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can a 2WD xj be converted to 4WD

Jeep nasty

NAXJA Forum User
just wondering what type of axle is on a 2WD chreokee and if it has the ability to have a front driveshaft conected to it if you swap in a 4wd transfer case like an atlas II
 
Nope...... nothing there to connect a d/s to, it's just an empy tube. To convert from 2wd to 4wd, you'll (among other things) need a complete 4wd front axle assembly, from brakes through centersection, front driveshaft, transfercase, new transmission tailshaft section (probably.)
 
Several of us here have done just what you propose. A search would probably turn up some results from earlier threads.

The conversion is pretty straightforward. You need to swap the existing front axle tube for a D30, but all the suspension points are the same so it's a bolt in application, then mount a transfer case, linkage , drive shafts, and speedometer cable. The 2WD transmission has a longer output shaft and tail stock than a 4WD version, so it's generally easier to install the transmission and transfer case as a unit instead of adapting the existing transmission to work.

JeffinVA has just completed a conversion on an MJ, but it's really not any different from an XJ so either of us can help you with any other questions you might have.
 
the existing axle in the 2WD XJ's cannot be converted into a drive axle... it is simply a straight axle with hub assemblies on each end.... however the vehicle itself CAN be converted to 4WD relatively easily.. it would take a 4WD donor vehicle. swapped parts would esentially bolt right up.... the front axle, the transmision/transfer case (as a unit) the shift linkage, trans crossmember, front and rear driveshafts, and depending what year it is, the vacuum hoses and actuators to engage the front axle for 4WD... sounds like alot but it's all bolt-on... it would be best to use the same year donor, if not all the parts may not match.... but the answers are here on this board if you give as much info as possible in you questions....
mike
how's that for a response time?? 3 in 4 minutes
 
since you have to ask "if it has the ability to have a front driveshaft conected" you probably shouldn't even consider the conversion. why don't you crawl under the jeep and you can answer your question.

but since you asked...

to do the most straightforward conversion, the basic parts you need (as mentioned above) are:
1) a front axle out of an xj, tj, or zj with a matching gear ratio to the rear.

2) a 4wd transmission that is the same model as your current model (and make sure compatibility between years is ok too.)

3) 231 or 242 transfercase to match the spline count and input depth of the chosen transmission.

4) transfercase linkages, shifter, brackets

5) front and rear driveshafts from a 4wd model with the same tranny/trans/axle combo as yours

i did my conversion by myself in 4 half working days. it was my first time to ever pull a transmission or deal with a transfercase so i'm sure someone with any experience could do it in a weekend. the good thing about an xj is that the conversion is straight bolt in. there is no fab work required. it even looks factory after you're done.

matthew

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wow, nice job on your conversion!! :laugh3: How much in parts did it cost ya? Mine is unfortunately is a 2wd also.:(
 
Yup, yup....just what everyone else said. I was able to keep my parts cost down (under $300) thanks to a couple good U-pull yards near me, and I wasn't in a rush to do it. I spent alot of time gathering parts as I found them in decent condition and for a good price. It helps if the vehicle is not your DD, so you aren't rushed into it. Drop me a PM or EM if you need any help....
Jeff
 
sarvermr said:
since you have to ask "if it has the ability to have a front driveshaft conected" you probably shouldn't even consider the conversion. why don't you crawl under the jeep and you can answer your question.

the reason i asked is because i dont know anyone that has a 2wd cherokee adn strangers at malls dont seem to like unknow people creeping under there cars without having you aressted. i am fully capable of the conversion,( i swapped in f/r axles, a re long arm kit, a new tranny and atlass into my tj this summer in a dirt driveway with 4 jackstands 2 floor jacks and a small set of tools.) so i'm not incompetant, i just dont know much about 2wd, i only have experience with what i have done directly.

thank you though for the info you provided, i was just wondering because i was shopping for XJ and i came across some good deals on 2WD ones and wondered if a 4WD conversion might be posible.

another question is: what are the width of XJ axles compared to TJ axles, i wanted to know if you can swap the back and forth.
 
Jeep nasty said:
another question is: what are the width of XJ axles compared to TJ axles, i wanted to know if you can swap the back and forth.

they are the same width. but while the front one is plug and play, the rear axle in XJ is SOA and not coil set-up like TJ, so it would required some work to put a TJ rear axle into XJ.
 
in the defense of some of the answers you received, it did come across as a "newbie" type question.. although no mention was made as to what XJ you have, if any.. most would assume that the majority of these questions are posted regarding a vehicle sitting out in the driveway and answer them as such...
mike
 
Jeep nasty said:
i was just wondering because i was shopping for XJ and i came across some good deals on 2WD ones and wondered if a 4WD conversion might be posible.

another question is: what are the width of XJ axles compared to TJ axles, i wanted to know if you can swap the back and forth.


sorry, i didn't realize that you didn't currently own a 2wd xj.

the tj and xj axles are fully interchangeable, but remember, tj axles are low pinion.

when i did my conversion i also put in an 8.8. i spent about $1000 for everything after i sold my old 8.25. i still have the tranny so if i ever get rid of it i may be able to knock the price down a bit more.

$1000 seems like a lot but if you consider what i got, its less than i would have spent buying a 4wd.

high pinion d30 with 4.10's (2000 4wd should have come with a LP axle)
rear 8.8 with disks and 4.10's - much better than the 8.25
transfer case with HD sye already installed

i would have easily paid a grand for a gear swap and hd sye. plus you learn a ton about your rig. if you can do it and don't mind putting that amount of work into a rig you just bought then go for it!

matthew
 
Hey guys,

So it is roughly about 2 grand for the conversion plus labor? I just wanted to know if that price was in the ballpark to convert a 2wd XJ to a 4x4... I mean I am kinda handy with tools, but I am nowhere near as being a mechanic, now if someone was knowledgable in helping me to convert mine, I wouldn't be shy doing most of the work myself. :)

BTW... sorry to ask stupid questions, but what is high/low pinion? what is the difference, and which is better for 4x4? Thanks!
 
i think thats probably a safe "ballpark" if you are planning to pay for some labor cost... but the parts cost can vary greatly depending on what it is.. how common they are.. how much someone has invested in it. and what the seller actually think it's worth.. i suggested a donor vehicle for a few reasons..
a complete but rusted 4WD XJ can be had for just a few hundred $$..
you will have a first-hand picture of what your project will look like when it's done..
you will have a vehicle to run back to and check as a reference if something doesnt fit..
much easier to learn how something is put together if you have the chance to disassemble it first..
you can always slap the 2WD stuff back in it and sell a running vehicle for a few$$ to off-set the total cost...
a parts rig has tons of parts that you may, and will need for other systems on your XJ as time goes on...
... one word of advice on a parts rig though... NEVER take possesion of any vehicle that DOES NOT COME WITH A LEGAL TITLE.. regardless of how easy you may ASSUME it will be to get rid of it afterwards... unles of course your home state does not require a title...
i have put a bit of thought into a 2WD to 4WD swap someday myself, most likely on an MJ....
the question about the high=-pinion and low-pinion front axles is easy..
if looking at the differential housing from the hub-end of the axle.. a hP will have the pinion cast into the diff housing toward the top of the ring gear.. and the LP will be toward the bottom of the housing... hence the high-pinion will place the pinion farther from the ground( increased ground clearance) and closer to the transfer case front output.. making for a shorter driveshaft with decreased driveline angles... the HP is the best choice for a lifted vehicle..
mike
 
sarvermr said:
sorry, i didn't realize that you didn't currently own a 2wd xj.
dont' worry its all good, i guess i wasnt really clear that i didnt already own one.
as for the axles i was just curiuos because i have my dana 30 of my TJ when i swaped in my dana 44's and i was still shoppign for xj's unitll i got one on ebay last night. (94' XJ 4.0 lifted 4WD) i just considered because there were some very good deals to be had on 97-2000 2WD XJ's on ebay and autorader and was wondering if i could use them in a conversion. If i hadnt got rid of my Extra Atlas II i definilty would have gone the 2WD convertion route with my d30 on a newer xj, but i needed a daily driver more than another project, so maybe i'll work on something over the summer.

thanks for all the help though, i'll definitly save thisa info for when i go for the conversion.
 
Dogtired, you are close to YellowXJ if you are in Orlando. He is in Ocalla and one hell of a nice guy. Shot him a pm he knows of local guys that might direct or guid you for pizza and beer! Just a thought! Yellow I hope you don't mind! :)
 
Ghost said:
Dogtired, you are close to YellowXJ if you are in Orlando. He is in Ocalla and one hell of a nice guy. Shot him a pm he knows of local guys that might direct or guid you for pizza and beer! Just a thought! Yellow I hope you don't mind! :)

Hey Ghost! Thanks for the advice! I am in the process of joining the Orlando Jeep Club! Just got my exhaust kit saving for this weekend to do some wrenching and some hollering or is that cursing?! :laugh3: Just installed my Rusty's air tube and a big honkin 6x9 K&N filter! Woohoo!

I am not yet ready to do a conversion yet, sorta low on cash right now, hopefully this coming summer I can do it! Yellow XJ has done some conversions himself? I hope I can meet him since the Jeep club is gonna go to Ocala this January. BTW, where ya live Ghost? Hopefully close by too! Man, there aint that much XJ's in this Jeep club... mostly Wranglers. I feel like a redheaded stepchild! :)
 
sidriptide said:
i think thats probably a safe "ballpark" if you are planning to pay for some labor cost... but the parts cost can vary greatly depending on what it is.. how common they are.. how much someone has invested in it. and what the seller actually think it's worth.. i suggested a donor vehicle for a few reasons..
a complete but rusted 4WD XJ can be had for just a few hundred $$..
you will have a first-hand picture of what your project will look like when it's done..
you will have a vehicle to run back to and check as a reference if something doesnt fit..
much easier to learn how something is put together if you have the chance to disassemble it first..
you can always slap the 2WD stuff back in it and sell a running vehicle for a few$$ to off-set the total cost...
a parts rig has tons of parts that you may, and will need for other systems on your XJ as time goes on...
... one word of advice on a parts rig though... NEVER take possesion of any vehicle that DOES NOT COME WITH A LEGAL TITLE.. regardless of how easy you may ASSUME it will be to get rid of it afterwards... unles of course your home state does not require a title...
i have put a bit of thought into a 2WD to 4WD swap someday myself, most likely on an MJ....
the question about the high=-pinion and low-pinion front axles is easy..
if looking at the differential housing from the hub-end of the axle.. a hP will have the pinion cast into the diff housing toward the top of the ring gear.. and the LP will be toward the bottom of the housing... hence the high-pinion will place the pinion farther from the ground( increased ground clearance) and closer to the transfer case front output.. making for a shorter driveshaft with decreased driveline angles... the HP is the best choice for a lifted vehicle..
mike

sidriptide, thanks for the words of advice and knowledge, never considered the legalities of titles and such. When looking for a donor vehicle... should it really matter if it is exactly the same year? Mine is a pretty recent year 2000 4.0L 4dr, so I am sure the parts are probably on the high side. I guess it is better for compatibility reasons, if both vehicles are the same year. Besides, it would be hard to call it a "2000" if there are parts of many different years. If any way possible, I don't wanna do it half@ss, because it is my only ride to work, don't wanna be stuck in the middle of the road. :( I don't think I will trade my vehicle in the future for a stupid sports car or something equally dumb... been through that road before.

BTW, thanks for the explaination of high vs low pinion, makes a whole lotta sense. :)
 
dogtired said:
When looking for a donor vehicle... should it really matter if it is exactly the same year? Mine is a pretty recent year 2000 4.0L 4dr, so I am sure the parts are probably on the high side. I guess it is better for compatibility reasons, if both vehicles are the same year. Besides, it would be hard to call it a "2000" if there are parts of many different years. If any way possible, I don't wanna do it half@ss, because it is my only ride to work, don't wanna be stuck in the middle of the road.

mine is a 2000 also. the donor doesn't have to be the same year, but some combo's definitely won't interchange. i seriously doubt you'll be able to find a 2000 donor vehicle for a reasonable price. like i said above, go to http://car-part.com/ and do a parts search. also check the for sale forums here, at JU, and at POR. for the axle you'd be best off with something 96-99 era (297's, non-disco, high pinion, etc). for the tranmission i believe 98-01 interchange. i used the transfercase out of a tj but i had to have the input shaft cut down. to avoid this problem i would use a case out of an xj with the same spline count and input length of the transmission you're using. check out http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/np231.htm for more info on this.

if you're not in a hurry shop around in the for sale forums and you can find built axles and transfer cases with SYE's for cheaper than salvage yard prices.

mine is also a DD. i haven't had a problem since i did the conversion (6 months and 5k miles) and i'm far from a mechanic.

matthew
 
i think the major thing to watch out for as far a compatability is the trans/t-case combo matching your 2000.... the t-case input shaft changed somewhere around 94ish (???) but i am not familiar with the trans electronics compatibility.. although generally not the best approach, having the output-tail assembly on your 2WD trans refitted to accept the t-case might be more cost effective.. your choice of front axle really should hinge on your intended use.. basic stock (or near stock) wheeling you would not have any issues with using a low-pinion D30... if you intend to lift in the future and wheel it with any seriousness it would be worth going with a high-pinion D30.... a TJ low-pinion could be had fairly cheap since they are always being pulled for custom D44s.. and being a 2000 i suggest putting a 99 cross member and trans/t-case mount on the list as "must have".. the unit was redesigned for 2000 and off-sets the whole assy a full inch.. the 99 parts will keep it centered..
mike
 
Having the tail of a 2WD transmission modified for a transfer case requires a new output shaft, since the 2WD is much longer, and a housing to replace the tail stock. The dealer wanted about $200 for the housing assembly and it takes a complete tear down to r&r the output shaft. I looked into the options when I was first planning my conversion and found that approach is really not an option with the number of AW4's that can be had for just a couple of hundred dollars.
 
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