New ZJ in the family

Strodinator

Strodinator

Caught the Bug
I've recently been asking a few questions about a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee! Things went the way I had hoped and I am now the proud owner of one. Here are a couple of pictures. IMG_20180327_191749.jpgIMG_20180327_191754.jpgIMG_20180327_191759.jpgIMG_20180327_191809.jpgIMG_20180327_191821.jpg It's the 5.2 limited with towing package so the stronger rear end and it can tow up to 6000 pounds! Power everything. Has some quirk's but nothing too expensive.

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Did some tune up work today. Changed plugs, wires, cap, rotor, oil change, air filter. Did some more cleaning in the engine bay. Plus I cleaned some of the carpeting on the inside. IMG_20180328_121736.jpgIMG_20180328_131010.jpg

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Nice! I enjoy these platforms. I havnt done much except for repairs to my 96 but it went from being a pos to a driveable machine. Giving it to my daughter for her 16th bday in a few months. see what she wants to do to it haha. im just tired of it cutting into my Jk fund 😀

aka cavfighter
 
Nice find!! ZJs are some of the most out of the box capable, non wrangler Jeeps out there. I've lusted after a 5.9 for years. Just never found a cheap enough one in good enough condition.
 
Still some rough low idle. Gonna check the spark plugs. If they're only then I know the plenum gasket is bad. Also going to replace the IAC and the pcv valves.

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Pcv valves helped a little. I'm typing this as I'm sitting in cartoys waiting room. Couldn't stand using my Bluetooth speaker anymore so I bit the bullet.

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Holeeeeey shit did cartoys do a number on it. New front tweeters new headunit new speakers front and rear plus a 10 inch sub in the back. Probably the cleanest sound in a jeep ive ever heard.

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Another one! I'm not the only one :rock:

Pop the throttle butterflies open and shine a flashlight down the bore into the intake. The plenum gaskets go on these motors and suck oil out of the lifter valley. Oftentimes that oil can cause rough idling. Also check the coolant temp sensor, sometimes it'll still read on the dash but cause issues and keep the computer in closed loop as it defaults to thinking the motor is -40 degrees.

I've dealt with the Magnum motors a lot, if you have any questions about the motor or the trans shoot me a message! Also, do yourself a favor and look into swapping out that 249 with either a 242 (the better option) or a 231. The viscous coupling in the 249's goes in the early models and can creep while in park and/or just fail altogether. 242 is the better option with the V8, despite what 99% of unibody people will tell you. You'll need to make sure the donor case is from a 95 or older, as the input shaft lengths changed in 96. There's ways to back-half the case and reuse your 249 front housing with a newer 242, there's a writeup I can point you towards.
 
Five-N9ne said:
Another one! I'm not the only one :rock:

Pop the throttle butterflies open and shine a flashlight down the bore into the intake. The plenum gaskets go on these motors and suck oil out of the lifter valley. Oftentimes that oil can cause rough idling. Also check the coolant temp sensor, sometimes it'll still read on the dash but cause issues and keep the computer in closed loop as it defaults to thinking the motor is -40 degrees.

I've dealt with the Magnum motors a lot, if you have any questions about the motor or the trans shoot me a message! Also, do yourself a favor and look into swapping out that 249 with either a 242 (the better option) or a 231. The viscous coupling in the 249's goes in the early models and can creep while in park and/or just fail altogether. 242 is the better option with the V8, despite what 99% of unibody people will tell you. You'll need to make sure the donor case is from a 95 or older, as the input shaft lengths changed in 96. There's ways to back-half the case and reuse your 249 front housing with a newer 242, there's a writeup I can point you towards.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input! I think the plenum gasket may have failed just based on the fact that I can consistently smell burning oil. I won't even start on it until my other Jeep is done. I do like the transfer case for now but as soon as I lift it I'm going to find a way to get my spare 231 to fit the bill. The new pcv valve helped stop the stalling but the idle is still a little lower than I'd like (550-650) sometimes

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Five-N9ne said:
Another one! I'm not the only one :rock:

Pop the throttle butterflies open and shine a flashlight down the bore into the intake. The plenum gaskets go on these motors and suck oil out of the lifter valley. Oftentimes that oil can cause rough idling. Also check the coolant temp sensor, sometimes it'll still read on the dash but cause issues and keep the computer in closed loop as it defaults to thinking the motor is -40 degrees.

I've dealt with the Magnum motors a lot, if you have any questions about the motor or the trans shoot me a message! Also, do yourself a favor and look into swapping out that 249 with either a 242 (the better option) or a 231. The viscous coupling in the 249's goes in the early models and can creep while in park and/or just fail altogether. 242 is the better option with the V8, despite what 99% of unibody people will tell you. You'll need to make sure the donor case is from a 95 or older, as the input shaft lengths changed in 96. There's ways to back-half the case and reuse your 249 front housing with a newer 242, there's a writeup I can point you towards.
Click to expand...
Just checked back into your thread! You're getting real close. I got real lucky with the body on mine too. 1250 and the only body damage is minimal paint chipping on the front bumper. No rips in the leather seating so I added seat protectors to be safe after I conditioned it 😂. Gotta be safe.

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Do yourself a favor if you want to use a 231, look into internal upgrades. They’ll usually hold up to light wheeling and such but the torque can sometimes stretch the chain. I think it’s S10s that have a 231 variant with a bigger chain.

Edit: is your 231 the right input shaft length?
 
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Five-N9ne said:
Do yourself a favor if you want to use a 231, look into internal upgrades. They’ll usually hold up to light wheeling and such but the torque can sometimes stretch the chain. I think it’s S10s that have a 231 variant with a bigger chain.

Edit: is your 231 the right input shaft length?
Click to expand...
I'd have to swap the input shaft on the 231 I have since it's from a TJ.

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Some poser shots. Was cleaning the back patio and realized the edge of the concrete is great for flex testing. IMG_20180418_165816.jpgIMG_20180418_165821.jpgIMG_20180418_165830.jpgIMG_20180418_165845.jpgIMG_20180418_165857.jpg. She tucked up real nice. Almost makes me want to keep her stock for a while.

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Haha nice!

I have a stock set of later injectors laying around if you want them, they upped them to 24# in 1996. Plug and play.
 
Two questions for ya guys. First of all what do you recommend I do front bumper wise? There's no way in hell I'm buying one since aftermarket is outrageously expensive however I would like to mount a winch and get that ugly faschia off of there. Second question is since I want to keep the transfer case, what driveshaft can I use to eliminate the rzeppa at the axle? It has the double cardan at the transfer so the yoke there is good. I'm hoping for a junkyard fix however I might end up going with this Screenshot_20180419-223209.jpg

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Stock XJ front shaft can fit.

As to the bumper, JCR has a decent one. The problem with ZJs is putting winch bumpers make them look like Jay Leno’s chin. JCR has the lowest profile that still saves you some approach angle.
 
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