Which engine is easiest to work on?

[OrneryBear]

What axle did you get? You should be fine, especially if you opted for the 4.88. But it will be interesting to see if/when you pull it off to put on a CF. Please report back - inquiring minds want to know. And congrats on the order! ?

I was really considering going 4.88 but I'm not planning on putting 37s on, and won't be putting 35s on until the stock tires wear out. If I REALLY don't like it with 35s and 4.10 gears I'll either go back to 33s or regear at home. Thought that with 4.88s on the stock 33s it would be screaming on the highway and first gear would be obnoxiously short.

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[Sidewalk]

Considering one of my other vehicles is a 7.3 Powerstroke shoved inside of the tiny engine bay of a van, everything feels easy to work on.

I was really considering going 4.88 but I'm not planning on putting 37s on, and won't be putting 35s on until the stock tires wear out. If I REALLY don't like it with 35s and 4.10 gears I'll either go back to 33s or regear at home. Thought that with 4.88s on the stock 33s it would be screaming on the highway and first gear would be obnoxiously short.

My only regret, currently, with my Rubicon is not going with 4.88's. I am still on stock tires and don't plan to go large for a LONG time.

 

[OrneryBear]

Considering one of my other vehicles is a 7.3 Powerstroke shoved inside of the tiny engine bay of a van, everything feels easy to work on.


My only regret, currently, with my Rubicon is not going with 4.88's. I am still on stock tires and don't plan to go large for a LONG time.

Ya I bet that powerstroke would be a tough one, those are massive engines. Growing up my father had a dodge van with the 318 shoved in there, that was annoying, can't imagine the 7.3. I have an 08 f150 with the 5.4 3v. It's pretty easy to work on so it spoils me. The only thing that's annoying is the exhaust manifolds are tough to get out, that's about it.

I have a feeling I too will regret not getting the 4.88 gearing, but luckily the ring and pinions from spicer aren't too expensive.

 

[Zandcwhite]

We wheeled our 2019 2.0t with etorque hard all over the country, cruised the freeway for days at a time, and the wife daily drove it to work without a hiccup for 61k miles before it was stolen. Bullet proof reliable, and of course routine maintenance was easy. Easy to work on is a joke when it comes to any modern power train. Every JL is run by computers with any number of potential sensor failures rendering it inoperable and non-repairable without parts. Each power train will have it's rare early failures, we've all seen sub 5k mile engine replacements across each engine option on this forum. Conversely there are now thousands of us with 50k+ trouble free. The odds of a failure seem pretty even across the board in my observations. The manuals definitely appear to have more problems than the autos. Aside from a weird charging quirk, I don't think I've seen a single post of etorque problems and depending on your state is likely covered by a much longer warranty than the 36k powertrain. In CA it falls under emissions equipment and is warrantied for 8 years or 80k miles. We now own a 2022 XR with the 3.6 and etorque and in my opinion it boils down to personal preference. They are solid axle, body on frame, Jeeps meaning mods are easy and working on most will be easy and effectively the same regardless of powertrain.

 

[Heimkehr]

I have a feeling I too will regret not getting the 4.88 gearing, but luckily the ring and pinions from spicer aren't too expensive.

I've never regeared a vehicle, so pardon the noob question in that regard, but:
Is switching one set of ring & pinion gears for a new set the only labor required to regear? And would both axles require the new parts, or just the rear? Just curious.

 

[five9dak]

I've never regeared a vehicle, so pardon the noob question in that regard, but:
Is switching one set of ring & pinion gears for a new set the only labor required to regear? And would both axles require the new parts, or just the rear? Just curious.

Both axles need their gearing changed at the same time.

The ring and pinion are the main parts changing, but there are bearings for the carrier and pinion that it is a good idea to replace at the same time. The bearings races are pressed onto the carrier, pinion and axle housing, and need to be removed/installed with a hydraulic press. There are install kits, and master install kits (with bearings) available. Then you need new fluid as well.

So no - the material cost for this job will exceed just the price of the ring and pinion.

 

[mwilk012]

Both axles need their gearing changed at the same time.

The ring and pinion are the main parts changing, but there are bearings for the carrier and pinion that it is a good idea to replace at the same time. The bearings races are pressed onto the carrier, pinion and axle housing, and need to be removed/installed with a hydraulic press. There are install kits, and master install kits (with bearings) available. Then you need new fluid as well.

So no - the material cost for this job will exceed just the price of the ring and pinion.

Pinion bearings (inner and outer),a new pinion seal, and the spacer/crush sleeve are critically important as well.

 

[OrneryBear]

Both axles need their gearing changed at the same time.

The ring and pinion are the main parts changing, but there are bearings for the carrier and pinion that it is a good idea to replace at the same time. The bearings races are pressed onto the carrier, pinion and axle housing, and need to be removed/installed with a hydraulic press. There are install kits, and master install kits (with bearings) available. Then you need new fluid as well.

So no - the material cost for this job will exceed just the price of the ring and pinion.

Ya I always advise people replace all the wear bits, bearings and seals, etc while you have the diff out. Luckily it seems like the master kits with rings and pinions from spicer for everything front and rear are like $1k, which isn't so bad in my mind.

 

[Sidewalk]

You can get away without regearing in the auto. Not ideal, but you can. With the manual, just regear. I thought 4.88 would be too low with 33's, but I was wrong. 65 MPH is barely over 2000 RPM. But the crawl ratio would be greatly improved with the 4.88. I'll probably skip and go with something like 5.13 when (I don't want to say if, because, you know) I lift.

 

[Chugiakguy]

WELP, Looks like we'll find out if that's true. I'm not trusting the mopar picture, but I just ordered a JLUR with the 6spd. Wife put her foot down and said it needed to be manual, who am I to argue. So after the shock of the down payment wears off, I'll order the centerforce clutch and confirm if they switched to the single mass flywheel when I get it on the lift.

What's funny is on my wife's vw diesel, it uses a dual mass, and it works really well, and if you use a single mass, it eats itself alive. When I swapped hers out for a new LUK (oem) clutch/flywheel, I was horrified to discover that the dealer we bought it from had put a cheapo single mass kit in at 39k. Whole clutch kit was like $300, that's flywheel/clutch/pressure plate/throw out bearing.

OrneryBear, having a new 2022 WIllys Sport with the manual transmission, I will look forward to hearing what you find and see when you remove your OEM clutch.

It sounds like you are set on replacing the stock clutch, regardless of its design.

 

[OrneryBear]

OrneryBear, having a new 2022 WIllys Sport with the manual transmission, I will look forward to hearing what you find and see when you remove your OEM clutch.

It sounds like you are set on replacing the stock clutch, regardless of its design.

Well, if the clutch has actually been properly redesigned, I would feel less need to change it out, but unless I have really good confirmation, I'm more inclined to swap it out. We'll definitely put some miles on it first though.

 

[OrneryBear]

You can get away without regearing in the auto. Not ideal, but you can. With the manual, just regear. I thought 4.88 would be too low with 33's, but I was wrong. 65 MPH is barely over 2000 RPM. But the crawl ratio would be greatly improved with the 4.88. I'll probably skip and go with something like 5.13 when (I don't want to say if, because, you know) I lift.

Well hell...Too late to change it now haha. Should have gone with my gut.

 

[JPThing2]

Well hell...Too late to change it now haha. Should have gone with my gut.

Did you get a "C" status and VON on your order yet? If not, you might be able to change it. I'd call your dealer just in case. Worst case, the 4.1 is still awesome! You'll be fine either way I'm sure.

 

[OrneryBear]

Did you get a "C" status and VON on your order yet? If not, you might be able to change it. I'd call your dealer just in case. Worst case, the 4.1 is still awesome! You'll be fine either way I'm sure.

Ya I'm already in C. It's no big deal, we'll either live with it or I'll just do the job when we can't stand the 4.10s anymore.

 

[JPThing2]

I'll take your 4.10 as mine is going to have the tall 3.45 (Willys). Wish they had an option on the Willys to upgrade. I hear 6th gear is absolutely unusable unless you're going 100mph. That's always fun in a short wheelbase, tall vehicle with mud tires on. ?

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