YJ buying advice?

[Martinjmpr]

Wife has been talking about getting a little "fun" vehicle for a while. We briefly considered an old CJ but given the age and the fact that it's hard to find one that is both in good shape and unmodified has led us to think that a newer Wrangler might be a better idea.

Within our price range (<$4k) it looks like we can find a lot of 4 cyl YJ's, mostly with 5 speeds. Any particular buying advice as far as what years to seek or avoid? We test drove one today, it didn't look that good but it ran fine, I even took it on the freeway for a few miles and got it up to 55 (top speed, I'm guessing.)

Given the less-than-stellar power, I'm staying away from any auto trannys. I know the 4 cyl isn't a powerhouse but I figure if 4 cylinders was enough for our WWII GI's it's good enough for me.

Keep in mind this will not be a rock crawler or an expo vehicle. My guess is that most of its miles will be around town cruising in Summer with the top down, and occasional forays onto some of the milder trails near Denver.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Idlehour]

im surprised you cant find a 6 cylinder for that price. the straight six is a workhorse. A fuel injected 4.0 with an ax-15 would be my ideal YJ powertrain.

I had an 88 5speed / 258 6 cylinder. it had a weak Peugeot 5 speed that was super expensive to rebuild, had crummy throwout bearings, and were much weaker than the ax-15 they went to in later years.

The 258 was nice and torquey, but had a "computerized" carb on it, with lots of janky vacuum emissions stuff on it that was always breaking.

Im not sure if the 4 cylinders had the french transmissions, but if you see one - run.:Wow1:

 

[roamingaz]

I just bought a '94 YJ a few weeks ago and love it. Mine already had a lift and tires winch etc so I paid more then I wanted to but it is a very clean one owner Jeep. The most noticable thing on YJ's is the steering is loose and they wonder on the freeway, I replaced all the tie rods and put a larger steering damper on and it helped some but from what I am told the only way to solve the steering and ride issues is a shackle reversal which I plan to do soon.
My Jeep has the 6 cylinder 4.0 and manual transmission with 33's and cruises at 70 on the freeway no problem but 75 aint going to happen, I average 15 mpg freeway. From what I have gathered online and talking with people the inline 6 is a great engine, mine just turned 160k miles and runs amazingly well and other then the steering issues I can't think of anything negative about the YJ. Some people do complain about the vaccum activated front hubs but for less then $200 you can install a cable kit called 4x4 posi-lock.

 

[Douglas S.]

YJ's have their foibles, but they're decent overall. The motor is long-lived regardless of the number of cylinders and the rear axle shouldn't give you any trouble with a 4cyl (with a 6 it's a different story, even on stock sized tires). The leaf springs will beat you up on rough roads, but they're very simple and lifts are relatively inexpensive because of that. Watch out for corrosion around the rear shackles and at the body seams at the rear of the tub and try to stay away from the earlier carbureted 258 unless you plan on converting to fuel injection (the best modification I made to my YJ) and run, don't walk, away from anything with the Peugeot 5-speed (mine had one of those too, it has an AX-15 after now because I grenaded the Peugeot backing out of my driveway).

They're fun little trucks that are cheap to modify and maintain. They certainly aren't the most robust vehicles and they don't have the greatest build quality, but there are plenty of aftermarket solutions to the OEM problems if they become issues for you. I really like my Jeep as a second vehicle.

 

[Jwood]

I had a 91YJ that was a great jeep. The 2.5L is a great little motor and will come with the 4.10 gears stock. I ran 31's comfortably and was able to cruise the speed limit on the interstate with no problems. I believe 91 was the year jeep started using the multi port injection instead of the TBI. Happy hunting.

 

[BigAl]

I'd go with a 94-95 with a 4.0 and ax15. They have an external slave for the clutch

 

[Longtallsally]

I bought my first new car in a '95 YJ and kept it for 14 years with many of them it being my primary vehicle. I drove it stock for a couple years and then by the time I sold it, it went with 33s, 4.88s, lockers at both ends and a myriad of other stuff. Oh yeah, the mighty 4 banger as well.

I towed a motorcycle cross country with it and did the Rubicon 2 weeks later. Even with the Dana 30 and 35 in all those years with lockers, I only busted one axle. It could do 70 on the freeway with moderate comfort.

I think it had well over 120k on the clock. I changed the water pump at 115k. I changed the oil, cap and rotor, and plugs. Um, aside from diff, tranny, t case and I think maybe 3 coolant flushes, that was it. STUPIFYING reliability. A couple clutches (bad driver and the Rubicon a few times) and a cople starters (dumb kid frying them after getting stuck in water). Just a wonderful and simple little machine. I cried when it was towed away. Ran perfect, but it made no sense to take to Germany and didn't want to store it for that long.

Bottom line, I'd wager the 4 banger 5 speed would be hard to beat for your purposes. I'm on my iPad or I'd post some pics to wet your appetite.

After all my gushing, here is what I'd expect:
- throttle position sensor
- u joints
- ALL fluids
- possibly the spindle joints
- rear wheel cylinders

I dunno, a few other things come to mind, but nothing that is expensive and they are quite simple to fix.

This is making me all nostalgic...

 

[Martinjmpr]

OK, I've seen other warnings about the Puegot tranny - how do I know which one it has? Was the Puegot tranny only used in certain model years?

We've looked at two now, both drove OK although one of the ones we looked at had hit a deer some time in it's prior life and the body panel was crunched in on the right side - made us worry a little about the frame, although the owner assured us he'd had it checked out.

We aren't in a hurry so we can afford to be picky. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Piet]

Opinions are like belly buttons... everyone has one. Here is mine.
.
Get a 94-95 5 speed, 4 cylinder.
The 2.5L is fuel injected via MPI (Multi-Port Injection) not carb'd like the 4.0L
The 2.5L is VERY light and makes the steering very light.
From '87-'93, they were equipped with a internal slave cylinder for the hydraulic clutch, which means if it went bad, you have to pull the tranny to replace it. '94 and '95 had external slave cylinders.
The standard gear ratio for the I4 - 4.10:1
Comes with the "family-style" roll bar. Better rear occupant protection.
.
I picked my 1994 for $2000... so deals are out there.
.
If you are looking for fun:
It is funner to drive a slow vehicle fast... than drive a fast vehicle slow.


PS... walk away from frame rot.

 

[gearhead]

As a YJ owner I recommend saving up and buying a TJ.

 

[Piet]

Also... you can put a CJ from end on a YJ really easy.

 

[reece146]

EFI, EFI, EFI.

Bring a big, flat blade screw driver with you...

Jab it into the inner frame rails around the upper rear shock mount and around the rear, frame side shackle hanger (inside and outside).

If there is no rot in those areas and the rest of the Jeep is up to your standards then buy it.

Realistically though, in CO rust may not be that prevalent?

Auto or stick, if you get EFI you have a decent transmission.

Family bar is an easy retrofit if you want it. OEM roll bars are really just an idea of a roll bar - I wouldn't let the lack of a family bar decide whether to buy a specific Jeep.

I like the early YJs - if you are looking for a project to go through with an engine swap or something like that they are a great starting place if rust free. It doesn't sound like the OP is looking for that though. I hate carbs, especially those funky carbujector things they came up with in the 80s. I never messed with one on a Jeep but the ones I've dealt with on Samurais drove me to distraction. EFI, EFI, EFI.

 

[1stDeuce]

To correct, the 4.0L YJ's are not carbed, only the 258's. Any YJ from '91 on is MPI. I personally spent lots of time in a 2.5L TJ, which is the same powertrain, and I LOVED it! That little 2.5 is torquey and the 4.10 gears are nice for bumping along the trail. It may work a little to get out of Denver on I70, but on the trails, or around town, it's great.
Also, the 2.5 sips fuel on the trail compared to the 4.0L. I could get 19mpg highway in the 2.5 TJ, but lift and tires is going to kill that.
I'll second that '94-95 years if you're getting a YJ, or save pennies for a 2.5L TJ, which offers a much better ride and improved capability out of the box. My TJ preference is '99 or '00. (Better HVAC in the '99-up ones!)
C

 

[Heading Out]

As with most vehicles, newer is usually better, in the case if the YJ, this is true for sure.

stay away from the older carburated 4.2l 6 cyl. as they never seem to run right.

93 and older has the internal slave cyl.

94-95 are the best years,

I like the 4.0 for the extra power, mine is a 93 4.0 w/ AX15. with stock tires it will run 70 MPH up a 6% grade in 5th gear

Something to consider is that you may want to look for one with a hard top when you buy, it's removable for when you want the top off, and

it's less expensive to find half doors than a hard top and full doors later.

Good Luck!