Should I fix or sell my 2003 TJ?

O

OkiWrangler

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Joined
Feb 15, 2022
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Location
Okinawa
A little backstory for y'all...

I have a 2003 Jeep TJ 4.0 Manual RHD.

I bought this TJ online through a dealer and it was shipped to where I am currently. I have never owned a Jeep before, nor a lifted vehicle. It has been brought to my attention that the lift was installed very incorrectly. I was having an issue where after 3000 RPM in 1st gear, after the clutch is engaged, it feels like the transmission hops. I was thinking maybe my transmission mount is bad, the engine mounts, or a conjunction of the three. Well, the mounts are in good condition, it is just where the mounts have been moved to. Foreshadowing...

I'll start from the front and work my way back.

The front portion of the lift looks okay, the front differential measures at 5 degrees.

https://i.postimg.cc/7hmKc12Z/IMG-1964.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/L6Gts02M/IMG-1965.jpg
The engine is slanted downwards 9 degrees. The engine mounts have been upgraded, however they were lifted up by welding supports underneath them. I believe they did this because they couldn't figure out how to correctly install the lift.

https://i.postimg.cc/4yd6YDYX/IMG-1959.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/1znbqdNc/IMG-1956.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/dQHRbVf3/IMG-1957.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/WbNKnzk4/IMG-1958.jpg
The rear axle is a complete hack job. The rear differential is at 18 degrees.

https://i.postimg.cc/65qcqvZC/IMG-1960.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/Pf4VPHRn/IMG-1961.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/5NQzDqvK/IMG-1966.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/nh8mxjGF/IMG-1967.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/JhMByfFS/IMG-1968.jpg
The exhaust is rubbing the rear spring.

https://i.postimg.cc/rmbm93hV/IMG-1969.jpg
I believe this hop or bounce I get from the transmission is due to my driveline binding up under load and when the clutch is engaged, it releases.

I am just looking for advice on what you all would do with a Jeep in this state. Everything else is solid, except for the infamous blower motor issue... If I am completely wrong about this, then please correct me.

Thanks for your time and help!
 
I'd fix it. First up, ditch the way too long Rough Country 2.2 rear shocks and relocation brackets. I'm too lazy to click on all the picture links.
 
Last edited:
TheBoogieman said:
I'd fix it. First up, ditch the way too long Rough Country 2.2 rear shocks. I'm guessing the fronts are too.
Click to expand...
Those would come off with the rest of the crap from the axle. They seem to be welded in at the wrong position. I personally do not have the experience to do this kind of work and there aren't any reliable shops for this kind of thing around me.

I'd have to wait ~2 years to get it to a reliable shop and even then the fabrication costs will probably be around ~6k I'd imagine.
 
You have a motor mount lift. Very commonly done at same time as body lift. Can you post up a side pic to see if you have body lift https://mountainoffroad.com/collect...f-motor-mount-kit-for-1-lift-97-06-yj-tj-lj-1

I see an OX locker in rear. Has it also been regeared?

Would need full specs but looks like might be solid base to start from and just fix some of PO changes. Take good pictures from all sides, share the specs you know are plenty of people on here that can spot issues and give suggestions.
 
I'm not trying to correct any English here, I'm just looking for the usual random stuff to help us, or at least me, understand what you have going on.

OkiWrangler said:
I was having an issue where after 3000 RPM in 1st gear, after the clutch is engaged, it feels like the transmission hops.
Click to expand...

OkiWrangler said:
I believe this hop or bounce I get from the transmission is due to my driveline binding up under load and when the clutch is engaged, it releases.
Click to expand...

I'll start with "the clutch is engaged". I double checked that group of words and it means what I always thought, the pedal isn't pressed and the engine is spinning the transmission input shaft. Using "after" twice is also confusing me. I guess my question on all that is: Does the transmission hop when you press the pedal to shift to second gear or is it already hopping before you press the pedal?


OkiWrangler said:
I was thinking maybe my transmission mount is bad, the engine mounts, or a conjunction of the three. Well, the mounts are in good condition, it is just where the mounts have been moved to. Foreshadowing...


The engine is slanted downwards 9 degrees. The engine mounts have been upgraded, however they were lifted up by welding supports underneath them. I believe they did this because they couldn't figure out how to correctly install the lift.
Click to expand...

Looking at the front motor mount pictures, being "in good condition" is questionable. They don't have supports welded underneath them. They were cut apart and some metal was added. Doing it either way might be OK but there's a good chance that what they added in weren't exactly welded square or parallel to what's needed and are causing problems. I will say that I don't know what your rear transmission mount should look like but it does look to be kinda wedge shaped due to the 9 degree engine slant and being maybe 18 yrs old it may not be helping matters.

OkiWrangler said:
The rear axle is a complete hack job. The rear differential is at 18 degrees.

The exhaust is rubbing the rear spring.
Click to expand...

Rotating the differential can be done by replacing whatever rear control arms you have with four adjustable rear control arms. I'm not sure if it should be the same 9 degrees as the engine or just straight with the drive shaft but someone will chime in about that.

It's hard to tell why the exhaust is rubbing the rear spring. Maybe what they did to the lower spring mount is the problem but it shouldn't be too hard to force the pipe away from the spring with a crow bar, large pliers, and/or a big hammer. Heck that Jeep is so non rusty looking maybe you could just loosen up where that pipe connects to the other pipe, give it a twist and pull it out of the way with your bare hands.

Hopefully you can do some work yourself to make it drivable for the 2 years to get it to a reliable shop.

Oh heck, that leads to another question. Why does that take 2 years?
 
JEEPCJTJ said:
I'm not trying to correct any English here, I'm just looking for the usual random stuff to help us, or at least me, understand what you have going on.





I'll start with "the clutch is engaged". I double checked that group of words and it means what I always thought, the pedal isn't pressed and the engine is spinning the transmission input shaft. Using "after" twice is also confusing me. I guess my question on all that is: Does the transmission hop when you press the pedal to shift to second gear or is it already hopping before you press the pedal?




Looking at the front motor mount pictures, being "in good condition" is questionable. They don't have supports welded underneath them. They were cut apart and some metal was added. Doing it either way might be OK but there's a good chance that what they added in weren't exactly welded square or parallel to what's needed and are causing problems. I will say that I don't know what your rear transmission mount should look like but it does look to be kinda wedge shaped due to the 9 degree engine slant and being maybe 18 yrs old it may not be helping matters.



Rotating the differential can be done by replacing whatever rear control arms you have with four adjustable rear control arms. I'm not sure if it should be the same 9 degrees as the engine or just straight with the drive shaft but someone will chime in about that.

It's hard to tell why the exhaust is rubbing the rear spring. Maybe what they did to the lower spring mount is the problem but it shouldn't be too hard to force the pipe away from the spring with a crow bar, large pliers, and/or a big hammer. Heck that Jeep is so non rusty looking maybe you could just loosen up where that pipe connects to the other pipe, give it a twist and pull it out of the way with your bare hands.

Hopefully you can do some work yourself to make it drivable for the 2 years to get it to a reliable shop.

Oh heck, that leads to another question. Why does that take 2 years?
Click to expand...
1. When I press the pedal to shift in to second.

2. You are correct that a piece of metal was added to raise them up. If they weren’t lifted up, I believe the engine would be level.

3. All four control arms are extended and adjustable.

4. I believe the exhaust is rubbing the spring because the improper weld points they used while installing the lift kit. My rear tires need to go forward in order to be centered under the fenders, however this would increase the already steep diff angle that is present.

5. I am stationed in Okinawa, Japan and there aren’t any shops that are familiar enough with Jeeps in order to know what to correct.

I will post some more pics of the lift here soon. Hopefully giving everyone a better idea of what I’m dealing with.
 
sourbluff said:
You have a motor mount lift. Very commonly done at same time as body lift. Can you post up a side pic to see if you have body lift https://mountainoffroad.com/collect...f-motor-mount-kit-for-1-lift-97-06-yj-tj-lj-1

I see an OX locker in rear. Has it also been regeared?

Would need full specs but looks like might be solid base to start from and just fix some of PO changes. Take good pictures from all sides, share the specs you know are plenty of people on here that can spot issues and give suggestions.
Click to expand...
https://postimg.cc/G9VR8gJWhttps://postimg.cc/Jyxms1Pxhttps://postimg.cc/JHbphhQ4
I don’t know if it has been re geared…

I’ll get you some more pictures later
 
Still looking like you should keep your Jeep if you can. Nothing that can't be fixed. Seems like a nice Jeep other than some issues.

If you can find one in better shape, buy it and sell this one. That way you can swap parts if needed.

Sounds like it is more difficult to get a Jeep in Okinawa.
 
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