group question.....

ok, here it goes.....My 95 4 cyl 5 spd 4x4 xj has an 8.25 rear with 4.10's, and since i would like to have 4.10's in my 97 6 cyl with 31's, would a turdy5 be ok in the 95 if left open, with a maximum of a 235/75/15 tire, and only mild trails? (dd for mileage). 2nd question....i was trying to go up a side road today with the stock 95 (there were only tracks, not plowed), anyways, while it would barely go up the road, the front end wheel "hopped" (more like shook violently) very badly unless i went very slow, that of which it wouldn't go.....i've never seen anything shake the front end, always the rear. 3rd question, besides a tune up, would a 4.0 throttle body and an electrical fan be worth installing on the 2.5 to get more economy? lastly, the 95 doesn't put out much heat, would a new 195* thermostat help with that problem? i know the 2.5 doesn't make much heat, but i expected better than piss warm air.....well, thanks for looking and your answers

Concerning the problem with the heat:
You more than likely have a plugged up heater core. Seems to be a very common problem with XJs.

Do some searching, there is a lot written about solving that problem.

youll be just fine with the 35. youre still in the stock range tires

Axles will swap, but I think the '95 front is a disco. You'll have to shim or delete the disco, or replace the passenger side axle and axle seal.
If '97 is an automatic, it'll have 3.55 gears, When you swap it into the 95, you probably won't be using 5th gear any more.
If the 97 is a standard, it'll have 3.07 gears and the '95 is going to turn into a serious dog.

the front axle is a non disco, the 97 is an automatic, and the 95 will be staying 4.10's, hence the reason for the turdy5, it is a four cylinder, and will not be driven hard on the trails, so basically, all i have to look for is an xj with a four cylinder, 5 spd, and the 30/35 combo with 4.10's, so the front 30 with 4.10's and the 8.25 out of the 95 will go in the 97, and the 95 gets the 35 with matching 4.10's for stock performance.

1) The D-35 will be fine behind the 4 banger and stock tires. I see you are going to source axles with the 4.10 ratio so there will be no loss of performance.

2) Not sure but check everything out for something loose. Let someone work the steering back and forth while you lay under the front looking for unusual movement.

3) The electric fan will gain you a little more acceleration and mileage. Not sure about the 4.0 TB but it should fit fine though.

4) Most likely a plugged heater core

I think JP Magazine did an article a few years ago on 4cyl hop-ops. One of the things they tried was bolting a stock 4.0 TB on. The dyno said they got a little more HP at the very top of the scale(like 2hp or something) but driveability suffered. Seat of the pants feel was of lower power and throttle lag.

well, it looks like i wont be doing the t.b. swap, just the electric fan. i'll check the heater core soon, and the goose neck on the cylinder head is seeping, so i'll clean it when i put in a new t-stat.