I heard from a salesman at a Jeep dealership that this year is the last year of the 4.0L I-6. He said it is gonna be replaced with the libertys V-6. Has anyone else heard this? I think it it a bummer as I think the 4.0 is one of the best engines that Jeep has ever built.

I've seen the same rumor a lot online, and heard it from a Jeep rep at the New Orleans Auto show as well. That still doesn't make it true, but I personally tend to think that it is.


... and you're right, it is a travesty.

over the weekend the wife and I went the the Tulsa auto show. As soon as I found the Jeep reps I harrassed them with questions. This is one of the questions that I asked them, they said that it was all rumor and there were no truth to switching to the 3.7L V6. They came right out and said that they feared a Jeep purist uprising if they droped the 4.0L from the list. This made me very happy. They also said that the Liberty CRD was more or less a test to see if it is worth putting into the Wrangler. (Meaning from a sales standpoint) If they sell enough and the demand is high enough that we could expect a CRD in the Wrangler in the future, but couldnt say when. The rep said the Jeep lineup will look much different in the next 3 years or so, but wouldnt elaborate anymore. Hmmmmmmmm? I also asked about a chance of a V8 in the wrangler? They said "I seriously doubt you will ever see a V8 wrangler from the factory" <frown> Anyway being rushed by the wife because of boardom I forgot to ask about a possiable Scrambler. Dang it!

It was proposed back in 2002 that the I-6 would be soon done-for, but the true Jeepers at Jeep have sucessfully argued that the 3.7 simply did not have enough low end and sales would slump horribly.

The designers have been trying to build the next TJ around a small V8, but it may not make it due to the difficulty and cost of meeting the crash requirements with higher horse power.

This is just my opinion, but the current version of the 4.0 is so underpowered that its not worth defending. Every time they bump up the rated horsepower rating, the reduce they real output by about twice the increase. If my 2003 engine makes an honest 150 horsepower, I'd be suprised. The best one was the '95 they put in the YJ (or at least mine was strong). By 99 it was just a shadow of its former self. My 2000 was a wimp motor, but better than the 2003.
Each year it gets worse. I just wonder if they'll have the power by 2006 to turn the alternator and power steering pumps.

DC isn't doing us any favors these days. TJs have evolved into very good chassis for offroading. At the same time they've neutered the motors to the point where they work off road but are worthless at highway speeds. Mine couldn't cross Kansas without trouble. Just a little headwind and its getting passed by every foreign econo-box made.

This is not a thing to be proud of.

I love my 4.0 I have plenty of power. I can keep up with a few V8 powered trucks and have even whooped a couple of ricers. I can pull 75-80 on the interstate fine. Uphill, no problem. You might have to tweak them a little to get them running like you want. Free flow intake and exhaust, good hot ignition, etc, stuff like that can help. Also if you have the 3.07 gears then thats part of your problem. One of the best things I have done to my YJ was droping the gears down to 3.73 when I put 31's on it. I dont know about the later engines, mabey they are getting choked to deth by more strict emmission standards. My 93 is the newest one I have driven.

My 88 Chreokee runs great lots of power, 20+ mpg
My 01 Chreokee sucks; no power, doing good if I can get 18 mpg

The 01 has 2 small Catalytic converters on the "header" and just feels like it is dragging it feet all the time.
I think the 4.0 has about run out time to be a viable power plant anymore, it has been choked to death by the EPA

My 4.0 in my 2000 is decent, but does not run nearly as strong as a yj hi po. THe new ones are just plain dogs, and i was disipointed when i test drove one.

The engineers I spoke to @ camp jeep CA last year said and i quote "who would ever want to put a V8 in their jeep?" I'm thinkin that the 3.7l and the 4.7l have the same bolt pattern. Now with that into consideration, perhaps a switch to the 3.7l is not so bad.

Just remember that the 'engineers' are loyal communist party members. They toe the line and voice the party dogma. They ask how high when DC says jump. Most aren't jeepers, or if they are, they don't do anything with their jeeps but drive them daily.

Anyone who thinks that the 4.0L is the best engine ever put in a Jeep is too young or inexperienced enough to remember when you could get a Jeep with a stock AMC 304 V-8. I ordered a new CJ7 in 1977 with a 304 and 4:10 gears. It ran circles around the 6 cylinders. If you have never owned a V-8 powered Jeep. You don't know what you have been missing. There is no replacement for horsepower. My current ride is a 97TJ, SBC350/TB350, D44/14bolt, 4:88's, 104" wheelbase. You have to build a Jeep now. You can't buy a good one.

You should have kept the cj. Some of us younger inexperienced jeepers only have the luxury of the 4.0, and it is a luxury compared to the 4cyl.

I dont see why anyone would want a V8 in a Jeep either. I dont think the extra weight and poorer gas mileage is worth the few extra ponies. The only Jeeps that need a V8 are the FSJ's like wagoneers, fullsize cherokee's and J-10's. But a V8 in a CJ,YJ,TJ? I dont really see the need. My 4.0 has plenty of power for me, is lighter than a V8 and gets better mileage. If/when I want more power I can stroke it.

Well, I vote for the V8. I had a '78 CJ that came with a 304 and it ran pretty good. Its defect was the 3.54 gears that came with it along with the 3 speed T150. It wouldn't crawl worth a darn, but it ran good. The best combination was my 83 CJ7 Limited. I put in a 44 front and rear, and then when the 258 wheezed its last, we dumped in a 360 with the 4 wheel parts heavy flywheel. After adding Holley injection, it was nearly unstoppable. It could idle down to 200 rpm and with the heavy flywheel wouldn't stall. The original T5 tranny lasted for the full 150,000 miles I owned it over 14 years. I can't say enough good things about V8 jeeps.

quote:

Originally posted by JeepsAndGuns:
I dont see why anyone would want a V8 in a Jeep either. I dont think the extra weight and poorer gas mileage is worth the few extra ponies. The only Jeeps that need a V8 are the FSJ's like wagoneers, fullsize cherokee's and J-10's. But a V8 in a CJ,YJ,TJ? I dont really see the need. My 4.0 has plenty of power for me, is lighter than a V8 and gets better mileage. If/when I want more power I can stroke it.

Wait a minute here... We're talking about an antiquated cast iron inline six here. I still need to look up the wet weight of the motors, but I'd bet the 4.7 and the hemi would weigh less than the I6 and get better gas mileage.

If they could retune or regear a TJ with the 3.7 I'd be happy with it. (or even a low boost small scroll turbo to help with the bottom/mid range power a bit).

IMHO, that 2.8 CRD is what the TJ really needs.

Jason

I like a V-8. My son-in-law runs a 2.5L, 99TJ, 4:88 gears, Locked F&R. Can go about anywhere I can. But, he has to work his vehicle harder. When I get in a bind, I just squeeze the skinner pedal a little harder and keep on going. But, he does want to drop in a 4.3 V-6/ Auto.trans.

bad gas mileage? please! my 97 TJ with 35" Baja Claws, 4.10's and a 2001 5.2L dodge gets 17.5 mpg on the hwy. (prob better if i didn't drive the thing so hard) the orig 4 cyl only got 12-14....Power to weight ratio. You can't argue with those numbers! It still has all the factory gauges and can be diagnosed by any dealership with an OBd2 scanner.

I don't really see what the argument is. Yes, the L-6 motor is a good, sound motor. Let's be honest with ourselves though, cast iron block and head is just dead weight. That, and L type motors are outdated. Overhead cams are where it's at.
If I had the money I'd do a swap for a chevy small block V-8. Not only would I improve power/weight ratio, but I'd get better gas mileage too....
But before I do all that I'd need to get some new axles to handle the power. So basically, if you're gonna go all out and make your jeep into a serious machine be prepared to spend alot of money. If you're not, be happy with your 4.0L, and thank God you don't have the 2.5L.
my two cents

No argument. I just feel it is good to have a good spirited debate from time to time just to keep things interesting. It gets a little boring reading "how tall of a tire can I put under my stock TJ".

I agree with you Ole man! Bout darn time! The Dodge swaps are far better suited intothe TJ chassis. If you have a 4.0L -good on ya. But anyone with a 2.5L will probably want some go on the freeway too. The engine mounts on TJ are in Diff spots on the 4.0 and 2.5. You're in for almost as much work goin to a 4.0l as you are for a dodge V8. The reason I keep saying dodge is that your gauges and fuelpump can be reused and you can get out doing a V8 swap relatively cheap vs a Chevy swap into a TJ (which can get expensive and ugly...trust me I've seen it, I used to be a tech at Advance Adapters) Visit my site www.atomic4x4.com to see the buildup of my V8 TJ. I'm here to help!