yes...46rh is better

 

ah .. well that's good.

 

sounds like your building a image of mine...LOL check out my grand,,,,3.5'' skyjacker lift ,,,.75 spring spacer and 31x10.50s,,i got 3'' cut out of the fenders becouse i have 2'' spider trex wheel spacers ,,fenders kept cutting the tires up at full flex ,,v8

 

I have a 95 ZJ 5.2L with 250,000+ miles and my trans and transfer case are perfect. I get 15-18 city and this weekend I got 21 ave.

 

Not all V8s were tow prepped. Many of the 93-95 V8s came with 3.55 gearing and even came with the D35. It wasn't until 96 they made it standard to have the 3.73 gears and the D44a. Personally I would get a 96-98 V8. Better tuning options and you dont have the problems associated with the 93-95 NP249 tcase VC. The 96-98 use a different style VC. The early model 249 tcase has to have the front driveshaft in in order for park to work. Without it it can roll down a hill. The 96-98s can run without the front driveshaft. Also, the most common failure to the trannies is the check valve getting stuck shut. I, amongst others, reccomend removing it.

I have 185k on mine with stock tranny, tcase, and motor. I've ran without a front tcase for 10k miles (great burnouts!) , put it back in and all is good. I have tuned my 318 also. I am running 225/70-16s as of right now and I average 19-22 mpg. Best to date is 23-25 mpg at 75mph mixed hwy and city driving. I have mine lifted almost 4" total and can run my 34" LTBs. Had to trim the front bumper and pound back the pinch seam. No rubbing on the street or minor trails. I also own a ZJ with the I6. I would take the V8 anyday. Just as easy to work on IMO as the I6.

 

Ah, so the 96-98 is the one to get then. I'm a noob also.

 

yes. just take a look at the interior. much nicer plus all the other stuff.

 

I know this is going to sound soooo newbish, so please no bashing me for this. But where would I get those 2" inch spacers from? And front and back spacers??? are they the same??? (Please don't beat me for the questions.) I got a NAPA, Auto Zone, Advanced Auto, and O'Rileys near me. Just point a finger as to which one, and I'll be happy to do it, and post before and after pictures next weekend. But a simple 2 inch budget lift with just a few tools seems perfect to keep my jeep on the road with very little down time. Also this particular thread seems to have some great ideas and brought up some good issues I have been pondering for the past 2 weeks now. My tranny has been slipping between 3rd and 4th. The OD seems ok. But it happens in teh morning when it is cold and sticks in 3rd. I am hoping that it may just need a band adjustment. I have swapped fluids and replaced the 1 main preasure regulator and that seemed to fix it for the past 4 months.

 

The spacers are the same for the front and rear. Shop around, you can find out there are many different prices for the same spacers.

 

V8 is the way to go, the 5.2 is just as bulletproof as the 4.0 with proper maintinence.

 

Totally agree cant see anyway that v8 is anywhere near as easy to work on. I doubt its as reliable.

 

my brother has a 97 zj v8. the np249 just took a dump. the trans does a weird sputter on take off when it's cold. and to top it off, it has a low pinion d30 with cv front drive shaft, and has the d44a in the back... worst axle's ever!... which all zj's only came with a d35 or d44a if i'm not mistaken, the i6 is more common with the d35 and the v8 with the d44a. and the np249 is a joke tcase, pure junk!

 

I'm definitely following this thread as I'm considering purchasing.

 

I have a 93 ZJ with the 5.2 and the NP249, can anyone confirm that it won't have park unless I have the front shaft in?? I heard I could run the rear shaft only.

 

Unless you put in a newer 249 from 96+, then you need to keep the front shaft in or it could roll in park.


I have 185k on my 95. The 249 lasted until about 7k miles ago when I swapped the tcase for a 231. Trans still works fine and hasn't been rebuilt...just maintained as necessary.
I had the engine rebuilt after I hydrolocked it so I can't say how long the 5.2 lasts, but comonly they have a plenum leak that requires fixing after 100k or so miles. It will be burning oil if it's leaking...at least mine was before the rebuild.