99 ho out of xj into a 89 mj

Well I will be picking up a 89 mj pioneer 5 speed, 4x4, short bed. That I traded work for. I found a complete 99 xj with 5 speed in junk yard. I am pretty much swapping the owner a 98 xj for the 99 .

Basically I was just going to do the ax 15 swap but now thinking about swapping engine tranny and all. I have read tons of threads on swapping a ho for the renix but they all end up swapping the dash. I want to keep the stock interior and dash in the mj. Has anyone done this or seen a thread on it that I have missed?

Thanks in advance

No. They all swap the dash to avoid wiring nightmares.

Nothing on the interior is going to work with the HO harness. Your best bet is to swap EVERYTHING.

If you're not going to swap the dash then just find an early 90's Jeep with an AX15 to swap from.

Man. Well I guess I could stay with the renix and rebuild it. I'll just swap that ba10 for the ax15 out of the 99. ill post some pictures of the mj later.

Thanks

You can just run the short block with the renix head if you dont want to rebuild your shit and swap wiring. The blocks are all the same

Or you can make renix run the whole thing with a tps adapter and a different belt (renix accessories on the ho block with the ho ps pump bracket)

Is it a big enough difference to justify doing the ho swap? I really want to keep it as factory looking as possible. But I do want to run at least a 31x 10.5 tire . I don't mind rebuilding what's in it its going to get a fresh paint job back to factory appearance and interior is in great shape on this one. It will only be used for camping and running around in when I'm done.

shortxjdoug said:

You can just run the short block with the renix head if you dont want to rebuild your shit and swap wiring. The blocks are all the same

Or you can make renix run the whole thing with a tps adapter and a different belt (renix accessories on the ho block with the ho ps pump bracket)

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ding ding ding.

swap the shortblock, put the renix head on it, use all the late model AX-15 stuff, drive it.

the performance difference between renix and HO doesn't justify all the dumb adapters and randomness of using the HO bits on the motor.
Keep it stock and easily serviceable.

I say this as someone that's owned 3 renix jeeps, and there's two OBDII ones in the driveway.

Have you verified that it still has it's BA-10? I picked up an 87 that had an AX-15 swapped to it ages before I got there.

kippo1 said:

Is it a big enough difference to justify doing the ho swap? I really want to keep it as factory looking as possible. But I do want to run at least a 31x 10.5 tire . I don't mind rebuilding what's in it its going to get a fresh paint job back to factory appearance and interior is in great shape on this one. It will only be used for camping and running around in when I'm done.

Click to expand...

No. If you fix the renix and setup the vacuum and egr back to stock (since most have been mucked with) it will be reliable and get good mileage

shortxjdoug said:

No. If you fix the renix and setup the vacuum and egr back to stock (since most have been mucked with) it will be reliable and get good mileage

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it is also troof that an HO jeep will never get as good mileage as a renix jeep.

I regularly got over 20 in a renix 5 speed jeep with 3.07s and 30/31" sized tires.

87manche said:

it is also troof that an HO jeep will never get as good mileage as a renix jeep.



I regularly got over 20 in a renix 5 speed jeep with 3.07s and 30/31" sized tires.

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An obd1 will.... Its just not worth the effort to me unless the renix harness is pretty far gone. An obd 1 jeep can see 20 and 21 on the highway bone stock and maintained well. Ive never been able to get as good of mileage out of any of the obd2 cherokees ive owned though

I was seeing 23-25 on the highway in the little red one.

I got 23mpg in my 91 MJ and 22 regularly in my 98 XJ, both 4.0Ls over 200k miles with an auto, it's all about tire pressure, maintenance, and staying out of the throttle.

I say go all or nothing. It is a disaster trying to combine RENIX and HO wiring, moreso with the OBD2 engine/ECU donor. You can put that AX15 and stuff on the back of the RENIX block no problem, just remember you will need to use the RENIX era flywheel NOT the one from the HO. Use the RENIX CPS as well. I forget what pilot bearing you use for that swap but it will need a ~3/4" ID and the proper OD to fit the RENIX crank since the BA-10/5 one has the older smaller pilot tip. Try an FC69907, they are cheap and it may just fit, like some have for me and others.

Replace the throwout bearing as well while you are in there. I believe you will be swapping the tcase shifter linkages and bracket and the trans crossmember and mount too.

You will need to use the donor's front driveshaft and have your rear driveshaft length modified. I forget if going ba-10 to ax15 results in needing a longer or shorter shaft.

Yeah I think I will just rebuild the renix if the compression isn't good. But it cranks right up and doesn't idle till it has ran for about 5 mins. Then it idles good.

It is the ba10 verified that.

Have to go back through my notes but I think the pilot bearing was off some cj with a v8 I may be remembering wrong though. I also have a np231 on the shelf fresh rebuild with sye installed for the mj.

If it has good compression I'm just going to freshen it up new gaskets and all that and fix some of the rigging.

Picked up another undamaged bed today for it and grabbed a d35 with disk brakes off a 96 cherokee to swap disk onto my 98 xj.

Oh if someone needs a decent long bed for a mj the yard had one for 110.00 it is in Athens Al.

Is it true soa on the mj will give it around 6" lift in the rear?

no idle on the renix?

check the TPS
Check the Map sensor vac line
Check all of the vacuum harness. plan on replacing it. Rockauto has the two halves for like $15 a piece.
Clean the IAC bore.

It will idle after warmed up. But I will look at all that when I pick it up

Cruiser’s HO into Renix Swap

This swap is easier than some will lead you to believe, generally those who have never done it. Those of us who have done it, like myself, will share with you the things that need to be done for a successful swap. Just think of it as swapping in a long block.

The HO and Renix have some differences but none that can’t be overcome very easily.

Any HO engine from an XJ or ZJ through 1999 can be used. One running change was that the rear of the head was no longer drilled and tapped for the temperature gauge sender beginning in the 96 model year. The sender can be relocated to the threaded hole in the thermostat housing taken from the HO engine. You’ll have to extend the wire to that location. Some brave souls even drill and tap the HO head for the sender.

You will be using the intake and exhaust manifolds from your Renix, along with all your sensors and wiring. Since the intake ports of the HO are slightly different, you use the Renix gasket. Exhaust ports are identical.
You will need to use your Renix distributor as it is different than the HO because they use different fuel management systems. The flywheel or flexplate from the Renix must be used so your CPS gets the correct signals. The valve cover from the Renix allows you to keep your CCV system intact and requires no modifications.

The HO block will have a plug in the coolant galley on the driver’s side of the block, closest to the front, which needs to be removed so your Coolant Temp Sensor can be installed in it’s place just as it is on the Renix. It requires a 5/16” square drive or a modified 3/8” drive that has been ground down to fit. Do this before installing the engine.

As for the knock sensor, which is located just above the oil pan on the driver’s side of the engine about mid way, all the blocks I’ve seen are threaded for it. If not, I’ve heard they may be drilled but not tapped. Tap the hole if that’s the case.


Revised 03/28/13

So simple...