DisasterDave

Gents. I do not have an owner's manual yet, ordered one from Ebay. I found a brand new set of 5 wheels and tires from a new Rubicon. Price is great. Anyone know if the offset and bolt pattern is compatible from a 97 Wrangler to present day config. on Rubicons, and early 200_ Sahara's?

Rubicon says it is a 5 x 5 pattern. I need to join a Jeep forum but haven't really found one yet.

Grats,

DD

OneBadZ06

97 and 2000 wranglers are both TJs so the wheel offsets and spacing would be the same.

DisasterDave

Can you clarify that? Do you mean, ANY post 97(TJ) has the same pattern as a 2000 + model, or just 97, 98, 99, 2000 are the same? In other words, were you stating that a 2001 and forward are a different pattern than 97 through 2000?

Grats,

dd

OneBadZ06

Any TJ, 97 though I believe 04.

DisasterDave

Thanks man. Can you be 100% positively certain of it? There is a set of '05's I'm interested in also.

dd

OneBadZ06

I did a little checking for ya.

TJs cover from 97 to 06, so the 05 wheels with fit without issue.

DisasterDave

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

DD

DriveItHard!

DD - All TJs are the same bolt pattern.
The forum you want is http://www.rubiconownersforum.com/phpbb2/index.php- even if you do not have a Rubi, the guys are a great bunch and the tone on the board is positive and mature.

DisasterDave

Cool, thanks Bro. That's a good endorsement.

DD

cmb396

If the wheels are from a new 07 Rubicon, they will NOT fit a 97-06 TJ. New Jeep JK wheels are 5 on 5, TJ's are 5 on 4.5!!

scottycards

Correct. Bolt pattern on JK is 5 on 5. TJ is 5 on 4.5. Your 97 is a 5 on 4.5. They will not fit.

Decent forum recommendation: www.colorado4x4.org It's a fairly civil group, and the tech section is good.

My (off pavement) rig:

DisasterDave

Thanks you guys. I just got my owner's manual from E-bay. This is my first Jeep, I hope to have some casual fun with it, nothing major, just a weekend fun toy. Any experience with rear seal leaks? I hear they're pretty common.

DD

cmb396

Here is a pic of my Rubi, I got it about 45 days ago, so far...I love it. Going w/ 3.5" lift and some 35's this winter!!

Lee C

Going to look sweet with the 35's

DisasterDave

Schweet! Those are so darn cool looking. Yeah, the 35's will be wicked. Nice setup.

dd

scottycards

Which rear seal, DD? You have a 97 Wrangler 4.0? Manual or auto?

Crank, trans, transfer case, or axle/pinion, or wheel bearing seal?

Some folks get a small leak from the TC rear seal, but it's a piece of cake to replace- just drop the driveshaft and pop a new one in.

Post up with more complete info- pulling the oil pan is a bit tricky, but I can hopefully offer a tip or two- BTDT a few times.

DisasterDave

Actually, I haven't really isolated the leak yet. It's a real mess around that big skid plate. I haven't built up the nerve to get down there and remove it yet to look around. I picked up this Jeep for a song and it has 142K, but in excellent shape, inside and out. Only immediate issue is this leak. It definately looks like trans. fluid, certainly not motor oil. Auto trans. Thanks.

dd

DisasterDave

I took a closer look this morning before work. I do have a small leak at the rear transfer case, and I'm certian that the central leak is auto trans fluid. I wanted to removed that large skid plate and take a look around but it kinda appears to be supporting some stuff. I don't want to drop it and not be able to get it back on there. I'm gonna get a Chilton's manual this weekend and so some reading up.

Dd

Omega Man

That is a nice color. I almost went with that but went with the Silver to match my Corvette. Are you on any of the Jeep forums? Shoot me a PM!

I have 8500 mile on my 07 Sahara Unlimited and I picked it up at the end of May.

cmb396

^Thanks Omega!!