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Token the 2001 TJ

rustybottoms88

Well-known member
Joined
May 21, 2020
Member Number
1079
Messages
57
Loc
North Arkansas
This is the story of a little Jeep named Token and of our adventures together.
Seriously though I am creating this thread to document my ownership of a 2001 TJ, so it will be on going or I may just quite posting one day never to be seen or heard from again....who knows.
I bought the Jeep not quite a year ago. I convinced a friend of mine, Lee, to buy a plane ticket and fly to Colorado with me to look at and purchase a 2001 TJ. We then drove it back home to NW Arkansas. That was an adventure in its self and Lee does a pretty good job of telling the story, he can chime in with the who story if he would like. But in short we made it back with out much trouble. I will definitely be doing another trip like that again some day, hopefully with as much success.
Here is the Jeep as it arrived safe at home from the trip.
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A picture from the trip, Colorado is beautiful!
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Some specs of the Jeep. It has the gutless 2.5L 4 cylinder and weak AX5 transmission and of course the NP231J transfer case. It had well over 200K miles on it at the time of purchase. It has a 2.5" coil spring spacer lift, IronRock Offroad rear longarm kit, an HD DOM tierod and draglink with heims, 8.25 rear axle and stock D30 front axle. A P.O. added heavier duty lower control arm mounts on the D30 and it also has a HD front track bar. Both axles have 4.88 gears with lunch box lockers. It has 35" BFG tires. It came with a few other goodies like rear tub corner armor, rock sliders and Blue Torch Fab front tube fenders. That's pretty much how it was setup when I bought it. Admittedly not much has changed but I have made a few upgrades, changes I will tell you about. I drive it to work and I have wheeled it a few times since I got it. My goal is to have a reliable wheeler but something I can still drive to work. Kinda of a mild version of a Ultimate Adventure rig. This Jeep is a good start. I had a "Rockcrawler" before and I hated only taking it out once or twice a year and it sitting in the garage the rest of the time. I am a tight ass and if I have something it needs to be used or its likely to be sold.
Here is a picture from the P.O. at Moab:

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So thats my first post. More to come.

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So the first thing we noticed when we got the Jeep out on the road was that when you let off the throttle there was a terrible noise that came from what we thought was the rear axle. We stopped and investigated and concluded that we had no idea what the problem was so we kept driving assuming that the problem would show itself somewhere between Colorado and Arkansas.We made it to Arkansas without any catastrophes. But after a few weeks of driving the Jeep to work and around the area the rear driveshaft removed itslf from the rear axle yoke. Destroying the rear yoke and the driveshaft itself. I bought another stock rear shaft and went to install it, I found that it was to long. You could make it fit in between the Tcase output and the rear yoke but not with out a pry bar. So, whoever installed the rear axle setup didn't bother to make the driveshaft the proper length. So I grabbed one of the spare XJ front driveshafts I had laying around and made a two piece rear driveshaft, I also purchased a SYE from Advanced Adapters.
Here is the rear driveshaft:
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It is unbalanced and poorly made but it will work for now. Vibrations are minimal. While I was installing the SYE I decided to put new chain, bearings and seals in the NP231J. I even had plans to install a 6 gear planetary but the ebay seller I bought one from never sent it. So together it went with out it.
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These blind hole pullers work nice for needle bearing removal.
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Oh I almost forgot, (see this is why I make threads it helps me remember what I have done) I also installed a Teraflex 2Low kit. I had taken the Jeep wheeling once up to this point and for the wheeling I do, creek beds and tight woods, I decided I missed having 2wd low range. It was easy to install and I feel it was money well spent. I wish they still made the 4Low kit I would have done that as well. A lower lowrange would be nice too.
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I think that pretty well concludes the Tcase rebuild. This did solve the rear axle noise problem.
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Next on the list was a new front bumper and winch mount. Said friend, Lee, also has a TJ and was looking for a front bumper/winch mount. He contacted AtoZ Fab on a forum of which will not mention the name of but many of you probably transferred here from there and the vendor hooked us up with two front bumpers at a very reasonable price.(Thanks AtoZ Fab) I removed the homemade winch plate that was welded to the front frame horns of the Jeep and painted it up.
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Here is the AtoZ Fab bumper. We opted for the D-ring mounts as well. Nice and thick and sturdy.
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D-Ring mount.
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Here it is all finished up. Now AtoZ sells this as a base to build on too. I have managed to dent the left edge of the bumper but I really should of caped the ends.
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Well thats it for this post, exciting stuff ehh?
 
I replaced the steering gear once it began leaking more than what I wanted to tolerate. I replaced it with a Dodge Durango steering gear. Most of you know this is a common upgrade, I guess. I am still not 100% sure what the benefit is, I understand it is more better in some way but I am not sure how. I have seen it disputed that it is not any "stronger" than the Tj gear. Perhaps it provides more of a hydraulic advantage when bigger tires are used? I have also heard it mentioned that the gear ratio is different, so it maybe more of a mechanical advantage over the TJ gear? I honestly cant tell much difference. All is know is its doesn't leak fluid all over the place like the old gear did and that's good with me. The powersteering line for the high pressure side looked alittle rusty so I replaced it while I was at it.
My little helper.
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Ok then, next thing to address was the lack of bumpstops. The front tires were contacting the front fenders. So I ordered up some Daystar extended bumpstops.
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With a tire.
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I did not address the lack of rear bumpstops. I need to do that but I think I will hold off on that job when I have the rear apart for another fix.
Thats better.
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Are you still awake?:p
 
Next thing, I was tired of having the spare tire take up the all the storage in the back of the Jeep. I needed to put a seat back there for my little one to ride with me as well. I really don't like tire carriers but this one caught my eye and was cheap.....and the lady was selling a steel rear bumper with it.
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Now I really liked the rear bumper that came with the Jeep but it was made of thin tube that was already dented and it would not play nice with the new tire carrier when the tire was mounted on it. So I was forced to use the bumper that came with the tire carrier. It also has a receiver hitch which I like.
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It also came with those D-rings. Hell of a deal.
After this I took it for a wheeling trip to Hot Springs ORV park. It was on this trip that I discovered just how terrible to stock Tcase shifter linkage really is. So I ordered up a Novak cable shifter, I highly recommend it. I installed it according to instructions and it required absolutely zero adjustment.
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I hope you all are enjoying this bolt on marathon. :usa:
 
I actualy did this not long after i got the Jeep. Someone had removed the stock air intake system and stuck a pod filter on the throttle body. Now this is probably fine, but I just did not like it and decided to do an experiment.
You can see the pod filter here in this pic. That is Lee replacing the Alternator on our trip bringing the Jeep from Colorado to Arkansas.
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Here is the air intake temp with the pod filter on top of the TB.
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Here is the CAI i pieced together.
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Intake temps after the CAI.
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Now isn't that just interesting. :zzz: I think that pretty well brings us up to date.
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I am driving/wheeling it daily. I am fixxing or upgrading as things wear out or break. I can tell you I will be repairing rust in the rear of the frame in the near future. If your a TJ owner you know what I am talking about. I will probably use SafeTcap kit for that.
 
Nice. Will have to have a beer or something this October.
 
Well its time for an update alot has happened in the past week. I changed the oil in the 2.5L, was prepping for a trip to Hot Springs ORV. DIrectly after the oil change I then drove it to my brothers house maybe 7 miles away and I noticed a bad noise coming from the engine upon arriving at his house. I drove it back home and around the farm alittle and the noise got worse. I pulled the valve cover to make sure it wasnt a lifter or bent pushrod. All seemed to be in working condition. I also did a compression test and cylinders tested from 160 to 180psi. So I did the reasonable thing and went and bought a 5.2L ZJ to swap the engine into the TJ. Now I know, because several people told me I am making a mistake and should put in a LS engine. They are probably right but I am known for making bad decisions. So here is the donor, a 1994 Limited ZJ, 5.2L, 46RH and NP249.

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So why a ZJ and not a Ram 1500 or Durango or a Dakota? Well this was $500, also the ZJ's have the starter on the passenger side, the exhaust manifolds fit nicely in the Wrangler, the powerstering brackets fit between the fenders and I don't feel bad at all tearing a ZJ apart. I also have previous experience with a 5.2L ZJ. I drove one for about a year and I really liked the 5.2L. It got as good of mileage as a 4.0 l and it has 100 more HP and V8 sounds. For this ZJ the P.O. told me it had no forward gears. I found the front drive shaft removed and a hole in the tcase.

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So I began removing it from the ZJ. A cutting torch and tractor is all you need. :grinpimp:
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I eventually liberated the engine from the ZJ.
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Oh I forgot to mention I did a compression test on the donor, each cylinder tested a few pounds within 150psi. The plan is to get a ECM from a 2002 Dodge Durango, merge the ZJ engine harness with the TJ engine harness and my gauges and what not should work nicely. From what I have read I can take the 23spline input out of the 242 and put it in my NP231, which is currently 21 spline.
 
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The jury is still out on whether I will use the 46RH or buy a AX15. The bellhousing on the 46RH is broke up but I think its fixable.
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If I kept a standard transmission it would make the wiring alittle less of a headache. To be honest I enjoy wheeling with a automatic alittle more than a standard. The standard tranmission leaves me wanting a crawl box when with the auto I can just ride the brakes. Anywho I'll decide soon. I guess next order of business is to pull the 2.5L out of the TJ. I'll post with a update eventually. :usa:

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Not much to update really but here it is anyway. I replaced the valve cover gaskets, rear main seal and oil pan gasket on the 5.2L. I found a nut in the oil pan. All rod end nuts were accounted for and in place. Not sure where it came from?
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I also replaced the oil pump while I was at it and after looking down the throttle body and seeing some oil in the intake i decided to replace the steel plenum with a aluminum one.
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I also ordered a "V8" conversion radiator from Ebay. Supposedly a 4 row. I pulled it out of the box briefly to make sure it had no damage but didn't look it over very closely.
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The Advanced Adapter motor mounts came in. I didn't get a photo of them. I also got a ECM out of a 01 Durango that had a 5.9L w/auto trans. Hopefully it will work. I find conflicting information on the internet. If it doesn't work I can return it as I got it from a local salvage yard. Since I had the fuel rail off while replacing the plenum and intake gasket I decided to go ahead and get a set of Bosch 4 hole injectors. The original injectors needed new rubber orings so I thought why spend the money on them. The new injectors come with the needed plugins as well, I waiting on them to be delivered. So now the engine is going back together and once that is done I will begin to pull the 2.5L and AX5 out of the TJ.
Here is where I am at cost wise so far. Once the conversion is done I can start selling off unused parts and maybe recoup some more money. Of course I am not done buying stuff either....
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I will post a quick update. So I have been working on it every evening for a few hours and there has just been alot of little things that seem to take up 90% of the time but a few of the bigger events are:
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I got the 2.5L out. AX5 is for sale. The 2.5L will be as well. I also got the injectors in. The have the Chrysler symbol on them so thats good I guess. They came with adapters to plug into the stock injector plugins.
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Speaking of plugins the Jeep I bought is a 1994 so its an OBDI engine so its questionable as to whether it will communicate with the 01' Durango ECM ........so the jury is still out but I am thinking I am going to have to buy engine sensors for a 1996-1998 ZJ for it all to jive. I may possibly be buying a wiring harness for a 2001 Durango to harvest the pigtails from and possibly use as the base for the wiring harness. In other news I got the 23 spline input out of the NP249 from the ZJ. I will be installing it into the NP231J very soon. I borrowed a pressure washer and gave the 5.2L and the Jeeps engine bay a degreasing.
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By the suggestion of friend Lee I ordered some sound and heat sheilding foil mat stuff to go on the firewall and trans tunnel.
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Lastly I spent the most of last-night pulling the coil-springs out of the ZJ. They are heavier springs so I thought it would be a good idea to swap them out with the TJ stock springs. I had read on the interwebs that the ZJ springs would net a guy about 2" of lift. We will see but I can tell you measuring them out of the jeeps they are not more then 1/8" of difference in length. Maybe the spring rate makes all the difference? They maybe negated with the extra weight of the V8. ZJ on your left and TJ on the right.
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Other things to do is replace the passenger side hard brake line and the rear hard brake line as they are rusty and leaking. Drill out and retap various bolts that broke off on the front clip and skidplate as well as various other things that kill time and productivity. But alittle at a time. I just hope to have it done by the end of Oct. surely that is doable.......
 
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I better update before I forget what I have done. So I got the 23 spline out of the NP249 and into the NP231. I had to use the NP249 planetary the TJ's plantery gears just wouldn't mesh with the 23 spline input for some reason. But the 23 spline input with zj plantery seemed to fit in the NP231. Time will tell if it will work.
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Next I wire brushed the front frame, put in the ZJ front springs, some aftermarket upper control arms and new brake lines as well as welding in the motor mounts.
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The motor fits with plenty of room.
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This picture is with the stock radiator. However the Ebay radiator did not fit at all. It wouldn't even bolt in correctly. Luckily they took it back and refunded me the money. I am probably going to go with a Summit V8 conversion radiator. There is no transmission or tcase in it yet or fluids but it definitely sits higher. I did keep the TJ lift blocks for now.
I spray canned the fenders and inner fenders. Here is how it sits.
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I have done alot of other little things that take alot of time. To name a few I brazed the ZJ powersteering line together with the TJ line to make it fit. I took the ZJ throttle cable out and put it in the TJ. I will have to shorten it a bit on the pedal end. I think the TJ cruise control is going to work fine, I may only have to shorten the cable slightly. I scratched my head alot and stood and stared at things. Fiddled with the vaccum lines some. Yesterday I picked up a 2001 Durango wiring harness. I will probably spend the weekend getting started on the wiring harness. I found a 2001 Tj factory service manual here https://wranglertjforum.com/attachments/2000-2001-tj-service-manual-pdf.14036/ and Dodge Durango Manual here http://www.mediafire.com/?xu9h0gt9bdcn6 more to come!
 
Good read! I have a 1997 TJ I am gearing up to do a 5.9 swap into this fall (yep, I chose a Magnum over an LS too), so I'll be watching this thread.
 
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I better update before I completely forget what I have done. First off I got the TJ and Durango wiring harnesses merged together. That was not as difficult as I thought, well assuming its correct. I think it is because the engine started but well get to that in a minute. I used the TJ engine harness as my starting point. Many of the plugs are the same and it was just a matter of adjusting the length of the wires. I unpinned the injector plugins from the Durango harness and pinned them into the TJ harness. I bought pretty much all new sensors for the 5.2l because the 1994 ZJ sensors were different than the 5.2L 2001 Durango. I actually used the coil off of the 2.5L. It bolted right onto the 5.2L. As of now i am using the TJ o2 sensors as well.These Jeeps are like legos, I love it. I haven't taped up the harness yet, this is it towards the end of the process.
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Ya my carpet is stained. Anywho, with that ready I was looking to start the engine but I needed a transmission to do that. If you recall the bellhousing was cracked. I dropped it off at the local welding wizard and several weeks later I got it back all patched up. It seems I have lost the picture for that.. anyway it looks nice trust me.
I got the trans mounted, starter and alt wiring figured out and it starts.....for only 2 seconds though. The SKIM is not happy so I have ordered a SCT tuner from FLyin Ryan Performace. He is going to remove the SKIM, EVAP and tranmission control. I am also going to get his 5.2L pump gas tune. He said it will add about 50 torque mid range, he said other numbers that i dont recall at the moment but thats the one that stood out to me. I am sure the D30 will love it. To touch back the the starter and alt wiring, I used the ZJ ground and alt wiring and used the Tj positive battery cable. So lets see what else, oh I got pedal assembly and shifter and shiter cable for the auto trans out of a junkyard TJ. It fit really nice and I used the shifter cable mounting bracket for the transmission side of the cable out of the ZJ.
I got my Summit radiator. Its nice and bolts in but will not work with the a/c condensor in the stock location. I really want to keep A/C so I am in the process of working that out.

I found a lower rad hose that fits, gates part#22287. I have part number for an upper but have not picked one up yet to see if it works. but the part number on it is 20983.
 
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With the transmission mounted I went to install the tcase and I can not get it into place. This is a video I made asking some friends for ideas, but I think for now I am going to cut the middle out of the crossmember and then add some tabs and bolt it back in.

I need to patch some rust spots in the rear frame and when I do that I will address this issue most likely with new frame side link mounts but that will be in the future. That is kinda of where I am at right now. Waiting on the SCT tuner to get here and in the mean time sorting out the a/c condensor mechanical fan and tcase and driveshafts. I'll check in later when there is more to tell, thanks for folowing along.
 
I haven't really studied the wiring diagrams and have only read forum chatter - why did you use the TJ harness as the base? I assumed when going from an AX-5 manual to the auto from the donor, using the donor harness with all the auto trans wiring in it would have been easier. Interested to hear your reasoning.
 
Nice write up!

Differences on the OBD-1 and OBD2 Magnums:
EGR on OBD1, none on the OBD2. Running a OBD2 computer with the early manifold will render the EGR inoperative. Might be an issue with smog, if not, you can make block off plates for the manifolds and remove the valve and tube. The early manifold has a large center divider, it was eliminated on later manifolds, some think they perform slightly better.

Cam and Crank sensors are usually different, the early ones run off 8 volts, late are 5 volts.

OBD1 has two temp sensors, the single wire one is for the gauge. The two wire one will work with the OBD2 PCM.

The basic engine is identical internally. A lot of the 5.2ls with heads made in Detroit won't crack as easily as the Mexican 5.9l heads. The induction hardening machinery shipped down south by the great sucking sound over-hardened the exhaust seats in production on those. IIRC, the USA heads will have a NH foundry mark.

The t-case input and planetary switched the angle of the gears sometime in 1994, as you found out.

The power steering pump pulley and mounting bracket changed between 1995 and 1996, interchangeable as a set, later ones are less prone to the bracket cracking off the head. (Inspect your aluminum pump bracket carefully for cracks)

My be some differences in the TPS and other connectors, electrically the same, though.


Things I found out on a 5.9l Limited 1998 ZJ Magnum swap into a '97 TJ that I did last year:

The stock ZJ head pipe should fit fine. I was able to retain it full length with a CAl-Cat but had to run a short muffler. I was able to retain the exhaust hanger on the pipe near the cat as I used the upper part of the ZJ transmission mount with the bracket on it.

When I mounted the engine with Advance Adapter mounts, I trimmed off the small screw they recommend to align them and I moved it about 3/4" inch up and 1 inch back in relation to where AA said to put the mounts. Once I knew where I wanted it, I re-drilled the locating pin holes and drove in some sheet metal screws to act as alignment pins to fit into the frame holes recommended by AA. Took about three times in and out to get it where I wanted it.

I was able to use the ZJ exhaust manifolds without hitting the firewall, able to use a 4.0l fan shroud with the V8 ZJ fan blade and reuse the coolant overflow bottle from the 4.0l. I slightly extended the slots in the fan shroud to bring it more centered, looks bone stock.

Centering the fan shroud with clearance to the fan clutch dictated the mount location side to side and up and down. Driveline length dictated the front to rear location. The ZJ fan clutch has well over an inch to the radiator core, too. (ZJ V8 uses a shorter clutch than some Dodges)

I was able to fit a V8 Magnum Dakota power steering cooler to the front of the engine block. ZJ power steering pump fit fine in relation to the inner fender and the coolant overflow bottle on the fan shroud. I re-bent the 4.0l pressure hose to fit and spliced the return line to the p.s. oil cooler.

A K&N cold air kit for the Durango fit nicely, (Minus the shroud) I was able to scrounge one at the wrecking yard. (Needed it as the CARB EO counts for the swap as it's meant for the same engine family as that used in a ZJ). The ZJ K&N cold air intake elbow fit that we got with the engine, but the air filter was on the driver's side and we couldn't run the washer bottle in the stock location with it.

I was able to retain the stock length 4.0l AX-15 driveline lengths with the ZJ 46RE. (a 5.2l 44RE is the same length) 1" back on the AA engine mounts lines it up perfectly. I was able to modify the Z bar t-case shifter linkage and retain it's alignment to the transfer case. I used the TJ - AX-15 t-case shifter bracket.

ZJ V8 44RE, 46RH or 46RE transmissions have the starter on the passenger side, makes for much more clearance than a Dodge transmission, but you must use the ZJ exhaust manifolds.

A ZJ transmission shifter cable fit well.

Also used an XJ trans shifter and floor cover plate. Changed it to a TJ shifter bezel. The shift bezel for a 42RLE has the OD marking instead of D, if it matters.

I used a late model 42RLE TJ OD off button, it fit right into the dash in the switch pod location. I had to install a flip flop relay to get it to work with the JTEC PCM. One needs a ground signal, the other a power feed to trigger the PCM to turn of the Overdrive. Can't remember offhand which was witch.

IIRC, I trimmed about 5/8" off the AX-15 t-case input gear and it bolted right up to the 46RE. I cut it with a cut off disc while a friend turned the output to rotate the shaft while I cut it off to a line I made with tape.

I used the lower part of the TJ AX-15 trans mount bracket and the stock TJ trans mount mated to the upper part of a ZJ trans bracket. Started with the trans mount mounted to the stock location on the skid pan, an the upper bracket bolted to the transmission and after a few tries I had them mated together with tack welds, then removed it and reinforced the mating areas with gussets.

Radiator was bought off amazon meant for a chebbie swap, fit perfectly. Used a ZJ V8 upper hose and a Dodge ram van lower hose, both with minor trimming.

AC compressor off a Dodge Ram truck with a V8. Suction/Discharge hose off a 1996 Dakota V6 fit perfectly. Receiver Drier off a 1995 Dakota V6, but could probably have used a 1994/95 Dakota 4 cylinder one as it has a location a bit farther away from the battery tray. A it was, the receiver drier to evaporator core fitting/tube on the drier I used needed to be shortened and re-welded in order to clear the stock TJ battery and tray. Condenser and evaporator were stock 97 TJ items. (I added on A/C during the swap).

Use the TJ oil pressure sender. A '94 ZJ one will be different.

The TJ stock fuel pump runs the 5.9l Magnum perfectly.

Hope this helps!
 
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I haven't really studied the wiring diagrams and have only read forum chatter - why did you use the TJ harness as the base? I assumed when going from an AX-5 manual to the auto from the donor, using the donor harness with all the auto trans wiring in it would have been easier. Interested to hear your reasoning.

Hi Dan, I am using a 46RH so i didnt need the transmission wiring. Also the TJ harness already had the wiring for the tcase and the fuel pump/sender. It was already formed for the Jeep engine bay and in my case required the least amount of modification of the two. I have seen where other folks used the Durango harness and they said it was not big task either. On the TJ harness though the IAT sensor wires are backwards and will nee to be swapped around for the 5.2L IAT. Any other questions I will be glad to answer.
 
Nice write up!

Differences on the OBD-1 and OBD2 Magnums:
EGR on OBD1, none on the OBD2. Running a OBD2 computer with the early manifold will render the EGR inoperative. Might be an issue with smog, if not, you can make block off plates for the manifolds and remove the valve and tube. The early manifold has a large center divider, it was eliminated on later manifolds, some think they perform slightly better.

Cam and Crank sensors are usually different, the early ones run off 8 volts, late are 5 volts.

OBD1 has two temp sensors, the single wire one is for the gauge. The two wire one will work with the OBD2 PCM.

The basic engine is identical internally. A lot of the 5.2ls with heads made in Detroit won't crack as easily as the Mexican 5.9l heads. The induction hardening machinery shipped down south by the great sucking sound over-hardened the exhaust seats in production on those. IIRC, the USA heads will have a NH foundry mark.

The t-case input and planetary switched the angle of the gears sometime in 1994, as you found out.

The power steering pump pulley and mounting bracket changed between 1995 and 1996, interchangeable as a set, later ones are less prone to the bracket cracking off the head. (Inspect your aluminum pump bracket carefully for cracks)

My be some differences in the TPS and other connectors, electrically the same, though.


Things I found out on a 5.9l Limited 1998 ZJ Magnum swap into a '97 TJ that I did last year:

The stock ZJ head pipe should fit fine. I was able to retain it full length with a CAl-Cat but had to run a short muffler. I was able to retain the exhaust hanger on the pipe near the cat as I used the upper part of the ZJ transmission mount with the bracket on it.

When I mounted the engine with Advance Adapter mounts, I trimmed off the small screw they recommend to align them and I moved it about 3/4" inch up and 1 inch back in relation to where AA said to put the mounts. Once I knew where I wanted it, I re-drilled the locating pin holes and drove in some sheet metal screws to act as alignment pins to fit into the frame holes recommended by AA. Took about three times in and out to get it where I wanted it.

I was able to use the ZJ exhaust manifolds without hitting the firewall, able to use a 4.0l fan shroud with the V8 ZJ fan blade and reuse the coolant overflow bottle from the 4.0l. I slightly extended the slots in the fan shroud to bring it more centered, looks bone stock.

Centering the fan shroud with clearance to the fan clutch dictated the mount location side to side and up and down. Driveline length dictated the front to rear location. The ZJ fan clutch has well over an inch to the radiator core, too. (ZJ V8 uses a shorter clutch than some Dodges)

I was able to fit a V8 Magnum Dakota power steering cooler to the front of the engine block. ZJ power steering pump fit fine in relation to the inner fender and the coolant overflow bottle on the fan shroud. I re-bent the 4.0l pressure hose to fit and spliced the return line to the p.s. oil cooler.

A K&N cold air kit for the Durango fit nicely, (Minus the shroud) I was able to scrounge one at the wrecking yard. (Needed it as the CARB EO counts for the swap as it's meant for the same engine family as that used in a ZJ). The ZJ K&N cold air intake elbow fit that we got with the engine, but the air filter was on the driver's side and we couldn't run the washer bottle in the stock location with it.

I was able to retain the stock length 4.0l AX-15 driveline lengths with the ZJ 46RE. (a 5.2l 44RE is the same length) 1" back on the AA engine mounts lines it up perfectly. I was able to modify the Z bar t-case shifter linkage and retain it's alignment to the transfer case. I used the TJ - AX-15 t-case shifter bracket.

ZJ V8 44RE, 46RH or 46RE transmissions have the starter on the passenger side, makes for much more clearance than a Dodge transmission, but you must use the ZJ exhaust manifolds.

A ZJ transmission shifter cable fit well.

Also used an XJ trans shifter and floor cover plate. Changed it to a TJ shifter bezel. The shift bezel for a 42RLE has the OD marking instead of D, if it matters.

I used a late model 42RLE TJ OD off button, it fit right into the dash in the switch pod location. I had to install a flip flop relay to get it to work with the JTEC PCM. One needs a ground signal, the other a power feed to trigger the PCM to turn of the Overdrive. Can't remember offhand which was witch.

IIRC, I trimmed about 5/8" off the AX-15 t-case input gear and it bolted right up to the 46RE. I cut it with a cut off disc while a friend turned the output to rotate the shaft while I cut it off to a line I made with tape.

I used the lower part of the TJ AX-15 trans mount bracket and the stock TJ trans mount mated to the upper part of a ZJ trans bracket. Started with the trans mount mounted to the stock location on the skid pan, an the upper bracket bolted to the transmission and after a few tries I had them mated together with tack welds, then removed it and reinforced the mating areas with gussets.

Radiator was bought off amazon meant for a chebbie swap, fit perfectly. Used a ZJ V8 upper hose and a Dodge ram van lower hose, both with minor trimming.

AC compressor off a Dodge Ram truck with a V8. Suction/Discharge hose off a 1996 Dakota V6 fit perfectly. Receiver Drier off a 1995 Dakota V6, but could probably have used a 1994/95 Dakota 4 cylinder one as it has a location a bit farther away from the battery tray. A it was, the receiver drier to evaporator core fitting/tube on the drier I used needed to be shortened and re-welded in order to clear the stock TJ battery and tray. Condenser and evaporator were stock 97 TJ items. (I added on A/C during the swap).

Use the TJ oil pressure sender. A '94 ZJ one will be different.

The TJ stock fuel pump runs the 5.9l Magnum perfectly.

Hope this helps!

All excellent information! I have already experienced about half of it and can attest to it validity . The information about the a/c components you used will be especially helpful. In my case I put the motor mounts right where AA suggested. I read and saw so many different ways people did it and I just didn't know the best route for what i had. Time will tell if that was a good choice. Thank you!
 
More A/C info!

the 1994-1995 Dakota 2.5l 4 Cylinder Receiver drier mentioned above should allow it to fit in front of the battery tray. A bracket should be made to hold it to either the front of the tray or the inner fender. The hose to the evaporator coil should be long enough to let it clear the battery tray and valve cover.
HA%2010034C__ra_p.jpg


The suction/discharge hose fits a 1995 or 1996 Dakota V6, right angled side fits to the receiver drier vertical outlet fitting:
HA%20111284C__ra_p.jpg


The Compressor fits a (roughly) 94 to 02 Magnum V6 or V8 Dakota or Ram truck, fittings on top to match the hose:
CO%204359C__ra_p.jpg
 
This is the 1994-95 V6/V8 Dakota Drier.
1411515-1__ra_p.jpg

I had to cut the curly cue inlet line off the top about 1" up before the bend, then cut the tube again, just past the first 90* bend from the inlet o-ring fitting and weld it to the stub on top of the drier so it would fit between the battery tray and the valve cover. The tube ends up about being centered on top of the drier pointing to the firewall evaporator outlet. The drier hangs down below the evaporator inlet/outlet tubes. I trial fitted it all with the battery and engine in place, tack welded it, removed it and gas welded the tubes together on the bench. No leaks. A very tight fit when done, though. Make sure to remove the o-rings when welding or they will most likely melt!

I had to slot the battery tray holes and move the tray and battery as far to the passenger side as possible to get clearance. I welded a tab to mount the drier to with a stainless hose clamp.

Using the 4 cylinder drier with the hose mentioned above should make all this work unnecessary. I saw the Dakota 4 cylinder setup in a junk yard AFTER installing the V6 one.
 
Doing more A/C research, the 97-99 TJ uses a different condenser coil, different style fittings. The Dakota hose will not fit your 2000 and up condenser. Rockauto has the earlier style condenser for under $50. The earlier liquid line is different because of the fitting, too. Rockauto sells them.

The aluminum dischrge hose tubes could probably be tig welded together using part of the old discharge hose.

If you have to cut and weld, it might be possible to mate the ZJ hoses to the old TJ fittings and reuse them. Most A/C specialty shops and some good parts stores have A/C hose crimping machines and you can have new hoses crimped onto the fittings to mate them. You could reuse the ZJ compressor that way.

2002 and newer use a different evaporator core, too.
 
I've been searching on and off for a few months taking notes on literally hundreds of pages on other forums. There's more condensed tech here than anywhere else. Thanks guys!
 
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