Nsg370

[wrath]

So, I've been looking at getting some kind of JK Rubicant. Probably all 100k+ miles because less costs too much.

The ones that are cheap have the NSG370 but they all come with 4.10s as far as I can tell.

I've driven a couple. The little 3.6L seems snappy until you get to 4th gear, even in a 4 door.

Getting into 6th is a slapstick comedy/riot, but doable.

It seems kind of clunky but still better than most "truck" transmissions.

All of them with the manual, 2 door or 4 door, seem to get cheap at the 150k mark. Is that an indicator that their life is doomed?

How well do they hold up?

[MBood82]

No idea, but I plan to be in the same boat soon, so subscribed!

[6DoF]

they are EPA geared from the factory, nothing to do with the best functional ratio's. that motor should also never live under 3000 RPM unless you are sitting at an idle.

buy a cheap one, if the motor goes then you have an excuse to V8 swap it. bolt an LS right to that 6spd manual and send it.

[wrath]

http://wrath.com/jp/JK.jpg

[6DoF]

ooohh! you got the extra wind noise and low mpg package! rare options, most ppl aren't brave enough :lol:

[MBood82]

Decision appears to have been made quickly!

Is it a real rubicon or just the Rubi wheels?

[wrath]

It's a 2014 Rubicon X. It spent its life in Washington and Colorado as far as I can tell. The stickers on the frame behind the rear tires still look new.

The PO pulled the factory navigation radio out and put a Kenwood head unit they seem to be still paying for Serius XM on and some kind of Rockford Fosgate amp. I didn't investigate it much. It shows 3 owners, but it appears it was the same dude the whole time, he just kept getting new titles wherever he lived. I'd really like the other key for it, I thought about contacting him but that might be creepy. It pays to have a relative that can look up service history.

I was looking for a 2 door hard top JKR, JKRX, JKHR, JK Recon... without rust... with the Mercedes slushbox... mostly unmolested unless molested properly...

and ended up with this.

Wednesday I spent all day driving all over tarnation looking at suitable options because I was tired of spending hours every day looking for Rubicants that were suitable. The best ones I could find under $20k usually were rusty or molested or had terrible engine noise. It got so irritating I started looking at JLs which I don't like. As a fat wide guy that is all torso and stumpy little legs, the JL feels tiny inside. On a JK I have to keep the seat pulled far enough my shoulder is in the door and not A-pillar which causes me to rest my kneecap on the dash which is a PITA with a manual. The manual JLs I tried were a hard no. I think the problem is the door and pillars are thicker.

There has been pressure (caused by me) to buy a JKR for a while. We are going to abandon the bumper pull camping lifestyle for a motorhome. The motorhome we want is difficult to find (GM powered, less than 5% of all Class Cs are GM powered). So is the Jeep. I wanted to make sure we had a Jeep to tow before spring birding season started. I didn't tell her I was buying the Jeep with my "mad money" I had sitting around (of which I have zero dollars now, makes me cry).

I only got moderately screamed at when I brought it home. "It is important to discuss large purchases like this with me". One of those times I struggle not to remind her that 90% of the money that comes into our bank account is mine so maybe she should think about asking me the next time she goes out to lunch with her friends... but I just blinked and said I was sorry.

I had been looking at this one for months sitting in the same wholesale lot up north and the price kept ticking down. It was one of the ones I went and looked at Wednesday (and the girl locked the keys in it so I had to show the old dude how to break in, and fix their stupid battery jump starter). I went back Thursday and I tried to negotiate and all they did is remove some fees and fill it up with gas. It was nearly all all day event (got there around 11:30am, got home about 4pm) because they normally don't let people leave without plates and all the other fun **** with regard to buying an "as-is" vehicle. Plus I showed up with a stack of benjamins.

All I found wrong with it so far was...

Brake pedal squeaks.
Headlights have water in them. And suck.
Sway bar disconnect doesn't always work.
Heater controls don't work fully, mixer never changes anything but everything else works. Blender or module.
Parking brake doesn't hold on hills.
Inner shifter boot seems to be broken or something because it's hard to get into 6th and reverse. All of them I drove had this same problem, design flaw?





I've been trying to find a motorhome to buy since last Summer. Yesterday (Friday) morning we drove down 500 miles to BFE Illinois to look at a 2024 new model that has been sitting since Summer and were ready to buy it after driving it but then we decided to sit down in the dinette (only seating except cockpit seats that rotate) and it was terribly uncomfortable. The prepademic model we have sat in were more comfortable. Post-pandemic RV seem to have severe quality issues, but significant feature creep. So you get a lot more shiny flash garbage, but the core quality has been going downhill. Since the whole driver's side slides out, you are limited with options to even replace the dinette. I really liked driving it, even in the 50mph wind. 6.6L, 8L90e, brakes that would put your teeth in the steering wheel. After sitting in the dinette we went for a walk with the dog and all we talked about was the dinette. In our camper, we spent about all of our time sitting in the giant dinette. It has a loveseat and two swivel recliners. Lots of comfortable seating available, which makes rainy days nice. Anyway, we were scheduled to buy it today but instead we drove home last night (16 hours between when we left and got home, 1000 miles, never even turned off the truck).

I think we're going to end up going with a 2020 or 2021 model of the floorplan we prefer (has a second seating area and they quit making it in Chevy in 2021) but it'll be a dog with a 6.0L/6L90e after driving a 6.6L/8L90e rocketship.

Unless I can convince the boss to let me get a Super C.

[6DoF]

good lord, don't ever tell the wife it's not "our money" :lol:

when the sway bar disco doesn't work ... do you need to shack the jeep for it to unload to work?

seams like a decent find though sir, just gotta make it your own now.

[wrath]

Haven't really had the chance to mess with the Jeep much. I got it halfway washed when the water started freezing last night and I started investigating the wizardry of the audio system that was installed. He seemed to have yanked a bunch of speakers out but left the crossovers and amps.

If she lets me buy a Super C, then we can call it "our money". Otherwise, her contribution each month to "our money" equal to less than our gasoline bill isn't really a qualifier.

I was looking at solving the shifter problem without diagnosing. It's fine when the vehicle is hot (which is easy to do with heater controls that don't work). So I'm thinking the inner shift boot is rock hard and the rubber bushings in the shifter are shot. I might just buy that Dorman shifter everyone talks about.

[6DoF]

CORE shifter! they are so far beyond anything else i've ever used, worth every last cent.

CORE shifter

[wrath]

Yeah, I was looking at them for the AX15 in the YJ.

Everything we presently offer is listed; some shifters (e.g. Jeep NSG370 & Dodge G56) are beyond reach due to cost & complexity.

Dorman figured it out for $400 so I doubt they will ever make one since B&M also makes one but it's now $600 MAP.

[6DoF]

that's crazy ... i wonder why

edit: found a picture ... those look fawked up, no clue why that would be needed, rev lock-out maybe?

[wrath]

I think it's the combination of vibration isolation and detents that make it a bit ... odd.


285/70R17 rub both the sway bar and the brake hard lines. I'm really disappointed. I can move the hard lines, but the sway bar not so much.

https://wrath.com/jp/285Fit.jpg
https://wrath.com/jp/SwaybarRub.jpg

[Jeepin Jason]

Nice! That's basically just a 2 year older version of my 2016 Rubicon Hard Rock. Same color and everything. :lol:

Mine goes into 6th fine, but Reverse can be tricky. I just chalked it up to being intentionally difficult to go into Reverse to keep people from doing it accidentally. The JL has a shifter interlock collar on the gear shift that you have to pull up to shift it into Reverse. :dunno:

[wrath]

That interlock is a good idea. When driving it as is, I get twitchy when sliding it into 6th. Half the time I accidentally put it back in 4th.

Do you have a cheat sheet for me? I feel like this thing is a rabbit hole with a lot of honey badgers at the bottom when looking at basic modifications.

[wrath]

I swapped out the HVAC controls... they work now.

I have the dash tore apart to try to figure out the ****ery with the wiring for the baller head unit/amp/crossover. I would like to eliminate the amp and crossovers so I can lay the seats flat. I'm elderly and already hardly of hearingless so I don't need more noise.

Hopefully I'll put the new Dorman shifter that showed up on Monday in... this weekend.

So I finally have the flat tow harness routed. Getting my fat ass up under the dash to split the connectors the size of a baseball was a chore.

I also have tried two separate sets of wheel spacers, I'm settling on the 1" thick ones.

I noticed that the bump stops/jounce rubbers are tuckered out. What do people normally replace them with? I don't ever intend to lift it.

[Jeepin Jason]

I would just go with some OME replacement bump stops, either Mopar if you can find them and they're not too $$$, or Crown. I recently picked up a full set of replacement OEM style bumpstops for our TJ from Crown.

[wrath]

I was looking at bump stops, and it seems you are right you are either better off finding some OEM ones or going expensive. Seems like the bump stops are literally a spring rate for the factory suspension kind of like GM 1 ton stuff.

I was eyeballing these, of course:
https://kingshocks.com/pdf/184062

I've reached my limit on time wasted trying to figure out what the ****ery they did with the radio install. Duke's Car Stereo (small chain in Mid-Michigan) did a **** job last summer (they put stickers over all the adjustment knobs on the amps about voiding the warranty if removed). For whatever reason they did home runs to every speaker except the ones in the sound bar... and hacked in behind the knee panel. I'm just going to eliminate the amp screwed to the rear seat and run new wire that isn't 20awg or whatever the horse**** is they used.

[Jeepin Jason]

Unless the suspension is shot and sagged out, which is possible, or you're prerunning it, the bump stops shouldn't be an active part of the suspension like on GM IFS suspensions. They shouldn't be hitting during normal driving unless you hit a good sized dip/whoop at speed. I'd spend money on good springs and shocks long before dropping $$$ on fancy bump stops.

[wrath]

When was the last time you were on Michigan roads? It's like Fallujah out there. Pretty sure I saw a Hilux at the bottom of a pothole in Ann Arbor.

I was mostly being facetious, because once I started looking at replacement bumpstops that weren't daystar they were absurdly priced... like why wouldn't you just go to hydraulic once you got to $200?



I've got about an inch and a half before it's on the bump stops.

https://wrath.com/jp/Bumpstop.jpg



One down, one to go, not sure where I'll stuff the external crossovers. Will be nice to get the space back in the minivan.
https://wrath.com/jp/Amp.jpg

[6DoF]

get a nice 3" dual rate coil ... but the air bumps can be SUPER nice when you use them at speed.

[wrath]

What are your suggestions? I haven't looked at such things in years.

[bbaCJ8]

I know I'm biased, but the AEV 2.5" is a great setup for improving ride, handling, and load capacity. I'd recommend adding the front geometry correction brackets too, and I'd also suggest using that guy you know who can get you 20% off.

[6DoF]

https://i.imgflip.com/2he8hj.jpg

[wrath]

If it were entirely up to me, I'd have asked that guy for an invoice a couple weeks ago. I was going to ask if the 2.5XT for a 2 door would make the lift less for a 4 door and still be suitable for driving but thought maybe it'd be a Bad Idea(TM).


With the 33s on it, it is easy to get in and out of it right now. Basically like getting in and out of a Tahoe, but your pantlegs get dirty on the "sliders". 35s wouldn't make much difference. A lift would probably make it harder to get in with the sills being thick and my wife would definitely complain. And it's supposed to be a third vehicle for us to let my inlaws drive so they quit destroying our Equinox when driving by Braille.


I originally was looking for 2012 MW3 slushbox Jeeps because they came with AEV bumpers on them already and an AEV lift would be the perfect match. Nice looking bumpers to stop the Braille damage and a lift that keeps it driving nice.

[bbaCJ8]

No, don't run the 2 door setup on the 4 door. Bad idea would apply. The 2.5" is already fairly soft compared to the 3.5" and 4.5" that were targeted for the full upfit packages with all the heavy accessories.

You could always throw some 1" spacers on the top springs if you just want a little bit more height without going all the way down the rabbit hole.....but it's a Jeep so what fun would that be?

[Jeepin Jason]

Ditto to everything that Sean has said. It might sound contradictory, but if it's a bit taller it might actually be slightly easier to get in/out of because you'd be more apt to use those side rails as step rails. I actually find it easier to get in/out of my JKUR with 3.5" and 35s than our stock JLU, due to using those Hard Rock side rails as step rails. The JLU door sills are a slightly wider than the JK's though, so that plays into it.

[wrath]

I don't really want any more height. It's about the right height for stumpy little leg people like me and gimpy people... and my dog with short legs. Maybe 2" more would be OK, but I'd rather that was in tire than lift.

I'm old, fat, and slow with stumpy legs and size 14 shoes. About all the rock rails give me is a dirty pantleg.

When I was sitting there with a straight edge between the balljoints you run out of frame to wheel balljoint centerline rapidly. If my math is right, it looks like you'd run out of tire to frame distance about the same time you'd hit 37s and (if my math is right, focusing on scrub radius)... you can barely fit 37s with no lift if you go to some kind of fender that doesn't go below the fender flare support (Metalcloak?). I'd rather have little to no lift and bigger tires while maintaining a decent scrub radius.

[wrath]

I have 3 projects going (YJ, JK, motorhome) and was expecting to be done with the damn YJ by now. I need to do paint before bug season and I am running out of time.

The YJ has turned into a workbench for everything else.

https://wrath.com/jp/Dash.jpg

[wrath]

Nobody told me that it was going to be such a PITA fighting with the gas tank skid to get the crossmember to drop enough to get the donut out.

The Dorman shifter is kind of a piece of ****. It is mostly precision cast out of warmed drillpress shavings and cleaned up by a busload of deaf/blind/mute/quadriplegic cheap labor using die grinders. It's not milled flat, so it comes with a gasket. #winning.

Since I had to tear apart more than I planned, I'm waiting on an order from RockAuto that arrives tomorrow before putting it back together. Haven't driven it since I drove it off the trailer a few weeks ago.

If it weren't for the fact that I know the B&M is a true short throw, I would have rather bought it for 50% more.

https://wrath.com/jp/Dorman.jpg

[6DoF]

return junk and buy better?

that sux they are so complicated

[wrath]

There is basically:
Factory
Dorman 697-024 (400+tax)
B&M 45195 (600+tax + donut if you need it)

The factory one is fine-ish when not worn out. I have driven a few low mile 3.6L JKUs with them and was neither impressed nor disappointed. Most seem to be toast around the 50,000 mile mark.
The Dorman one is supposed to feel like a new factory one, but a marginally shorter throw, and easier to get into 5/6/R.
The B&M one is definitely nice, but it's a short throw shifter. I have driven several 3.8L JKs with them. I do not really care for it. The throw in the gates is so narrow that with rubber/sloppy transmission and engine mounts, you can miss gears when driving hard.




I bought another Dorman one, going to ship the first one back. Maybe the second one will be nicer.

[wrath]

So the second one came today.

The box actually has a label on it:
https://wrath.com/jp/DormanLabel.jpg


The machining isn't that great, but it's almost flat. I didn't use the gasket and used Yamabond #4 instead. It also came with a better donut shape to the tub and housing... and had a dessicant packet in the box. I wonder, even though the box was identical (except the label) and the donut was a smidge different... everything was packaged the same, similar markings on the tower, if it was actually a gray market item or something. Or destined for another market. I don't know.

The new inner shift boot came also (the old one had actually worn through). The inner shift boot was a made in usa mopar but it was bent a little I think from bouncing around in the parts bin for years.


I find it really irritating that the dropshippers Rockauto uses send sparkplugs loose in the box with heavy **** like shocks.

Speaking of spark plugs, I'd like to use this opportunity to make fun of Chrysler for having to take the intake off to change the spark plugs.

https://wrath.com/jp/RockAutoSparkPlugs.jpg

[wrath]

Decided to do spark plugs and boots since I think it'd been a while. Pretty sure the heads have been off it before as when I looked at it there were a ton of Christmas trees not plugged in to the appropriate holes, but dealerships aren't known to replace things early.

Someone forgot to run intake bolt #7 in, furthering my belief someone has had the top of the motor apart:
https://wrath.com/jp/IntakeBolt.jpg

.086" is a reasonable gap, no?
https://wrath.com/jp/DoubleGap.jpg

When I bought it, it had no lights on the dash and other than codes related to a stalled wiper motor in the past and the amplifiers complaining about no speakers... no other codes. Well, I had most of the interior tore apart running new wire. I got an airbag light last night. So after messing about, I decided it must be the hall effect sensor in the passenger seatbelt because sure as **** it tests bad. And I can't find a replacement without buying the whole seatbelt buckle assembly for $150 used or $350 new. So after testing it with a scope, I'm going to try a 4kohm resistor when I feel like working under the seat again, maybe tonight. Safety first!
https://wrath.com/jp/HallEffect.jpg

Anyway, I drove it about 8 miles yesterday and I only hit reverse twice while driving down the road and 6th maybe 10 times when trying to back up. Definitely shifts nicer and is more positive. Can barely get the tires to spin going into second, but the tires only have 25psi in them and are pretty grippy.

Found now that the HVAC controls are replaced and actually work, it must have wore out the blend actuator with all of its cycles so I ordered a new one. I will say that Jscan was worth buying last night just for testing HVAC. Hopefully it doesn't suck to replace.

The brake pedal started squeaking near the end of the drive, so I assume the booster must be bad. Next thing to investigate.

Been trying to find a cheap place to get Maximus3 parts but they don't seem to exist. Last piece to get it ready to be a toad is some way to hook my tow bar to it.

https://wrath.com/jp/LeftFront.jpg

[6DoF]

damn, she's a little bit of a basket case ... would have been similar work to just get a 200,000mi XJ :lol:

[wrath]

But then it'd be a POS 200,000 mile XJ! Plus I don't fit in a XJ.

I kind of knew it'd need some stuff going into it being high miles at a wholesale lot. But I wanted something without rust and one owner/no accident... and I wanted either a MW3, X, HR, or Recon (or a leather Rubicon which seems rare without the other aforementioned packages). I also wanted something that had been a mall crawler mostly with some kind of service history. This one only had scratches on the transfer case skid and mostly went to a repair shop for everything. I think the guy gave up on it because it was nickel and diming him. I'm guessing he got a quote for $1200 or so for the heater controls issue and decided to trade it in. I know he got a new JL Rubicant because I saw the trade paperwork at the dealership.

Rust-free under 100k you're looking at the $20k+ range. Light rust (no visible body, but rust where you'll need a blue wrench) and 150k you're in the $15k range. I can put a ton of money into it and still not hit $15k, and it still has no rust.

[Jeepin Jason]

Those wheels look really good on there. Great color match. I might have to keep my eye out for a set of those takeoffs.

The top of the engine was probably apart in the past to replace the oil filter/cooler housing as they're prone to either cracking or o-rings failing and then filling up the valley with oil and then getting oil all down the sides of the engine.

[wrath]

They do look more appropriate than the 255s on original wheels that were on it.

I think the top of the motor has been apart. A long time ago. Pretty much none of the Christmas trees are in the right spot and there were some sloppy rerouting of some wires that clearly was done by an autistic "helper" during re-assembly. Anyone that had the motor apart later in life would have replaced the plugs. It does have the oil filter housing update in bright orange with the warning label. There was some oil seen in the spark plug tubes on the passenger side, no idea how old it is. I assume the valve cover must be leaking or something.

I replaced the blend door actuator with another Dorman one. Didn't pass the "recalibration" but appears to work fine. That is a **** job. The last idiot to replace it must have broken the floor heat duct because it has one from a 2011 on it. I tried modifying the stops so the blend door actuator could take the door a little farther (to the door limits, not the actuator stops) and that didn't help. No idea how it knows when it hits its limits except maybe it waits for an overcurrent condition on the stalled motor? Anyway, it works so I guess I don't care. No idea why the old one didn't work, it worked on the bench and the gears are good.

The actuator for the recirculator I thought was bad... was just stuck. I think it had been in recirc for so long it glued itself closed. I had noticed the cabin filter was perfectly clean when I was rewiring the speakers.

Been trying to find a small amp to mount in the right rear and put a 8" woofer in the factory spot but it seems like all modern amplifiers whether D or BD are giant. I want something out of the way. The stereo sounds decent, but my 10 year old truck still sounds 10x better, and I'm pretty sure it's due to the lack of a subwoofer. The dude quit paying his SiriusXM membership for me, so that makes me kind of sad.

Neused passenger side seat belt buckle is supposed to arrive today. I tried fooling the controller with a resistor but eventually it figured out there was no inductor there. I think it must have two pulses and I could only pick one up with my scope. Or there is a broken wire somewhere.

Ordered some Oracle taillights for it from Northridge4x4. I need something with a little more brightness for its life as a towed vehicle because the voltage drop is real at that distance. Most of the other tail lights I looked at were either hideous or large enough I'd probably kick them climbing on the roof.

Might drive it to work tomorrow to put some miles on it.

[wrath]

And I've been eyeballing these because the sealed beams on the YJ are better than the factory lights on the JK.
https://www.kchilites.com/gravity-led-pro-jeep-jk-7-headlight-pair-pack-system-dot-compliant.html

[6DoF]

i run these on the TJ and the 55, they've been awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/MGLLIGHT-headlight-headlights-Compatible-Replacement/dp/B08YD79V4V/ref=sr_1_33?crid=2IVM1TRDL4GHW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IWWbVIGl-i1-IVZjU7V8ya_qE-HkYnuGX6s1eu6WTAxgJJs--GcjIh06MJ00X53T3x_NVLsAU0kkaeB3G0tGbTcRkI4vcAvLQzx mSzqgyNpeg7MD9WTo5Do57YbpWR0XwMIFeeM7S02ZlWhzpRDH4 hLKAg0UI80Ww9WxPh9j_F3gq4Uo1aunGwm4YxYqGexgjSD_bD-25ozt1xMlekc6oM99IB_dk9FxSUSEO33uT0hoZwDKcotEmILPZ _n7gf175xjdEHR016tgHOsJKgGG05wV8IABdh0WTsRCM8nq5AX 0pEWYLrDkEjz1S7xqx8EVaF55XeSg9dR-K-0-aaDwkdfPxV_qOjdK5wODsvCAEGgKkVvaCcQUqx_Z2NHK5NawEP CPiUCTh79f5yJGN6pl5M3oFIPHqyZ8gYLCFEQz17HddK1qDY7W hstpoiTiDOXy.lIfwSqZV6cp6FjUbTPplAcezQS3OpHi3LI_4J tWjJAc&dib_tag=se&keywords=7%2Bround%2Bled%2Bheadlights&qid=1743013818&sprefix=7%22%2Bround%2Bled%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-33&th=1

[bbaCJ8]

Very similar to what Matt recommended(probably same factory in China....) but I put these in the TJ and have been very happy with them. Nice and bright but still have a good cutoff so I don't get people flashing their high beams at me. They came with the JK pigtail too.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5XYW5ML?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_1&th=1

[bbaCJ8]

https://www.facebook.com/share/1D7AmZKKA6/