Jeep Creep: Off-Road Tech Questions Answered

In your Jeep Creep questions, please list your first and last names, your hometown, and your state/province/country, so that we can publish that information here. If you don’t provide this information, we may not be able to publish your question and answer. Don’t forget to be as complete as possible with the description of your Jeep and its problems, too. Send your questions to

Recent Jeep Creep columns:
October 2011

Septermber 2011

August 2011

Shiftless Scrambler
The shifter came out of my CJ8’s T-176 transmission. What is the fix?
J.S. Staha

You’ll need to buy new retainer parts for the transmission.

Laredo Lugger
What years and sizes of engine can I replace the 4.0L with in my 1993 Laredo 4x4? I found a 5.2L from a 1997 4x4, will it fit?
wowzrz
Regina, Canada

Wowzrz, you’ll need to check with Advance Adapters. They can provide you with all the parts and directions you’ll need.

Carb’d Sahara
I have a ‘90 Jeep Sahara with a 4.2L and I would like to change to a 4.0. What problems will I encounter? I just purchased the vehicle and the 4.2 engine is blown. I would like to change to fuel injection. Any information or leads to info would be appreciated.
Richard Harris
Morganton, NC

Richard, rather than go to the expense of buying another engine and switching them, I suggest you rebuild the 4.2 and install a Howell electronic fuel injection kit. I had this set-up on my CJ7 for many years before moving on to a Chevy V8. And the Howell is still on the Chevy and working fine.

Cold Laredo
I have an ‘01 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I replaced the heater core and now the blower motor is not working. When I hooked it up to the battery, it worked. What could be the problem? Also, the light to the A/C button will not come on now? What do you think could be wrong with it?
Misty
Algood, Alabama

You may have accidentally shorted the circuit and blown the fuse. Or all of the wires are not plugged in somewhere in the circuit. I believe the problems with the blower motor and A/C light have the same source.

V-8 or V-6?
I have a ‘97 TJ and would like to know if a Chevy conversion would be better than a performance 6 cyl?
John Witte
Marshalltown, IA

Even though I believe V-8s rule, John, you might also consider a Chevy 4.3L V-6.

DMV Problem
I have a ‘95 Jeep YJ Wrangler with 35s. The problem is it has a 4 cylinder. I also have a 2003 Jeep Wrangler that is stock with a 4.0L motor. The problem with this one is, it has an abandonment lien on it. I can’t figure out how to get the lien taken away so I’m thinking about swapping out the suspension and motor and tranny from the ‘03 to the ‘95. What is involved with this? Is this possible?
Mark Knight
Warner Robins, GA

Anything is possible, Mark, if you want to throw enough money at it. The Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles should be able to walk you through the process of clearing the lien. This would be the better way to go.

New Diffs
I have an ‘80 CJ7 I'm rebuilding from the ground up. I’m looking to replace the axles with stronger axles, what do you recommend using, and what is the easiest axle to swap? But I’m on a pretty tight budget.
Drew
Parrish, FL

First of all, Drew, changing out axle housings and “tight budget” don’t really go together. Unless you plan on doing hard-core rock crawling, your best bet is a pair of Dynatrac Dana 44s, but they’re not cheap. They are as strong as stock Dana 60 differentials but are much lighter.

Tranny Switching
I have been hearing that a TF999 (1983 non-electronic) will fit behind a 4.0L block in a 2000 TJ. Is this true? What adapters are used on this application?
Montego Cruz
Mandeville, LA

Contact Advance Adapters, Montego.

Slipping Tranny
I have a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Laredo that seems to slip sometimes. When this happens, the check engine light comes on and the car runs funny. The code is PO320. When I erase the code the car runs fine. This happens about once a month. Could you help me?
Vincent Hammer
Elizabeth, NJ

This is something that will have to be diagnosed by a good off-road shop, Jeep dealer, and a good transmission shop in your local area.

As usual, each month, I’m shouting out a huge THANK YOU to Paul Schupp at Rock Lizard 4x4 in Kingman, Arizona, for his invaluable assistance in answering many of the Jeep Creep questions.

Recent Jeep Creep columns:
October 2011

Septermber 2011

August 2011