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1998 Dakota RT 5.9L swap to 2006 TJ

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ljeeper

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Hello,

I have the option to swap a 1998 5.9 magnum to my 2006 TJ (auto).

I have access (free) to a complete, running 1998 Dakota RT (2WD).

I have been gathering as much info as possible without much answers.

The two obvious concerns are: transmission, and engine wiring.

Regarding transmission, the easy way would be bolting existing 42RLE tranny/231 to the 5.9L. Is this possible??

Regarding wiring, is there a plug and play harnness or an easy way to combine both harness to manage the 5.9L and keep all funccionality of dash board and accs?


Thanks, GH
 
#2 ·
ljeeper said:
Hello,

I have the option to swap a 2008 5.9 magnum to my 2006 TJ (auto).

I have access (free) to a complete, running 2008 Dakota RT (2WD).

I have been gathering as much info as possible without much answers.

The two obvious concerns are: transmission, and engine wiring.

Regarding transmission, the easy way would be bolting existing 42RLE tranny/231 to the 5.9L. Is this possible??

Regarding wiring, is there a plug and play harnness or an easy way to combine both harness to manage the 5.9L and keep all funccionality of dash board and accs?

Thanks, GH
Click to expand...
i have a 5.2 in my 99 TJ i went with a ax15 so i dont know about the auto transmission.

but for the wiring harness there really isn't anyone since backwoods offroad in oregon closed up. i did the wiring myself. i got both the Factory service manuals and printed out all the wiring pin out and schematics and then moved pins and solder a handful of wires. it was pretty easy once you identified everything you need and dont need.

this will also be helpful

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/wrangler-magnum-v8-discussion-1365878/
 
#6 ·
Your 42RLE will not work behind any V-8. It isn't strong enough to handle the output of a 5.9.

Next issue is that you cannot swap an older engine into a newer vehicle as it is illegal. Even if you live somewhere that they don't do emission testing it is still illegal.

Next your dash wiring isn't compatible with the ECM from the engine. So you will have to change out the dash wiring to start.

This thread will answer a lot of your questions and is a good place to find information about the V-8 swap. http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/wrangler-magnum-v8-discussion-1365878/
 
#7 ·
Your particular model is ideal for a 5.7 Hemi truck motor conversion. In a very brief nut shell, swap in the motor, trans, a harness from Hotwire, a radiator, and you can use your factory fuel tank, emissions, center console, etc,. Add drivelines and exhaust and you are 90% there. A couple of good sources depending on your location are Jim at Redrock Wiring and Todd at JeepSpeed Shop. Both have websites. My own build thread is below.

You will need to address your current axles (for either V8) and will need at the minimum, a TJ Dana 44. The front will be fine for 33s or 35s if you remember it’s a 30.

If you are committed, then being prepared and doing good research is the best advice I can give. It’s not a half *** project and not a weekend job for sure. Do your homework....
 
#8 ·
It's best to match the year. As mentioned those years are a different system. I put a durnago rt engine and trans in my tj but the tj is 98, durango 2000. They both used the jtec pcm, same buss system. It wasn't bad at all. I know the harness can be done cleaner than mine, but it works.
 
#9 ·
I put an '02 motor in my '98 TJ.

'02 is PCI bus, '98 is CCD bus.

I had to use the gauge cluster from the '02 so the gauges could talk to the PCM. Dash wiring is still all original.

I agree with using a newer motor in your TJ. It will keep things cleaner and easier.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Hi again. Thanks for your replys. All valid points.

Some answers from my side:

- I am located outside the USA, so emisison/legality is no issue.

- Regarding stronger axles, this is also not an issue since i have one tons, chromollys etc running 39" BFG red labels. This is not my first mayor build, but i want to keep it "clean" this time. Photo attached.

- Bolt pattern and wiring seems a major setback. Even if donor truck is free, this might end up being more expensive than buying the right donor truck.

- I have identified a totalled Ram with Hemi that i will explore.

Will keep you posted. Any further info is always welcomed.

Pic attached.




GH
 

Attachments

#11 ·
#12 ·
ljeeper said:
Hi again. Thanks for your replys. All valid points.

Some answers from my side:

- I am located outside the USA, so emisison/legality is no issue.

- Regarding stronger axles, this is also not an issue since i have one tons, chromollys etc running 39" BFG red labels. This is not my first mayor build, but i want to keep it "clean" this time. Photo attached.

- Bolt pattern and wiring seems a major setback. Even if donor truck is free, this might end up being more expensive than buying the right donor truck.

- I have identified a totalled Ram with Hemi that i will explore.

Will keep you posted. Any further info is always welcomed.

Pic attached.

GH
Click to expand...
Bolt pattern is not a big deal, you'll want to use the transmission that is behind the donor motor.

Wiring is a PITA. Custom wire harnesses are expensive, often around $1,500 and up to $2,000. If I do another motor swap someday, I might just go this route for convenience and time.
 
#14 ·
ljeeper said:
b1ackn1ght said:
So this is almost the same as what I did 98 5.9rt --> into my 2000 TJ 4cyl

That is an option: bolting my 231 to the Dakota trans, however I would need to change the "tail" to an adapter. Can this be easily sourced?
Click to expand...
Unbolt the 2wd tail on the 46re and the np231 goes in its place no adapter needed.
again this would be if the input shaft on the np231 is a 23 spline and 1.19" . Mine was the longer 2.12" and I cut off an 1" to make it work.
Click to expand...
 
#16 ·
#18 ·
Converting a 2wd 46re to 4wd requires swapping the OD housing, not a huge pain, but not as easy as unbolting the tail come and adding a 231.
 
#19 ·
Wheelin98TJ said:
This info is not accurate in all cases.

My TJ originally had a 32RH with a long input shaft. Novak chart says it should have had a short input shaft.
Click to expand...
Discovered this when I did my doubler (from here).
...I was able to pull the Novak cable shifter and the transfer case and found that the input shaft on it is the long version while the one I have for the doubler is the short. While trying to figure out why I found that the AX-15 in 1994 and before would use a short shaft which explained Novak's chart which stated that it should be short. But for 95 on they switched to the long shaft while auto transmissions stayed with the short shaft. Looking online I found one guy who actually hooked up a 231 with a short shaft to an ax15 and it worked.

It ended up being a bit more difficult and I had to order one of Novak's replacement as it was not a direct swap. My original 231 was a long one but the gear teeth were different than the doubler's short (earlier model). So I needed to order a long with the old style teeth
Insert plug for my build thread
 
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