[Guest]

Taking some of the advice given from a more experienced jeep guru and looking into the YJ models. (hopefully less problems to deal with for the aspiring mechanic than the CJ). Anyway, I remember hearing that certain year YJs were prone to problems. Has anyone else heard this? If so what years are the ones to look out for and what is it that is to be wary of?

Thanks for the help in my jeep hunt!
jason

 

[jeepgod]

well.. i dont know much about problems with them.. but i do know cj's are alittle easier to work on..older is better.. type stuff.. and i do know the drive train in yj's suck.. so depending on what you plan on doing with it.. up to you... just some thoughts the voices gave me....


survival is instinct, but living takes guts

 

[Guest]

oh golly, the YJ. I got started on this whole jeep adventure by finding a YJ in a backyard of someone who no longer wanted it. Its a great jeep but it has some drawbacks. '87 is the crossover year from YJ to CJ, so that year is kinda tricky becuase there are a lot of things that are specific to 87 Jeeps (electrical stuff I've found in specific) I had an engine fire and found out that the 87's engine/feedback harness is unique in the 87. A lot of Yj's came with the Peugot :uke:: BA-15 (I think thats the number) tranny, which is light duty to say the least. I think up until 92 or so the Dana 35's are non C-clip, which are a lot better than the later models with the C-clip. Incidently, the Dana 35C designation doesn't indicate a C-clip or non C-clip, I think it means that the axle was shipped either complete or incomplete to the manufactuer. Yj's are wider and lower, which was Chrysler's reaction to the claim that CJ's were dangerous (well...yes, if you take a turn at 45 mph, they're gonna roll...duh) I think the rollcages are put in a little better, espcially the full-rear cages that came after 91'ish. Other than that, the dash layout is different, and of course the square headlights. Did I miss anything.?

MudFlap 87 YJ POS!!

 

[Guest]

If you go YJ, stay between 92 and 95, benefits= fuel injection, full(er) rear roll cage. The 94 and 95 have hydraulic clutch units mounted outside bellhousing (correct me here guys if this is wrong). YJ frames are stiffer than the CJs. Oh, and then there's the tire clearance thing with YJs; It takes 2" more than other jeeps to fit the same tires.

Non compis mentis./wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Pete88YJ]

Here's the deal in a nutshell. The YJ came out in 87. The standard transmissions in YJs up to about 90-91 are crap. Then, when the tranny got better, they went with this internal (inside the bellhousing) hydrauilic slave cylinder / hydraulic throwout bearing thing which is really hard to replace. That went external to the bellhousing in like 92-93 or something (I'm not real sure on that one) At the same time, about 90-91, the terrible Carter BBD computer controlled carburetor system from the old 258, which YJs had up to then, was replaced with a new motor, the 4.0, and fuel injection. The transfer case is different from the old CJs too. The way the rear driveshaft is connected to the transfer case is VIA a slip yoke, which is not so great. If you take out the rear driveshaft, all the fluid comes out. This is not a large concern until you get into off-road situations where you break the rear driveshaft, and can't take it out and drive on the front shaft. There are kits available to upgrade the transfer case, it's what's called a Slip Yoke Eliminator, or a SYE.

The automatic transmissions in YJs have always been the 999, except I think for 87 and some of 88 which used a 904 or whatever. The 999 is a good tranny. All the transfer cases are a NP 231, again, except for 87, which had a NP 207 I think. Similar, but a little different. The NP 231 is a good transfer case, except for the slip yoke design, as I mentioned. The NP 231 is also a chain-driven case, as opposed to the Dana300 typically used in the older CJs, which was a gear driven unit.

Older is sometimes better to work on, as it's simpler, but it can also be real hard to get some of it apart, as bolts and stuff can be pretty hard to get out, as opposed to a 4 or 5 year old YJ.

OK, so it wasn't a small nutshell /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif, but that's the story as best I know it.

Good luck with your hunt.
Pete

88YJ, 4"susp, 33"BFGMT, 9k#winch, rear homemade swingout, reb.258, 999, 4.10, weber32/36, GMHEI.

 

[CJDave]

/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif this month's JP MAgazine has a nice write-up on YJs titled: "Upgrade Tips For Yuppie Jeeps", by Ed Fortson. Ed is going to get a TON of mail for using that somewhat demeaning term to describe a nonetheless worthy Jeep. LOTS of good stuff in this article. And no....you need not be a desperate, driven, status-seeking, social-climbing, money grubbing, materialistic yuppie to own an '87-'95 Jeep. You can be a completely normal person; IF that is, a completely normal person would OWN a Jeep to begin with. But not to worry, ALGORE will outlaw off-road capable vehicles as soon as he is prez./wwwthreads_images/icons/frown.gif

CJDave
I never believe any statistics unless my moonguys /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif made 'em up themselves.

 

[Pete88YJ]

As a side note, to those who love to bash the YJ, and I've mentioned this many times on this board and elsewhere, there are so many things that Jeepers love that came out on the YJ. Some seem to forget, and need to be reminded occasionally....

The really cool metal half-doors: YJ
the nice injected 4.0: YJ
nice soft springs for your CJ springovers: YJ
nice galvanized tubs for your CJs: YJ
cool rollbars for your CJs: YJ
bigger front and rear fender openings and cool rear flares allowing trimming on your CJ: YJ ...now TJ

Not saying I'm all Pro-YJ, as mine sure has some drawbacks, like the slip yoke, and the dana35, just giving some personal opinion... boy, feel like CJDave again. /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

Happy Jeepin' CJ/YJ/TJ ..or whatever your pleasure.
Pete

88YJ, 4"susp, 33"BFGMT, 9k#winch, rear homemade swingout, reb.258, 999, 4.10, weber32/36, GMHEI.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the info! It really helps to learn from others experience. As much of a pain in the ass the internet can be, it is damn good for communication.

jason

 

[Guest]

I enjoy all the above except the soft springover . Only two things original to my 80 are Frame and D300. If you go at a little at a time you end up using the best of all Jeeps. I even used several Tj parts. They make improvements for a reason, best part is you get to choose which ones you like and try to make them all work together. A Jeep is a Jeep.