4 cylinder performance problems

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natsuki harvey

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Original poster
i have a 2004 2.4 liter wrangler and my dad drives a 2017 jeep wrangler unlimited and told me that he had a hard time on the hills and so did my mechanic...

i wanna say its a 4 cylinder thing but is it supposed to be this extreme? and can the engine handle off roading?
if not what can i do to help the performance? i know on the highway its bad (up to 75 thats about it...)

thank you in advance
 
The 4 cylinder is very lacking on the highway and especially on hills. That doesn't mean that it isn't great off road. You can look at re-gearing to gain some power but 75 from the 4 banger is not too bad. You can't compare it to your dad's '17 which has a much more powerful motor.
 
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Yep, welcome to the 4 cylinder TJ. Many members here have them and do just fine (i.e. @Rob5589, @StG58, and others). However, you have to come to terms with the fact that short of an engine swap or a serious forced induction system, there is simply no way to get more power out of them.

They aren't meant for highways or hills. Well, they can do fine on highways to some degree, but if you do a lot of highway commuting, it's not going to be the best choice. On hills they flat out suck. Your best bet with the 4 cylinders is to gear them properly and learn how to drive them, keeping them in the ideal RPM range. Don't be afraid to keep the RPMs up high, as you should.
 
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First thing, what size tire? How much gear/accessories do you have loaded on it? Remember, it's a Jeep, it isn't made for doing 80+ mph. That said, mine has 31's and 4.88's and gets up the hills without much effort.
 
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natsuki harvey said:
i have a 2004 2.4 liter wrangler and my dad drives a 2017 jeep wrangler unlimited and told me that he had a hard time on the hills and so did my mechanic...

i wanna say its a 4 cylinder thing but is it supposed to be this extreme? and can the engine handle off roading?
if not what can i do to help the performance? i know on the highway its bad (up to 75 thats about it...)

thank you in advance
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The 4 angry squirrels do just fine on hills and on freeway (mostly, stay under 80) with the proper gears for the tire size and if you don't load them down with accessories. Select a reasonable tire size, gear properly, keep the weight down and the RPM's up and you're good to go. Rob5589 went with 4.88 gears and I'm going with 5.13's (the lowest you can go with a Dana 35) Stay with a 31 or 32" tire. Shift so that the RPM's are between 2,500 and 3,500. Try to cruise around 2,700 - 3,000 RPM. Load your TJ up like you're going out on the trails and run it over a scale. Mine weighs in at 3,300 pounds with all my gear in it and a full tank of gas. (But not me)

The 4 bangers are worthy, you just have to understand them and their needs.
 
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StG58 said:
The 4 angry squirrels do just fine on hills and on freeway (mostly, stay under 80) with the proper gears for the tire size and if you don't load them down with accessories. Select a reasonable tire size, gear properly, keep the weight down and the RPM's up and you're good to go. Rob5589 went with 4.88 gears and I'm going with 5.13's (the lowest you can go with a Dana 35) Stay with a 31 or 32" tire. Shift so that the RPM's are between 2,500 and 3,500. Try to cruise around 2,700 - 3,000 RPM. Load your TJ up like you're going out on the trails and run it over a scale. Mine weighs in at 3,300 pounds with all my gear in it and a full tank of gas. (But not me)

The 4 bangers are worthy, you just have to understand them and their needs.
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This........keep tires 32" or under, gear to 5.13, small lift, and go where 90% of everybody else goes, and still use less fuel than the 6 bangers.
 
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i have stock gearing but it has a 4.11 in the rear im looking to convert it just need the money!
 
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natsuki harvey said:
i have stock gearing but it has a 4.11 in the rear im looking to convert it just need the money!
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31x10.50's and the stock 4.11 gearing is almost livable. Unless you need to crawl on steep ground in two wheel drive. Not nearly ideal, mind you, but livable. 32 and 33" tires are another ball game altogether. I find myself going into low range all to often just to crawl up a steep, narrow, windy trail.
 
Something else to mention, make sure it is running as well as possible. New plugs, wires, air filter, clean throttle body, will make a noticeable improvement in response. 4.11 should be usable on 31's. Mine had 3.73 and was usable, but far from ideal.
Just fyi, timing belt replacement recommendation is 120k miles.
 
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