84 cj7 with a hurricane?

[84Cjseven]

I have searched and searched on here and other places and it looks that the 2.5 liter Hurricane 4 was not put in the model year 84. I was told that the best 4 cyclinder(oxymoron) was the Iron Duke which I believe is the Hurricane correct? When I went to look at this jeep the title says 84, but under the hood on the airfilter cover it says Hurricane 2.5. Is it possible this was a very early production 84 and used some 83 model year stuff? How can I tell exactly which 4 I have? Are there any people that leave the 4 cylinder in it? It will be for the time being just a put arouund town, and get me to my tree stand kind of vehicle. Thanks

Oh one last thing. I read with the 4 that the gearing was really low to help make up the difference in power loss, where on the jeep can I find the ratio? On the diff cover somewhere?

 

[Jimbos76cj]

I have searched and searched on here and other places and it looks that the 2.5 liter Hurricane 4 was not put in the model year 84. I was told that the best 4 cyclinder(oxymoron) was the Iron Duke which I believe is the Hurricane correct? When I went to look at this jeep the title says 84, but under the hood on the airfilter cover it says Hurricane 2.5. Is it possible this was a very early production 84 and used some 83 model year stuff? How can I tell exactly which 4 I have? Are there any people that leave the 4 cylinder in it? It will be for the time being just a put arouund town, and get me to my tree stand kind of vehicle. Thanks

Oh one last thing. I read with the 4 that the gearing was really low to help make up the difference in power loss, where on the jeep can I find the ratio? On the diff cover somewhere?

Im no help with the engine. The front axle should have a tag on it. you should find numbers like 41-10which will tell you that you have 4:10 gears. The rear may also have a tag on it unless its a AMC20 which will have a stamping on the flat part of the diff housing the below site will give you the translation for the code. Still the best way to check would be to pull one of the covers and look for the same type of number markings. If you divide the big number by the small number it will give you the ratio. 41-11 =3.73

Jeep Axle: AMC 20

 

[Busted Knuckles]

I personally have been under the hoods of countless Cjs, Ive only been under/owned one that had a 4-banger, and it was parts, and I sold it whole because it lost its storage, so I did not get to "know it"

Here is what I do know, there are 2 -2.5L jeep motors, used in the 80s, one is an AMC engine (AMC 150 CID), the little I saw of it in some cherokees (rebuilt one), not so good. I never knew they called this engine a "Hurricane". This was used from 84-86 in the Cj

The other bought from GM 151 CID (Iron Duke) and I believe it was first used by Pontiac, but in numbers youd find it in all GMs and was also used in hundreds of thousands of cars in a FWD configuration, as well as some RWDs (think Monza).

The GM 151 / 2.5 Iron duke was a good little motor, was used from 80-83 in the Cj.


How about a picture of the Motor, that would clear it up in a NANO-SECOND !

 

[84Cjseven]

Sunday when I get the trailer to bring it home thats the first thing I will do. Im curious.

 

[Petescj]

Sunday when I get the trailer to bring it home thats the first thing I will do. Im curious.

Me to. Im not a 4 cyl. guy unless Im only working on one side of the motor. But seriously when you can shoot us a pic all questions will be answered. Dont know if you looked back at your introduction thread but I gave you one possibility there.

 

[84Cjseven]

Me to. Im not a 4 cyl. guy unless Im only working on one side of the motor. But seriously when you can shoot us a pic all questions will be answered. Dont know if you looked back at your introduction thread but I gave you one possibility there.

I just did now and I appreciate it. I even looked at the Chiltons manual today and says what I already know. If its the AMC is that bad. eventually I would love to get a AMC 304 in it but, thats light years away. Im still trying to figure out all this jeeps stuff. Who would have thought an 800.00 hunk of junk jeep would make somebody so happy.

 

[84Cjseven]

On a side note can anyone tell just by looking at a pic of the gearshift what tranny is in this jeep or is that the dumbest question ever?

 

[Petescj]

95 % sure this is what you have there.

The Borg-Warner T4 & T5 Jeep Transmissions - Novak Conversions

 

[CJim7]

I have searched and searched on here and other places and it looks that the 2.5 liter Hurricane 4 was not put in the model year 84. I was told that the best 4 cyclinder(oxymoron) was the Iron Duke which I believe is the Hurricane correct? When I went to look at this jeep the title says 84, but under the hood on the airfilter cover it says Hurricane 2.5. Is it possible this was a very early production 84 and used some 83 model year stuff? How can I tell exactly which 4 I have? Are there any people that leave the 4 cylinder in it? It will be for the time being just a put arouund town, and get me to my tree stand kind of vehicle. Thanks

Oh one last thing. I read with the 4 that the gearing was really low to help make up the difference in power loss, where on the jeep can I find the ratio? On the diff cover somewhere?

The Iron Duke is the chevy 4cyl (151cid) that they used in early 80's CJ's. I believe, but I could be wrong, that the intake/exhaust is on the opposite side as the AMC 4cyl

My 84 had the original AMC 4cyl in it when I purchased it.

 

[84Cjseven]

so what was the verdict on it? Obviously im not expecting a powerhouse, but as long as the tires are average size does it do ok? Any known problems

 

[Busted Knuckles]

Depends on mileage, Id pull the cap out of the valve cover and see how much blow buy pushes out the hole.

If I had your truck and was working on a budget, Id find a body damaged 1991 or later Cherokee or Grand Cherokee and do a powertrain swap. Low cost fuel injection, just make sure its a dodge and not a renault. Youd be surprised how well they run, and not bad on power either.

Dont know how tech savvy your are, that just me. Id do that before Id do a AMC 8, but that is a very biased opinion, earned from many years of dealing with them. Hands down, got to be the worst modern American V8. Although I would take a AMC 304 over the AMC 150 .

 

[84Cjseven]

Depends on mileage, Id pull the cap out of the valve cover and see how much blow buy pushes out the hole.

If I had your truck and was working on a budget, Id find a body damaged 1991 or later Cherokee or Grand Cherokee and do a powertrain swap. Low cost fuel injection, just make sure its a dodge and not a renault. Youd be surprised how well they run, and not bad on power either.

Dont know how tech savvy your are, that just me. Id do that before Id do a AMC 8, but that is a very biased opinion, earned from many years of dealing with them. Hands down, got to be the worst modern American V8. Although I would take a AMC 304 over the AMC 150 .

So what motor would that be? Tbe honest the only reason I wanted a V8 was for the sound. I will never put huge tires on it, probably just a very mild lift and the only off roading it will do is on the farm(which actually depending on weather can be pretty bad). Would a V6 be better for my needs?

One last question. I know im probably killing you guys but whats the deal on the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l 6? There are two in my area for sale on craigslist that are supposedly running good and come with the tranny for 350.00. Owner says he took them out to do a Chev 350 swap.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

So what motor would that be? Tbe honest the only reason I wanted a V8 was for the sound. I will never put huge tires on it, probably just a very mild lift and the only off roading it will do is on the farm(which actually depending on weather can be pretty bad). Would a V6 be better for my needs?

One last question. I know im probably killing you guys but whats the deal on the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l 6? There are two in my area for sale on craigslist that are supposedly running good and come with the tranny for 350.00. Owner says he took them out to do a Chev 350 swap.

Sorry, that was flaky of me, the 4.0L inline 6, its the updated version of the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l 6 cylinder. That wont work if you want the "thump". Id do a 350 Chevy swap, but if money is tight then way to go is to swap an AMC 8 into it, which would be simple and cheap, skip the AMC 304 and look for a 360, they have been pretty easy to find in the past, but after cash for clunkers and the high price for scrap, Im guessing they are getting "thinner" as the days pass. They also have a enormous appetite for fuel (in the full size jeeps) which does not help keeping them around.

The 258s are anemic for power in complete stock trim, thats why you see them for sale, they dont make much more power than your 4 popper. You can wake them up with a carb and distributor, and header.

I would not bother with a V6, if youre going to do it, go to the eight, or put an inline 6 in it if you want a 6 cylinder (fuel injected 4.0L). The V6 does not sound any better than the I6, and the I6 has more torque (neither sounds good compared to an "8").

The AMCs have oiling problems, so if you go the AMC -8 route, you might want to pull the bottom off the oil pump and look at the wear on the pump before you install the motor. You can pull it apart after you put the motor in too (its replaceable), just a little easier when the motors out. Thats about the only draw back on the motor, Im just biased against them because after almost 30 years Im tired of screwing with them (oiling problems). The 304s make decent power for its displacement, but the 360 seems to have a disproportionate amount of power for a CID compared to the AMC 304 . A much better buy, in my opinion.

Good luck with your project, look forward to some pics.

 

[CJim7]

You already know what Im going to say about a V8 swap

Bigger IS better

If you are swapping out the 4cyl, its just as easy to go to an AMC V8. The 6 and the 8 are rediculously compatable with each other as far as bolt patterns, clutch, etc...

I like the sbc as far as availability and cost (not initial, its expensive)...but Im also an AMC guy and oiling issues can be resolved cheaply and easily if they arise.
Biggest drawback on the AMC V8's is the cost of parts anymore and availability. It is getting harder and harder to find these engines...and if you want a 401, forget about it. I got the last one
If you do go AMC V8 shopping...try to find a 401 if you can and then work your way down. The 401 block has a higher nickel content then the others and the crank, rods, pistons are forged where as the components in the other V8's are cast.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

You already know what Im going to say about a V8 swap

Bigger IS better

If you are swapping out the 4cyl, its just as easy to go to an AMC V8. The 6 and the 8 are rediculously compatable with each other as far as bolt patterns, clutch, etc...

I like the sbc as far as availability and cost (not initial, its expensive)...but Im also an AMC guy and oiling issues can be resolved cheaply and easily if they arise.
Biggest drawback on the AMC V8's is the cost of parts anymore and availability. It is getting harder and harder to find these engines...and if you want a 401, forget about it. I got the last one
If you do go AMC V8 shopping...try to find a 401 if you can and then work your way down. The 401 block has a higher nickel content then the others and the crank, rods, pistons are forged where as the components in the other V8's are cast.

I should mention, I spent almost 20 years looking for a 401. For years I spent every Thursday at a low end farm/auto auction, under the hood of every matador and FSJ that came through the shoot looking for that motor, never found one. Several years ago, I bought an dis-assemlbed CJ5 out of a parents garage, son went to college, they wanted it gone, I think I paid $175 for it, the running gear was still together. For several weeks it sat in my back yard, then one day out of boredom, I walked out and stuck my head under the motor and about pooped myself, there was that 401, that I quit looking for. I had it sold in one phone call about one minute later. So somebody found one and put it a CJ5 ! and I didnt even think to look, just assumed it was a AMC 304 .

I owned a junk yard in the late 80s, I also worked for the largest yard in the country in the late 1990s, and never found another, not that I was not looking, and all the salvage sales Ive been to, its amazing how few where out there and thats been 10+ years.

 

[CJim7]

I should mention, I spent almost 20 years looking for a 401. For years I spent every Thursday at a low end farm/auto auction, under the hood of every matador and FSJ that came through the shoot looking for that motor, never found one. Several years ago, I bought an dis-assemlbed CJ5 out of a parents garage, son went to college, they wanted it gone, I think I paid $175 for it, the running gear was still together. For several weeks it sat in my back yard, then one day out of boredom, I walked out and stuck my head under the motor and about pooped myself, there was that 401, that I quit looking for. I had it sold in one phone call about one minute later. So somebody found one and put it a CJ5 ! and I didnt even think to look, just assumed it was a AMC 304 .

I owned a junk yard in the late 80s, I also worked for the largest yard in the country in the late 1990s, and never found another, not that I was not looking, and all the salvage sales Ive been to, its amazing how few where out there and thats been 10+ years.

Yep...they are hard to find. Mine literally fell in my lap. A friend of mine picked up a FSJ for the axles and sold me the running engine for $300
I wasnt looking for one at the time, but my AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l /4.0 hybrid decided to come apart on my a few days earlier...it was perfect timing.
The best place to find something like this is probably Bulltear or even Pirate. The key is to claim the deal before someone else does....

 

[84Cjseven]

Ok. I said that I would get pics of the motor on Sunday but things happened and I didnt end up getting to bring it home until today. So here they are. Which four banger do I have? Its supposed to be the AMC 150 .

 

[CJim7]

Amc 2.5

 

[84Cjseven]

Thank you sir

 

[Johnboy]

An iron duke i beleive is the gm engine and to my understanding it actualy retains the chevy bellhousing pattern which would make it a desired sbc swap unit if it were bad the other four cyl. in that era is the amc 2.5 those ive seen look kinda like a 4.0 inline six missing 2 cyls.