im really lost now

alright, i must say im dissapointed w/ my 5. ive been workin on it for 2 years now and just got it to the testing stage. ive got a brand new set of bfg 33's on it and im ready to test. as i take off up the road i notice it take a lot of throttle to get the damn thiung moving. i tried 4 low and noticed quickly that this thing lost all low end crawl. ive got 5.38 gears in the axles so i would think it should turn over the 33's w/ no problems. the only thing i can figure is tat it is in the transfer case. what options do i have to regain my low end crawling back with the 33's. i know im going to be limited because of my fhead as to what trany i can have but is there a diferent gearing i can get for the tcase? or any options, im open to any advise. thanxs

 

got access to another set of smaller diameter tires/wheels you can try ?
you sure you have 5:38s ?

 

I'd double check to make sure of your ratio's and make sure your front and rear ratio match. Also make sure the engine is running correctly and there are no issues in the trans or transfer case. Also make sure the brakes aren't dragging. I ran 33's for quite a while with the stock F-head, T-90, etc. with 5.38's and while no power house, it got around quite well, especially in low range. Sounds like something is not "right" here.

 

:iagree:

 

Yep, something wrong. In addition to what nick said, when you check brake dragging, make sure you check the parking brake.

 

My Mom's 55 is all stock, with 10.50 15s, (just as tall as the 33s on my p/u). It runs down the road fine now. It was definetely lacking power when we first got it running, couldn't pull a trailer, a hill, etc. Our problem was the mechanical timing advance was not working. New distributor and it was like a new jeep. Just something to check.

 

my issue really isnt a lack of engine power but that my gearing doesnt seem low enough. ive got a 86 f150 w/ a 4 speed and 3.50 gears and w/ 33's on it it' a lot lower than the cj. im positive that my ring and pinoin is a 5.38, ive rebuilt the axles and counted the teeth myself. i just feel like its in the trans or transfer case geraing. like i said at first glance i seem kinda stuck w/ this if i stay w/ the fhead b/c i havent seen any other drivetrain options. im not so savy w/ the early cj parts and what not but i do no that ive got a lot of money in the fhead and cant afford to swap it fora v6. i noticed that someone said that there might be another gear set for the d18.where might i be able to find the stock reatio and where could i find a lower gear set fot trans or transfer case. thanks

 

The only thing I can think of is that you have T90A (~3:1 1st) instead of a T90C (~3.3:1) and maybe an old Tcase with 3/4" intermed shaft with ~2:1 lo instead of ~2.5:1. When I had 33"'s on mine, I was not unimpressed in lo range and didn't have any probs but 31's do work better for my needs.

 

Does sound like you might be running higher gears than you figure on. Like maybe 3.88 to 1.

I would also be checking that the E-brake isn't dragging. That is my $.02 worth. and probably worth about that, too.

Clogged air filter?Feel like you are running through really deep fine-grained sand all the time?