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1998 TJ that sat ten years

2K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  Verradosoftball 
#1 · (Edited)
First, thanks for such a great forum. I will try not to make my first post too long. A friend of mine bought this jeep new in 1998. . He has meticulous records, even to the level that he wrote down every date and time he put fuel in it. Long story short, he experienced a rear diff issue in 2004, took it home, found some metal pieces in rear diff, and parked it. He had the means to fix it so I really don't understand why he didn't. Either way, I bought it from him very cheap. It was garaged the entire time and is in amazing condition. I pulled the rear end completely out and took it to a local diff shop for rebuild. I know I could switch to the 44 of ford 8.8 but for my use, the Dana 35 is fine. I drained the fuel and oil, plan to put a little marvel mystery oil in the cylinders, turn the motor over by hand several times, replace the plugs, put in new gas, change the fuel pump, put it all back together and hopefully start it.

My question is, am I missing anything? Also, when I dropped the tank, I followed all of the info online to do so. However, the vent line for the tank came down intact but I did not see where the vent tube ultimately went. Anyone know. Thanks for your time and thoughts on this project. It is a 1998 TJ with a 4.0 and five speed manual. 54k original miles. The oil looked almost new. Crazy.
 
#4 ·
Here's the FSM for a '97 TJ, what I have, everything is the same.
http://www.jeep.on-line.no/documentation/TJ/1997 TJ/1997_TJ.pdf

Wow man, you really found a gem! 54k miles?!? Garage kept for 10 years?! That's piratically a NOS TJ!
You've certainly come to the right place, a lot of very knowledgeable, good folks around here. BUT, we loooove pictures so you need to post some, like fast lol

Congrats man, really, you have found something very rare.
 
#5 ·
It is pretty much stock, has aftermarket rear bumper and side steps, and a wilderness rack. I figured the Bosch fuel pump is worth the $150 so I don't have to drop the tank again if I find either it or the sending unit went out after sitting for ten years in old gas. Might be wasting money, but gaining piece of mind. I have pics. Here is one on the trailer when I brought it home Sunday.
 

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#8 ·
Nice score! One thing i will add is keep in mind those tires are 11 years old or older. The DOT number will tell you the date. You can drive around on them but just keep an eye on them for cracking. Most manufacturers say tires are unsafe after 7 years. That may be just to sell more tires. But im just throwing this your way. I wouldnt want one of those to blow out on you on the freeway. Some people might disagree with me but oh well.
 
#9 ·
Yep the tires were bought brand new in 2004 and have about one hundred miles on them. They still look new with no cracking at all. I am very aware of the seven year deal on tires and will only drive on these tires locally and at non highway speeds. However, I have a really hard time getting rid of tires simply because of age, provided they have been stored indoors and off the ground the whole time. I might regret it, but we will see. Good input though for the safety reasons.
 
#11 ·
One more question. I have never put anything down in a cylinder before but it was suggested on a web search to put marvel mystery oil in the cylinders before firing. I turn the motor by hand it it moves freely. I changed the oil. Do I really need to put some lube in the cylinders before firing? Changed the plugs too
 
#17 ·
mostly stock, but I am in a big debate right now on fixing the dana 35 or trying to find a ford8.8 or just biting the bullet and buying the ford 8.8 already built at east coast gears. I don't know what to do. I want to run a 32-33 inch tire, but don't know if the 373 gears will be ok for that, even though i plan to drive 90 percent on the road and very light trail use. just torn on the next move.
 
#19 ·
it's probably going to be easiest to just repair the 35. 3.73 is not a bad ratio (most here would tell you would need lower to get make all the gears useable) but it works just fine for me. A lot better than the 3.07s that some run with 33s. A Dana 35 will also be fine if you don't plan to wheel it or go over 33 inch tires. If you have the funds a built 8.8 would be the best way to go but for just getting by the 35 will work.
 
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