psrivats' 2005 TJ Rubicon mild build

@psrivats, welcome back! I ended up fixing my locker switch dilemma you were helping me with last spring. I went out and blew up my rear LSD, which took out my gears and Rubi locker in the rear. New ARB and associated switches took care of that!
 
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@psrivats, welcome back! I ended up fixing my locker switch dilemma you were helping me with last spring. I went out and blew up my rear LSD, which took out my gears and Rubi locker in the rear. New ARB and associated switches took care of that!

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. Impossible to find stock replacements and ARBs are very good from what I hear. The switch setup is a nice bonus :) Hopefully they will serve you well for a long time.
 
My rebuilt transmission went in late last week (ATS diesel with upgraded valve body and their torque converter). The torque converter shudder that I felt on the old trans is not present here at all. The jeep feels so smooth to drive at hwy speeds now and the difference is very perceptible. It is amazing how much we take for "normal" on our used vehicles as we get used to them. I was quite frustrated this summer with the shudder on long trips and I could feel it slowly getting worse. Even my non-jeeper/non-car-enthusiast friends that traveled with me could feel and hear it. I am so glad that this is resolved now.

With the rebuilt trans, the upshifts feel really smooth and normal but downshifts feel quite firm (esp the 2-1 downshift) esp after you first start the vehicle and start driving. It does get better after the vehicle has been driven for a while. The shop that did the install is very well versed with properly checking the fluid levels on Chrysler transmissions and such so I have full confidence that the install was done correctly. I had a chat with ATS diesel tech support and I am told this will get better after a couple hundred miles (adaptives were reset post install). Will update here as to what happens.

@NashvilleTJ @Grover728 did you guys experience anything similar with your rebuilt transmissions?

@Chris for your records since you had asked me to let you know how this turns out :)
 
My rebuilt transmission went in late last week (ATS diesel with upgraded valve body and their torque converter). The torque converter shudder that I felt on the old trans is not present here at all. The jeep feels so smooth to drive at hwy speeds now and the difference is very perceptible. It is amazing how much we take for "normal" on our used vehicles as we get used to them. I was quite frustrated this summer with the shudder on long trips and I could feel it slowly getting worse. Even my non-jeeper/non-car-enthusiast friends that traveled with me could feel and hear it. I am so glad that this is resolved now.

With the rebuilt trans, the upshifts feel really smooth and normal but downshifts feel quite firm (esp the 2-1 downshift) esp after you first start the vehicle and start driving. It does get better after the vehicle has been driven for a while. The shop that did the install is very well versed with properly checking the fluid levels on Chrysler transmissions and such so I have full confidence that the install was done correctly. I had a chat with ATS diesel tech support and I am told this will get better after a couple hundred miles (adaptives were reset post install). Will update here as to what happens.

@NashvilleTJ @Grover728 did you guys experience anything similar with your rebuilt transmissions?

@Chris for your records since you had asked me to let you know how this turns out :)
What do you mean by a firm 2-1 downshift? When shifting manually?
 
I wouldn't worry but if they did the transgo kit it's just a side effect of the system pressure change (I think a new spring) and the accumulator bleed change (one of the holes they drill). People that want high performance want short shifts and that's part of what those two things do.
 
I can chirp 1->2 sometimes when playing around but 2->1 has been smooth. I wish I had replaced the torque converter long ago.
 
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I can chirp 1->2 sometimes when playing around but 2->1 has been smooth. I wish I had replaced the torque converter long ago.

The TC is the main reason why I went with them. Hoping that it is all they say it is and lasts a good while without issues 😂

Never had that issue as I recall.
Did you get their valve body or kept the stock one?

I wouldn't worry but if they did the transgo kit it's just a side effect of the system pressure change (I think a new spring) and the accumulator bleed change (one of the holes they drill). People that want high performance want short shifts and that's part of what those two things do.

Thanks, that kind of makes sense. Not sure if they use transgo, but they indeed do some mods to the valve body to increase the line pressure (see website blurb below). They said it would get better after a couple hundred miles. I will update here as to what happens. It is nothing harsh or anything, but distinctly different from stock and impossible to miss/

https://www.atsdiesel.com/ats-performance-valve-body-assembly-42rle-2003-2006-jeep

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Not a TJ update, but an update nonetheless.

After a bunch of searching and weeks of dealing with the typical FB/CL shenanigans when it comes to used cars, I finally found what I consider to be the best replacement for my '96 XJ - a gen1 2001 Subaru Forester (49k miles!). The 1998-2008 Foresters are mostly the same, 2003-08 got some updates and I would have been happy with any of them. There was a red color that Subaru had in this timeframe (Cayenne red) that is quite nice.

This is going to be an unpopular opinion here, and many people here are going to disagree with me, but I think the Subaru below is every bit better than the XJ it replaces for what I use it for. I have liked owning the XJ for the past few years and it's been a good car. I have used it quite a bit, but I am ready to move on.

Yes, I am aware of the head gasket issues from this era of the 2.5L Subaru engines. I will have my local shop check everything over and make sure all is well. I hope to keep this car for a long time and it will see duties as a daily driver, road trip car and for handing the typical winter weather we get here. It is just enough car for what I need, and I plan to keep it stock and enjoy it for years to come.

Any other Forester owners on the board?


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Any other Forester owners on the board?
Very cool! My mom owned a later model forester xt and that thing was a blast. Sadly though the cvt started doing weird lurchy things at idle so she got rid of it.
If Subaru hadn’t sold out to the whole cvt thing my wife would certainly drive one. I love that Subarus have a longitudinal engine layout with a real transfer case and real awd. We own a 2nd gen cr-v and it is a great car in many respects but it is a front wheel drive car with an electronic clutch that sometimes sends a little bit of power to the rear wheels if it senses the front slipping. I think it’s a gimmick that Honda uses to claim that it’s all wheel drive. This is one of those things that most people don’t get.
Hope you enjoy the forester and please get those wheels for your tj mounted soon!
 
Not a TJ update, but an update nonetheless.

After a bunch of searching and weeks of dealing with the typical FB/CL shenanigans when it comes to used cars, I finally found what I consider to be the best replacement for my '96 XJ - a gen1 2001 Subaru Forester (49k miles!). The 1998-2008 Foresters are mostly the same, 2003-08 got some updates and I would have been happy with any of them. There was a red color that Subaru had in this timeframe (Cayenne red) that is quite nice.

This is going to be an unpopular opinion here, and many people here are going to disagree with me, but I think the Subaru below is every bit better than the XJ it replaces for what I use it for. I have liked owning the XJ for the past few years and it's been a good car. I have used it quite a bit, but I am ready to move on.

Yes, I am aware of the head gasket issues from this era of the 2.5L Subaru engines. I will have my local shop check everything over and make sure all is well. I hope to keep this car for a long time and it will see duties as a daily driver, road trip car and for handing the typical winter weather we get here. It is just enough car for what I need, and I plan to keep it stock and enjoy it for years to come.

Any other Forester owners on the board?


View attachment 451569

There is a kid (probably in his early 20's, so, not really a kid) in my 4x4 club that wheels a 2005 Forrester. I've seen it go through some pretty gnarly stuff, lots of lifted tires! He has a 1" spacer lift on it, and is running 30" tires, I think. It's not gonna do the Rubicon, but he has fun with it on our two tracks and Michigan trails. I think this will be a good purchase for you.

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Hope you enjoy the forester and please get those wheels for your tj mounted soon!

Thank you. I think this will serve me well.

It'll be a while before I get the wheels mounted though. I'll remember to tag you when that happens or send you a PM.
 
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There is a kid (probably in his early 20's, so, not really a kid) in my 4x4 club that wheels a 2005 Forrester. I've seen it go through some pretty gnarly stuff, lots of lifted tires! He has a 1" spacer lift on it, and is running 30" tires, I think. It's not gonna do the Rubicon, but he has fun with it on our two tracks and Michigan trails. I think this will be a good purchase for you.

View attachment 451695

Thanks Mike. The AWD on these things is pretty good. I tired yesterday and I can lay down in the rear quite well diagonally, if I put the rear seat down flat. That is exciting because I can now go car camping if I choose to!

Photo below is from Google, but you can see how much space there is in the back. The thing that is good is that the rear seat is much more usable than the XJ in terms of legroom. There are rear headrests and they are designed to come out and store nicely to get the full flat rear.

rear-storage-seat-down.jpg


There is an interesting community of people that mod these things. Most popular is putting a turbo from a JDM only STI version, and the other is putting WRX suspension components (and I've seen people do both). I saw a company (Anderson Design and Fab) that sells some crazy suspension stuff for lifting and whatever. I have no desire to put larger tires on this thing .. just not needed where it'll go. I'll still have the TJ for all big tire needs 😂
 
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