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Help out a Newbie

MassMopar

MassMopar

NAXJA Forum User
Location
MA
Hey Guys

Having just picked up my first 4.0 I6, what's the mandatory to-do list look like?

It's a 98 2 door, 5 speed with 205,000 KMs on it - 125k miles or so.

Looks like it's been pretty much un-touched except for a recent 3" rough country lift (with the add-a-leaf).

It runs and drives great, no codes, good power. Trans and transfer case both shift smoothly and feel good. The only driveline noise I pick up on is a front right wheel bearing heading south.

I'm not going crawling with it, just some beach and light trail riding. I need this thing to be dead to nuts reliable.

I'm thinking

-Waterpump? What one? Looks like mines never been touched

-Radiator?

-Serpentine belt

-Fluids: What are your recommendations for the diffs? 5-spd trans? How many quarts of oil does the 4L take?

-Filters - anyone run non-stock higher capacity oil filters?

-Who makes the best oe-replacement front wheel hubs?

TIRES!! I need to lose the road tires that are on this thing and go a little more aggressive - What's a good off-road tire with reasonably good road manners?

TIA guys

Nick

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Edit: If this should be out in the tech forum could a mod please move it?
 
Last edited:
Welcome! Nice XJ! How's the rust situation on it? Mine was that color... and it was bad. Seen a few others with that paint and none have been great. I see some rot behind the doors. I'd chase that before it gets worse.

I'm only going to answer what I know about.

- Water pump - talk to Crown Automotive

-Radiator - there's a popular 3 bank one that everyone runs. Costs a pretty penny but they're great.

-Serpentine belt - whatever Napa has

-Fluids: - unless you have a LSD, straight GL-5 works in the diffs.

IIRC, I bought 6 qts when doing an oil change. Think it's like 5.5 with oe size filter

-Filters - Yep, factory size is PH-16 from Fram, forget what it crosses to in other cars. I think the big filter is a PH-8 but I might be wrong.

-Who makes the best oe-replacement front wheel hubs? Timkens are the most popular, can be had at Napa.

Also, asking which fluid to run in a AX-15 is equivalent to opening Pandora's box. Everyone has a different opinion. I will tell you that I ran 30 wt motor oil for a few years without trouble. Whether it's the best thing or not, it worked. The official spec calls for GL3, but it's almost impossible to find from my experience. And if you can find it, it's super expensive. The chemicals in GL-5 will eat the yellow metals (brass) in the trans at operating temp. I think it's sulfur that does it.
 
- Water pump - Any stock style is fine. I had a Flowkooler on mine for a bit, but I'm not sure it made much of a difference.

-Radiator - CSF 3 row. It's about $200, but its all metal and works well. I'd also replace all your hoses at the same time (upper/lower radiator hoses and heater hoses) and consider replacing the fan clutch.

-Serpentine belt - A lot of people love gatorbacks for some reason. I always ran Daycos from whatever parts store had them. Never had an issue.

-Fluids: - Whatever oil you want in the engine. I usually ran either rotella 10w40 or valvoline 10w30. I wouldn't worry about all the ZDDP craze. I've put over plenty of miles on different 4.0s with no issues.

-Filters - WIX 51068 I believe is the stock 1/2 qt sized one. WIX 51515 is the 1qt sized one. I refuse to run FRAM filters after seeing one cut open. That being said, I know people that have run them with no issue including my parents with 60k miles on the 440 in their 87 Ramcharger.

Agreed with Anthony on the rust issues and the Timken wheel bearings. I have no experience with AX-15s so can't help there.
 
The rust issue isn't too bad -
The driver's rocker has been replaced/patched end to end, the weld bead wasn't ground down or really painted properly so it's showing some surface rust.
The driver's door, down at the bottom edge, looks brand new, not a hint of rust. Same with the jam, the hinges, etc etc. How the rocker could rot and leave the door this nice is beyond me.
The passenger rocker looks fine, the rear 1/4 above the rocker has rotted through and I'll be patching that shortly. The pass door isn't bad.
Couple rust patches on the roof, one on the upper windshield corner on the drivers side, another on the pass drip rail. Those look like they'll clean up nice with a wire wheel and some paint.
Underneath the frame is mint, the floors are mint, even around the gas tank is nice. The front and rear axles are pretty rusty but nothing too unexpected.
The interior looks brand new, I feel bad letting my dog in there. I pulled up the trim piece in the back holding down the carpet and took a peek, it looks like it was painted yesterday.

The tag on the rear diff says 3.07 - so what do I have?? Definitely felt like a LSD when I took off in sand a few times.

At least 5.5/6 qts isn't quite as bad as the 7 qts for the hemis. Where do you guys buy your wix filters? I've actually resorted to buying mopar filters from the dealership because the mobil 1's I was using were giving me problems on my Challenger. No frams for me, it's too bad I can't convince my dad to change from FRAM too....

Should I do the heater core at the same time as the radiator? Or just ignore it as long as it's not leaking.....
 
Mopars are rebadged WIX filters so that's fine. I stock up from my local parts guy, or order from RockAuto in bulk.

I'd ignore the heater core. Just flush it out with a garden hose when you change the hoses.
 
Rust doesn't sound too bad. Shouldn't be hard to fix. Good luck.

You probably have 3.07's in a 29 spline 8.25 with an open differential. It will be very clear when you open it up which one you have.

Sears Sells Wix. Napa too I think.

Heater core is a bitch. I agree with Colin, just flush it.
 
as to the waterpump, I have Flowkoolers on both my rigs. They have worked well, and I did notice a difference in temp in my 01. That one still has the stock radiator. I switched to an aluminum rad in my 98 the same time as the Flowkooler, so is was more difficult to tell what helped.
 
Alright thanks for the advice guys -

Who's the best vendor to go thru for the rad and waterpump?

I've had 2 rads damaged shipping so I'd love to pick it up somewhere in MA/NH but if I have to ship I will...
 
MassMopar said:
Will they sell straight to you at their place in Canton? Their website wants to send you through a distributor

Edit: NVM beat me to it, thanks
Click to expand...
not sure how far you are form there, but if ya call ahead of time they will make sure its in stock for when you arrive
 
MassMopar said:
Will they sell straight to you at their place in Canton? Their website wants to send you through a distributor

Edit: NVM beat me to it, thanks
Click to expand...

Jeff is the man!!! I cant plug Crown enough, I bought EVERYTHING for my last jeep from him. I still get what I can thru him for my trail rig now, he's also got the hook up for anything Spicer which is sweet too.

I got a new radiator, hoses, t-stat, and waterpump for around 250 I wanna say.
 
foxwar71 said:
Jeff is the man!!! I cant plug Crown enough, I bought EVERYTHING for my last jeep from him. I still get what I can thru him for my trail rig now, he's also got the hook up for anything Spicer which is sweet too.

I got a new radiator, hoses, t-stat, and waterpump for around 250 I wanna say.
Click to expand...

Guess I know where I'm going saturday :eek:


:wave:
P1290322.JPG
 
You have some pretty cool cars, you know, except for that lame cherokee.
 
foxwar71 said:
Drive the Charger and Im sure at least me and Colin (MoparManaic) well stop by to say hi. ;)
Click to expand...

Nah the Charger's suffering from fuel leak.. gotta find a weekend to investigate. I'm hoping it's a split fuel line around the tank and not the sending unit or filler neck seal
 
Sick.

You'd get along great with my family.

My brother has a '68 and '70 charger, my father has a '70 hemi challenger and '70 340 4 spd duster.
 
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