Might be getting a TJ, what to look for.

[abart]

Like a few others have said, check the frame for rot and everything is easy to take care of. I am in the process to find a good replacement frame for mine right now. I looked into the frame repair kits that are out there but in my case a replacement frame is a better option. Don't fret a D35 either if that is what the Jeep has.

 

[BulldoginaJeepwithaColt]

My '98 TJ 4.0 has been going strong since new being daily driven by me and now my son. Currently had 204k on the odometer.

I wanted to keep it looking stock and i needed to be able to pass annual state inspection.

I have an Old Man Emu 2.5 lift, one inch motor mount lift and one inch Daystar body mount lift. This permits me to run 285/75R16 tires on old school AEV 16 inch wheels with no rubbing.

I still run the factory front bumper, with the ends cut off at the frame rails to make it a stubby. I run the Warn XD9000I winch I mounted in 2000, thing has been flawless with no issues to this day other than the gray pain peeling due to aluminum oxidation under the paint.

Like you plan to do, I added a swing away tire carrier and went with the ARB. Salty, but it is robust and after 6 years no corrosion and ZERO rattles. Hi-Lift mount, Integrated hitch and two recovery points as well as an increased departure angle.

Rust, like any 20 plus year vehicle can be an issue, frame patch kits are plentiful and affordable then easily welded in. If your rust is EXTREME you can swap out the entire frame. Check bumpstops, coil spring pads and control arm mounts for corrosion.

Body rust - typically on the front fenders along the hood line near the hood catchs. Water collects in a support panel underneath and rusts from the inside out. Sometimes on used Jeeps listed for sale the sellers cover this areas with a diamond plate panel to conceal the damage. Also, behind the rear tail lamps for some reason...

Dana 35 - they aren't necessarily week, but add larger and heavier tire/wheels and heavy skinny pedal use offroad in the rocks or mud and the engine can torque those spider gears to pieces and/or snap axle shafts. After it breaks, swap in a Ford 8.8

Steering box - if it is leaking and or worn, replace with a Dodge Durango version if you intend to run larger tires and wheels.

Sensors - Use ONLY MOPAR OEM sensors!!!! TJ's are finicky and aftermarket sensors will have a short life span if they work at all. Crankshaft positon and O2 sensors are usually the ones that go before others. Source a new CPS from a dealer and keep it as a spare - should cover you for the duration and takes less than 5 minutes to swap out.

Exception is the O2 sensors, NJK are what you want and were MOPAR sourced for OEM and are priced lower than MOPAR even though it is the same part.

Exhaust manifolds - prone to cracking on the 4.0 due to the engine torque, not sure about the 4 cylinders. I upgraded to a Borla header back in 2003 and it finally broke at a weld in 2017 - Borla honored their million mile warranty after I emailed them a picture and sent me a replacement for free and at my doorstep within one week.

The Achilles heel of the TJ's are the fuel pump wiring harness and fuel pump. If you bottom out hard enough you can cut a wire on the harness and/or break the top of the fuel pump housing. Either one will leave you dead on the trail. An aftermarket fuel tank skid plate will protect the pump and just ensuring that your wiring harness is zip tied away from moving suspension components and is protected.

Fuel Pump - only use a Bosch pump. The Aerotek and other autopart store specials will not last and fail to quickly. I ound this out the hard way.

Rear Main Seals can be replaced, plenty of videos on YouTube that walk you through this. Just very time consuming and expensive if you have a shop do it. If it's a slow leak, you should be fine.

Radiators - I have gone thru 4 and now on my 5th. The first and last were/are MOPAR ones, the other China ones, although lifetime warrantied - failed prematurely. The current MOPAR radiator is an "improved" design over the OEM and has been in for at least 7 years.

Wheel bearings - only had to replace one front one so far, was advised to go with Timken.

Ball joints and U-Joints - stick with Spicer.

Transmission - AX15 running strong with no issues.

Headlight and multifunction switchs qore out this year and I replaced both.

I have had no other issues as of yet...

For more detailed info goto the wranglerTJforum search articles written by Terry Bransford and Mr. Blaine - there are others but those two are gurus and speak the TJ gospel.

Good Luck!

 

[1stDeuce]

'97 is a pretty good year. Best year would be a '99 IMO. In 2000 they went to the WJ version of the 4.0L that has a coil pack. That engine misses when you cold start it, and there wasn't a power gain thanks to tightened emissions. '99 has the WJ intake, which was probably a bit of a HP gain, though it was never re-tested and claimed as such.
'99 was the first year for the dial control HVAC, which IMO is far superior to the slider cable HVAC in the '97's and '98's, which can stiffen up with age.

I think the D44 was an option that came mid-'97 model year. Pretty easy to spot, but the D35 is fine if you're not going to beat it mercilessly. Has more clearance than a D44, for what that's worth...

AX15 is a good trans, but if it hasn't been rebuilt with 200k on it, it'll probably snick a bit going into 3rd gear. If it's does it going into 2nd and 3rd, it's time for a rebuild. The AX15 floats gears much easier and smoother than the NV3550, which would be found in a 2000+. It also has a better reverse ratio IMO, as reverse in the 3550 is far too high.

Rust can be a problem inside the frame, as it collects dirt and then holds moisture. Also the fender directly above the front tires, where there is a ribbed stiffener plate.

I'm on the original radiator at 90k miles on my ~'05 vintage TJ, but I didn't drive it much in the salt when I lived in MI, and it's been in CO for the last 11 years. IME, people who follow closely on salted highways and don't wash their vehicles till spring destroy radiators, not time or vehicle model...

I can attest to rear main seals weeping. I replaced mine once, and it lasted about a year. It doesn't leak bad, just marks it's territory when you shut it down hot. Just let it drip.

Oh, clutch got cheapened up in about 2000 as well. Earlier clutch was bulletproof, later one is OK, but not as HD. At 200k, the forks may let go at some point from fatigue... Depends on drive cycle. New clutch not that bad, and a good time to replace the main seal and rebuild the trans.

If you're in the rest belt, upper shock bolts are going to break off when you try to take them out.

Beyond that, I'm running about 2" of lift via springs/spacers, and 255/85R16's, which are ~33x10.50's. I like the setup. Because this is not quite enough lift for 33's, I went with a 3/4" body lift to keep them from tearing the front fenders off with the sway bar disconnected. I added a 1" MML and raised center skid plate at the same time, so didn't have to mess with radiator shroud, shift linkages, etc. LOTS of ground clearance, and it drives almost like it did stock. I had 31's on it for a while when I first put it together, with about 1" of spacer lift. It worked great like that, but then I got greedy and bumped to 33's for a Moab trip, and I've never gone back. I like the narrower 33's, as I get clearance w/o as much of a mileage/power hit.

If you aren't afraid of running adapters, a set of take-off JK Rubicon wheels/tires is a good fit for a mildly lifted TJ... 255/75R17 IIRC. I'd rather a bit more sidewall, but that size isn't horrible, and tire choices are pretty good.

FWIW, I can no longer recommend BFG AT's on solid axle Jeeps. They are a great tire, but something about the square tread seems to really make many XJ's and TJ's prone to death wobble, and other tires don't seem to do that, even on the same Jeep. On an otherwise fit vehicle, I've traced most death wobble to the lower control arm bushings being worn out or too soft. If everything looks good, and it still gets DW over bumps or something like that, then replace the LCA's with some aftermarket ones and the problem almost always goes away. If you're not familiar with the term, DW is NOT a bit of shimmy in the steering, it's all out havoc causing your vehicle to become more or less un-steerable. If it happens, yank it into 4wd and the DW will damp out almost immediately. Otherwise, the only way to stop it is to almst stop, and it usually gets worse when you get on the brakes...

That's probably enough. Suffice it to say that a '97 TJ has few "inherrent issues" if it's maintained well.

 

[pittsburgh]

'97 is a pretty good year. Best year would be a '99 IMO. In 2000 they went to the WJ version of the 4.0L that has a coil pack. That engine misses when you cold start it, and there wasn't a power gain thanks to tightened emissions. '99 has the WJ intake, which was probably a bit of a HP gain, though it was never re-tested and claimed as such.
'99 was the first year for the dial control HVAC, which IMO is far superior to the slider cable HVAC in the '97's and '98's, which can stiffen up with age.

I think the D44 was an option that came mid-'97 model year. Pretty easy to spot, but the D35 is fine if you're not going to beat it mercilessly. Has more clearance than a D44, for what that's worth...

AX15 is a good trans, but if it hasn't been rebuilt with 200k on it, it'll probably snick a bit going into 3rd gear. If it's does it going into 2nd and 3rd, it's time for a rebuild. The AX15 floats gears much easier and smoother than the NV3550, which would be found in a 2000+. It also has a better reverse ratio IMO, as reverse in the 3550 is far too high.

Rust can be a problem inside the frame, as it collects dirt and then holds moisture. Also the fender directly above the front tires, where there is a ribbed stiffener plate.

I'm on the original radiator at 90k miles on my ~'05 vintage TJ, but I didn't drive it much in the salt when I lived in MI, and it's been in CO for the last 11 years. IME, people who follow closely on salted highways and don't wash their vehicles till spring destroy radiators, not time or vehicle model...

I can attest to rear main seals weeping. I replaced mine once, and it lasted about a year. It doesn't leak bad, just marks it's territory when you shut it down hot. Just let it drip.

Oh, clutch got cheapened up in about 2000 as well. Earlier clutch was bulletproof, later one is OK, but not as HD. At 200k, the forks may let go at some point from fatigue... Depends on drive cycle. New clutch not that bad, and a good time to replace the main seal and rebuild the trans.

If you're in the rest belt, upper shock bolts are going to break off when you try to take them out.

Beyond that, I'm running about 2" of lift via springs/spacers, and 255/85R16's, which are ~33x10.50's. I like the setup. Because this is not quite enough lift for 33's, I went with a 3/4" body lift to keep them from tearing the front fenders off with the sway bar disconnected. I added a 1" MML and raised center skid plate at the same time, so didn't have to mess with radiator shroud, shift linkages, etc. LOTS of ground clearance, and it drives almost like it did stock. I had 31's on it for a while when I first put it together, with about 1" of spacer lift. It worked great like that, but then I got greedy and bumped to 33's for a Moab trip, and I've never gone back. I like the narrower 33's, as I get clearance w/o as much of a mileage/power hit.

If you aren't afraid of running adapters, a set of take-off JK Rubicon wheels/tires is a good fit for a mildly lifted TJ... 255/75R17 IIRC. I'd rather a bit more sidewall, but that size isn't horrible, and tire choices are pretty good.

FWIW, I can no longer recommend BFG AT's on solid axle Jeeps. They are a great tire, but something about the square tread seems to really make many XJ's and TJ's prone to death wobble, and other tires don't seem to do that, even on the same Jeep. On an otherwise fit vehicle, I've traced most death wobble to the lower control arm bushings being worn out or too soft. If everything looks good, and it still gets DW over bumps or something like that, then replace the LCA's with some aftermarket ones and the problem almost always goes away. If you're not familiar with the term, DW is NOT a bit of shimmy in the steering, it's all out havoc causing your vehicle to become more or less un-steerable. If it happens, yank it into 4wd and the DW will damp out almost immediately. Otherwise, the only way to stop it is to almst stop, and it usually gets worse when you get on the brakes...

That's probably enough. Suffice it to say that a '97 TJ has few "inherrent issues" if it's maintained well.

I ve been thinking about going with the 255/80/17's since there seem to be more AT's in that size rather than the 255/85/16's which tires are you running? I was going to just get 33/10.5/15 BFG KO2's but I think you are right about the BFG KO2and death wobble, and it doesn't seem like too many manufacturers out there make the 255/85/16 or the 33/10.5/15.

 

[pwebmail]

Funny thing is i came back to this forum after a while to look for threads on rust and came across this one - which may be too late. I'll echo what others have said - don't neglect to check the INSIDE of the frame. I made the mistake of thinking what I purchased a few years ago now was in great shape. Recently i realized there was an area rusting through in the front frame section above the control arm. After some obvious searching, not at all uncommon. I spent better part of two days fishing out pieces of rust from inside the frame. Drill drain holes, used an air hose, etc. I prob got a couple coffee cans of rust. Couldn't believe how much rust was inside the frame. And while mine is a 2006, it has just under 80 mi. I'm going to get the once section repaired (using a safetcap piece) and then i'm coating the inside with eastwoods. I'll spot paint some of the small spots on the outside. But if I looked for another TJ, i'd go so far as to bring the $50 bore scope I purchased to look inside the frame. Hope you found something!