Jeep Comanche Build
+4
THOOPY3
dongalonga
Rob Cote
Tonellin
8 posters
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Yeah it seems that wheeling old XJs and MJs seems to put the nail in the coffin of iffy heater cores (ask me how I know). Unfortunately I don't think you have it as "easy" as I did a few weeks back in terms of keeping the dash in and replacing it. If I recall the old XJs/MJs require you to pull everything out to get at the HVAC box. Of course I thought the same thing about my replacement and then I did some research and found otherwise, hopefully you'll be as lucky.
Final change of plans?
As much as I hate to do it, I am either going to be rebuilding the motor that is currently in my truck, or buying a used one. I'm leaning towards buying a used one, that is mpi and just converting it to tbi, I would like to swap the truck to mpi but I am going to need to get this done as fast as possible since it's my only vehicle. I may have found a motor on CL for a pretty decent price with 82k on it ( obviously no real way in knowing but I am going to have to go by this guys word) I will likely do a head gasket and water pump since the motor will be out anyways. Should be reliable enough for me until I can afford to put some real American muscle under the hood. If anybody has any tips or opinions on a rebuild kit for my motor, or the replacement one I'm all ears!
Again, the story with mine is I have quite a bit of blow by, my compression is real low, I haven't tested it yet but parking on any slight incline at all in 1st gear the truck will still roll, and I am having trouble with any type of acceleration, going up a hill in 4th I'm lucky to make it up it going 45 maybe 50, I know the 2.5 is sluggish with 33s and 4.10s but it should not be near this bad.
Also while replacing my heater core (when I do something about the motor) I am thinking about a 97+ interior swap since I may be able to get the parts for a fairly cheap price, not my main concern but if I have the chance to do it while replacing the heater core I just might do that at the same time, then I would have some motivation to pull the dash
Again, the story with mine is I have quite a bit of blow by, my compression is real low, I haven't tested it yet but parking on any slight incline at all in 1st gear the truck will still roll, and I am having trouble with any type of acceleration, going up a hill in 4th I'm lucky to make it up it going 45 maybe 50, I know the 2.5 is sluggish with 33s and 4.10s but it should not be near this bad.
Also while replacing my heater core (when I do something about the motor) I am thinking about a 97+ interior swap since I may be able to get the parts for a fairly cheap price, not my main concern but if I have the chance to do it while replacing the heater core I just might do that at the same time, then I would have some motivation to pull the dash
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
- Posts : 103
Join date : 2013-11-08
Age : 29
Location : Middleton, MA
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
If you're gonna fuck with fueling, have you considered going with a SEM like Megasquirt or anything? Might get you a little more power out of it if you have the time to tune, I dunno. It should (I could be talking out my ass here) give you a little more flexibility when you go to install a different engine down the road. My understanding is it's pretty modular.
Anyways, my suggestion will always be 4BT swap.
Anyways, my suggestion will always be 4BT swap.
Rob Cote- Moab Dessert
- Posts : 673
Join date : 2012-07-11
Age : 35
Location : Ipswich, MA
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Rob Cote wrote:If you're gonna fuck with fueling, have you considered going with a SEM like Megasquirt or anything? Might get you a little more power out of it if you have the time to tune, I dunno. It should (I could be talking out my ass here) give you a little more flexibility when you go to install a different engine down the road. My understanding is it's pretty modular.
Anyways, my suggestion will always be 4BT swap.
I have no idea how the mega squirt works, been a while since I've heard of that, a couple years ago when I use to mess with cars haha, anyways I may look into it but I think for now a "simple" replacement/rebuild will do, that's funny you say a 4BT swap, the guy I'm getting the motor from is 4BT swapping his Comanche
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
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Join date : 2013-11-08
Age : 29
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
hnnnnnng DOOOO ITTTTT
Rob Cote- Moab Dessert
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Join date : 2012-07-11
Age : 35
Location : Ipswich, MA
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Rob Cote wrote:hnnnnnng DOOOO ITTTTT
If only I had the funds and time to make that work
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
- Posts : 103
Join date : 2013-11-08
Age : 29
Location : Middleton, MA
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
If you're going to do the interior swap as well it would probably benefit you to just buy a whole Cherokee on the cheap. Total rotboxes with good motors can be had around here for under $1000, and at that price you're getting the motor, all the sensors, the entire interior, the computer, and whatever other goodies it comes with so it's a good deal. The tough part is going to be find one with a 2.5 in it, the majority I've seen have the 4.0.
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
THOOPY3 wrote:The majority I've seen have the 4.0.
You say it like it's a bad thing. Is it hard to swap 2.5 to 4.0? I forget what the reasoning was for sticking with a 2.5....may have skimmed this thread very lightly.
Rob Cote- Moab Dessert
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Join date : 2012-07-11
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
For his purposes it's a bad thing. Dropping a 4.0 into a Jeep with a 2.5 really isn't as easy as some of the people on JeepForum would like you to believe. The benefit in this situation is that the Comanche platform was designed to accept both the 2.5 and the 4.0, so you shouldn't run into clearance issues with things like the master cylinder, radiator, or firewall.
The most difficult challenge (for someone without access to a welder/knowledge of welding, can't remember if you have those things Rob C.) is likely burning on new engine mounts, which requires you to remove the grill and radiator so you can drop the new motor/trans in, which requires an engine hoist, and so on and so forth. Not to mention you have to have the old motor and trans out at this point to do that, and without a decent garage and equipment of your own you're pretty much hosed. That's major down time, not just a long weekend of work, so you're looking at not having a vehicle for easily a month (unless the money tree is really blooming this time of year and you can afford to dedicate all your time to working on the thing).
You could get lucky and find a shop that will do it relatively cheap like I did, but I was putting a 4.0 into a vehicle that already had a 4.0, and even that took a solid four days of shop time. My experience with that turned out great thus far but it's not likely you'll be able to find a good price on a motor swap that requires as much work as this does. I guess the moral of the story is that it can certainly be done, but it's going to take either a lot of time, a lot of money, or more than likely both. I'm not trying to be a Debby Downer, I'm just trying to give you a realistic idea of what you're looking at.
The most difficult challenge (for someone without access to a welder/knowledge of welding, can't remember if you have those things Rob C.) is likely burning on new engine mounts, which requires you to remove the grill and radiator so you can drop the new motor/trans in, which requires an engine hoist, and so on and so forth. Not to mention you have to have the old motor and trans out at this point to do that, and without a decent garage and equipment of your own you're pretty much hosed. That's major down time, not just a long weekend of work, so you're looking at not having a vehicle for easily a month (unless the money tree is really blooming this time of year and you can afford to dedicate all your time to working on the thing).
You could get lucky and find a shop that will do it relatively cheap like I did, but I was putting a 4.0 into a vehicle that already had a 4.0, and even that took a solid four days of shop time. My experience with that turned out great thus far but it's not likely you'll be able to find a good price on a motor swap that requires as much work as this does. I guess the moral of the story is that it can certainly be done, but it's going to take either a lot of time, a lot of money, or more than likely both. I'm not trying to be a Debby Downer, I'm just trying to give you a realistic idea of what you're looking at.
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
THOOPY3 wrote:For his purposes it's a bad thing. Dropping a 4.0 into a Jeep with a 2.5 really isn't as easy as some of the people on JeepForum would like you to believe. The benefit in this situation is that the Comanche platform was designed to accept both the 2.5 and the 4.0, so you shouldn't run into clearance issues with things like the master cylinder, radiator, or firewall.
The most difficult challenge (for someone without access to a welder/knowledge of welding, can't remember if you have those things Rob C.) is likely burning on new engine mounts, which requires you to remove the grill and radiator so you can drop the new motor/trans in, which requires an engine hoist, and so on and so forth. Not to mention you have to have the old motor and trans out at this point to do that, and without a decent garage and equipment of your own you're pretty much hosed. That's major down time, not just a long weekend of work, so you're looking at not having a vehicle for easily a month (unless the money tree is really blooming this time of year and you can afford to dedicate all your time to working on the thing).
You could get lucky and find a shop that will do it relatively cheap like I did, but I was putting a 4.0 into a vehicle that already had a 4.0, and even that took a solid four days of shop time. My experience with that turned out great thus far but it's not likely you'll be able to find a good price on a motor swap that requires as much work as this does. I guess the moral of the story is that it can certainly be done, but it's going to take either a lot of time, a lot of money, or more than likely both. I'm not trying to be a Debby Downer, I'm just trying to give you a realistic idea of what you're looking at.
I was seriously considering a 4.0 swap, my only real concern was the wiring harness, I'm not that good with wiring so I figured I would have issues with that (obviously would have had issues with that anyways putting a v8 in but was considering carbureted) I do have access to a welder and Dave(Nvincible torque) has the skills to weld in new motor mounts, I am going to be renting a storage facility for a month no matter what route I go, I guess if somebody can convince me to go the 4.0 route and that the wiring harness wouldn't be impossible for me to figure out I will strongly consider it
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
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Join date : 2013-11-08
Age : 29
Location : Middleton, MA
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Welder /
Engine Hoist /
Electrical Wiring capabilities /
Free time to help - limited... Thats where we fail Rob!
Engine Hoist /
Electrical Wiring capabilities /
Free time to help - limited... Thats where we fail Rob!
Dave-NvincibleT- Mall Crawler
- Posts : 54
Join date : 2015-06-14
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Word. I didn't know the motor mounts were different. Does the harness change require any custom? From the ECU to all engine points, it should be plug 'n' play if you have the matching engine/ECU combo. I'm not sure what happens on the vehicle side of the ECU though, so serious question. It must take inputs from the ignition switch, cruise (if equipped), and maybe HVAC? Throttle is just cable, so that should be straightforward, brakes are separate, steering is strictly mechanical, clutch? are you manual or auto I forget.
Well anyways, even if it IS all "bolt ons" and plug-and-play, it's still a big undertaking. I've done engine swaps before and it's definitely not recommended for a daily. Unless you got a bus pass.
Well anyways, even if it IS all "bolt ons" and plug-and-play, it's still a big undertaking. I've done engine swaps before and it's definitely not recommended for a daily. Unless you got a bus pass.
Rob Cote- Moab Dessert
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
NvincibleTorque wrote:Free time to help - limited... Thats where we fail Rob!
Fuckin' story of my life guy.
Rob Cote- Moab Dessert
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Well if you've got capable help (which it certainly seems is the case) and time then a 4.0 swap wouldn't be totally out of the question. I would definitely go the route of finding a whole Cherokee in that case, ideally a '97-'99 before the cracked heads became an issue, because it would provide you with everything you need, including all the interior stuff.
Oh, and I just realized that you're both 'Rob C.' so that wasn't very helpful, haha.
Oh, and I just realized that you're both 'Rob C.' so that wasn't very helpful, haha.
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Hahahaha also don't confuse me with the other R. Cote.
Rob Cote- Moab Dessert
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Join date : 2012-07-11
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
A storage place won't have 220 outlet, I'll have to also bring my generator for the Lincoln.... Definitely doable tho.
Dave-NvincibleT- Mall Crawler
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Join date : 2015-06-14
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Most likely going to just pick up that 2.5 and replace gaskets and stuff and drop it in, that'll work for now and shouldn't take as long as a full on swap, I definitely have to do something about my dash, either fix my dummy lights that don't work at all, or put real gauges in there, I'm not a fan of dummy lights, especially when they don't even work, I'll let you guys know when I start the work
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
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Join date : 2013-11-08
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
So I'm gonna have to get started on this even sooner than I intended, last night I was driving home and overheated, coolant all over my engine bay, smoking like cheech and chong.. I could not pinpoint where the coolant had been coming from once I got home because there was no more leaking out. I know it wasn't just boiling over from my overflow, it seemed either to be coming from my head gasket or water pump that's my guess. Anyways, I am picking up a motor on Wednesday night, it's got about 82k on it, only difference is that it's MPI not TBI, I've been researching and I am able to swap over parts to make it TBI which is what I plan on doing because time is a factor and I don't feel like putting in a new fuel pump and all the other required work to swap the truck to MPI. Does anybody have info about all the parts I will have to swap over to the "new" motor to go TBI? here's what I know I need to swap:
Intake
Exhaust manifold
Flywheel
Distributor
Alternator
? Z Belt and pulleys ?
Motor mounts
Water pump
I'm not sure if I'm missing anything else, I've been searching on jeep forum with mixed results.
Intake
Exhaust manifold
Flywheel
Distributor
Alternator
? Z Belt and pulleys ?
Motor mounts
Water pump
I'm not sure if I'm missing anything else, I've been searching on jeep forum with mixed results.
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
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Join date : 2013-11-08
Age : 29
Location : Middleton, MA
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Rob Cote wrote:Hahahaha also don't confuse me with the other R. Cote.
This is what's gonna get me...
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
I'm not going to pretend like I know all that's involved, but I actually don't think you'll have to change the motor mounts (at least in regards to welding on new ones), especially if it's coming out of a fellow Comanche. If you're talking about replacing worn out ones then that's a different story.
I actually just saw a listing for a 1997 Cherokee for sale on one of the Facebook pages I'm apart of. They were looking for $350 for the whole thing, there wasn't any info about what's wrong with it though. You immediately came to mind when I saw the listing.
I actually just saw a listing for a 1997 Cherokee for sale on one of the Facebook pages I'm apart of. They were looking for $350 for the whole thing, there wasn't any info about what's wrong with it though. You immediately came to mind when I saw the listing.
Re: Jeep Comanche Build
THOOPY3 wrote:I'm not going to pretend like I know all that's involved, but I actually don't think you'll have to change the motor mounts (at least in regards to welding on new ones), especially if it's coming out of a fellow Comanche. If you're talking about replacing worn out ones then that's a different story.
I actually just saw a listing for a 1997 Cherokee for sale on one of the Facebook pages I'm apart of. They were looking for $350 for the whole thing, there wasn't any info about what's wrong with it though. You immediately came to mind when I saw the listing.
Motor is coming from a 94 YJ and what group was that in? I may look into that if it runs well
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
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Join date : 2013-11-08
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Anybody know of a place that will rent out some space so I can do this motor swap? My parents put the house up for sale and said I cant do it in my garage, or even in my driveway. So, storage facilities shooting me down, if anybody knows of a place let me know, I have the money for rent. Maybe I'll drive into the woods and work on it there..
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
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Join date : 2013-11-08
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Picked up the motor tonight after work, went down to CT for it, it's from a 94 Jeep YJ PO says the motor has 74k on it. Dropped it off at a buddy's place, shoutout to NvincibleTorque (Dave) for hooking it up with a place to do the swap! Going to try and get the Comanche over there Saturday after the club run, I'll be copiloting in Daves jeep.
The guy I got the motor from gave me a bunch of miscellaneous engine parts so if anybody with a 2.5l needs anything let me know, looking to get rid of some stuff cheap and make a couple bucks back off the cost of my motor. I have two good 2.5l heads, some Pistons, a water pump, 2 MPI intakes, timing chain, and a bunch of other stuff. I'll post up some pictures tomorrow so it's not too boring of a thread
The guy I got the motor from gave me a bunch of miscellaneous engine parts so if anybody with a 2.5l needs anything let me know, looking to get rid of some stuff cheap and make a couple bucks back off the cost of my motor. I have two good 2.5l heads, some Pistons, a water pump, 2 MPI intakes, timing chain, and a bunch of other stuff. I'll post up some pictures tomorrow so it's not too boring of a thread
Rjcinelli- Class 6A
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Re: Jeep Comanche Build
Dont worry..
Its never boring when youre involved.
Its never boring when youre involved.
Dave-NvincibleT- Mall Crawler
- Posts : 54
Join date : 2015-06-14
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