1981 CJ5 Questions

[Warthog]

I just acquired an 81 CJ5 Renegade with an inline 6, Manual. I would love any basic information anyone can provide. It is basically stock. It needs a lot of work but i cant start till i move to Missouri in February. Because i am stationed in Florida right now and the jeep is in Mississippi for the time being. I am mechanically inclined and will be doing all the work myself, And it needs a lot of work. Its basically been sitting for the last ten years.

Info Examples: tranny? Transfer Case ? axles? Is this inline 6 the 4.0L like i have in my 98 cherokee? What does the Renegade option entail? And any other knowledgeable info you have stored.

Thanks for the Help

 

[Mattduran]

Hi. Congrats on the new jeep. Taking on a jeep can be a big project but very rewarding to see the progress. I would suggest getting a good repair manual (haynes) And looking for any other info you may need online. The original owners manual they do still sell. Good luck.

 

[IOPort51]

assuming that nothing has been change the engine will be a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l liter l6 with a 2 bbl. carb. the tranny will be a borg warner T-150 three speed or a T-176 four speed and the TC will be a Dana 20 or Dana 300 the front axle will be a Dana 35 and the rear will be an AMC20 .
Drop and clean the tank, replace the in tank filter and sending unit as long as it is out. Blow out the fuel lines, there may very well be some really disgusting stuff in here that you don't want to make it to the carb.
Check and change all the fluid, engine, Transmission , axles, everything. do a brake job and repack the wheel bearings.

"Renigade" is basicaly a paint job.
Welcome and have fun.

I just acquired an 81 CJ5 Renegade with an inline 6, Manual. I would love any basic information anyone can provide. It is basically stock. It needs a lot of work but i cant start till i move to Missouri in February. Because i am stationed in Florida right now and the jeep is in Mississippi for the time being. I am mechanically inclined and will be doing all the work myself, And it needs a lot of work. Its basically been sitting for the last ten years.

Info Examples: tranny? Transfer Case ? axles? Is this inline 6 the 4.0L like i have in my 98 cherokee? What does the Renegade option entail? And any other knowledgeable info you have stored.

Thanks for the Help

 

[derf]

While anything could have happened in the 30 years this Jeep has been in existence, this is what it has from the factory:

258ci (or AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l liter) inline 6. The 4.0 is a newer generation of this engine. Similar, but not exactly the same.

It should be a T-176 4 speed manual or a Chrysler 904(or something close to that) if it's a 3 speed automatic. I don't think anything else was offered in 81.

The Transfer Case is a Dana 300 .

The front axle is a Dana 30 .

Rear axle is the AMC20 .

Get a good manual for the Jeep.

I'd recommend you drain and refil all the fluids. Axles, Transfer Case , Transmission , engine oil and coolant. I agree with dropping the tank and flushing out the fuel system. Flush the brake fluid and inspect the brake hardware from the master cyclinder to the brakes themselves. Replace hoses and belts. A carburetor rebuild wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[Warthog]

Thanks to all for the information.

I know the PO and they have had the jeep since 1987. Funny thing yall mentioned the tank. At first it would stay running, no fuel was getting to the carb. So i dropped the tank to make sure the in tank filter wasnt clogged. While i had the tank out i flushed it really good and you wouldnt believe all the sediment that came out. I bet there was a good inch of gunk in the tank. I did go ahead and replace the in tank filter and float bc the float didnt float anymore. bought new hoses for the tank and reinstalled it. I did go ahead and blow out the fuel lines and put a new fuel filter on it. I found out that there was a stuck check valve looking part where the fuel line enters the carb. Freed that up and it idles good now. Oh and when the tank was down i went ahead and took off the rear diff cover, cleaned the inside and put it back up. With a stock rig, the cover was close to the tank and didnt look like a fun job with the tank installed. As soon as i get back up to Mississippi i am changing all the fluids and doing a complete brake job. I did notice the someone pinched the right rear brake line that goes to the drum. So no fluid is getting to the drum. Does anyone know a good cheap place to get a replacement line?

Oh and i will grab a good repair manual next time i see one. I especially need it to see where all the vacuum lines and hoses go around the carb.

Thanks Again

 

[derf]

Correction. The 6 cyl came with the 999. The 4 banger came with the 904.