[Swede]

Re: FS 1980 T-176 and DANA 300

What shape are they in? I am looking for some spares for my 80 CJ-7.

Karl
80 CJ/YJ-7 FrankenJeep
94 Grand Cherokee

 

[Swede]

Re: FS 1980 T-176 and DANA 300

The ZJ is a good car. I have owned about 9 months and it has 136,000 miles on it. The weak parts on a 94 is thr viscus coupling in the 249 t-case used with the V-8 that is very sensitive to improper tire size. This is a full time case and the coupler allows slipage when you turn. If you have one tire that is not the same circumference as the others, the coupling will overheat and fail in the locked mode which is not good. A lot of people replace the t-case with a hybridized 242 case that is a bolt in swap that gives you part time 4x4 and 2x4 modes. I swapped in a '96 249 which has a low lock feature the earlier ones didn't have because this Jeep is mainly a grocery getter and is used by my daughter as a first car (i.e. good crash protection). Transfer Cases Unlimited in New York sells both t-cases for about $900.

The other problems are that it's a real pain to get to the distributer cap on the V-8s and the air conditioner condensate drain clogs up wich spills water into the right rear passenger foot well.

I enjoy the ZJ and it make a much better tow vehical than my 83 Dodge Long Range Ram Van which also has a 318 (carbed, not FI), 4-sp manual trans and a 35 gal gas tank. I wish the ZJ or the CJ could get 550 miles to a tank of gas like that van can.

Karl
80 CJ/YJ-7 FrankenJeep
94 Grand Cherokee

 

[Swede]

Re: FS 1980 T-176 and DANA 300

The ZJ is a good car. I have owned it about 9 months and it has 136,000 miles on it. The weak parts on a 94 is the viscus coupling in the 249 t-case used with the V-8 that is very sensitive to improper tire size/preasure. This is a full time case and the coupler allows slipage when you turn. If you have one tire that is not the same circumference as the others, the coupling will overheat and fail in the locked mode which is not good. You can test this by driving it for a while and then make a very tight turn in a parking lot. If you hear a groaning noise or the front end starts to buck, the VC is going bad.

A lot of people replace the t-case with a hybridized 242 case that is a bolt in swap that gives you part time 4x4 and 2x4 modes. I swapped in a '96 249 which has a low lock feature the earlier ones didn't have because this Jeep is mainly a grocery getter and is used by my daughter as a first car (i.e. I wanted good crash protection). Transfer Cases Unlimited in New York sells both t-cases for about $900.

The other problems are that it's a real pain to get to the distributer cap on the V-8s and the air conditioner condensate drain clogs up which spills water into the right rear passenger foot well.

I enjoy the ZJ and it does make a much better tow vehical than my 83 Dodge Long Range Ram Van which also has a 318 (carbed, not FI), 4-sp manual trans and a 35 gal gas tank. I wish the ZJ or the CJ could get 550 miles to a tank of gas like that van can.

Karl
80 CJ/YJ-7 FrankenJeep
94 Grand Cherokee