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GM motor in a YJ?????

696 views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  xjy173 
G
#1 ·
I have a 89 yj wragler with a 4.2l 6cyl on its last legs.
the jeep has a 5spd. is there any motors other than a jeep motor that will bolt right in... i heard that a GM 2.6 v6 will bolt right up to the tranny...any help with this would be great.... thanks
jim

 
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#4 ·
Jeep used those engines in earlier Cherokees and the general concenses is that they are not too good


'88 Sahara, 4.2 that runs. The rest is getting there!/wwwthreads_images/icons/blush.gif
 
#5 ·
Thanks Pog. I have worked on enough 2.8's in S-10's to never want to see one again. They run forever if you treat em right(round 200K). But they are a hassle. They are a 60 degree motor so they have a goofy bellhousing bolt pattern. You can't use the trans from a SBC with the 2.8. It won't bolt up. So you gotta dig through the tranny pile at the boneyard looking for the right one. There are a couple of guys on the XJ/MJ board that love theres so if you want input ask them. Look for xjy173 and MJGUY.

 
#6 ·
uh,,... no don't even think about it. all 2.8's pretty much come standard with the rear piston hanging out of the block and have no power i dont care what anyone says. we've had 3 that have accumulated a total of like 300k miles thats not too great and the trucks were babied and religiously maintained and the s10's they were in couldnt even get out of their own way, personally i'd chose the jeep 4popper over a 2.8 but thats just me. as for swapping you can adapt to anything, but your best bet would be rebuilding the 4.2 it is a great little torqey motor with pretty good aftermarket following. other than that i'd got the big swap route with a 4.3fuel inj. and a 700r4 if you wanted a 6 and auto if not go with the 350 sm465 and np 205 but then you gotta swap axles if its a yj. soggysod


if it aint broke, break it so you can learn to fix it
 
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#7 ·
Have you thought about a 4.0L out of a later model cherokee or TJ or even Grand Cherokee? Its a great motor...190hp, all kinds of torwue, long lasting, reliable, easy to find parts for, and best of all, its FUEL INJECTED!

...Just a thought...

Give me Jeep or Give me Death!!!

(Will trade functioning organs for CJ-7 or flatfender)
 
#8 ·
The 2.8 is not a bad engine; the late 85s and 86s in XJs and MJs have the larger journals and better oiling than earlier models.

Andy is correct, though. You would have to modify the motor mounts to match a V-6. You would also have to find a Cherokee/Comanche with the same transmission as the YJ for the bolt patterns to match. It is much more economical to rebuild the 258, even if it has the lousy carb.

What you could do is buy a good donor 2.8 Cherokee, then change your mind. Rebuild the 258 and keep the Cherokee...you would then have 2 Jeeps. Good Luck!!/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif
 
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