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Installed Magnuson SC on '21 JL 6-speed - Positive Experience

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kis_face

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Thanks for that, I posted over on youtube too, what a nice job on that as well.
Might check around the site, there's been a few D44s from sports pop up now and then, there's one in Texas in the classifieds for $600 FWIW.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/dana-44-rear-axle-narrow-el-paso.86420/
Oh wow, $600 sounds like a steal! I know it's often not necessary and sometimes a waste of some money but I only like to buy brand new parts. However, an axle for $600 is something I would humor for sure. I usually wait for something to break before I upgrade. But the axles are something I'll probably upgrade before they break. I'll do the front and rear at the same time, D44 with the 4.10 gears. If I don't break them sooner I'll probably swap them next year. Then I'll only have the trans to worry about haha.
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blnewt

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Thanks a lot. Now all I have been thinking about is a D44 axle swap and 35" tires. I'm doomed 🤦‍♂️ 💸
Yeah it never ends, you're way ahead of me (and btw your shop looks killer too!) I'm currently wanting to swap in a Rubicon 4:1 rock-trac T-case, for my needs I think that's the best bang for the buck to get a decent crawl ratio w/ my Sport gears and axles :)
 

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Just an FYI, Magnuson wrote me back, and they said they've seen another 2022 with the GPEC2A PCM, also a 6 speed. HP tuners hasn't cracked the 2022 yet. Waiting on an ETA.
 
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Just an FYI, Magnuson wrote me back, and they said they've seen another 2022 with the GPEC2A PCM, also a 6 speed. HP tuners hasn't cracked the 2022 yet. Waiting on an ETA.
I think they have switched back to using the GPEC2A because another buddy of mine just took delivery of his '22 Gladiator and it has the GPEC2A 🤷‍♂️

I feels sorry for the peeps with the few builds that have the GPEC5.

I wonder what has changed on the '22 GPEC2A that HP Tuners can't unlock it? Seems strange

Also, I would contact HP Tuners directly for an ETA. I found they were a lot more responsive and helpful than Magnuson was with technical questions regarding the PCM.
 

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Like any new model, it usually takes tuners a bit to crack the doorway on the new tune. At least they seem to have gone back to the GPEC2, so I'm sure it's a matter of time.

Wonder if the GPEC5 is going to be an orphan if they switched back. That would be a bummer.
 

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I just installed this kit on my '21 2-dr JLR. I wanted to give a big thanks to @kis_face as his post and review helped me get comfortable 1) buying the kit for my manual application, and 2) doing the install myself. It was a long install for my beginner self (took me, probably, around 24 very casual hours) though I admittedly spent a lot of that time realizing I needed certain tools I didn't have, scrambling to get them, etc. All in all, a stress free install that was a good time, and Jon helped me out quite a bit along the way.
 
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Anu2g

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No issues whatsoever. This kit actually surprised me with how thought-out everything was. Nothing fought me and everything went together flawlessly. Even the tune wasn't really an issue as it only takes a few minutes to load a new one. But if I had to say anything about anything here are a few things that required self thinking -

• The routing of the hoses for the intercooler wasn't very clear in the manual. Pictures and instructions contradicted each other. With a few minutes of testing different routes it was easy to figure out on my own. But relying on the manual to tell me exactly where to route things wasn't helpful. Once I figured out how they intended the hoses to be ran they fit perfectly. Every hose is custom bent and molded to fit perfectly where it should.

• One of the early steps instructs you to bend the aluminum EGR cooler tube towards the battery about 20 degrees. I had a hard time deciphering how far to go as 20 degrees was hard to determine in that space. So I errored on the lesser side because I didn't want to bend it too far. It wasn't until I went to install the upper intake manifold that I realized I didn't bend it quite far enough (I included that in my video). So I had to work on that step a bit more before I was able to get the upper intake manifold to fit with proper clearance.

• The wire harness separation that they instruct in the manual regarding the horns and outside thermostat made no sense. You have to separate some wires from a wrapped harness to give enough length to relocate the horns and reinstall the outside temperature sensor. I scrapped what they instructed in the manual and did my own thing which worked perfectly. I ended up mounting the outside temp sensor on the driver side front closeout panel with a clear shot of fresh air through the grill. It's accuracy has been maintained. Where the manual instructs to install the sensor on the passenger side was impossible given the length of the factory wire harness.

• Lastly the coolant cap on the intercooler reservoir needs to be a lower profile design. Either that or the reservoir needs a shorter neck. This is the only design flaw I've discovered. The current design is a bit too tall so the cap rubs ever so slightly on my hood liner. Eventually it will wear a hole in it and I will just remove the piece. But for someone like me that likes everything to be perfect it bothers me a little. Here is a picture of what I'm talking about -

20220425_165020.jpg
I wanted to add the following minor items onto Jon's list of tips for this installation to hopefully help any one doing this install themselves:

  • The installation manual says you need a Serpentine belt tool; I purchased one for this installation, but did not end up needing one. When installing the new Serpentine belt, I had a friend keep the tensioner loose for me, and then I installed the belt by hand
  • You need a massive breaker bar to loosen the tensioner; what I used was an 18" 1/2"-drive breaker bar with a 3" 1/2"-drive extension (to insert into the tensioner), and I slid the hollow handle of my floor jack over the breaker bar handle, to effectively make it a 36"+ breaker bar. Then it was easy to loosen
  • The manual does not explicitly mention needing swivel/joint socket adapters; I bought some halfway through my installation, and they were a game changer.
  • I used this air-powered tool for the coolant leak down tests / refill: https://www.harborfreight.com/cooling-system-test-and-refill-kit-64985.html
  • You need a bit less than 3 gallons of coolant to fill the IC and engine coolant reservoirs
  • You need a 14mm spark plug socket to put the new spark plugs in; and a 5/8" spark plug socket to pull the OEM spark plugs out. Make sure they are very thin-walled
 
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If your looking for a package deal on a set of DANA 44`s Check out Rubitrux and look in their take off section
 

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If your looking for a package deal on a set of DANA 44`s Check out Rubitrux and look in their take off section
I already swapped them. I bought a factory D44 crate axle for the rear and the Dana Ultimate D44 for the front with FAD delete. 4.56 gears.
 

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I already swapped them. I bought a factory D44 crate axle for the rear and the Dana Ultimate D44 for the front with FAD delete. 4.56 gears.
How do you like the new gearing? Still on 33’s?
 
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How do you like the new gearing? Still on 33’s?
I'm on 35's now. It feels perfect. I now easily hold 6th gear on highway, and shift points are great. Very happy 👌
 

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Any update on the super charger performance? Any issues?
 
 



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