Jeep Wrangler YJ?

[2 Sweet]

So I'm not much of a Jeep guy, but I've always liked the looks of the '87-95 Wrangler with the square headlights. And I guess the Jeep purists hate it, which makes me like it even more.

 

If I'm looking at a used one, what should I look out for, besides the obvious? I'm assuming the 4.0 with a stick is the best (and most desirable) combo? Are these things pretty reliable and easy to work on? Any chance I could find a somewhat clean 4.0 manual YJ for $3k-ish, or am I dreaming?

[iwashmycar]

From past threads on here rust is a big concern

 

From Geeto:

6 places I would check for rust on a YJ frame/body:

 

1) rear spring mount

2) front frame horns

3) frame rails where the skid plate/trans mount attaches (check the plate itself too as they tend to rust around the bolt holes and drop the skid plate on it's own).

4) all body mounts

5) all cross members but esp the rear ones

6) the inside of the tub in front of the door, right below where the jeep emblem is.

 

All these areas are common rust areas and a punch in the dick to repair. You can fix a hole in the floor with anything from a plank of wood to a patch panel and a welder, but it's not easy to fix any of those places because patches don't exist or are difficult to weld in.

 

from what I can see in that pic, it looks pretty clean. I don't see the front fender or rear tub bubbles you normally see. I betcha even the windshield frame is nice.

 

If you do get it, I have a set of pretty nice door windows for that soft top. my soft top uses a different shape.

[ODoyle]

Frame Rot is a big deal. Square headlights are a bigger deal (yuck)

 

4.0 with the AX-15 is the desirable combo. Personally I think the 3K budget will bring disappointing results but I dont really have a good feel for the market.

[zeitgeist57]

Kerry has one...I’m sure he’ll chime in. RUST is the biggest problem, and while yes, everything can be repaired, at a certain point it ends up being some Jalopnik heap that costs way more to maintain. I saw Kerry’s on Saturday at CC&C and a lot of his windshield frame and door/body rusts have turned to holes...

 

Also, stay away from the 4-cylinder models. Yes, they can go on the highway but they are hazardously slow.

 

I like YJ’s as they were the Jeep of my childhood, but try to get a Southern/Western car that doesn’t have as much Midwestern rust. It’s worth the extra $$ and effort..

[-Alex-]

The fact that you like the YJ is a good start, not a big buyers market for them. Don’t even consider a 4 cylinder and avoid rust. I’d try to find one that already has full doors and a hardtop, those are expensive to add later if you want them, or can be sold for a good bit to put money back in your pocket. Good luck.

 

#jeeplifebrah

[Geeto67]

I think I can expound on this a little bit.

 

the best years to get are the 1993-1995. Why? well they went to the hydraulic clutch slave cylinder which makes the drive-train pretty interchangeable with all of the TJ stuff. I run a TJ Rubicon NV3550 in my 1995 and to swap it in all I had to buy was an adapter kit from advance adapters for the T-case shifter.

 

here is a good article on the YJ that covers why it's better to look for a 93-95:

http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/154-1305-wrangling-buy-the-best-jeep-ever/

 

As far as reliable and working on them...well in 140K+ miles my jeep has only been on the back of a flatbed twice. Once when it was attempted to be stolen and the theives had damaged the ignition lock before realizing that the alarm had an ignition cut out so it would never start, and the second time is when an old fuel line ruptured and it was leaking fuel near the exhaust. It was still drive-able, but I didn't want to risk fire. There were two situations where I probably should have towed it and drove it home: first, when I broke the rear axle u-joint and dropped the rear drive shaft. I ended up pulling the slip yoke, putting it in 4 wheel drive, and driving it 2 miles home as a FWD jeep. The second is when I blew up my AX-15 and only had 3rd and 4th. I put it into 4wd low and managed to limp 4 miles home with the engine screaming at 35mph. So they are extremely tough, can be worked on roadside to limp home, and I would say are generally reliable, even when wounded.

 

One thing I can tell you is that ignition parts on these will take it out of commission and autoparts store aftermarket parts are poor quality. Chrysler makes most parts you need to repair it (esp the failure prone crank trigger), and accell makes a really hot coil that works 100% better than stock. The distributors are non-adjustable and will go 50K miles before needing a cap and rotor. I think I am still on plugs from 2005, plug wires from 2010, and oil from 2016 and it hasn't needed anything.

 

The 93-95 bodies were galvanized but not well, so they are lest rusty than earlier ones but you will still see rot in the cowl area (esp below the jeep logo) the front fenders, the windshield, and the floors. Check the body mounts as most jeeps the lower mount rots off and people just leave them.

 

The majority of 4.0L wranglers come with D30/D35 open diffs with 3.08 gears. If you find one with tracklok, it's probably going to be blown due to age. lots of people put detroit lockers in them and they change the handling slightly. Super rare is the "towing package" with came with 3.55 axles and tracklok (this is what my jeep has) and let me tell you 3.55 gears makes it so much better to drive, esp if you put it on big tires (I run 30x9.5). 1994-95 have leaf spring packs with extra leafs in them so they ride better on the road. Canadian YJ's (not called wrangler's just "YJ") have dana 44 axles instead of the Dana 30/35 setup in the US, so if you see a Canadian one for sale, snatch it up.

 

The full doors are notorious for rot, but if you are buying one, try to get one with a hardtop and full doors. Half doors and soft tops are easy and cheap to come by, but nice full doors are still $500 a set on craigslist. I upgraded to TJ doors which is possible but not 100% bolt on.

 

I think $3K is possible but will be difficult. $4-5K is much easier to find a nice one. Jeeps are tinker toys so don't be put off by lots of parts swapping. Personally I tell people to stay away from suspension lifted YJ's unless they know what they are looking at. There were a lot of cheap kits in the 1990's that lifted them to mall crawl and make them handle like crap and fall apart. even with a good kit - 4" lift kits are just about the worst unless you are looking for a rig that is more off road than on. I'd rather have a 1" body lift to clear 32" tires, because it doesn't kill the handling.

 

upgrades I recommend:

- Exhaust: go stainless. Borla makes a nice stainless header to tailpipe setup. I rotted out two different factory systems in less than 10 years before I put this in. Been in since 2004 and don't have a complant yet.

 

- 30x9.5 inch tires on 1" wider rims. yes it will stick out past the body, but it makes it handle so much better.

 

- 3.73 gears. I have 3.55, but at one point I ran 3.73 gears in it and man was it fun. TJ rubicon runs 30" tires and 3.73 gears if you need endorsement. running anything taller than 26" with 3.08 gears is so miserably slow I can't begin to tell you.

 

- relocate the radio to the center console. the windshields leak, and they leak on top of the radio. mine has eaten 6 head units over the years. There is actually a kit to do this and the locking consoles have the head unit mount.

 

- upgrade the coil. I've had two crack over the years. I have an accell in there now since 2014 and it's been phenomenal

 

- Put in a manual front axle disconnect, the stock one is vacuum operated and probably ceased functioning at this point. Most people tell you to just lock the front axle solid, but if you run any type of posi in the front it will make the jeep handle funny in turns. Also it lets you run the jeep in 2wd low.

[cstmg8]

If you decide on a beater, my cousin in Athens has one he'd like to sell for $1,700ish. Runs well as far as I know.

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[B3NN3TT]

Is it just me or does every 4.0 Jeep have a cracked exhaust manifold? Is that as common as it seems? My dad has a low-miles TJ, and that was the only real issue he ever had with it.

 

I prefer the TJ with the coil springs over the leaf-spring YJ. But I'm not an off-road guy, so what do I know.

[Geeto67]

Is it just me or does every 4.0 Jeep have a cracked exhaust manifold? Is that as common as it seems? My dad has a low-miles TJ, and that was the only real issue he ever had with it.

 

Extremely common. I think I got lucky with mine in that I got nearly 10 years out of it before it cracked, but every jeep owner with a 4.0L I know of has to deal with this at some point.

 

I fixed it with a stainless header. I run the Borla header and it's been awesome but I don't think they make it anymore. It also sounds stupid loud when I run it open header. I think it was like $350 when I bought it over a decade ago, but you can get steel aftermarket headers for like $200 now.

 

 

I prefer the TJ with the coil springs over the leaf-spring YJ. But I'm not an off-road guy, so what do I know.

 

The YJ is the last evolution of the CJ design and the bridge to the more modern TJ. CJ guys used to make fun of the YJ because it was "plush" but that was really only because it had a real dashboard and high back bucket seats with fixed headrests, carpet, and rollbar padding. They ride every inch as bad as an old CJ, and many people (like Rudy's CJs) rebuild the CJ's using wrangler parts (including the body tubs). I've seen plenty of YJ's backdated to CJ's also because people really hate those square headlights.

 

the TJ is just a better jeep all together. it's better off road, it rides better on road, and it's the jeep that needed to be built to bring people back over because in 1997 people really weren't into signing up for a daily driver with fewer comforts than a 1957 chevy. It is what the YJ should have been, but never got there because American Motors was bankrupt and being bought by Chrysler.

 

die hard jeep people are nostalgic to a fault. every new wrangler that comes out is leaps and bounds better than the generation that preceded it, but they will still bitch and moan about it being too complex, too plush, too expensive (FYI, I paid $19,500 for my YJ in 1995 - I could have bought a brand new z28 for $18,160 that year). It's bullshit, the TJ is a better vehicle - the YJ is just the best "old jeep thinking" had to offer.

[Otis Nice]

Round headlights and 7 slot grill or GTFO.

[Not Brian]

Jeep purists

Reading this makes me imagine people who dip their fries in mayonnaise, have an iphone, and dress sock-shoe-sock-shoe in the mornings. Not that any of that directly affects me, I just wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with them.

[Otis Nice]

Reading this makes me imagine people who dip their fries in mayonnaise, have an iphone, and dress sock-shoe-sock-shoe in the mornings. Not that any of that directly affects me, I just wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with them.

 

:lolguy:

 

The sock-shoe-sock-shoe part is the worst of all this...well, 2nd worse after having an iPhone.

 

 

NB = AB.

[zeitgeist57]

Reading this makes me imagine people who dip their fries in mayonnaise, have an iphone, and dress sock-shoe-sock-shoe in the mornings. Not that any of that directly affects me, I just wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with them.

 

Jeep Purists:

"It's got a rare tow package" = Frame rust.

"Doesn't burn any oil" = flatbedded because it won't start.

"It's easy to find parts" = Jeep-tax on simple wear items.

"Make sure you get Chrysler OEM stuff" = $500 part to still make it unreliable.

"Robust aftermarket" = $1600 steel bumper for mall-crawling.

"The newer parts fit on the older bodies" = Pay $500 for used parts that are still rusty.

"Goes fast enough on the highway" = Death wobble, cross-winds, tramlining.

"Great off-road" = Bad MPGs, slow...still doesn't actually take it off road.

"It's a convertible" = have a hardtop, never take it off.

:gabe:

 

As someone that's owned a '67 Jeepster Commando, and almost grabbed a couple of sub-$3k Wrangler YJs in my time...I'm definitely a fan of Jeeps, in a "Dirt Every Day" kind of way, not the post-Daimler/FCA $55k-for-a-Moab-that-you-don't-use-offroad-in-Ohio Jeep fans that roll around UA. You just have to recognize the issues you not only deal with when you buy it, but also the maintenance problems.

[2 Sweet]

Awesome info! Thanks everyone. Much appreciated

 

If you decide on a beater, my

cousin in Athens has one he'd like to sell for $1,700ish. Runs well as far as I know.

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

^ is it a 4.0 with a stick? If so, I would definitely be interested!

 

Round headlights and 7 slot grill or GTFO.

 

^ nope. The square headlights are the only Jeeps that appeal to me. I'm not a true "Jeep guy" nor do I want to be.

 

Reading this makes me imagine people who dip their fries in mayonnaise, have an iphone, and dress sock-shoe-sock-shoe in the mornings. Not that any of that directly affects me, I just wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with them.

 

^ LOL, well said

[Otis Nice]

^ nope. The square headlights are the only Jeeps that appeal to me. I'm not a true "Jeep guy" nor do I want to be.

 

That was the joke.

 

Get any Jeep you like so long as it's a 4.0 I6 and you'll be fine. I miss mine.

[Geeto67]

I should add...if you feel like doing the work, 4cy wranglers make excellent 350 chevy swap candidates.

 

They have 4.11 gears in the same D30/D35 axle arrangement so you can do a 1" body lift and run 32" tires and still have decent off the line. All YJs are OBD1 so carb'ed 350 chevys are a real easy swap. There are at least 3 companies that sell the mounts and I believe the only real "fab work" is sawing off the old stock mounts which are welded to the frame. I've priced out a v8 swap twice for my YJ and I believe it can be done for $1500 cleanly (or less than $1000 junkyard dirty).

 

Also, one upgrade I recommend but didn't mention earlier is ZJ rear disc brakes. It doesn't increase braking effort or stopping distance, but YJ drums are a pain in the ass when they go out of adjustment and part of the reason jeeps brake funny (rear jumps around under hard braking). The last of the first gen grand cherokees (96-98) have rear disc brakes on D35 axles and are 100% bolt on. IF you go to pick and pull on one of their $50 all you can carry days you can get everything you need to do the swap cheap.

[2 Sweet]

Thanks Kerry, I appreciate all the info. Lots of good stuff. If I get serious about buying one, I know who to talk to if I have any questions