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A new adventure 2.5l at a time!

34K views 266 replies 25 participants last post by  rusty_wangler91 
#1 ·
Im a bit new to the forum but ive been lurking for quite while reading the forums and threads learning all i can about the yj platform and trying to absorb as much info as i can about the fantastic square lighted wonders!

so without much further ado. here is where my little 91 wrangler 2.5 w/ ax5 is currently.

heres the first pic i took of my beast the first night i brought her home.



it was a fun drive home from the po home. the steering column would lock up and it would only make left turns. turns out the key wasnt fully seated in the tumbler. but it made for a amusing ride home!

the next day after purchase i started to tear into the jeep. started inspecting the frame w/ a screw driver and found some major rust in the rear shackle mounts.

the first purchase i made was a set of autorust frame repair shackle kit.





the repairs started!







i also had to make a new frame crossmember since the old one was super rusty and had quite a few rust holes. i sourced a replacement made of .250 wall 3x4 angle iron.



got it trimmed to length



heres it all mocked up. looks great!



and heres the new support welded back on and the tj bumper cover mounted in place.

 
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#3 ·
After fixing the major frame issues. i started ordering little things here and there. and eventually ill get to the last major issue to resolved. fixing the transmission. it was making a horrible banging/rattling sound when the transmission was engaged. but more on that later.

i started to collect little things here and there for the jeep. i started with some recovery gear a nice 3''x30' recovery strap, another pair of 4.5t d-rings, a nice pair of 5t recovery hooks. no pics of the recovery strap or d-rings but im sure everyone can visualize them lol.



then i started to make a few things out of para-chord for the jeep. i got my hands on some 550 parachord to make a set of roll bar grb handles and i used some small stainless steel d-rings to hold it all together.



and a friend of mine saw the handles and wanted a pair for his jeep so i made him a pair of door pulls aswell.



i also whipped up a winch lead dangly thing to help make the cable more noticeable. it looks pretty cool against the front of the bumper hanging down.



the jeep also came w/ an oba set up thats just a simple compressor, tank, and the other necessary little odds and ends. i got a new 25' air hose, 3/8 impact, and a tire inflator. its got a nice pressure gage in the dash and a heavy duty switch in the cab. oh and its also got a train air horn pull in-lue of a conventional horn set up. its just using a cheap trumpet set from harbor freight. its quite loud and startling lol! its not quite a clown car horn but its almost there.



i also got a new set of rampage products shift knobs in billet aluminum off ebay. i wish they wernt polished aluminum but they will work and look great on the shifters.



and a smal mockup pick on the shifters







i also scored a pair of captains seats from a 97 dodge van. they are non-reclining but they are very padded, and have a nice conformed bolster, and are grey plether so they should be pretty durable.



i also got a set of leaf springs to try to help rejuvenate the front springs in my jeep.



i also got a nice durable tote that says napa on the side for free!

 
#4 ·
and now for the last remaining issue. the transmission. it was making all sorts of rattling and tapping sounds. i got the transmission pulled out and it wasnt the clutch that was making the nasty sounds. it was the tranny in the end. so i spent almost 2 months trying to get a remanufactured ax5 or even to get it fixed locally. every shop local seemed to want my internal organs to be sold off to get the repairs completed... so im off to craigslist to find the remedy. i found a guy parting out a 90 yj w/ 2.5l and i got the wornout 2.5, ax5, and np231 transfer case for $400 total + gas and an hour drive each way...

heres the spoils of the acquisition. the motor was complete w/ a new starter, good alt, and a ton of spare parts for mine. it had 140k on the clock. so it should be in pretty good shape so the seller stated.

 
#7 ·
oh and one more detail about the jeeps wheels. it currently has set of american racing wheels in 15x8 the po had plasti diped them flat black but were chrome originally.



and heres a set of 18x8 rims that i got for moving a couch and tv stand to the next town over so really it cost me just my time.



gotta love that beautiful "F" word! FREE! lol.

i ended up selling them to for an ok amount of money and i got a set of ultra motorsport 175U in 15x8 oh they look amazing!!



i cant wait to get some meaty rubber on them! but im torn between the wild country mtx in 30/9.50/15. they are super aggressive looking but are beastly on the trails and snow. a friend of mine has them on his 95 wrangler and they have held up well for the abuse we have put them through.



or the general grabber at2's. which have had great reviews from everywhere online that i can find. and they seem to preform well in seemingly all conditions.



decisions decisions decisions...
 
#11 ·
i cant wait to get some meaty rubber on them! but im torn between the wild country mtx in 30/9.50/15. they are super aggressive looking but are beastly on the trails and snow. a friend of mine has them on his 95 wrangler and they have held up well for the abuse we have put them through.




decisions decisions decisions...
I have those Wild Country tires on my '93 Wrangler. They do perform well and look great. I really like them. I did however have a blowout on the trail last time ... The sidewalls aren't as tough as what you would find on a BFG mud terrain tire, but hey, the price is right and they do grip good!
(I rolled over a log which twisted up under the tire and had a sharp branch poking up, which punctured my sidewall - sounded like a gunshot. I always carry a spare on the trail!)
 
#10 ·
a small update. with the weather starting to heat up and the wonderful spring rains coming in just about every other day, the humidity has made the drive to work on the jeep during the day a bit less than desirable unless its uber early in the AM or late late in the PM. and the PM route was the one i took today. and heres my results.

i started festivities of the evening by adding a small air filter to the breather on the valve cover and ditching the crusty and brittle hose that connected the vent to the intake. then i finished up my cone filter adaptation to the throttle body. i just used a 2.5'' silicone 90* elbow and a 45* elbow w/ some 2.5 tubing connecting it all.



and theres it all connected and bolted in. it looks pretty good for a homemade job.



and then another small thing of the night, i touched up my 2 smittybuilt d-rings and painted the 2 new d-rings so that they all would match and look really purdy so that i could get them al dirty again!



i also ordered a lockable 30''Lx12''Wx14''H aluminum chest for the back of the jeep. and some small led rock lights, a 1/4'' npt air check valve for my oba set up, and also a set of oem replacement door mirrors.

and the best item ordered! a wicked cool rainbow tie-dye bandana!

there will be more updates to come! and hopefully itll be up and running soon!

also quick question? is there any size differences between the input shafts on a 90 ax5 and a 91 ax5? i believe they are the same size but the calipers i have are not accurate enough to tell the difference. but the current one in my 91 the shaft seems a bit bigger...
 
#12 ·
thats good that the wc mtx's have preformed well. and they look awesome to boot!

ive been reading up on alot of the different types of tires wi/ the AT and MT. id like to think ill get in a good bit of offroad use. but id think the majority of the time ill be on pavement and concrete.

i do like a nice wide tire and ive really be looking hard into the general grabber at2's and they come in the size of 265/70/15 and it comes out a touch under 30'' and a touch under 10.5w that should look really good on a 15x8 rim.
 
#14 ·
so tonights little update. drum roll...!

well i swapped out the uber destroyed reman battery for an older optima red top, threw on some less destroyed battery terminal and while i was at it i attempted to clean up some of the excessively screwed up rats nest of wiring that the po had left for me...



it looks bad still... but i need to get some connectors and some more wires to extend the short trimmed ones that the po butchered... i also got some black wire cover tubing to help dress up and straighten up the engine bay.
 
#16 ·
about a week ago i ordered a nice locking aluminum storage box for the jeep to keep some of my belonging in and also recovery gear and such things. and the box cm in today!



its a super nice construction and really well made from what i can see. very nice welds and the hardware looks pretty solid!

i also received the set of oem style replacement mirros for the jeep aswell. of they look solid! i cant wait to mount them. heres a stock pic of them. but im sure everyone know oem style mirrors. lol



---------
transmission swap update. i got the rtv and the front input shaft seal and i should have everything to get it all swapped over to the 90 tranny and enough fluid to flush both the transmission and transfer case.
 
#17 ·
ive got a small update on the jeep. ive been digging into the replacement tranny that i got to swap out the busted one. and the tcase fluid looked good real good a bright red. but the fluid that came of the transmission was brown and almost oil like. it even smelled like oil too... make me wonder what the PO put in that tranny.

during the little bit of free time here and there after work. ive been working a more viable mounting of that aluminum chest and still retain the full use of the back seat. i believe i will have to fab up mounts for the seat because its out of a tj or newer jeep... it fits just snugly between the tail gate and the rear seat back. itll be a nice lockable vault for my more valuable items! ill have pics of the mounting of the seat prolly later today.

a few nights ago i got the external slave bell housing really cleaned up and i painted it the same color red as the d-rings. i know the pic is blurry but heres the prof lol.



i also went a painted my recovery hitch receiver. it looks like it turned out really good!



ive really been considering the rollbar to windshield frame reinforcement. and not to mention that it looks absolutely badass!

 
#18 ·
i got a bit done on my yj today. i made a few gaskets since nobody local had the front shift gasket nor a shifter gasket. so i bought some blank material and went to town. and they turned out pretty well. now to see if they dont leak... that will be the true test. i also got my hi-lift back in working order and repainted it and also ordered the aluminum handle replacement from rokmen on a whim!

i also solved the issue of the t-case studs that had unscrewed out of their housing. took a bit of thinking but they are back in the case now.

and i found out that pb-blaster will melt right through the bottom of a solo cup holding bolts... that was a fun mess to clean up

i also finally mounted my aluminum storage box in the bed and it looks great! and theres still enough room for an ammo can or some kind of small container. it just fits so snug right in the back!

and an update on the tranny swap. its in the stages of reasembly i need to super clean the tcase before i reinstall the ax5 & np231. itll be nice having all the studs in to line up and evenly torque it all down to spec.

ill be getting some pics of my latest progress tomorrow after work.

HAPPY 4th of July everyone!
 
#19 ·
on an impulse buy on 7/3 i ordered a rokmen aluminum hi-lift handle. oh its so nice! and i received it on 7/8 and got it mounted on my hi-lift. the brushed aluminum looks so good with the black and red jack!



heres a pic of the new handle mounted on the jack. its so much lighter and since its 6061 aluminum its stronger and lighter than the original steel handle.



it looks a bit small next to my 60'' hi-lift... but it will get the job done just right!

small tranny update. i was able to get the transfer case and shifters mounted, sealed, and secured in place. the gasket maker is currently curing. i went through and double checked that i hadnt lost or misplaced any of the little nuts and bolts needed to put everything back where it originally came from.

if all goes well. and i can get a buddy to help me install the tranny i should be able to get the tranny back in the jeep in the next 2 weeks hopefully... wish me luck!

ill have more pics of the progress later today.
 
#21 ·
i also ordered a few small things for the jeep. a new o2 sensor and a tj down pipe so that my exhaust doesn't get crushed anymore like the old pipe did.

rockauto.com to the end! better prices than autozone or o'rileys! should be here by end of next week i think. i also ordered a hi-lift handle vibration dampener to make it a little quieter for me.
 
#22 ·
well the jeep is back together minus fluid in the transfer case, a charged battery, installing the shifters, and airing up the tires.

i also got my seat covers back on the nasty stock seats. they are the rugged ridge neoprene covers in i think a heavily faded shade of black w/ a bit of sun bleaching so they look a grey/brown mix... if i can find a set of the 96-00 coupe cavalier seats id jump on it in a heart beat for the right price of course.

i had a hell of a time getting the skid plate mounted w/ the tranny mount bolted on loosely to it.. the motor and tranny were misaligned to the drivers side by about 2" and with a bit of 3am sleep deprived ingenuity i got everything in place where it should be.

i also received my tj downpipe, o2 sensor and header flange gasket to make up my new exhaust. with my current cat and the 2 chamber flowmaster knockoff i think that the rusty old jeep will sound pretty good w/ the new pipe and exhaust components! from all of my research it should sound a bit louder than stock but with a good bit deeper tone/rumble i believe. since im cheap i think im going to just run it w/ a turn down after the muffler for simplicity sake for the meantime. ive also got spark plugs and new plug wires and fuel filter to install to boot.

ive been considering some aux lighting for the jeep lately. ive got a set of 10 1/2 led rocklights that can be installed under the body, fenders and bumpers (as a plus the PO had installed a really cheap set of knockoff KC lights on the bumper, so ive already got a circuit available to connect into). ive seen the 52" led bars on ebay for cheap but the price/quality seems iffy for the prices ive seen. i should be able to make the mounting brackets for under $20 in steel tho so that shouldnt be to bad on the $$$ side of the equation.

wish me luck that the first startup w/ the new parts go well!

oh and does anybody even read this thread at all????? feedback is greatly appreciated...
 
#25 ·
small update from todays labors... i got a 30mm socket out of the autozone rewards point program so thats a nice plus. and the optima battery i have for it is on its last legs. i had autozone charge it and the volt meter on the jeep only showed about 9-10 volts... so thats gonna be another thing on the to do list.

i got the tcase filled up with fluid and no leaks from the tranny and tcase. another plus! after much research i filled the tranny up with some 10w30 i had laying around. and i used ATF in the tcase. i only used it cause i got it for free from autozone. ill prolly end up getting something else put in the tranny. any recommendations?

i also found out, with my buddy that came over to help with the start up, that the gas gage at 1/2 is dead empty... lol that was a great 2 hours waisted diagnosing and testing things. but in the end a few laughs and some frustration aside it now has fuel! well over 16 gal in the tank.

went for the first maiden voyage with the new tranny and transfer case. it runs and shifts fine. im gonna need to take off the shifter extension. its way to bendy for my tastes but i like the position tho. i might look into cutting up my spare shifter and adding some more rod to make up the new length but very much sturdier.

so now for all the bad. the temp gauge doesnt work (will replace w/ mechanical gauge w/ backlight where the ashtray used to be), the check engine and break light is always on so who knows at this point. oh and the intake i cobbled together whistles when i let off the gas. an ultra high pitch whistle that im sure will make any headache migraine status in no time... and the icing on the cake of this rusty pos jeep is that it will randomly start running ultra rough and then cut in and out and then die... and the wonderful jelly filling in this whole night is that on the test flight of the rusty-wangler... after i got more gas and balanced out the tires w/ the gas station air pump i set the michelin a/t's at 28lbs and ill see how it rides. and on leaving the gas station the ever persistent random lockup of the steering column did it to me in traffic... after about 5 minutes to messing with it. me and my buddy give it a big great pull and bust off whatever was causing the wheel to lock. only drawbacks now i need a new ignition cylinder and a blinker switch. since now they dont function at all...

over all im happy that it runs* (well sorta... lol). it was nice to be able to drive it around the backyard and the neighborhood.

there will be more updates to come. but with how greasy and dirty the last few days have been there havent been any pics lately. im gonna try to get some taken sat after work.
 
#28 ·
my local autozone has the penzoil sincromesh and its about 9 a qt. so il need to space out the purchase of the fluid a bit. to get my $20 min purchase to get their reward points for the 5x $20 purchases to get $20 free credit towards something. thanks for the tip tho. ive seen the sincromesh mentioned before but nothing to concrete tho.

I too have a 91 2.5 keep posting. I fixed my temp gage by cleaning the contacts behind it. Got my clock working too.
ill be looking into the temp gauge problem a bit more. i hope its something simple. the po on the jeep literally cut and spliced to his little hearts content... so i think one of the major projects is to try to remedy his shody wiring...

and surprisingly my dash clock keeps real good time when it has a battery in it. lol

--------------------------

current to do list on the jeep.

to buy list
- new ignition cylinder
- new blinker/wiper switch (since the wonderful street fix of the pesky anti theft column lockup...)
- lower radiator hose
- new 2.5 silicone elbow to redo my intake tube (but i might be able to salvage my current one to remedy the pesky whistle on deceleration)

to install
- new valve cover gasket (its currently hemorrhaging oil when the motor is running)
- weld up the new exhaust components (tj downpipe, new o2 sensor, add new pipe to mate it to current cat, then to the new chambered flowmaster knockoff, and to get a new 2.25 or 2.5 tailipe bent up.)
- install the stock shifter handle (cause the cheapy 3'' extension is scaring me with how bendy it is...)
- install the 1/2 led rocklights under the body
- install the new oem mirrors on the soft doors or mount the cj style mirrors to the window frame...

decisions decisions decisions... theres enough to keep me busy for the immediate future...
 
#29 ·
small update on the jeep.

i got the remaining exhaust tubing to finish up the new tj set up. but im gonna have to get a bit creative to keep the tubing from rubbing on the skid plate. but for the moment it will do just fine for the moment.

havent really had much free time as of late. tons of yard work and odd hours at the place of employment. i do have the next 4 days off so i believe i should be able to whip something up in the yj exhaust area if its not to hot out in the garage...
 
#31 ·
Jams J the jeep seemed to drive fine with the 10w-30 in it. i havent really driven it any since the short drive about 2 weeks ago. my place of employment and prepping my home has taken almost all of my time as of late... im hoping now that its starting to cool back down to tolerable temperatures ill be able to bust out some work on the jeep. im really looking forward to enjoying the truck top enclosure this winter.

ill definitely be updating this thread as soon as something new happens tho.
 
#32 ·
well today i decided to get off my tired butt and go out and work on my jeep. i made it a goal today to get the new exhaust parts installed. so i set out and diced up the old exhaust to hopefuly salvage the cat currently on the jeep. but alas no luck the crap inside the cat was all crumbled and dusty so it was emptied of this annoying crap... i then went and laid out all my parts and pieces and started to install the tj down pipe. it was a fair bit under bend. and with some head and a large ratchet strap the pipe was formed to the correct shape. i then fit my cat up to the dp and then a small extender piece to mate up the muffler and a cheapy autozone turn down to finish it all of.

but alas thing never go as smoothly as they should for me, not 10 seconds into welding up the tubing i run out of fluxcore wire... damit!! so i hurry down to harbor freight and get a new spool of .035 (i had been using .030 and i had never laid out a descent bead... with the new size wire it started to look great minus the normal splatter that comes with that type of welding...) so i get the wire and return and then its smooth sailing all the way till the end.



i also painted the tubing to cover up the welds and to hopefully protect it a little bit more down the line.

i also remedied the obnoxious high pitch whistling that was coming from the intake. i moved the brass fitting from the hole i drilled in the silicon elbow and then brazed in into the metal tubing of the intake. its extremely sturdy now and thats what helps keep a vehicle reliable. good quality mods and upgrades!

before i ended the night i took the jeep for a ride to assess the jeeps current condition and well it still needs shocks bad, the turn signal switch needs replacing (i have the part i just need to rent the pulled and get the new ignition cylinder to replace all the broken parts in just 1 go.), replace the ignition cylinder (since if u start the jeep and dont move the key after the jeep starts, the starter wont disengage...), and need to finish rust repair on the floor of the tub cause the water from the puddle i drove through splashed straight through the hole in the floor board. yaya more welding...!!

and i had to say that the 2 chamber muffler and the hollow cat, new o2 sensor and the new down pipe definitely woke the jeep up alot. dam it roars! and its even got that lovely sports car popping upon deceleration! the old exhaust was so rusted out, cracked and even the muffler had been crushed at more than one occasion. it was definitely more of a hinderance than a help...

im gonna get some installed pics of the new exhaust and possibly even a video of the jeep rumbling at idle for a sound clip of the mater piece.
 
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