Recent content by filmxj

I tow a 20.5' Sea Ray regularly. I've never weighed it, but based on specs I'm coming in just under 5K when loaded up. Trailer has brakes, but the boat is taller than the jeep. I use a weight distributing hitch which makes a huge difference. Also running 4.10 gears and a tranny cooler. It...

If the odometer is turning, it isn't the sender, it's the gauge. Sounds like you need to replace the cluster...

I've always heard that 3rd gear (1:1 ratio) was the most mechanically robust gear for a transmission. Do you guys think it's smart to run OD towing this much weight? I've heard of a lot of people toasting trannies in 1/2 ton pickups by towing in OD, but from all I've read the AW-4 is a really...

I'm running 2" of lift right now - I actually have a spare set of 235/75 LT15 tires and wheels that I can swap on if I really want. They're old and pretty harsh on the road though. I'm still running both sway bars - this isn't really a trail rig, I've got another XJ for that with serious lift...

To those of you surprised about towing this much, the truth is that you know it's back there for sure, but a good weight distributing hitch and good trailer brakes take the white knuckles out of it. It handles well and stops easy in my experience. Just be very careful with very steep mountain...

So is the consensus that on flat ground OD is OK, shift into 3rd for hills, and go for 4.56 gears, but don't expect an improvement in gas mileage?

So you never had trouble towing in OD? I've always been a little afraid to. If I towed in OD I think the 4.10 gears would make sense for the highway.

I've heard that the 4L-60E trannys that are in GM half ton's are pretty sketchy for towing...but then again the last GM (suburban) that I owned was pretty sketchy in it's entirety! (not trying to start a fight, that's just my experience - and a bad enough one that I'm not going there again...)

I can see you saying it isn't ideal for it, but the manual pretty clearly indicates that it is rated for it. I've got good trailer brakes and a weight distributing hitch. I used to have a mid 90's 3/4 ton diesel suburban and I'm not interested in owning something like that again, but I see...

I've got a '98 xj with 4.0, AW-4, 3.55 gears, D-30, Ch 8 1/4, 31' all terrains, a good weight distributing hitch and an aux tranny cooler. I've been towing a boat that is 3200# plus the trailer - and with other stuff I'm sure is pushing right up close to 5000#. This all works reasonably well...

I had this same problem with stress cracks. I've got two cherokees, one that I use as a daily driver and to tow a boat, the other that I just use for wheeling. I noticed a lot of squeaking while towing and when I investigated there was some pretty serious damage that had been done to the...

With that amount of lift on the older XJ I don't think you'll have a problem w/o shims. I've got an 89 and a 98. The old one tolerates lift in the rear a lot better than the new one because of a change in the design of the slip yoke. Also, if you plan to go higher with shackles, that will...

Just wondering if any of you guys have had your AW-4 go out as a result of towing. I know they're supposed to be good boxes and I haven't had any trouble with mine, but I keep wondering if it can really tow 5000 pounds without trouble. That's quite a bit for a vehicle of this...

Switch was bad alright. Once I got juice in there they all jumped to life including the tach. Haven't put in a new ignition switch yet, just running 12V through a toggle switch I had around. Works for the moment, just have to flip a switch to get the gauges going.

I'm very interested to know what you find. I'm having a similar issue with my 89. At this point everything (gauges) has stopped working, but it did like yours for a while. I've confirmed that the ground is good. Now I'm stumped. Could the ignition switch have anything to do with this? I've...