05 TJ Motor Swap Advice

Road_Warrior85

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Location
Jacksonville, NC
I have a 2005 Wrangler Rubicon with the 4.0, 3spd auto, a 6" suspension lift, 36" Iroks, and 4.56 gears.
I am not satisfied with my power, or the 9MPG I currently get. I also have a motorcycle that I occasionaly haul on a trailer. It did not take long for me to see that my Jeep was not meant to haul anything.
I would like to swap my motor and transmission for something that will give me good power, average gase mileage (15+), and the ability to comfortably tow an 8x10 trailer with a 700lb motorcycle on it.
There are 2 major problems though.
First, I have no idea what engine/tranny combo would be best for me. Some people say Dodge because the computers supposedly hook up like nothing ever changed. Some Say Chevy just because they are so common and easy to get a hold of the parts. People then say if I swap to Chevy I will have to change out all the computer and all the gauges as well. Regardless which manufacturer, it still leaves me a little confused on just which engine/tranny to get then. How small of an engine will give me what I need; How big of an engine will be a gas guzzler just because it is big.
The second problem is finding somebody to do it. I am sure i could do the swap myself with the help of a few friends, but as far the computer/electrical side of things.... Yeah, I would be far beyond lost there. Most shops I have contaced either want $13k or more, or dont want to do the swap b/c of legality or inspection issues. Well, I am from Alabama and my Jeep is registered there. In Alabama there is no state inspection, and this swap is and will be fully legal.
Sorry for my post being so long, I know a lot of people probably wont even finish reading it. Regardles, if any of you that did finish the novel, have any advice or prior experience with an engine swap on a newer jeep, I would love to hear about it.
Thanks for any input you may be able to give me.
 
Holy crap, for 9mpg, you could drive an H2. Allbeit a far less capable rig, but it'll haul your motorcycle. As far a motor swap in a 2005 model year vehicle, well it might be better for you to sell the new stuff and get an older tow rig/DD and an off road rig. Probably not what you wanted to hear, but it'd probably be a bit easier on the wallet.
 
13 k for a motor swap ? for half that amount you could buy a good used cherokee w/ a 4.o it will tow the trailer & bike easy plus get double the mpg , and keep the ruby as well.
 
Is this normal for a tj with similar mods? 9mpg seems awful low to me. You may have some other issues. What kinda mpg are other people getting?

13K? Thats insane. I can make your jeep into something really badass for that kinda jack.
 
Ive got a 4.6 stroker w/35" AT's, 4.56 gears, 5spd, 5200lbs, and get 13.5-14mpg. Also, Im sure it would drag a 1000lb trailer with no problems. Do a search for jeep stroker motor or something like that, and you will find a lot of info.
 
to me 13k for a turn key drivetrain swap seems about right. My 97 with almost the same setup as yours was turning around 9mpg, 11 on a good day downhill. I didn't really have any problems with power though. Of course I didn't tow anything either. The short wheelbase being the main reason. For me I would not try a swap on an '05 unless you have stupid money laying around. Then it would be a hemi swap. Or maybe just get a supercharger for the 4.0 and stroke it while you are in there.
 
I wouldnt spend 13k on an engine swap for my life just to pull a trailer. You could go buy a nice chevy/ford/dodge truck to pull your bike and in fact throw a big ol trailer behind and take your whole rig with you. Plus I don't know how in the world you are only getting 9mg. My poor lil 4cyl gets 15+ with 35"s :bling:
 
I am in the Marine Corps, currently in Iraq, and I had planned to sell the Jeep and buy a truck when I get back to the states. Now I am reenlisting and will be taking a 3 year assignment overseas a few months after I get back. So for 3 years I will not even have a vehicle really. I didn't want to get rid of the Jeep, but I needed another vehicle to do the things I need to do.

Since I will be coming back from Iraq with a lot of extra cash, and a reenlistment bonus I decided that a motor swap would let me keep my Jeep and give me the power/mpg I need to have a daily driver that I can live with while paying over $3 a gallon. Then, when I come back from the 3 year assignement I will have saved up enough money to go out and buy whatever daily driver/tow rig I want and still have my Jeep which can become a trail rig only.

I really dont like the prices those few shops have given me, I think that I can get it done much cheaper, I just have to find the right place. I can get the motor/tranny from a salvage yard (assuming I ever figure out which combo will be best for me) for much cheaper than any shop would charge me to get one. It would probably be much, much cheaper than if I purchased the engine through somebody like AEV (speaking of, I couldnt find the Hemi swap for a TJ).
 
As far as my 9mpg.... I was getting like 12 at first. I think pulling the trailer across state has worn it out a little. It seems like my gas mileage has dropped slowly but surely as I have owned the Jeep.
I also didnt want to get an engine swap jsut to pull a trailer. I would like to have that extra power for offroading too. Of course I am not trying to have a 400hp power house, just something more than the 195hp the 4.0 puts out.
 
I think the 3spd auto may be a large part of the problem. Regardless, a stroker 4.0 is reasonably easy/cheap, if you can pull the motor yourself. They generally net 250hp and 330ft-lbs. This website has a ton of good info:
http://www.jeep4.0performance.4mg.com/photo3.html
 
Road_Warrior85 said:
It would probably be much, much cheaper than if I purchased the engine through somebody like AEV (speaking of, I couldnt find the Hemi swap for a TJ).
Click to expand...

They illude to it on their website but its something you have to call them about.
 
greg slade said:
They illude to it on their website but its something you have to call them about.
Click to expand...

Oh... I wondered about that. I saw where they mentioned the swap for the JK, but couldnt really find anything for the TJs. I would think that more people would be getting their TJs converted now that they have gotten a little older, are paid off, or the warranties have expired. Not a whole lot of people can afford a brand new vehicle and then those kind of conversions. Of course they are probably marketing toward that upper class bunch of wheelers.
 
98 manual
4.11's
33's

12.5 mpg - no towing ever.

No matter what you do to the motor... is this a vehicle you want to tow with? Seems like the short wheelbase/high center of gravity/soft supspension/tires would make this a less desireable towing machine. But if it's been working for ya.... You might be able to bolt on a supercharger and not void any warranties. I'd like to say a SC is 3-4k and about a weekend's work.

Another thought... A lot of towing can often give a tranny a short life. I don't know if the auto tranny in the Grand Cherokee is the same in your Ruby, but I'd like to say they rate the GC for 5k ish?? Just a thought. I don't know what a TJ is rated for.

13k is a lot of cash......
 
rbo1577186 said:
98 manual
4.11's
33's
12.5 mpg - no towing ever.
No matter what you do to the motor... is this a vehicle you want to tow with? Seems like the short wheelbase/high center of gravity/soft supspension/tires would make this a less desireable towing machine. But if it's been working for ya.... You might be able to bolt on a supercharger and not void any warranties. I'd like to say a SC is 3-4k and about a weekend's work.
Another thought... A lot of towing can often give a tranny a short life. I don't know if the auto tranny in the Grand Cherokee is the same in your Ruby, but I'd like to say they rate the GC for 5k ish?? Just a thought. I don't know what a TJ is rated for.
13k is a lot of cash......
Click to expand...

Granted Jeeps were meant to be on trailers and not in front of them, my Jeep hasn't performed to poorly with a trailer. The suspension really inst very soft either. Those fatbech springs my have flex nicely, but otherwise that jeep rides like a wagon. I do not want to have to haul with it at all if I could, but I don't have much choice. The only towing I really ever want to do is just hauling my bike across town, or at worst 2 hours away. When they have Bike Week in Myrtle I like to go, but my friends don't ride, so it is easier for me to haul the bike down so I can ride when I get there, and still have a way for them to get around since they dont have a truck.
As towing giving you a short tranny life, I am certain that what very little towing I have done has been my problem. I do not tow often. Maybe pull the bike across town here and there, otherwise I never did any towing excpet ever 3 or 4 months when I was on leave. The problem though, was I would be towing for 12 straight hours to get from base in NC to home in AL. 90% of which was interstate. That is definitely what killed my tranny.
You mention a supercharger costing $3k-4k. Well for that price I could almsot buy a whole new motor. On top of that, from what information I have gathered, a SC decreases gas mileage. Which is not something I can really stand to have. Especially if for a little more I can get a much more efficient motor.
I certainly dont intend on paying 13k for the swap, I will sell the jeep and buy a completely different vehicle before I do that. That is why I posted this. I wanted to see what other people new about swaps because I dont feel there is any reason in this world why it should cost $13K to do it.
 
It all depends on how you want to do it.
You could certainly have a carburated or TBI SBC drivetrain in there for 5-6k using new parts. Maybe 8k tops if the shop ripped you a new one.

That towing shouldnt have even phased the tranny, hell a couple fat asses in there would have weighed more than that lil trailer.

The 9mpg seems really low to me.
REALLY, REALLY low.

I honestly think you have an issue now and your motor isnt running right, Id bet if you find out what it is you may ain mpg and have enough power to suit your needs.

But to answer your original question.
The cheapest easiest V8 conversion would be a carb'd 350/350 combo and it would be peppy as hell in a TJ and if tuned right should yield 15-16mpg.

Personally I woulddnt have all the newness of teh jeep without at least a MPFI set up, which would point to a new hemi, or similar. Of course an LT1 would be trick in that ride. And you could even get that done for 13k.
 
i agree with what Ron said, but the issue with it being that new, is that if driven on the road it will haveto pass inspection... a carbed, or TBI motor wont do that... Basically youll haveta get a setup from a vehicle with OBDII, even if just the intake, computer, and harness...

But if it was me, id try to figure out why its gettin such poor mileage, cuz that seems waaay low, and then hop up the 4.0L... some of the JeepSpeed guys are making insane power outta a stroked 6cyl... and you could also look into a diff tranny or maybe atleast a shift kit/improver for yours....
 
AEV is the way to go. they will even give you a factory warenty if you get a new engine or you can sorce your own to save some cash. myself, I would do all the work myself for about 4 or 6 grand and save the rest for more toys
 
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