Possibly going to the dark side... Getting a TJ...

[Billy 4 hp]

Okay, I am having thoughts about going to the darkside (for me) and picking up a used TJ Rubicon as a DD but want it setup for 3.5 trails if I choose...

So out of all of the years of availability, what were the bad years???

Such as:

Electrical issues (bad ecu, harness problems, etc)
Engine issues (bad pistons, head gaskets, leaks)
Transmission issues (early failures)
T-case issues (early failures)
Axle issues (locker failure, smaller u-joints)

Or are the "common" problems widespread throughout the production run...

Or do I buy a Wrangler X that is on the board or Craig's List that has been built up (like the yellow one with the salvage title, 4.88's and the super ARB kit F&R)???

Please keep the answers short and sweet if possible...

And no, the CJ isn't forsale.....................yet......

Thanks in advance... and Happy New Year

[Allen]

Do it!

From 97 up they have been pretty solid! Get the 4.0 and a 44 and you should be good to go!

[dirtbuggy]

I've got an 04 with about 35000 miles on it and have had no problems at all 4 banger 5 speed lifted with 32's

[lancetkenyon]

03 was the first year. Never buy a first year model. 06 will still be under warranty.

[lancetkenyon]

Do it!

From 97 up they have been pretty solid! Get the 4.0 and a 44 and you should be good to go!

Hey Allen, he said he wanted a RUBI. All Rubis have D44 front and rear,4.0 I-6, and were not made until 03.

[probable cause]

I have the six speed manual 05 rubi and i haven't had any problems with it. I only have like 25,000 miles though.

[lancetkenyon]

I have the six speed manual 05 rubi and i haven't had any problems with it. I only have like 25,000 miles though.

No problems??? Haven't you broken....like 3 times?:smug:

[probable cause]

yeah but those were due to actually using my jeep....and the axle problem will be cured in a couple days when my new axles come in. my clutch was probably the only problem i had....when they took out my old clutch to replace it I had a lot of clutch left it looked like it exploded. That friction material was just in pieces

[Jdemonto@Airpark Jeep Sales]

There really are no major issues if your wheelin 3.5's and stay under 35" tires!

I know some do not like the 05/06 6 speed manual trans and the lockers can break under a larger load...Ask Huck! I think your still fine 3.5's under.....

.02

Jason

[lancetkenyon]

yeah but those were due to actually using my jeep....and the axle problem will be cured in a couple days when my new axles come in. my clutch was probably the only problem i had....when they took out my old clutch to replace it I had a lot of clutch left it looked like it exploded. That friction material was just in pieces

Ooooh, you jinxed yourself. "Cured" is a big word.:aagh: Ask Charlie how his "cure" worked on the final fall of Bad Medicine.

[YJunk]

Yeah I was gonna say about the same thing... a rubi with a small lift and 35's will wheel 3.5 all day.

[Billy 4 hp]

There really are no major issues if your wheelin 3.5's and stay under 35" tires!

I know some do not like the 05/06 6 speed manual trans and the lockers can break under a larger load...Ask Huck! I think your still fine 3.5's under.....

.02

Jason

Can you please expand, like does it shift hard, noisy, etc?

I have read about the locker issues (I always considered my self "easy on equipment"), I know nothing is indestructible (especially OEM parts). Just trying to spend my $$$ wisely and not regret the decision...

Thanks for the input so far...

[Mobius]

I know JD (Crawldad) blew up the rear locker on his Rubi. Course, he's runin about 6" of lift and, I dunno, maybe 37's?

[RokNRich]

The biggest issue is the stock front shafts, those usually go first.

The guys that have toasted a locker (myself included) were wheeling them hard, and then you can chalk that up to wheeling :)

No major differences between the '03's and '04's as far as problems.

Check out ROF (www.rubiconownersforum.com) if you haven't before (need to register). Search works great over there as there used to be a lot of really useful info for those years..........

[John in AZ]

Or do I buy a Wrangler X that is on the board or Craig's List that has been built up (like the yellow one with the salvage title, 4.88's and the super ARB kit F&R)???

I might not be who you wanted to hear from since the one Jeep you mention is mine. :D But I dont see how a Rubicon would be better than my Jeep ;D unless of course you are really concerned about the title or really want a 4to1 Tcase. & for the price difference you could ad an atlas to mine. :D
John

[Jdemonto@Airpark Jeep Sales]

Can you please expand, like does it shift hard, noisy, etc?

I have read about the locker issues (I always considered my self "easy on equipment"), I know nothing is indestructible (especially OEM parts). Just trying to spend my $$$ wisely and not regret the decision...

Thanks for the input so far...

It seems that a small crowd that wheels have run into shifting problems and throwout bearing problems. Again a small crowd of wheelers have had issues. The 4 speed auto is the same 2003-2006 and I run 37's and no problems yet 2003-2005 had a 7/70 powertrain warranty transferable to a 2nd owner only for $150.

Jason

[Billy 4 hp]

It seems that a small crowd that wheels have run into shifting problems and throwout bearing problems. Again a small crowd of wheelers have had issues. The 4 speed auto is the same 2003-2006 and I run 37's and no problems yet 2003-2005 had a 7/70 powertrain warranty transferable to a 2nd owner only for $150.

Jason

Since it's going to be a DD I am leaning towards a slush box as the better half has trouble with a manual transmissions (just ask my old 6 spd 2000 Camaro Z28 how that went)....

And she will want to drive it eventually...

Off to search the web some more....

[RokNRich]

I might not be who you wanted to hear from since the one Jeep you mention is mine. :D But I dont see how a Rubicon would be better than my Jeep ;D unless of course you are really concerned about the title or really want a 4to1 Tcase. & for the price difference you could ad an atlas to mine. :D
John

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/car/490451096.html

and

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/car/521209375.html

I agree, six of one or half dozen the other. Both are pretty similiar and good deals. Good luck selling your Jeep !

[Andrew F]

I might not be who you wanted to hear from since the one Jeep you mention is mine. :D But I dont see how a Rubicon would be better than my Jeep ;D unless of course you are really concerned about the title or really want a 4to1 Tcase. & for the price difference you could ad an atlas to mine. :D
John

This Jeep seems like a good deal. If I had seen it before my Jeep got fixed, I may have had it totaled (I was at 73% of the value and totaled is considered 70%) and bought it.

[Huck]

My 03 Rubi is holding up well. The only real first model year blues for a few folks was a leaky transfer case rear seal. Some folks got the bad seals and others didn't. There was also an issue with the crank position sensor for a bit of 05, I think it was. Follow Rich's advice and look it up on the ROF for more insight. I had a leaky rear main seal, replaced under warranty, but that was a problem for the 4.0, not just a Rubi.

Regarding the lockers, what Rich says holds true. I wheeled my heep (on 4.0's and up) and broke two of the factory lockers. I'm running a much beefier rear end set up these days and no more breaky-breaky. Rich is also spot-on, regarding the front axle shafts. They like to lose their u-joint caps and that takes out the outers (most of the time). I had both halves replaced under warranty prior to replacing them with some alloy shafts. Never broke a rear shaft, but replaced them, with Alloys, prior to running 35's.

Any ?'s, ask away. There are a few us with Rubi's in various stages of being modded. You know what you want to run. It shouldn't be too difficult to ascertain whether or not the Rubi 'extras' are worth the extra cost to you.

[Wayco]

Another satisfied Rubi. owner here, you probably eyeballed mine on the run last weekend. I'm an overkill kind of guy, as you might have guessed, so I upgraded the gears and axles when I went to 35's. I had no problem with the stock lockers and axles prior to that, but I have also been told that I wheel with a light touch. I bought mine with a 3" Teraflex lift and 33's, and the few issues that I had were due to my own stupidity while wheeling. Most of my off road wheeling has been on 3.5 trails, but having a very capable Jeep will tempt you onto harder trails. So the 4 to 1 T-case is a good idea.
I don't want to spoil a sale for John in AZ, but I would stay away from a salvage title, unless you plan on turning it into a buggy.
Just keep in mind, a newer Jeep won't make it any easier to keep money in your pockets. What you don't spend on repairs, you will spend on UPGRADES! :aagh:

[AZLugz]

Look at the unlimiteds also. Lots more room for extras and still do 3.5's good. Mine is not a Rubi but still has the 44 rear and has worked great.

[neZZr]

Can you please expand, like does it shift hard, noisy, etc?

I have read about the locker issues (I always considered my self "easy on equipment"), I know nothing is indestructible (especially OEM parts). Just trying to spend my $$$ wisely and not regret the decision...

Thanks for the input so far...
2nd & 3rd gears can be a little notchy when shifting, especially when cold. You get used to it. I haven't had any problems with it as a result. I work in a dealership, and I've driven several that all act the same way. Usually only in the very cold though (ie <30º).

I did have a throw out bearing go out... but it was my own fault (see video link in my sig)

[Billy 4 hp]

Another satisfied Rubi. owner here, you probably eyeballed mine on the run last weekend. I'm an overkill kind of guy, as you might have guessed, so I upgraded the gears and axles when I went to 35's. I had no problem with the stock lockers and axles prior to that, but I have also been told that I wheel with a light touch. I bought mine with a 3" Teraflex lift and 33's, and the few issues that I had were due to my own stupidity while wheeling. Most of my off road wheeling has been on 3.5 trails, but having a very capable Jeep will tempt you onto harder trails. So the 4 to 1 T-case is a good idea.
I don't want to spoil a sale for John in AZ, but I would stay away from a salvage title, unless you plan on turning it into a buggy.
Just keep in mind, a newer Jeep won't make it any easier to keep money in your pockets. What you don't spend on repairs, you will spend on UPGRADES! :aagh:


Well I know the spare money in the pockets is nonexistent when you do this as a hobby so I am not looking for that... My thoughts are something that can be a DD and a bit of an offroad toy... I plan on keeping the CJ just for the sake of keeping it (nostalgic reasons I guess)...

My 4.0 plus days were over when I sold my old 66 Bronco, I actually left the hobby from years of doing it daily in the 1990's. So my foray into it this time is much more laid back than I used to be. Since I do all my own work, and now have a family, I just don't have the time to keep up with a 4.0 plus trail rig, nor the money...

I've just seen in person how well a mildly modified Rubi works and they are impressive and can be bought for the right price with most of the modifications I would want, minus a few personal touches (I just can't stop tinkering as you can tell from my CJ)...

Thanks for the input...

[Billy 4 hp]

Look at the unlimiteds also. Lots more room for extras and still do 3.5's good. Mine is not a Rubi but still has the 44 rear and has worked great.

I think they rub the Unlimiteds with gold from the factory.... If I can find one for the right price I would surely snatch it up... :D

[Billy 4 hp]

2nd & 3rd gears can be a little notchy when shifting, especially when cold. You get used to it. I haven't had any problems with it as a result. I work in a dealership, and I've driven several that all act the same way. Usually only in the very cold though (ie <30º).

I did have a throw out bearing go out... but it was my own fault (see video link in my sig)

I can't imagine it's any worse than a SM420.... Thanks for the input....

[CaptainMorgan]

Can you please expand, like does it shift hard, noisy, etc?

I have read about the locker issues (I always considered my self "easy on equipment"), I know nothing is indestructible (especially OEM parts). Just trying to spend my $$$ wisely and not regret the decision...

Thanks for the input so far...

Perhaps he is reffereing to my dislike for it...unfortunately I have had TONS of issues with my 6-speed. I lost 4th and 6th on a road trip and some other things have happened that make me wonder. The reverse went out and was fixed, always grinds into 3rd...But that has been the only issue besides the d35 I had.

I would suggest a 03-04 Rubi witht he stronger 5 speed. Just my opinion on te subject.

[lazarus7]

47000 miles on an 04 with no concerns. Running a 4in short arm setup with 33's.
Auto trans not too bad but sometimes wish for a gear between 1 and 2. Rigid
maintainence schedule, synthetic oil in everything [lower temps in diffs etc:]
Check front shafts after every trip, so far no problems. Usually don't wheel
anything harder than a 3.5 but have done some 4.0's. Can't say enough good
about it. Still find it hard to believe that this thing will wheel a 4.0 trail and
get you home in total comfort!!

[corbas]

Just throwing it out there....

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/car/526210919.html

[Billy 4 hp]

Just throwing it out there....

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/car/526210919.html

Gears are whirling....

Damn I gotta make a decision....