In your Jeep Creep questions, please list your first and last names, your hometown, and your state/province/country, so that we can publish that information here. If you don’t provide this information, we may not be able to publish your question and answer. Don’t forget to be as complete as possible with the description of your Jeep and its problems, too. No Jeep recalls this month. See all of the posted recalls at www.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm.—Jim Brightly

JK vs. TJ Axles

Can I swap axles in a 2008 JK with 2004 Rubicon? I’m looking to utilize the lockers and the Dana 44s.

Jessie
Antlers, OK

The short answer is “yes!” But there are lots of small issues that can be resolved; you’ll need to address them as they occur. Once you have the removed Dana 44 housings in your garage, compare them side-by-side. This should show you what mounts, etc., will have to be re-used, discarded, etc.

J-10 Steering

We have a 1984 Jeep J-10 long-bed 4X4 truck with tilt steering, automatic four-speed and a shifter on the column. We are trying to find a replacement steering column for it. Would any 1976-86 AMC CJ Jeep steering column work on this truck? It’s my son’s truck and he broke the column while trying to fix the ignition. We want to be sure we can get something that matches.

Rathacat
Patterson, CA

I don’t think you have a four-speed auto. The full-size J-trucks came with a GM Turbo-Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic in front of a Quadratrac full-time transfer case (some had the optional low range). Although you can use most of the parts from a Chevy-style column (Saginaw) to repair the J-10’s steering column, the actual column itself may not work (because of its length and shifting mechanism). You can find hundreds of these in any junkyard.

Mojave Road Trip

I have been thinking about taking a trip on the Mojave Road. I was thinking about taking it solo. Do you think that is a good idea? Also, I would like any advice that you may have for me. I have a stock 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Tedybar
Buena Park, CA

As long as your Jeep is in good condition, and you make sure friends know your plans and itinerary (in case you break down on the road), you should be OK. I suggest you buy The Mojave Road Guide and read about the history, route, etc., and the book has detailed maps of the route. Depending upon the time of year you plan on making the trip, dress appropriately. It can get really cold at night at 5,000 feet, and during the summer it can get really hot! That being said, I suggest asking at least one other vehicle to come along just for safety’s sake. Have a great trip - you’ll thoroughly enjoy it!

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Supercharger

I have been thinking about putting a supercharger on my 1990 Jeep Comanche. Could you please give me a price on the supercharger? My computer was changed out for a better computer. So I don’t know what kind of computer is in my Jeep. I know it is a hi-performance computer. A man who worked at the lot told me he was going to change it out to get more power. The factory computer was fine. He told me that he was going to short the computer out and put the hi-performance computer in the Jeep. It does have more horsepower than a lot of other Jeeps. Anyway, thank you for your time.

Jerry

I can’t help you with the computer, but I can tell you that the one company that I knew of based in Las Vegas appears to have gone out of business. However, there is a company out of Colorado making supercharger kits called Avenger Superchargers (www.avengersuperchargers). Keep in mind that if you find a supercharger kit that fits you’ll have to use premium gas.

Full-Time vs. Part-Time

I’ve got a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee with full-time four-wheel drive. Is it possible to put lockers in it and bypass the full-time 4WD for better economy around town?

Shaggy
Nampa, ID

Go to Advance Adapters’ website. They make a kit for that very thing. Tell them I sent you.

Got Your Cat?

I have a question regarding removing a catalytic converter on an ‘06 Jeep Rubicon. How do I keep the electronic system still functioning without dashboard light alarms? Should I replace the existing muffler with a larger version? Thanks for your consideration.

Barry
Huntsville, AL

Why do you wish to remove the cat? Is it causing operating problems? Perhaps you should consider changing it to a high-performance, high-flow catalytic converter. If you remove it, you’ll be in violation of federal emissions laws, no licensed exhaust shop will touch it, and you’ll cause too many computer problems to consider. Don’t do it.

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Jersey Bogger

My ‘97 Jeep runs smooth for a couple miles then starts bogging down. It feels like it’s going to run out of gas. I changed the distributor, the cap, and the plugs, but there was a strange moving noise coming from the gas tank when the car was shut off before changing anything. Any suggestions?

Rita
Vineland, NJ

Have you tried replacing the gas cap with a new one? Before buying a new cap, try removing the cap the next time it starts bogging. Safely pull over, leave the engine running, jump out and loosen the cap. If it’s not venting as it should, as soon as you loosen the cap the engine should smooth right out.

Low Gauge

I have a 2000 Cherokee with 118,000 miles. Lately, the temperature gauge only moves up to 120 degrees even when the engine has warmed up. Occasionally it will shoot up to the normal running temperature, but usually it just sits at 120 once the engine has warmed. Do I need to replace the thermostat or the coolant temp. sensor?

Matt
Raymond, NH

I’d say the problem is more likely in your wiring. Either the incoming information line or the ground is experiencing too much resistance, so you’re getting a bad reading. I’m leaning more toward the ground side, so make sure all your connections are clean and shiny. You may need a maintenance manual with complete schematics for your model.

Chain-Changing Time

I have a ‘93 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L straight six-cylinder engine. I’m not sure what the tranny is but it’s auto with overdrive. It has a New Process NP231J transfer case. I’m wondering if the chain can be removed and replaced without having to pull the transfer case out of the vehicle. It appears it may be difficult either way. I took the front driveshaft out to keep the transfer case chain and gears from any damage if possible until it’s repaired. The chain is loose and I can rotate the output yoke to front and it sounds like the chain is just stretched. It still turns and moves smoothly and there’s no sound of gear damage. It actually sounds like the chain is sliding and contacting the bottom of the case. It was making some noise and that is why I didn’t try 4wd—I wanted to avoid further damage or wear beyond being able to repair it without replacing the entire transfer case. I was told this is the 23-spline as that’s what came behind the straight six-cylinders (21-spline supposedly came behind the four-cylinder engines).

Cory Mason
Madison Heights, VA

Cory, you need to pull the T-case—sorry about that—and clean all of the components thoroughly, piece by piece. Then replace the internal oil pump seal. And just to play it safe, I suggest you also install a new chain.

Commando Parts

I just bought a ‘73 Commando to restore and I’m having a very hard time finding a passenger-side front fender (inner panel). I hope I described this correctly as I’m not sure what the correct part name is. I’m a new Jeep owner and can’t wait to get my hands on this beauty. Any suggestions where to look to purchase this part? I have not had any luck at all on the Internet.

Rich
Glendora, NJ

Go to www.jrequest.com. According to the website, they have “hundreds” of Commando parts.

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Oil Blower

I have a 1981 CJ7. It is a six-cylinder. I’m not sure if it is the original engine or not. I have had the Jeep for seven or eight years. It builds up so much engine pressure it not only blows oil into the air breather but also up through the oil stick tube, and I have also had to replace the valve cover gaskets three times. The engine runs strong and has never smoked. I have had it to at least four mechanics, some say the motor is bad, and some say it is good but cannot say why it has so much pressure building up to blow the oil out. I have changed the PVC valve, and one of the mechanics rerouted all of the vacuum lines and ran a compression test and said the motor was sound. I am at my wit’s end with this one. We have four other Jeeps (from a ‘46 up to an ’86), but this one is the only one that has this problem! Can anyone give me a suggestion? Like I said, it runs good and has never smoked. It just self changes the oil for you! Once it was so bad it blew out onto the fender of the Jeep.

M. Cox
Burleson, TX

There are some common problems on six-cylinder engines. You probably have stuck or worn rings or worn piston ring grooves. Sounds like rebuild time to me.

Crappy Carb

I have a 1985 CJ7 with carb issues. Wondering what the computer connection actually does and is it needed? This thing will never be on the road and I’d like to put a normal carb on it. Will it affect anything else? Can I get rid of the box? Thanks for any help!

Polarboy
Afton, MN

First of all, why spend the money on another carb when you could vastly improve your Jeep’s performance with EFI? Although there are more than one electronic-fuel-injection systems on the market today—and the best one is the Mopar multi-port kit very similar to the OEM EFI on YJs and TJs (very expensive)—my experience is with the Howell system. And if you decide down the road sometime to install a V8 in place of the six-pack, it’s an easy upgrade.

Clunky Carb

I have a 1983 Jeep CJ5 with a Carter two-barrel carb. The four wires to the duty-cycle motor are gone. All the other emission system parts are missing or blocked off. What is the best way to remedy this to make it run better? We have no smog test. Thanks for any replies.

Robert Moore
Kihei, HI

I’m afraid you’re going to have to replace your present Carter carb with an older (non-emissions if it is for off-road use as the emissions will fail) Carter or a new Holley carb.

As usual each month, I’m shouting out a huge THANK YOU to Paul Schupp at Rock Lizard 4x4 in Kingman, Arizona, for his invaluable assistance in answering many of the Jeep Creep questions.