2000 Jeep Wrangler SE 2.5 TJ - 4 Cylinder Performance - It's Awesome! 

Love it! Sounds like a fun rig! Go school some young guys with their 6 cylinders!

Nice!!! Can you send a pic? I have a 2002 2.5 with 35 tires but not lifted yet... 😔

just wondering what kinda fuel mileage did u get with this set up

Lol! Yep, pretty much cuts through the air like a brick.

I had a brand new 2000 6 cyl and 2 years ago I purchased a 1999 with the 2.5 l and its great for cruising around under 50 mph 2" old man emu fits 31s perfectly. A 6 is awesome with 33s and 4.10 gears.

Yes, they are perfect for off road. Highway performance isn't great on the 6 cylinder either lol.

Awesome! It's definitely cool to know it was built here! Makes it fun to drive around town!

Sounds like you have a great setup!

Thanks SkywardCry! Be sure to check back often. I plan on revisiting this Jeep with a new video over the winter after I put on a lift. Haven't decided how big yet. Probably somewhere between 2 and 3 inches. I'm not sure I want to go the SYE route yet.

Glad you like it. Thanks for watching!

Of course! Thanks for watching!

I bet it's an awesome setup! And, it gets you out to have fun. That's what really matters!

Right on, the 4 cylinder gets it done for sure! Glad you like yours. Thanks for watching and subscribing!

Awesome! I bet it's fun off road with that lift height and tires. Good stuff!

Mine needed a battery, alternator, upper radiator hose, radiator, and I had some frame rust repaired by a local guy. Super solid when I was done, but I feel you on getting it there!

Awesome! Glad you like yours! It's a great vehicle at a low cost. Can't beat that!

The 4 liter is just as noisy lol! I'm glad you like your jeep! Thanks for liking the video!

Right on! My newer jeep is much heavier up front and I can definitely tell a difference. Definitely takes more effort to get up and over. Thanks for watching. I'll have to check out your channel too!

Right on!

The sad part about it, most people who buy Jeeps don't understand them or there true purpose. Its all about sex appeal, instagram, and clout.

It will be very capable off road with that combo!!!

lol I still love it despite its lack of highway performance.

Thanks! 👍 Glad you like it!

I'm glad it has saintly approval! 🤩

@@ToledoCars If you purchased that from Florida it was mine first, looks identical. I would drop that 4 cylinder into granny gear and cut my own paths in the woods. I would pop the clutch and without giving it gas let it crawl in 1st. We would laugh every time however it never got stuck. Many blessings always my friend. St.R

@@st.roberts4295 That jeep has been in Ohio its whole life. Same in spirit. Unfortunately, different in VIN. It is also unstoppable in 4lo!

Wow you got an awesome deal! Great find!

They are out there for sure! You will find one. It is getting harder and harder though!

Awesome! Glad you are having fun in your Jeep!

It's awesome! Glad you like yours too!

Jeep admits as in the year or the combination? Does the 2.5 have a timing chain? And how many miles does the 2.5 average in its life? My Nissan hardbody truck has a 2.4 with 4.11 gear and 4 low is perfect.

@@captaindeadpool1640 Jeep showed that both the 4 and 6 cylinder gave awesome low end torque for climbing obstacles. The shorter wheel base was perfect for going over peaks, as it very rarely got hung up. The major advantage the newer jeeps have is the vehicle clearance height. The TJ and older did have issues there.

Yes, its an adapter. The TJ wheels are 5x4.5 the JK wheels are 5x5. So you need an adapter. I think I went with an inch and a half adapter, but there is an inch and three quarters which would have been the better choice in hindsight.

Good stuff. It's cool how much power can be had out of smaller engines now!

Nice. Very cool! Like the engine mods! I thought I was going to read about something forced induction, but the cam probably makes a decent bit of difference!

@@ToledoCars Thanks! The cam definitely made a noticeable difference, but it did sacrifice a bit of that low-end torque. One of the best mods I made: slotted, perforated brakes up front, disc brake conversion in the back (by Teraflex) 😎👍

There was one on Facebook Market in Toledo that I almost bought. It was a 1997 2.5 for $1700. Didn't seem horrible, usual issues, but you can fix a lot at that price and come out ahead.

Hope you can find a good one!

@@ToledoCars I found one in Edgerton Ohio. 2004 with the 4.0 for 7995 I was gonna get them down to 6000 because of the mileage being 175K. But it’s clean. Only problem it’s a 3 and half hours away. So probably gonna have to settle with a crappy one an hour away because no ones willing to drive me. The one an hour away is a 1997 2.5 with a rust here and there with 140K miles he wants 5 I’ll try talk him down to 4-4500

It was in 4lo. There are a lot of good things about the 4 cylinders. I'll take one in good shape over a 6 cylinder with a bunch of problems any day. And, where I live, rust is a big concern, so sometimes, just finding something clean is half the battle anyway. Good luck with yours.

Right on!

Just picked up a 95yj ,2.5 is completely stock it's a Rio grande model. The reason I liked it the frame is solid body 95% stock and it's solid original floor panels and as people were talking about capabilities I drove the same type of motor in the Jeeps in the Vietnam era I was a grunt. but fortunately got access to one of those little Jeeps never broke one so yes this little Jeep is very capable trust me Ron USMC 73/76 also I am 67 years old and just bought my first Jeep Wrangler funny how the wheel goes around

Yeah, it's not a highway car. I suggest you take it camping up in the mountains. Go make some memories with it! Find the nearest national forest and go. It'll do the highway enough to get you there.

Sorry about your uncle. Personally, I don't think a 2.5 needs a lift, since the largest you want to go in a stock engine and gearing is 31" tires, which will fit and turn fine all day long. Unless you plan on some serious 4 wheelin', in which case larger tires, additional ground clearance, flex, and lower gearing are in order. Jeep on dude! 😎👍

Teo P my Jeep would be for the beach/dunes and easy to moderate trails. No Rock climbing or extreme 4 wheeling.

Really liked my 4 cylinder! Didn't sell it because it was the 4 cylinder, but life circumstances led me to sell it. The next Jeep I found at a good deal and in good shape happened to be the 6. After owning both, if I were building a street Jeep I'd get the 6 cylinder. If I were building primarily a trail Jeep, especially one being towed to and from trails, I'd get the 4. Both great and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Anything that gets you out there is good in my book! Some other vehicles might get a little bit of joshing but all in good fun.

Nailed it!

LS swaps are cheap!!! Well, relatively speaking.

Good to know. Hopefully that's an easy fix and inexpensive with an aftermarket cat.

All cats plug up over time and 24 years it should.

So, long story, but I lost my job late last year due to some economic factors. The toys had to go with the uncertainty. So, this jeep got sold. I wish I hadn't though. It was in good shape and, after I had fixed everything, good to go for a long time. But, those circumstances ended up allowing me to get the next job I wanted anyway. There was an opening and the fact that I could start right away with the right experience got me in the door. So, I ended up with a better job and recently bought another jeep. Ended up with a 2000 5 speed manual sahara with a 2 inch lift and 33's. Needed a transmission, but I just got that all sorted and it's going for the swap today and should be done this weekend. I just added a bumper made by Paramount that I ordered from Quadratec to that jeep, I think that was a solid bumper value with the integrated winch mount for a little under $300. I should have a video on the new jeep up in the next couple weeks. I like the additional torque out of the 6 cylinder on road, but I liked the 4.10 gears better than the 3.73 gears I have now. Sounds like you have the right mix though with a 2 inch lift and 32s. I think that's about the right size for clearing obstacles off road without creating too many other problems with drivability and other issues.

@@ToledoCars Sorry to hear. Hope the outlook is a little brighter for you now. I used to live in Fremont (graduated high school in 80) but am in md now. still have family up there and know some folks working at Jeep!

@@leftoverporkchop9972 Thanks! All is good and the future looks even better than before. Things have a way of working out. Small world! I have retired family that worked at jeep for a long time!

Armor plated turtle 🤣 Yeah, the 6 cylinder is better, but still a brick. I found myself ringing out that four cylinder all the time. Pretty constantly in the high rpm range. Not as much with the 6 cylinder and that's the practical difference.

Lol or, maybe something with a LS motor?? Unless you are trying to hyper-mile.

Jk wheels are 5x5 TJ bolt pattern is 5x4.5. So you do need 4 adapters. One for each wheel. 5 if you need to mount the spare. Also, the offset is different, meaning you want to space the wheel out farther. Go with a 1.5 inch adapter or bigger. Make sure you take the wheels off and re torque them after a few miles.

I have sold the Jeep, from what I recall, the tire size was 245/75R16, or the stock JK Rubicon size. I had a 1.75" spacer/adapter. Very slight rub on the frame at full lock, but otherwise no fitment issues.

For the diffs: if it is a sport, Sahara or SE, it probably has a dana 35 in the rear and a dana 30 up front. You could wheel for years on 33s and not break one. Or, you could go out tomorrow and loose and axle shaft on the rear. It's a wild card but your odds get worse with 35s. They are old and subject to break. The Saharas could be optioned with a dana 44 rear and the dana 30 front. This is a good combo that's should be able to run 35s. So, check the internet for how to tell the difference between a dana 44 and a dana 35 and check your rear axle. Along with the axle discussion, you need to know your gearing. You ideally want 4.56 or numerically higher gears in the rear end. The saharas came with 3.73 gears, which will be a dog but move you along on 35s. Some sports came with 3.07 gears which will need to be regeared to work well. The SE is the four cylinder and came with 4.10 gears, which might do ok around town on 35s, but likely won't have the torque to move you down the highway at speed. Check with the prior owner to see if it has been regeared, plenty of jeeps have been. If performance is sluggish you can either regear or get smaller tires. Of course that excludes the rubicon line which came with dana 44 axles at both ends geared at 4.10. That would probably be ok to bolt 35s on. The mileage is good on that jeep. It may be worth thr price if it's clean. You Need to check the frame rails for rust. Check the U joints for excessive play. And make sure everything is in good shape. Seems high to me, but everything does now and I have a different mindset when it comes to jeep ownership, I want less expensive and more trail happy. Hope this helps!

Agreed. It's hugely important and benefits everything. Having now had both TJs of the same year, I think the 6 cylinder does better on the road. It's nicer and easier to have the extra torque and power available. I had to work that 4 cylinder pretty hard and keep it in the power band to reasonably drive it on the expressway. But, I still think the 4 cylinder is better as a trail rig. Cheaper to start off with is a huge benefit too. Anyway, thanks for watching!

The JK is about 1000 lbs heavier, plus the weight additions from aftermarket parts. He was also going slower. Both were in 4Lo, but I was making use of as much speed as I could. It's a combination of factors. He could have made it up with some more skinny pedal at the bottom. It's just an example that you won't get completely blown away by more expensive jeeps on all parts of the trail.

@@ToledoCars ahh so its not just weight. Yeah the new jeeps with all their weight. I have a 99, 4.0L manual tj on 33's with a 3.5 inch lift and Im like I could easily do this.

No, with the 31 inch tires and the stock 4.10 axle gears, it didn't need to be regeared. Probably the largest tire I would want to run on the 4 cylinder without regearing. Pretty much the usable limit for all around driving. My newer TJ is the 6 cylinder 5 speed with 33s and the 3.73 gears. Doesn't need a re-gear, but I'm again at the limit with that combo. It would probably benefit from 4.10s or 4.56. But, waiting for a complete axle upgrade.

Rims were from a JK. They were 17s. Tires were 31s, but I don't remember the specific metric size.

I think I got them for $450. It was a good deal with the tires on them still in very good shape.

It's neither. That jeep is a SE. The rubicon or sahara are higher optioned models.

The 4 cylinder jeeps won wars!

The transmission and gearing makes a huge difference. You may want to check the simple things on your engine (air filter, spark plugs, etc.) though. You could be down on power. And, check tire pressures too. Low tire pressure will drastically reduce fuel economy.

Omg me too!! And to make things worse my gas tank leaks

Paid a little under $3,000 for it in early 2019. Just sold it recently for $4,500. After putting in the time and money with it, I broke even I think after over a year of ownership.

@@ToledoCars why did you sell it ? You seemed so happy.

@@Scote001Jeep Believe me, I didn't want to. Work is a little up in the air right now and I need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I'll buy another one when things are more stable.

@@ToledoCars I got ya. I agree tho the 2.5 wranglers are very under rated. WwII jeeps were 4 cylinders. When you get in 4 low, she comes to life and does just fine.

It's not fast by any means. It has more than enough power off road in low range and it will go down the highway with some downshifting needed at times.

Toledo Cars i purchased a 2.5 auto and am worried about power loss with tires over 30’s being too significant.

I believe the auto has different gearing at the axles. The power loss for you might be more significant as you might have less torque considering the final gear reduction at the axles. Your axle ratio is taller I think. You should check into gearing.

Toledo Cars thanks! The lack of gears really is the the drawback of the auto. I’m pretty sure I have the 3.73

I think the XJ's are undervalued as well. Or at least last time I looked. Idk enough about their axle ratios, but I doubt they are worse than some of the Wranglers.

But you forgot to add on the price of an angle grinder to take the top off.

Lol those are probably 15k around my part of the country. For what I wanted to do, this is the price point I wanted.

Your spelling is the only thing thats wasted. I made money on that jeep.