? I'm not seeing a tone ring on your shafts.

There are a few ways to skin this cat...................

I addressed it by swapping in the mainshaft and tail cone from a 242 t-case that had a speedo sensor. To get the speedometer to read right I used a Jet-Accuspeed to calibrate the pulses. To run the speedo sensor you have to splice into a 5 volt wire for power. (Several sensors on the Throttle body are 5 volt)

You can also tie one rear ABS sensor to the front for a signal if your keeping the front D30.

If you were to swap in a ford 8.8 you just take the tone ring that is on the ring gear and carefully grind every other tooth off. The 8.8 has twice as many teeth as the stock ABS sensor.

 

[alosix]

Good call on the width difference between stock WJ and full size width. With the use of an OEM style offset you'd be hard pressed to notice a difference.

Regarding the ABS tone ring, there is a thread at NAXJA of a guy that did the ABS retention when putting in a different axle. IIRC it was just a matter of getting the tone ring machined and pressing it into place (simplified). It must be possible to do similar on a WJ.

How did you address the rear ABS thing? I'm not seeing a tone ring on your shafts.

dumb question..

Is the year WJ that has issues with ABS and axle swaps also a CANBus configuration?

 

[Root Moose]

There are a few ways to skin this cat...................

I addressed it by swapping in the mainshaft and tail cone from a 242 t-case that had a speedo sensor. To get the speedometer to read right I used a Jet-Accuspeed to calibrate the pulses. To run the speedo sensor you have to splice into a 5 volt wire for power. (Several sensors on the Throttle body are 5 volt)

You can also tie one rear ABS sensor to the front for a signal if your keeping the front D30.

If you were to swap in a ford 8.8 you just take the tone ring that is on the ring gear and carefully grind every other tooth off. The 8.8 has twice as many teeth as the stock ABS sensor.

Awesome info! Thanks.

 

[Root Moose]

dumb question..

Is the year WJ that has issues with ABS and axle swaps also a CANBus configuration?

AFAIK all the WJs use the same configuration and all are similarly affected. I am not expert on these Jeeps though.

 

[JChatary]

When your 4.7 fails, can you swap in one of the newer 305-315hp 4.7's in the WK, Dakota or Ram?

That I do not know. I'd rather not jinx it and talk about engine failure right now! :hehe:

 

[pete.wilson]

Hey

My wife had a 99 WJ limited with a 4.0L and it was ok but a little sluggish (IMO), we also had problems with the heater/cooling diverter doors, and the associated cooling fan ($1300 bill), also ran into a lifter type noise after running 10% ethanol for about 6 months. Also the drivers side mirror heat wouldnt shut off turning the mirroe gol in color.

I drove a 99 WJ with the 4.7L V8 which was a much better engine in power. Gas mileage was from 17 to about 19.4 depending on summer blend gas vs. winter blend. I also had the diverter door issue and intermittent climate control assy. also needed a new resistor to control the fan speed. That was about $800 bill. I had issues with brake rotors and at the price of 4 new discs, I decided just to true them up as good as possible and throw new pads on. I also ran into an issue when going through some mud in OK and screwed up the front drive shaft disks and was told I would need a new from driveshaft, dealer quoted me $2200 bucks but get an aftermarket one that replaces the clutch setup and install a new shaft. I did run an wilderness sport rack on top with a pair of Hella 500's and it made little difference in gas mileage but the noise was significantly more. The biggest complaint I had was a lack of cheap aftermarket support unlike regular Jeeps or Cherokee's and the fact that even with a good lift you can't put decent rubber on (like 33-35's). I wish they had put the 4.7L into the new JK, that would be an excellant combo imho. Watch the WJ's seat warmer, because if it's on high, it will cook your buns! LOL

Pete Wilson


P.S. We don't own either WJ anymore. Wife drives a Grand Caravan and I have a 4X4 Ford F150 Extended Cab. I want a JK but will have to wait for now.