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CompCrasher's 01 WJ Ltd

160K views 3K replies 64 participants last post by  compcrasher86 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I neglected doing this on my XJ so I want to start an in-depth build thread on my 01 WJ Limited.

It has around 107k miles on it right now, its always been maintained well and was completely inspected before it was given to me. Mechanic who used to do all the maintenance told me its in great shape. I'll be doing all fluid changes and any maintenance from this point on :D

Here comes some stock info!
(All the stuff limiteds come with EXCEPT heated seats)
Stone White Exterior
Sandstone Leather Interior
4.0L i6
Quadratrac-2 (NP247)
Rear D35 Front D30 geared with 3.55's
235/65/17 Michelin AT's on Silverblades
Factory/dealer applied protective undercoating
Aftermarket Remote Starter

Stock pictures:
Front:

Rear End:

Interior:


New Keys side by side with my XJ's :)


It was just recently transferred into my name right after I left for college so I wont be able to touch it until november :rolleyes:

Mods I'm doing right away are as follows:
Got myself tow hooks from a junkyard up here, I'm happy to have recovery points now:

Got a PIE aux in adaptor and then bought a dock connector --> 12v+RCA. I had to get one with a 5v transformer built in because I have an iphone and it only charges off of 5. This is a nice one plug solution and will charge and play iPods through the factory stereo. (Get to keep my steering wheel controls :highfive:)


For audio I've resealed a set of WJ infinity tweeters because the ones in my WJ are blown.
Edit: See post below, new tweeters instead.

Heres the sub setup that I built in my XJ, I'm ditching the trunk box and putting the subs+amp in the WJ. Amp is going under the rear drivers side seat with a little crossmember hacking ;) They're not for showing off (even though they can) I was sure my Polk Amp I bought had remote level control because I'm an audiophile and I tune it on the go to sound the best. I love good quality sound.


Repairs so far:

Side mirror autodim failed and leaked fluid between the panes, replaced that
Flasher module failed, pulled it apart and soldered the contacts again (works great)
Auto Climate Control blend doors fixed at dealer under extended warranty
Auto climate control knobs got stuck for whatever reason, pulled unit apart and cleaned a bunch of sticky iced tea out of it (not sure how it got there

Planned mods:
2" Rusty's BB
Bigger Tires
242 Swap
Westin Safari Light Bar (the low one because it mounts to the front skid holes not the tow hook holes) w/ 2x Hella 500ff's running 100w
 
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#792 ·
I love the 4.0 but it's silly things like these that always make me do a double take when I hear a new noise. Time for a 4.7, nice clean quiet refined smooth engine built on a modern design! I love the 4.7, I've driven many v8 WJs and I just love how smooth and seamless the power delivery is, and the 545 just has a great feel to it, realizes when you need to downshift, and doesnt make a big deal over anything. The way the 4.0 is set up in the WJ it really goes out of its way to let you know when you're asking it to do something it cant. The 42re also love second gears, there are times going around turns where I'd love to be in first but to do that I have to literally plant the foot to the floor to get there meanwhile I'm bogging in second. The overdrive setup is also in need of tweaking, it takes almost foot to the floor to get out of OD on the highway, and then usually to get back in you need to be going really freaking fast or let off to like 15% throttle. This is somewhat problematic when I'm going up a hill on the highway then I reach the top and I'm on level ground and I'm turning like 3,000RPM and the cruise control doesnt know to let off enough and so I just sit there for 10-15 seconds wailing away with OD off holding 3k RPM while it figures out when to go back in... and then when it does its a nice jerk into OD because I'm just kind of holding that RPM not accelerating.
 
#793 ·
What causes the lifter tick?

Sometimes I do wonder what jeep was thinking with the 4.0/42re combination sometimes. I've been learned the feel of the jeep and have been driving to match accordingly.

I have not been behind the wheel of a 4.7 WJ, probably for the best too. Because mine will most likely been gone if I drove a 4.7 let alone the H.O.
 
#794 ·
I agree, the 4.0 / 42RE combo sucks. Those type trannies do fine behind an engine with more torque and a bit looser torque converter though. The looser converter on the 5.9 fixes all the bogging issues from being hesitant to kick down to 1st, and the extra torque fixes the need to downshift on hills, it just stays in OD and lugs its way up.

IOW, boost the 4.0 and beef up the tranny and it'll drive much, much better. You could also help some with a modded valve body to make it downshift to first more readily, and a PCM tune to change the overdrive shift points.

Not really sure why 4.0s are prone to ticking, it might just be a quirk about the factory lifters or something.
 
#795 ·
How does one boost up the 4.0. What can you do to make it better? Haha. There seems like very few things you can do short of stroking.

I want a K&N and want to do the exhaust.

Atleast I don't have a 4.0 from 1999 to 2001. Those had the major piston skirt defects and threw rods like no one's business!
 
#796 ·
The piston skirt issue isn't all that common. We just only hear from the ones with issues. My mom's 99 is a bit over 103k and the engine isn't even noisy.

As far as power mods, you could start with some porting to the cylinder head (or one of the few upgraded aftermarket ones), a small cam, and headers. The big reason why most people don't do a lot with the 4.0 is that the head flows like crap in stock form. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of options. Pretty much these: port a stock head or buy one of these: http://www.hesco.us/shop.asp?action=details&inventoryID=44115&catId=7735

That, and/or some boost (plenty of room in the engine bay for a turbo setup) would pick up a good bit of power. Plus, the better head, etc, would make for an epic stroker sometime in the future.

Chances are, the best you could do without pulling the engine out of the Jeep would be to upgrade the head, cam it (go for lots of lift and fast ramp rates, but not much more duration than stock), some valvetrain work (would want to convert to roller cam rather than flat tappet to allow faster valve lift rates without risking killing the cam easily), and a turbo setup running 5 - 7 psi of boost. The stock bottom end should hold together with that. You could probably get to 300 - 350 hp and 350 - 400 ft. lbs. of torque no problem with that kind of setup. Obviously, a full tranny beef-up would be needed at that point, it's beyond what just a shift kit will let a 42RE live through.

The key to remember is that you absolutely CANNOT ever rev it past 5500 (shift points up to 5200 or so) without insane amounts of work, as the 4.0 has some nasty harmonics that develop and can pretty much shake/tear the engine apart if you go much past that, and they require lots of $$$$ to work past.
 
#797 ·
Yeah that is true, you only really hear about it when they fail and people complain.

Mods, holy crap those are expensive. RIPP Mods has a supercharger for the 4.0 TJ but not the WJ?? I have no idea why. Isn't like the same engine and stuff?

Yeah the 42re will blow out with stock power, let alone running any significant performance mods.

Mine shifts before 5200 rpms. Around 4800-4900? I will have to go flat out again and look.

I just think the best option if something ever happens would be this Here, 4.6 by Golen
 
#798 ·
The k and n and exhaust shouldn't do too much for you without modified heads though, jeep redesigned the intake manifolds for the 99+ 4.0s and such such that the limiting factor became the heads themselves. The most noticeable effect will be a more beefy accelerating noise, potentially quicker throttle response, and a cute little whooshing noise when you rev it

Ps snobrdkid if I had the money I'd throw in a Golen 4.6 in a heartbeat, so much easier and reassuring to pay an experienced machine shop/engine building company to do it and all you have to handle is some quick bolting up. If I ever get forced into pulling the 42re I'm taking measurements to see if a 6 spd would fit. Only thing is I could never pass emissions without the auto tranny, the ECU would go nuts without all those pressure sensors feeding it
 
#799 ·
Matt, at that point, you might as well just have a local machine shop do the work. Then, you get to pick exactly what performance bits go into the engine, rather than buying a basic (not terribly high output) stroker package like Golen and other sell.

As far as swapping in a manual, nobody said there aren't ways to make the PCM think there's still an auto connected to it ;)
 
#800 ·
The prebuilt engine would be no hassle, I don't have to worry about getting the right combo of parts and I know their combination works well. 270hp and 320ftlb of torque would be more than enough to keep me happy. Any more and I could get myself in trouble. It's nice to have a car that you can go pedal towards the floor getting on the highway, enjoy some acceleration and some exhaust, but not be like ohhhhh crap I'm doin 80 and I haven't left second gear yet. If I get a custom exhaust id want to enjoy it so best not have something too fast. Also prebuilt engines have several year warranties on them, I like that, that means once it's in I don't have to keep throwing money at it if I get bad parts, like say a timing set with a faulty mark in it *cough* lol

Idk I wouldn't count on this whole engine thing happening. I have a grudge against the 42 and I don't wanna fortify a turd and swapping in a manual would be cool but nowhere near worth the hassle. There are plenty of nice cheap v8 WJs out there and the 545 is one of my favorite trannies to have come out of Chrysler...
 
#801 ·
If I could drop a golen with a built 42 and a 44a rear end. I'd be more then happy. And have about the same power as the HO!
 
#803 ·
compcrasher86 said:
HEATED SEAT! Heated seats! Mmmm toasty
Ahhh so jelly! Did you get two sets?
 
#804 ·
Pshh why would I do that lol. Maybe if I had a wife or something otherwise the passengers can deal

Heated seat install shoulda been done by now but im hungry and things have gotten sloppy. Everything is professional with the seat looks just like new... but then I knocked my laptop off the table with it (put a nice little dent in it) thank god its my old one but im still upset. Then I went out to drill the hole for the switch, and the bulb on my worklight caught fire. So now here I am with a little CFL dangling through the sunroof drilling the hole when I hit that stupid sheet metal bracket for the shift gate gasket and made a mess of the center console. Ripped it off and will modify later. Then while I had the console off figured I'd put the e-brake back on... but somethings wrong because theres no tension and when I pull the handle the cable doesnt even move.... so something isnt pre-tensioned properly in the e-brake assembly... so I'm downloading the FSM because my copy is 400mi away at school and I really just want to go and warm my butt on these seats but the second I went outside the house things went downhill... I'll keep you guys posted

Edit, looked at the FSM and seems as though I removed the lever improperly the first time, I was supposed to engage some lockout spring or something which I never did so when I took it off the internal spring unwound :thumbdown:. I'm going to try and get the tension back on it and engage that stupid spring or else its off to the junky tomorrow to get a new ebrake handle.... fudge
 
#805 ·
Well I am doing both seats when I eventually redo mine. In some credit card debt, well not debt as much as a really big bill from christmas etc. I want both!

Yeah when ya get tired and then mistakes happen.
 
#806 ·
All done! Heres what I did tonight!
Got the seat out of the Jeep (4x 15mm bolts and 2x harness plugs) and into my room, took the switches off the side (3x phillips screws and 2x harness plugs)
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Undo all of the plastic long J clips, the ones for the seat back cover are hidden and may give you trouble.
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Then start peeling back the bottom seat cushion only to discover hog rings, YAY hog rings! Just cut them with a good pair of electrical *****. I hate hog rings, use zip ties when you reassemble, works just as well.
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Got the bottom cushion nice and centered and stuck down, but had to trim it because of the design of the seat :(
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Got the seat back cushion up there, unfortunately, also had to be trimmed, but still covers more than factory heated seats do
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Stuffed the wires through (tip, cut a slit in the foam where the wires route) and zip tied so they wont get in the way Then pulled the cover back over and refastened all of the J-hooks. Use zip ties where you previously found hog rings.
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Made a little slit in the carpet by the seat and ran all of the wires, grounded by the airbag computer, ran the power to the front by the cig lighter
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And after diagnosing a bad connection or two... we have HEAT!
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The ebrake was a pain but I figured it out so I have an e-brake again, yay. I had to apparently wind up tension in the spring and then theres a lockout spring you flip down while you attach the cable then you tap it and it unlocks and pulls the cable tight... My cable wasnt getting tension because it became unhooked at the distributor, which via the FSM I learned is underneath the carpet via a flap under the rear center seat. Thats also where the ABS g-force sensor is.
 
#807 ·
That is a pretty cool place for the switch actually! I like it! I fixed my heated seat, it was so nice!
 
#808 ·
snobrdrkid07 said:
That is a pretty cool place for the switch actually! I like it! I fixed my heated seat, it was so nice!
My picture doesn't do it justice, it blends in really well with the interior. What did you do to fix yours?
 
#809 ·
compcrasher86 said:
My picture doesn't do it justice, it blends in really well with the interior. What did you do to fix yours?
Kept it on for more then 3 minutes. :p
 
#811 ·
compcrasher86 said:
Lol! The thermostat musta just stuck or something
Must have been. Or really impatient! Ha. Was going to go to junkyards today however they are mostly closed on weekends. That was an oversight.
 
#812 ·
Got bored today and my buddy came over with air tools and we got the OMEs and extended links in. It rides... Amazing. The only damage was I think I popped my shoulder, I was holding the shock boot while my buddy cranked on the upper bolt and literally I heard the loudest pop come from my shoulder and shooting pain for like 20 seconds, then it got better lol. I also skinned a bit of my finger maneuvering around the damn ABS lines. Broke the upper spline thingy off the top of the passenger shock stud so took off from the bottom, when the time comes to pull it I'm going to have to get creative.
 

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#813 ·
Oh my gosh! I am so jealous right now! Can not wait to see more pics!
 
#817 ·
Looking good man:2thumbsup:
X2 on more pics
I finished just as it was getting too dark to take pictures so more tomorrow! It really looks AWESOME I'll try and get a flex shot too it flexes well.

Hub to fender measurements please.
I'm looking to get OME HD also.
21.5" in the rear 21" in the front. (for others reference stock should be 18 front 18.75 rear) Take into account that I do have aftermarket bumpers front and rear and also the springs may settle down a little bit over the next week or two, I will update with measurements later. As of now it looks like I've gained 3" over stock, WITH bumpers and old isolators :2thumbsup: I plan on replacing those isolators eventually as well, apparently I could be losing up to 3/4" there alone! The OME coils achieve lift through spring rate more than lift so they were very easy to get in and out, actually easier than installing my BB if you want me to be honest.

What about shocks?
Ah yes those pretty little things. I ordered my Bilsteins last week but when I checked today they havent been shipped out yet so I think I might change the shipping address to ROC and it looks like they'll just have to wait. I tested the stockers outside the Jeep, no leaks and still feel "right" when I compressed them by hand, maybe a bit too easy to compress. They have behaved fine on the road, havent bottomed them out or anything and gave the Jeep ~50 miles of driving today on all sorts of roads and situations and everything behaved awesome. These coils have literally transformed my handling feel/ride quality you gotta try it out that weekend you come up to the apartment. I dont know about handling limits though being a lifted Jeep I'm not pushing them and I'm kinda worried to figure out what they are. The OMEs reduced body roll significantly so its tempting me to push it but I still dont trust it. I'm sure the proper extended links I also installed have helped.

PS the 32s are back on for this week only, buddys wanted to see what it REALLY would look like. I'll be taking them off this weekend but with air tools changing tires takes minutes at most
 
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