My little jeep is getting up in miles.

[IndyFan]

Most Jeep people say run from that 3.8 in your JKUR. Did it give you any problems? Big difference in drive-ability from the 3.8 to the 3.6 in the 18?

Yep, big difference. The 3.6 has much more power and refinement. And loves to rev. 3.8, however, would pull right with it up to about 3k, then the 3.6 just takes over. The 3.6 is much more fun. But both have been bulletproof, which is what I want in a Jeep that is going way off the grid.

The 3.6 is more efficient, too, if I can keep my foot out of it. My JL has the 6 speed, which I find to be much better than the NSG 370 in the JK. Much smoother. I also re-geared with 4.56 with the 35 inch tires because 6th gear had become useless. The 3.8 has a shorter 6th gear ratio, so 4.10 gears still did fine with the JK and 35´s. It just lagged about 1.5 to 2mpg behind the JL. We saw that at every fill-up on the Moab trip.

 

[addyguy]

The last vestige of AMC there - an all-iron OHV straight-six engine that runs like a tractor. Will never see an engine like that again!

 

[IndyFan]

The last vestige of AMC there - an all-iron OHV straight-six engine that runs like a tractor. Will never see an engine like that again!

Not sure. I thought it was 100% Chrysler. Maybe roots with AMC? But it is a V6, not an inline. You might be thinking of the 4.0.

 

[addyguy]

Chris’ Jeep is the 4.0 straight-six. That engine was a heavy re-work of the AMC 258 straight six; but it still has more in common with that engine than anything else!

 

[JHZR2]

The bearings in the axle were koyo. I thought they would have been timkin. But the jeeps never been out of my sight so it was built with those.

What makes bearing replacement in these so difficult?

 

[ripcord]

What makes bearing replacement in these so difficult?

You have to pull the axles out and cut or break them off without damaging the axle and then install the new ones with a press. If the seal goes bad, it's captured behind the bearing and you have to replace the bearing just to do the seal, too.

 

[D60]

Isn't the 44 rear just shimmed rather than crush sleeved? That's a pretty easy rebuild. The TJ D35 rear pinion bearings go at 100k like clockwork, so if you got 180 you did better.

 

[Chris142]

What makes bearing replacement in these so difficult?

I think some of you are thinking of the axle bearings. I had to replace the gears and bearings inside the housing. The shims are on the inside of the bearings. You need special tools as well as a case spreader to reset the gear pattern. You use the tools to get the pattern right then press the bearings on with a press after " spreading" the cast iron case a few thousands to get the new parts in

 

[D60]

I think some of you are thinking of the axle bearings. I had to replace the gears and bearings inside the housing. The shims are on the inside of the bearings. You need special tools as well as a case spreader to reset the gear pattern. You use the tools to get the pattern right then press the bearings on with a press after " spreading" the cast iron case a few thousands to get the new parts in

If you're just rebuilding you reuse all shims and just run a pattern afterward. 99% of the time it's fantastic.

Carrier shims are inboard of bearings ‐‐ unlike Team TFI at Ford ‐‐ so pulling the carrier out and beating it in is fine.

The knockoff clamshell pullers (ala DuraSolid) are actually decent. But you can always just take the carrier and pinion to a (4x4/hot rod) shop and ask them to do it.

It is nice to have the long-handled all-steel race drivers to get the inner pinion race seated. Yukon makes a set but they're ungodly expensive. You can work around this for occasional use.

However it's not a job I'd do without a lift so I can stand with the pumpkin at chest height. My days of laying under my rig whaling on a carrier with a dead blow hours before a weekend of 'wheeling are over

 

[Chris142]

If you're just rebuilding you reuse all shims and just run a pattern afterward. 99% of the time it's fantastic.

Carrier shims are inboard of bearings ‐‐ unlike Team TFI at Ford ‐‐ so pulling the carrier out and beating it in is fine.

The knockoff clamshell pullers (ala DuraSolid) are actually decent. But you can always just take the carrier and pinion to a (4x4/hot rod) shop and ask them to do it.

It is nice to have the long-handled all-steel race drivers to get the inner pinion race seated. Yukon makes a set but they're ungodly expensive. You can work around this for occasional use.

However it's not a job I'd do without a lift so I can stand with the pumpkin at chest height. My days of laying under my rig whaling on a carrier with a dead blow hours before a weekend of 'wheeling are over

I had to replace the ring,pinon and carrier! So the whole thing had to be reshimmed and set up. If it was just the bearings I can see putting bearings in and sending it.