Thanks so much for your help and clarification, Jerry. Btw, how much if any play should there be in the front diff? I can wiggle the front drive shaft rotationally and very slightly laterally.
Is my LJ Rubicon supposed to feel gutless?
- Thread starter psdtime
- Start date
Rotational play is absolutely both normal and required. That's the backlash mentioned above which allows proper lubrication between the gears. Lateral play is something else which is not normal. Could be caused by a bad pinion bearing, less likely by a pinion nut that loosened.
That was my thought...should I just wait to address it with the regear or is it a more immediate concern?
Depends on how far off the regear is and if you have any trips or wheeling coming up. I'd lean towards waiting until the regear but...
Just made the decision to regear tonight after our convo. So, I need to find a reputable shop in Dayton Ohio area to do the work before I know how far off the regear is. With that said, I can lay off long trips and wheeling for the immdeiate future and just keep to daily city driving. Any issue with that?
Thanks a ton. No 4wd for now lol.I'd chance it based on that minimized usage.
Not to beat a dead horse , but with an automatic you can focus on the obstacles and not have the distraction of keeping the engine alive ...that is huge.
No they're not typically "gutless turds". I live in California and my 5.38 gears were absolutely the cure for my TJ's lack of power and poor mpg. And if you had driven a TJ with 5.38 gears, especially with the 4-speed automatic as I have you'd know instantly it's the right ratio for the freeway and highways too.
And no, 4.10 is not even a good choice for 33" tires with the 5-speed and 4.0 engine. If you're smoking 35's with 4.10 gearing it's not with a Wrangler TJ. Years ago I ran 4.10 with 33's and it was a dog, I had to downshift from 5th to 4th for even very minor grades on the highway or freeway. 4.56 is the better ratio for 33's, 5-speed, and 4.0 engine.
First post on a thread that’s three years old, and just joined today? Sounds like someone got banned from the forum or got asshurt by someone and is being a salty bitch about it
It is just boogie being sad that I keep declining his advances,.First post on a thread that’s three years old, and just joined today? Sounds like someone got banned from the forum or got asshurt by someone and is being a salty bitch about it
TJRick
TJ Enthusiast
If you keep things in perspective, you would understand that the AMC 4.0 is actually a great engine that makes good power.
It really isn't fair to compare an engine that was replaced 15 years ago with today's over-complicated, over computer-controlled small displacement engines with triple-overdrive transmissions. In it's heyday, the 4.0 was actually making more power than any comparable V6 in it's class and even out-performed most V8 engines of the era. I remember in the mid-1990s when the 4.0 in the Jeep Cherokee was out-running almost everything else on the street.
The 42RLE is not really suited for the 4.0 in a Jeep Wrangler, and it shows. To make matters worse, Jeep under-geared them from the factory.
On a personal note, I re-geared my 4.0 (with the 32RH 3-speed automatic) from 3.07 gears to 4.10. I didn't know what I was missing running 3.07 gears with 32" tires until I re-geared the axles. I chose 4.10 gears because I was planning to run 33" tires, but I liked the power so much I decided to stick with 32" tires. My Jeep feels like a BEAST when I hit the gas pedal. That "gutless" 4.0 will rudely throw you back into the seat if you aren't prepared. I can spin the tires hitting second gear fairly easily now. I have no complaints with the amount of power and TORQUE the 4.0 has in my Jeep.
It really isn't fair to compare an engine that was replaced 15 years ago with today's over-complicated, over computer-controlled small displacement engines with triple-overdrive transmissions. In it's heyday, the 4.0 was actually making more power than any comparable V6 in it's class and even out-performed most V8 engines of the era. I remember in the mid-1990s when the 4.0 in the Jeep Cherokee was out-running almost everything else on the street.
The 42RLE is not really suited for the 4.0 in a Jeep Wrangler, and it shows. To make matters worse, Jeep under-geared them from the factory.
On a personal note, I re-geared my 4.0 (with the 32RH 3-speed automatic) from 3.07 gears to 4.10. I didn't know what I was missing running 3.07 gears with 32" tires until I re-geared the axles. I chose 4.10 gears because I was planning to run 33" tires, but I liked the power so much I decided to stick with 32" tires. My Jeep feels like a BEAST when I hit the gas pedal. That "gutless" 4.0 will rudely throw you back into the seat if you aren't prepared. I can spin the tires hitting second gear fairly easily now. I have no complaints with the amount of power and TORQUE the 4.0 has in my Jeep.