Info on 95 Warangler

[dempsy1]

I'm looking at a 95 Wrangler 4cyl the Jeep is in Good shape,but has high miles and just wanted input from some guys that have owned these, will be spare vehicle.

 

[HiHood]

I once owned a 95 YJ with the 4 banger and although it was slow, it sure wasn't fast. It would slow on grades (31" tires) and was sluggish at take off but was OK anywhere elsewhere. It was alright by me. Never broke down on me. It was HOT in the summer without an AC (even with the top off) so I got rid of it for a truck.

 

[Sine Deviance]

I have a 95 YJ Rio Grande edition with the four furious squirrels and a manual. I love it, and I wouldn't trade it for a 4.0L. It is slow on the interstate with my 31's (I can hit about 70mph max, and I don't use 5th gear as much) but it's fine everywhere else. I have no issues with the available power on 45-55mph roads. The acceleration is actually pretty good in 1st and 2nd because of all the torque; in fact, I can easily get ahead of the pack when starting from a red light on a four lane, unless I'm up against something sporty. Mine has 155k miles, how many does that one you're looking at have?

I will say that my YJ has been very reliable in the engine department and people tell me that the 2.5L is more reliable than the 4.0L. I had an 89 Wagoneer with the 4.0L and had some issues with it but nothing major. It had 270,000 miles on it and was still running when I sold it. As I have only had my YJ for about six months now, I can't really say about long-term reliability, but I've never heard anything bad. Just don't drive it like a sports car and the engine will do you well.

As far as getting more power goes, it's cheap and relatively easy. You can swap the stock throttle body for one off a 4.0L, this is a junkyard part and easy to find. For the most part, it bolts right up. Then, add a nice intake, should run you about $100 total. After that, you can do the e-fan conversion and do away with the mechanical fan. This is a bit more involved, but cheap, and I hear it's well worth the extra ponies. You'll have plenty of power and you'll have spent about $200 at the most. You could also regear the rear axles but I'm not going to because I've heard from multiple sources that it can mess up the torque curve.

I say take it. If the price is fair and the Jeep is in good condition I wouldn't pass it up. The engine is easy and relatively cheap to fix if anything goes wrong, hell, you can get a master rebuild kit for like $500 and practically have a new engine. I had a 91' Eclipse GSX before I bought my Jeep and the master rebuild kit for that was like $1500.

The only drawback I can find besides the power is the transmission. The 2.5L manual is weaker than the 4.0L manual. This isn't a problem unless you're going to be doing some serious offroading. I take my YJ for light offroad duty and it pulls through just fine.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

You could also regear the rear axles but I'm not going to because I've heard from multiple sources that it can mess up the torque curve.

Quite the opposite, regearing places the engine back into the best part of the torque curve, in the higher RPM's where the 2.5 likes to be. Getting the engine back into the proper torque curve will deliver the best performance & mileage. My jeep on 35" tires can get 17mpg because it's geared properly.

 

[Sine Deviance]

Quite the opposite, regearing places the engine back into the best part of the torque curve, in the higher RPM's where the 2.5 likes to be. Getting the engine back into the proper torque curve will deliver the best performance & mileage. My jeep on 35" tires can get 17mpg because it's geared properly.

I thought the 2.5 was supposed to be happy in the low ranges because it's all torque? Plus, if you're always pegging redline won't it destroy your engine?

 

[mud4feet]

I thought the 2.5 was supposed to be happy in the low ranges because it's all torque? Plus, if you're always pegging redline won't it destroy your engine?

My little 4banger doesn't "peg redline" but she'll cruise all day long for days on end (been there - done that) at around 3200 - 3500 rpm. That's where she likes to run. I don't think the 4.0's like to run in that range much.


BTW - 135,000 and still going strong.

 

[camsyj95]

Mine's a 95 with a new engine, rebuilt transmission and has been regeared to 4:10's to accomidate the 33's she's wearing. I don't have the least bit of problems out of her, granted she's not a drag strip jeep she tops out at about 60 downhill with the wind pushing but thats all i need on these back country roads. You can keep lower gears if you like to keep higher speeds but it'll be sluggish off the start, but i prefer the power in lower gears, especially when i'm off road and in 4wd!

 

[kjegbert23]

I have a '91 yj with 160,000. It runs great. Before you buy the '95, have a mechanic compression test on all four. Also, you check the air intake tube for oil. Thiss will tell you if the rings and seals are decent.

 

[Sine Deviance]

Also, you check the air intake tube for oil. Thiss will tell you if the rings and seals are decent.

Having oil in the PCV/CCV valve doesn't mean you have bad seals. Almost all Jeeps with the 4.0L and 2.5L have that problem regardless of the quality of the rings and seals.

There are four ways to fix it. The first is to pop the valve cover and PCV/CCV off and clean them thoroughly. This will usually do the trick. If that doesn't work, you can also replace the PCV/CCV with an OEM replacement part that Chrysler offered to take care of the problem, I don't have the part #'s on hand but just search around here and you'll find them. The OEM part costs around $70 iirc. The third way is to replace the stock air intake with an aftermarket CAI/SRI/snorkel system. This usually eliminates the problem with the simple application of gravity. This is obviously the most expensive option but you also get power gain The fourth option is the cheapest but also the most ghetto Take some kind of container, like a bottle, and mount it in the engine bay. Then just take the PCV/CCV hose and drop it in. Instant oil collector. Some people have gotten pretty crazy with this idea and turned it into a reservoir that pumps the oil back into the engine.

So if there is oil in the airbox, don't discount the Jeep right off the bat; it doesn't mean anything is wrong with the engine. Mine blows a little oil into the stock airbox and my engine is in great shape. I just clean the air filter box about once a month and I replace the filter every three to six months like I normally would.

 

[jfrabat]

The 4-banger is a reliable little engine, and while it may leave you wanting a bit more power on the highway, it will stand toe to toe with the 6 cyl on the trails if geared propperly. I personally have a '94 with 130,000 miles on it, and with some mods (ignition, injectors, air filters, gears, electric fan, high-flow cat, cat back system, etc.), it happily rolls down the street on 33" tires at 70 mph. The torque curve starts a bit below 2,500 RPMS, and pulls all the way to around 4,000RPM's pretty strongly.

Like bounty said, if you regear it properly, so that you stay at around 3,000 RPM's, you could drive all day without issues.

 

[kjegbert23]

Having oil in the PCV/CCV valve doesn't mean you have bad seals. Almost all Jeeps with the 4.0L and 2.5L have that problem regardless of the quality of the rings and seals.

Thanks for correcting my bad information. I will clean mine out this weekend now that I know how to fix it.

kev