Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator

Daily Driver, Go Where I Want To Build

The first ten minute drive was very different. Everything is different. There is a lot to figure out. When boost hits, there is a noticable pull that wasn't there before. The 42rle is also responding differently and more deliberately.

Look forward to reading your thoughts. Perhaps finally the power will match the suspension.
 
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There are a few things to sort out once time allows before I can really dig into what this new paradigm is like.

It's a nice feeling when the 4.0l has the power a tj chassis needs to be quick. Around 300 lb ft does the trick

Do you plan on a flyn ryan tune?or a wranglerfix trans tune?

A shift kit to firm things up and protect the clutches wouldn't be a bad idea. Hopefully one can be installed with the trans in the jeep
 
It's a nice feeling when the 4.0l has the power a tj chassis needs to be quick. Around 300 lb ft does the trick

Do you plan on a flyn ryan tune?or a wranglerfix trans tune?

A shift kit to firm things up and protect the clutches wouldn't be a bad idea. Hopefully one can be installed with the trans in the jeep

My only plan at the moment is to get this setup situated and live with it for a while and learn it. Forced induction is fairly new to me, so I don't want to get ahead of myself.
 
You have something to monitor AFR, right? I'd hate to see you melt a piston.

20240901_121453.jpg
 
The garbage intake is in the garbage and I built a new one!
20240905_192259.jpg


I have a threaded bung for the PCV that will get cut in soon that will fit almost like factory did.

The old Windstar intake I built was insulated. I might do the same here after I see what happens with this setup.
 
After a week since the initial install and several details sorted out, everything in the Boosted Tech kit appears to be working correctly and seemlessly. When driving normally, the transition from vacuum to boost is invisible. Most would never know it is there.

Where before there was a decrease in acceleration as the speed and rpms increase, now the Jeep just continues to go without hesitation until you get to where you want to be. During a hard acceleration, if you look for it there is a perceivable sudden pull when entering boost that has never been there before in the acceleration.

The supercharger is very quiet, with only a slight whine and small volume increase when pushed hard.

Engine temps so far seem to be unaffected.

Intake temps with the cowl induction are generally about 70-80°F above ambient. Boost will momentarily increase this right up until the 7th fuel injector kicks in for a noticeable drop followed by the meth/water injection for another decrease.

At some point soon, I will be insulating the intake because I know from the prior intake, that will decrease the temps about 10°F.

I am also going to make some changes to the Windstar canister inlet that will increase the opening size to match the throttle body. I have no idea if this will matter for performance, but I can do it and it won't hurt anything.

None of this is going to be Earth shattering for those looking for burnouts and quarter mile times. But that was never the goal. The important thing is that now the Jeep can move and get out of it's own way like a normal modern vehicle. It's nice and adds to the fun of what is already a very fun vehicle to drive.
 
There was one noteworthy problem that arose after the initial installation. On the first couple drives, there was severe preignition early in boost that sounded like shaking a can of rocks. This is a scary sound and I knew what it was, so I quickly ran the SC in bypass until I could figure it out. The engine also had a lean condition error code for banks 1 and 2.

During multiple discussions with Blaine, he remembered years ago that I had installed 4 port Neon injectors and wondered what their flow rate is.

I looked it up.

20.9 lb/hr for Neon
vs
23.2 lb/hr for TJ

That is a 2.3lb/hr per injector decrease in the available fuel that was missing for the SC to utilize. These neon injectors have been in my engine for nine years. I never believed they did anything and they were also never a recognizable problem. Now they appear to be a very big problem. Out came the green Neon injectors...
20240907_154410.jpg


And, after digging through an old parts box, back in went the original factory injectors with fresh o rings.
20240907_110614.jpg


Immediately on the next drive, the violent pops and cracks were gone and I could drive into boost without fear. What remained were barely noticeable light pops. That evening I read through the install instructions very carefully and realized I had missed moving the throttle body MAP sensor vacuum line to read boost. I corrected that this morning and have been running errands most of today without any pops and everything from the BT kit running properly as far as I can tell.
 
The problem of the Neon injectors is as interesting as it is infuriating.

I installed them 9 years ago out of curiosity and with low expectations. They didn't result in anything good or bad. Except that now, I strongly suspect that I have been running my engine on the lean side of the acceptable parameters all these years. It never mattered until a week ago when the engine needed that unavailable fuel.

All the advocates for the 4 port Neon injectors are completely deluding themselves that there is any benefit from them in the 4.0.
 
The problem of the Neon injectors is as interesting as it is infuriating.

I installed them 9 years ago out of curiosity and with low expectations. They didn't result in anything good or bad. Except that now, I strongly suspect that I have been running my engine on the lean side of the acceptable parameters all these years. It never mattered until a week ago when the engine needed that unavailable fuel.

All the advocates for the 4 port Neon injectors are completely deluding themselves that there is any benefit from them in the 4.0.

Crazy that something that folks were trying at the time (without success since the computer compensated) came back to bite you. Glad you found it out quickly and without any damage!

Gotta love when the old parts box pays you back. (y)
 
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Crazy that something that folks were trying at the time (without success since the computer compensated) came back to bite you. Glad you found it out quickly and without any damage!

Gotta love when the old parts box pays you back. (y)

As part of this year's big changes, several things have gone back to factory. Either because it was part of the de-cluttering effort or because it works better than whatever gimmicky thing I tried. Fortunately I kept most of the original stuff.
 
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Another curious observation is that the 42rle seems happier with more power pushing it. The shifts feel more firm and decisive. This is similar to what I noticed after the regear to 5.38. That the transmission worked better with the lower axle gearing working in it's favor. So, now with more power up front and the mechanical advantage in the back, the 42 is becoming a more tolerable transmission.
 
Another curious observation is that the 42rle seems happier with more power pushing it. The shifts feel more firm and decisive. This is similar to what I noticed after the regear to 5.38. That the transmission worked better with the lower axle gearing working in it's favor. So, now with more power up front and the mechanical advantage in the back, the 42 is becoming a more tolerable transmission.

It's kinda funny how a supercharger is a potentially more readily "implementable" solution than even deeper gearing then 5.38s given all the considerations, costs and risks involved for that.

What you are really showing is that the factory should have put in a more powerful mill in the TJ from the get-go.
 
It's kinda funny how a supercharger is a potentially more readily "implementable" solution than even deeper gearing then 5.38s given all the considerations, costs and risks involved for that.

What you are really showing is that the factory should have put in a more powerful mill in the TJ from the get-go.

Maybe. It wasn't designed to be a sports car, it was designed to be a workhorse. The inline 6 is a solid motor with great torque.
 
It's kinda funny how a supercharger is a potentially more readily "implementable" solution than even deeper gearing then 5.38s given all the considerations, costs and risks involved for that.

What you are really showing is that the factory should have put in a more powerful mill in the TJ from the get-go.

The factory should have at least done a better job on their gearing selection among all the engine and transmission combinations. There is less rhyme and reason behind it as the TJ years progressed - the 42rle being the worst offender. And how Jeep ignored the need for an auxiliary cooler and a high temp warning light is baffling.

But this is what we got. At the end of the day, people need to regear before screwing around with anything else. Be it more power or changing shift points. All of that will be better with proper gearing to support it.
 
Maybe. It wasn't designed to be a sports car, it was designed to be a workhorse. The inline 6 is a solid motor with great torque.

It was also designed and intended for a factory application. We mess that up with increasingly larger tires and ruining the already awful aerodynamics.

As far as being as fun as a sports car, we can build that aspect into the TJ.
 
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The factory should have at least done a better job on their gearing selection among all the engine and transmission combinations. There is less rhyme and reason behind it as the TJ years progressed - the 42rle being the worst offender. And how Jeep ignored the need for an auxiliary cooler and a high temp warning light is baffling.

But this is what we got. At the end of the day, people need to regear before screwing around with anything else. Be it more power or changing shift points. All of that will be better with proper gearing to support it.
I think it was more along the lines of "fine, you want an OD transmission, there ya go, now fuck off". They should have spent the time and effort to convert the OD to a tolerable ratio like .80 and delivered something stellar. They were already in a heavy redesign to tilt the pan to set the case upright and a new bellhousing and tailshaft adapter to the t-case bolt pattern, surely an OD wasn't off the table at that point, or shouldn't have been. And yes, a temp light and a big AUX cooler should have been there from Day 1. I'd prefer a gauge but I'll settle for a light. That would have opened lots of folk's eyes to the need for a cooler much sooner and slowed down lots of rebuild needs.
 
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There was one noteworthy problem that arose after the initial installation. On the first couple drives, there was severe preignition early in boost that sounded like shaking a can of rocks. This is a scary sound and I knew what it was, so I quickly ran the SC in bypass until I could figure it out. The engine also had a lean condition error code for banks 1 and 2.

During multiple discussions with Blaine, he remembered years ago that I had installed 4 port Neon injectors and wondered what their flow rate is.

I looked it up.

20.9 lb/hr for Neon
vs
23.2 lb/hr for TJ

That is a 2.3lb/hr per injector decrease in the available fuel that was missing for the SC to utilize. These neon injectors have been in my engine for nine years. I never believed they did anything and they were also never a recognizable problem. Now they appear to be a very big problem. Out came the green Neon injectors...
View attachment 556712

And, after digging through an old parts box, back in went the original factory injectors with fresh o rings.
View attachment 556713

Immediately on the next drive, the violent pops and cracks were gone and I could drive into boost without fear. What remained were barely noticeable light pops. That evening I read through the install instructions very carefully and realized I had missed moving the throttle body MAP sensor vacuum line to read boost. I corrected that this morning and have been running errands most of today without any pops and everything from the BT kit running properly as far as I can tell.

Those come up as 3.3l caravan injectors. 20.9 lb at 3 bar(43.5psi)

Your stock blue tips are 22.5 lb at 3 bar

Stock 97-04 fuel pressure is 49psi so it makes comparing injectors tough.

The right ones for your 4.0l would have been 0280155784 injectors. 22.7lb at 3 bar

What was you afr gauge reading during the pop and crack?
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator