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What to do to keep the Jeep happy under hard use??
Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
Because it came with a P0303 (and a P1491 and P0455) I had already picked up a set of plugs. I changed them and here are the old ones. Front plugs are the closest. I'd assume they were carboned because of having been run with the CEL on for six months by the previous owner. There was no gas cap on it. I also ordered the relay for the can. It no longer throws the misfire or evap code (yet). I am not seeing any indication of oil or water on the plug so so far so good. Researching the dash swap. Ebay has plenty of the instrument clusters. Have to find one with lower or the same mileage though. Just got dicked by an insurance co that would not accept that my Tracker had less than what showed on the clock. Added a pic of the plugs and hope it comes through
Actually if all things are working and adjusted correctly when the trans shifter is in the 1-2 position the trans will stay in 1st until the rpms are at or a bit above 4K. Having the trans stay in second is a different matter and requires a mod.
Good advice about the flush. I will do that. I also want to replace hoses wherever there is any question. Preemptive is key.
I have been told that the auto trans is a weak point. Is that so on the 2001? If they remove the HCV how do they get heat? Water to drink and 50 50 mix for the engine. OK.I once had a 2 mile hike on the outer canyons of Death Valley turn into a six and I know about getting thirsty.
I apologise, I should have said bypass HCV by discconnecting it, connect heater hoses directly to the heater core tubes then remove the HCV.
I've only owned one Auto trans, that was ages ago. Everything thing else has been manual. Those who've pushed the AW4 to it's limits are more qualified to speak on that.
Before you leave, get everything in top shape, leave no doubts.
The AW4 is sturdy, forward flush it and fill with fresh ATF, decent trans cooler and you did all you can for it.
Drinking water is the only vital thing to bring along. Bring more than you think is enough. It's the only rule and advice.
IMO that is one of the first things you should change.
For a DD ehh.
For what you plan on doing thinking more important.
My understanding it is plug and play.
It appears that any '97 to '01 cluster will work.
But I think '97 and '98 say the words "Check Engine" instead of the symbol that later models have.
Oh and there is the mileage reading to consider.
Appears stored in the cluster. So you either get one that is real close to your existing mileage or
pretty sure there are services to change it to what your mileage reads on the old cluster.
X2 on this one... best mod I ever did to my 99. They call them "idiot lights" for a reason.... by the time one of them comes on... it's already too late. Best to be able to more closely monitor how the jeep is running. And like above mentioned, they are plug and play for that year. Just find one in a yard or ebay... etc. It's not that expensive and very easy to swap.
Anyone mention radiator yet?
if rock crawling or off roading in desert, I'd say copper brass radiator. While not for all people, some of my hard core guys and gals will torch on the road to repair failures.
If just hot climate driving, high performance or your someone who can't or won't repair a radiator, I'd say all aluminum over the plastic aluminum radiators. (Assuming engine block is clean and you use the "green stuff", they hold up really well)
I would stick to 2 row all aluminums over the 3 row. We want the radiator to flex and the 3 rows often are just too thick and may wear quicker with offroad use.
My xj has wheeled for years using a stock radiator.
also carry cash when on those long trips, sometimes credit cards dont work. I had two cards denied cause the credit companies thought there was fraud and shut me down cause I was using the cards in Death Valley, of course no phone service there so I had to straighten it out when back home. good thing I had some cash to buy gasoline!
My xj has wheeled for years using a stock radiator.
Most of Oz users in hot climate report that although the stock system can be marginal in some cases, little or no improvement, (especially in reliability) is obtained with triple electric fans and alloy rads
The failure rate is too high, read some reviews at least, quality control of Chinese made products is a lucky dip
jeez my AW4 gets hot, now that I have a gauge to measure it, havent done any hard off-roading since fitment, but in hot weather, low gears, no TC lockup, steep slow hills (traffic)
temp will run up to 212F, would go higher if I dint take action, already have a 12 x 8 cooler
It will be very interesting to see how it reads towing a trailer of building materials up to my rural property, a trip I do quite a lot
runs about 160F on the open road with TC locked up
As someone who has rebuilt a few stroker engines and has learned from it, I would do the following for ANY flat-tappet camshaft engine every single oil change:
1. ZDDP Oil Additives: Use a bottle of Lucas ZDDP or CompCams Zinc. I would personally use the CompCams, I can tell from use it has a much denser zinc content (dark brown, very syrupy, Lucas less so and it costs more)
- Why? In 2005 the EPA has cut down on zinc content in oils to save $300 catalytic converters at the cost of premature engine wear-n-tear. I have looked at the API oil ratings extensively and they stopped measuring metallic debris content (iron specifically) with later ratings. Just before they stopped measuring the PPM for older API specifications used to be 20 or 40 PPM, then it went to 80, then it went out the window. Newer model cars with overhead cams have less wear, and roller cams which are becoming more ubiquitous even less so. With one change to the ZDDP in oils they started killing off older style engines meaning you'll be buying a new one or a new vehicle altogether. If you want the engine to last without rebuilds like they once used to, add the zinc. There are no shortage of lifter tap videos on youtube in recent years and I believe this is why. Standard off the shelf oils don't have as much as zinc as they used to... unless you're using diesel engine oil which hasn't been down-regulated. They're still in the 1200 range (vs 800 or 700 for gasoline, whatever it's at now)
2. Shell Rotella Diesel Engine Oil: Alternative to ZDDP, use Shell Rotella diesel engine oil. It's cheaper anyways, and diesel oils are more robust under higher temperatures as well as to acid formulations that come from diesel fuel. Diesel is much more harsh than gasoline. I personally use the zinc AND Shell Rotella. I actually aim for the nonsynthetic T4 stuff since you can get it in a 5 gallon bucket and there is no synthetic in it. I do that because when you break in a camshaft you don't want synthetic oils because the ZDDP gets washed away by it. The ZDDP forms a hardened acrylic layer on the metal surfaces that rub together (IE camshaft namely) that keeps the metal from touching and makes a smoothened surface. I follow the belief that if it's true for engine break-in, it should be true for normal engine operation. The choice is yours if you use rotella whether to use synthetic or not. I value the ZDDP coating more than the life-span of the oil. Whether or not it's synthetic the oil will lubricate well if changed when it should be. You can always tell the ZDDP content of a given oil based on the thickness and how dark brown it is. Take off your valve cover and you will see everything is dark brown, that is zinc content. If the oil you put in the engine isn't close to that darkness or darker, I wouldn't trust it. Shell Rotella is the same darkness as your engine internals, and that's due to unregulated ZDDP content. I personally believe the heightened ZDDP content of diesel engines is one of the major factors of why they last so long. If you want to test that theory start putting off the shelf gasoline engine oil in there and see how long a diesel engine lasts.
3. Bestline Oil Additive: Use BestLine Engine treatment. It only takes a few ounces of that stuff but the lubricity is off the charts. This guy testing it out in his shop compared to other things he has tried is what sold me on it, but I saw a review where a guy who had a motorcycle that was used for licensing on tests was something he used to test it to see how long the engine would run after he let the oil empty out (which he had bestline in). He said it ran for 26+ hours in second gear. Here's the video of the guy doing the lubricity test:
4. CamShaft / Valve Springs: When/if you have to have the engine pulled for a camshaft/rebuilt for whatever reason... Order a Nitrided treated cam from CompCams. I determined the engine build I did in 2018 would be the last one for a wiped out cam lobe. Also, if you DO have an engine rebuilt DO NOT LET THE BUILDER REPLACE THE VALVE SPRINGS UNLESS YOU TRUST HIS WORD. I've had 3 engine failures, technically 4 but one was after I sold that vehicle. It wasn't until I took the head to a reputable machinist I trust as a friend that I found out I did not get what I asked for from Golen. The OEM valve spring pressures are supposed to be 95-100lbs of seat pressure (this pressure pushes the pushrod into the lifter into the cam lobes). When he rebuilt my head he said the valve seat pressures were 136lbs, that's race engine pressure and race engines are designed to be rebuilt periodically. He said there was no way that the cam would lost like an OEM vehicle with that kind of pressure. One of the major culprits to stroker engine failures from these after market engine builders can probably be traced to that, along with declining ZDDP in oils. Also, there were varying amounts of valve seat height (I forget the proper terminology) between each combustion chamber. He called Chad at Golen to try to get the install height numbers from him but Chad was unwilling to work with him on it; he said he wasn't happy that someone was tearing into his engine and I daresay he knew he had been found out for not adhering to my request for the engine build. I no longer trust anyone as far as engine building services and mechanics go. You will never know what you bought until you tear into the engine to find out. If you want it done to your specifications and you want it to last, do it yourself.
5. Heat Soak: 2000 and 2001 models had a redesigned exhaust manifold that wasn't an improvement. Replace those infernal exhaust manifolds with the twin-precats. Heat soak is caused by these, and premature electronic component wear will increase (fuel injectors, TPS< IAC<etc. I had an aftermarket set of headers on my Cherokee (2000) and never once had heat soak. After the last rebuild I figured engineers probably knew better than us and put them back in, and in came the heat soak. Raising the hood 1 inch at the rear with fender washers, the heat soak TSB components, AND adding hood louvers did not solve the problem (and I already had those pre-cats removed from the downpipes). I even pop the hood when I park somewhere if I'm going to be in there for more than 10 minutes but less than 25. The problem is those heavy *** hunks of iron are so thick they retain and radiate too much heat and it cooks the fuel rail/injectors. There is nothing that can fix this problem if you have it outside of getting rid of them; climate temperatures will dictate how much of an issue it is for. I have a 4.6 stroker & a supercharger so I make more heat than most, plus I live in Florida where's summer 11 months a year, and even still I didn't have heatsoak with no hood louvers, no raised hood, still had the pre-cats on the downpip, and no TSB heat deflectors until I put those OEM peices of junk on there. However, be mindful of what you replace them with. The Clifford Performance headers (I had before) never gave me heat soak, but I always had a vacuum leak because one of the pipes curves right over the top of one of the exhaust bolts and you can never get it fully tightened unless you pull the engine. It is literally impossible. Get something that you can see good pictures of to make sure the pipes aren't in the way of the exhaust bolts. Here's a picture of the problem for reference:
It has cost me no less than $12,000 in engine buys/rebuilds to learn these lessons. Anyone can post what they want, but I have learned first hand and nothing anyone says on the internet will sway me. I do these with every oil change and I am certain I will see this engine last several hundred thousand miles like once used to happen with the inline 6'es on a frequent scale while eliminating heat-soack (I also think this excessive heat feeding back into the head is a strong candidate for why 0331 heads will crack, yes they may be weaker in design but I am thoroughly convinced the combination of head design with these manifolds is the straw that breaks the camel's back).
If you replace the head you'll be disconnecting the exhaust manifolds anyways. Do yourself a favor and toss'em. You could even get the 99 and earlier single manifold and have the exhaust shop cut new holes for the O2 sensors.
Last edited by CoffeeCommando; 03-06-2021 at 12:48 PM.
Wow, this thread is a roller coaster. Good information on one had, plus a whole bunch of tangential stuff that would make someone wonder if stock factory XJs even work...
To the OP: Ralph77 and others suggesting routine maintenance and tune-ups are spot-on. A well-maintained stock XJ will reliably wheel in Death Valley and drive up Pikes Peak (myself and many others have done both). Understand and keep an eye on your 0331 head, as it is more sensitive than earlier heads. Use a decent quality motor oil with good quality filter. Before embarking on this big trip, flush your coolant and check plugs/wires. Check the radiator cap and if it's gooped up replace it. Flush and fill your transmission. Give all the grease points some lubrication. Keep your tires properly inflated.
XJs seem to naturally run warmer than other vehicles. When wheeling, keep the engine up around 2000-2200 rpm. It's uncomfortable, but on really hot days open the windows and turn on the cabin heater. These two "tricks" can help keep your temperatures a little lower.
These simple steps will prepare you for all but the "freak" accidents. For those, plan ahead. Flat tires are your most likely problem. Keep a full size spare properly inflated. Installing LT rated tires all but eliminate flats. Carry a hand pump under the rear seat. Carry some cash and let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return. Plan on 1 gallon of water per person per day. Wear long pants, lightweight/light colored long sleeve shirts, and wide-brimmed hats in the desert.
Preparing to wheel your Jeep in the Colorado mountains and California deserts does not require extensive modifications or improvements; it just requires a little thoughtfulness, maintenance, and basic preparedness.
IMO that is one of the first things you should change.
For a DD ehh.
For what you plan on doing thinking more important.
My understanding it is plug and play.
It appears that any '97 to '01 cluster will work.
But I think '97 and '98 say the words "Check Engine" instead of the symbol that later models have.
Oh and there is the mileage reading to consider.
Appears stored in the cluster. So you either get one that is real close to your existing mileage or
pretty sure there are services to change it to what your mileage reads on the old cluster.
Agreed... one of the best mods I did on mine when I got it. And yes... there are ways to have the mileage reset to what is correct for your jeep if you choose. No one near me at the time had that service, so I just recorded at the time of the swap so I would always know what was accurate for my jeep....as I personally don't really care what the odometer says, I know the true mileage... I get complements all the time, because the cluster reads 247k, and the jeep really only has about 110k on it now.
02-21-2021, 04:23 PM
