Ok so I have a 97 tj I picked up pretty cheap that some kid cobbled a Chevy 350 into..in doing so he cut a decent amount of wires out he did buy the adaptors plate from the th 350 trans to the 231 tcase to make it work but anyway I ripped that motor and trans out because they were junk..my question is what's my best and most cost effective way to get a motor back in this? I have a Cherokee with complete drive train and I always wanted a tj with the Cherokee trans because I though it was better I know the Cherokee/tj motors are completely different but was thinking since I need new motor mounts welded to frame maybe that's my best option then use all the Cherokee wiring? Was thinking at this point it would be easiest to just do a 5.3 but idk if that's cost affective enough for me right now...any input?
Which motor to use!?
- Thread starter hockeyman713
- Start date
The AW4 really isn't that good of a automatic transmission for a TJ. The concensus here is that it runs hot and the 42RLE is a better choice.
You can get a new/used wiring harness off Ebay really easy. The first thing you need to find out is what the build date on your 1997 TJ is. Some of the first built models have slightly different wiring. The 01-03/96 build date ones are different from later build dates.
If you want to use the Cherokee drivetrain from what I understand it can be done but as you said there are differences.
If you want a V-8 the cheaper way is to use a Dodge magnum V-8. The 5.2 or 5.9 engines will swap in fairly easy. The PCM from the Dodge will talk to your stock dash. Depending on if you have a 4.0 transfer case the transmission from the Dodge will bolt right up to it. If it was originally a 2.5 4 cylinder then the input gear in the transfer case has to be changed or get a transfer case from a 6 cylinder.
You can get a new/used wiring harness off Ebay really easy. The first thing you need to find out is what the build date on your 1997 TJ is. Some of the first built models have slightly different wiring. The 01-03/96 build date ones are different from later build dates.
If you want to use the Cherokee drivetrain from what I understand it can be done but as you said there are differences.
If you want a V-8 the cheaper way is to use a Dodge magnum V-8. The 5.2 or 5.9 engines will swap in fairly easy. The PCM from the Dodge will talk to your stock dash. Depending on if you have a 4.0 transfer case the transmission from the Dodge will bolt right up to it. If it was originally a 2.5 4 cylinder then the input gear in the transfer case has to be changed or get a transfer case from a 6 cylinder.
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