New Guy With Questions

ejb17

New Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2023
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8
Location
Western NY
New guy here. Been looking through all the forums and posts and a ton of info here, but I still have some questions. I had a few CJ's and wifes ride is a JK(her second JK) so fairly familiar with all the Jeep stuff . I still have a lot to learn, especially with a new to us 2004 TJ Rubicon.

I ran the VIN and looks like it was built with the 5 speed but now has and auto in it. The PO had to change the transfer case due to it coming apart and sending the front shaft through the drivers floorboard. He must have had to buy a TCU and harness as there are no cuts or splices of any kind. Drives and shifts great and unless I hadnt run the VIN I probably would have never known until some sort of repair was needed. PO actually did a pretty good job so I am not concerned too much about it.

Couple of questions,
1. It doesnt have the OD off switch, should it have it?
2. It has a 3 inch RC lift with new front and rear Adams driveshafts. It has 1 inch spacers on the skid plate, are they needed with the new CV shafts and should I adjust the rear axle to make the input yoke u-joint on the rear axle point towards the t case in a "nuetral" position?

Thanks in advance, and I am sure more questions to follow
 
Welcome to WTF! :) It's possible the previous owner installed the older 3-speed 32RH automatic which doesn't have an overdrive. What are your highway rpms like and what size tires do you have?

Whether or not you need the skid plate spacers depends on the type of driveshafts the previous owner installed. Can you post a photo of both ends of your rear driveshaft so we can see its angles and type of front u-joint(s) the driveshaft has? Once we see that then we can determine if the spacers can be removed. Or at least look closely at the rear driveshaft. Its rear will have one u-joint, how many u-joints does its front have, 1 or 2 u-joints?
 
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2 u-joints at the rear of the t case and 1 at the axle input yoke. I can get some pics shortly.
Any certain areas on the tranny to determine whether its the 32RH or the 42RLE ? It has the 241 T-Case
 
Welcome! Jerry will steer you in the right direction.
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2 u-joints at the rear of the t case and 1 at the axle input yoke. I can get some pics shortly.
Any certain areas on the tranny to determine whether its the 32RH or the 42RLE ? It has the 241 T-Case
Ok that means it's a DC (double-cardan) also known as a CV (constant velocity) rear driveshaft which is good and means you can get rid of the spacers the transfer case skidplate is bolted to. If your rear axle is held in place with adjustable length control arms yes you just need to adjust them so the rear pinion angle points directly up the driveshaft and at the front DC joint. It's important the rear pinion angle not point any higher than the driveshaft's angle, it can be slightly below it like .5 or 1 degree. Like shown here...

CV Driveshaft Angles (2).jpg


You're certain there's no Overdrive switch on the dash just above the shifter? It says O/D Off.

Locker-Switches.jpg
 
New guy here. Been looking through all the forums and posts and a ton of info here, but I still have some questions. I had a few CJ's and wifes ride is a JK(her second JK) so fairly familiar with all the Jeep stuff . I still have a lot to learn, especially with a new to us 2004 TJ Rubicon.

I ran the VIN and looks like it was built with the 5 speed but now has and auto in it. The PO had to change the transfer case due to it coming apart and sending the front shaft through the drivers floorboard. He must have had to buy a TCU and harness as there are no cuts or splices of any kind. Drives and shifts great and unless I hadnt run the VIN I probably would have never known until some sort of repair was needed. PO actually did a pretty good job so I am not concerned too much about it.

Couple of questions,
1. It doesnt have the OD off switch, should it have it?
2. It has a 3 inch RC lift with new front and rear Adams driveshafts. It has 1 inch spacers on the skid plate, are they needed with the new CV shafts and should I adjust the rear axle to make the input yoke u-joint on the rear axle point towards the t case in a "nuetral" position?

Thanks in advance, and I am sure more questions to follow

Is the 6th symbol of the VIN a “6”-

It seems he got a 32RH in it - if that’s the case and everything works we want one too.
 
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Just for future information, it wasn't the tcase that failed, it was the double cardan on the front driveshaft that failed and took out the tcase.

So, if you ever hear "angry sparrows" under you Jeep, it's either the front or rear double cardan centering ball going out. If it seizes, it will split the tcase.
 
Just for future information, it wasn't the tcase that failed, it was the double cardan on the front driveshaft that failed and took out the tcase.

So, if you ever hear "angry sparrows" under you Jeep, it's either the front or rear double cardan centering ball going out. If it seizes, it will split the tcase.

I thought about the shaft being the problem also, but was just going with what the PO told me. The more I think about what you said the more I think you are correct.
Yes the 6th digit is a "6", which I found to be wrangler Rubicon
 
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Is the 6th symbol of the VIN a “6”-

It seems he got a 32RH in it - if that’s the case and everything works we want one too.

I spent some time studying pics of both transmissions and am pretty certain its the 42RLE, based on sensor locations, cooler lines, brackets, etc...
Now the question is can I put the OD off switch in and get it to work.
 
...
Now the question is can I put the OD off switch in and get it to work.

Maybe. Open up the center dash where the switches are and see if there is an unused plug that isn't locker or hardtop related. If so, then find an OD Off switch.

I recently replaced my nv3550 with a 42rle which is a very invasive swap just to make it work. Some 03-06 manual TJs will come from the factory with the dash harness wired for the OD switch. If not, then you get to find and change out the entire dash harness. Fortunately, mine was wired from the factory for the switch.
 
I spent some time studying pics of both transmissions and am pretty certain its the 42RLE, based on sensor locations, cooler lines, brackets, etc...
Now the question is can I put the OD off switch in and get it to work.

Once you do you will figure out why he removed it.
 
As far as the build sheet stated, it had a manual originally. Someone or PO put the auto in because the TC or front driveshaft came apart and did some damage. So..... here we are with the 42 RLE and the proper 241 t case.
I took the center panel off, got the lower switch panel out and there was a plug not being used next to the locker switch. 4 wire flat plug that looks like it will be the OD off harness according to what I see on the back of the OD switches I see online. The block off plug for the other 3 plugs were never messed with judging by thye amount of dirt in all the little crannies.
Am I at least pretty close to assuming that is the OD harness?
 
As far as the build sheet stated, it had a manual originally. Someone or PO put the auto in because the TC or front driveshaft came apart and did some damage. So..... here we are with the 42 RLE and the proper 241 t case.
I took the center panel off, got the lower switch panel out and there was a plug not being used next to the locker switch. 4 wire flat plug that looks like it will be the OD off harness according to what I see on the back of the OD switches I see online. The block off plug for the other 3 plugs were never messed with judging by thye amount of dirt in all the little crannies.
Am I at least pretty close to assuming that is the OD harness?

If the Jeep has one locker switch, one rear wiper switch and one rear defrost switch and they are currently all plugged in, then you have the plug for the OD Off switch.