Jeep shite: '96 Cherokee 4L Beating around the bushes

[RichardMoss]

This is going to replace my Lumina in the next few days - it's a 1996 Cherokee XJ 4L manual. I'm doing a straight swap for the Lumina - the garage that have the Jeep are going to fit a replacement engine (this one is smoky) and a new clutch as well as give it a full service. The Lumina is going to be the personal transport of the chap who runs the place - he practically begged me to sell it to him! Overall, it's a deal which suits everyone. John gets his "sporty" coupe and I get a relatively lightweight off-roader with better performance than my automatic ZJ Grand Cherokee. It should be damned good on sand.

Note: the Lumina coupe is basically a V6 Holden/Vauxhall Monaro and whilst that would be a highly desirable car in Oz or NZ, here in the UAE it is just regarded as an old clunker because it's not a Japanese 4x4 which means that their values are stupidly low (a shame because they are greatcars). Of course, that worked to my advantage when buying it 18months ago. Conversely, these XJ Cheokees hold their value so they seem expensive compared to the UK/US/OZ/NZ but then you tend to get that back when you sell.

As you can see, something with a chromed plastic grille that tacky has to qualify as shite!!

[brickwall]

I kinda liked those. They had leaf springs at the rear?

[Pete-M]

Cherokheap has leafs, Grand Cherokheap has coils.

[RichardMoss]

Cherokheap has leafs, Grand Cherokheap has coils.

Indeed - the front end of the Cherokee XJ is near identical to the Grand Cherokee ZJ and WJ. At the moment I have one of each, although the blue WJ is being sold.

 

The XJ will probably receive a suspension lift shortly - what type and how high has yet to be decided although it will most likely be about 2" and probably just a "budget boost" using spacers and shackle extensions (long travel is less important than ground clearance).

 

[Ian Nexus]

Our 1996 Cherokee just turned 250k miles, we bought it as a stop gap car when we first moved to the US from the UK and it just keeps on going. Replacements in last 2 years :-

Thermostat, drivers door seal, heater hose, power steering pump, oxygen sensor, brake pads and quite a few oil changes (changed ATF and filter after towing all the household stuff back from the port at Houston in overdrive!).

Only negative is the fairly mediocre fuel consumption - best at 20 US MPG.

[brickwall]

I don't really think I could talk anybody out of a boxy one.

[RichardMoss]

Before anyone says "too young to be a classic" just remember that these went on sale in 1984 so have been around as long as the mk2 Golf.

 

Here are some pictures of my new toy which I collected on thursday evening. I haven't done anything to it today but I will need to get a new taillight unit for the left hand side as the old one has faded badly.

 

 

Jobs to do:

Suspension Lift (2", maybe 3") with new shock absorbers

Clean the engine bay and interior properly

Remove those useless spotlights and fit something decent

Use it offroad

Fix anything that breaks once I start using it.

 

I may also replace that chromed grille with a painted one - the chrome looks really old fashioned!

 

First impressions are very positive. The interior is, of course, unspeakably tacky but it has a few toys (electric seats/windows/mirrors etc) and satisfactory aircon. To drive it is a revelation - the gearing is higher than expected, perhaps partly because of the slightly oversized tyres fitted to it, but despite that it goes like stink! Due to the big engine, light weight and manual transmission it feels every bit as fast as my 2001 V8 Grand Cherokee auto but more agile with it (unlike that great truck). It's certainly no Jaguar as far as refinement goes but it's a lot better than expected. It's going to be fun!

[Junkman]

Dunno. UAE petrol prices sound more like Big Block with two Holley four barrels to me?

[RichardMoss]

Dunno. UAE petrol prices sound more like Big Block with two Holley four barrels to me?

usually attached to an autobox and 2 tons too much steel.

[Junkman]

Dunno. UAE petrol prices sound more like Big Block with two Holley four barrels to me?

usually attached to an autobox and 2 tons too much steel.

 

That's the spirit!

[RichardMoss]

New tail lights fitted - I had to get the better looking later design because the style used on the car weren't in stock (I'm not worried about originality) so I bought a pair. £35 or so for the pair seems fair enough and my brake lights on the left hand side are now red again!

[RichardMoss]

I took this out on a local run in the dunes today and have to say that the results are very impressive - even better than I'd hoped. It certainly gets more power down to the wheels than my ZJ and has me wondering if the ZJ's engine is giving all that it should (in addition to it being an auto). It was able to climb dunes that the ZJ wouldn't even get close to getting on top of and I had to change gear a lot less often than I expected. You can really feel how much lighter it is than the WJ and ZJ and reminds me of a quote from Colin Chapman which went something like: "to increase performance, first add lightness". It's certainly true.

 

It does need more ground clearance at both ends and so a 2-3" lift is essential. It also has a very squeaky heater blower so that will need to be looked at (it looks like a major job to get at, though).

[Ian Nexus]

Heater blower motor :-

4.0L ENGINE

(1) Remove the washer fluid tank.

(2) Disconnect the blower motor wires

(3) Remove the blower motor mounting bolts

(4) Remove the blower motor and fan assembly

(5) Find all sorts of stuff in fan blades and housing

[RichardMoss]

I didn't expect it to come out through the engine bay. Thanks.

[Ian Nexus]

There are a few things on the Cherokee that are quite straight forward to do, make sure that you check to see that the wiring for the front oxygen sensor (it goes down past the power steering pump at the front of the engine) isn't too close to the exhaust manifold pipe, it can get burnt and of course short out.

[RichardMoss]

Middle East market models don't have O2 sensors or catastrophic convertors, thankfully. There are, however, one or two pieces of "creative" wiring in there which will need looking at.

 

Mechanically much of it is the same as my 1996 Grand Cherokee (although that's an auto and has coil springs at the rear) so there shouldn't be too many surprises. I must get the Chilton (Haynes) manual out and have a read up on the differences, such as the heater blower etc. Engine mountings are scheduled to be replaced tomorrow, along with a few other bits and bobs.

[RichardMoss]

The XJ is bloody awesome - it will (apparently) go absolutely anywhere. The experienced off-roader's weapon of choice here is a SWB Nissan Patrol but on a trip yesterday I was leaving a couple of those floundering in my wake and looking for an easier route, despite them being driven by much more experienced drivers than me. Great fun

[RichardMoss]

2" suspension lift now fitted. New front coils, new shocks/bumpstops/ARB bushes and an extra helper leaf in the rear springs.

 

The fact that the front coils are taller and more stiff means that it doesn't hit the bump stops like it used to. On-road handling and ride are better, too, which is an unexpected bonus - a product of it having the taller front coils and rear helper springs, rather than just spacers.

 

Anyway, now it's even better!

 

I have also replaced a few other bits, including the rear tailgate gas struts. Now instead of the tailgate falling down on your head, you are in danger of being hit under the chin as it springs up! I replaced all 4 steering track rod ends last week, too - the old ones were really knackered. They are all greaseable so I suspect that they have been neglected but the steering is much improved now, thankfully.

 

[RichardMoss]

The Jeep had a bit of an "issue" yesterday - the radiator blew out when the electric cooling fan failed. This is known locally as an "Explodiator". Thankfully it was right at the end of the trip and my mates were able to tow me to a convenient spot to abandon the car overnight. This morning I went parts shopping and then went back to fix the Jeep - all fixed after less than an hour (taking it easy, too).

 

I got brand new Valeo radiator, new electric fan, new hoses, rad cap and thermostat and had change from £170. The local parts store had it all in stock (I doubt that all makes would be so well catered for) repairs were dead easy - easier than on the Grand Cherokees in fact.

 

Whoops

Think I found the problem

Old and new

New fan

Almost done

[jonathan_dyane]

I may also replace that chromed grille with a painted one - the chrome looks really old fashioned!

 

Don't you dare; the chrome grille looks *brilliant*!

[Albert Ross]

Is the "Red Flag" a legal requirement when "on Piste"?

[RichardMoss]

Is the "Red Flag" a legal requirement when "on Piste"?

No, we just make it a club requirement to have a flag (colour is irrelevant) as it makes it easier to lead and follow vehicles that are the other side of the dunes.

 

I may also replace that chromed grille with a painted one - the chrome looks really old fashioned!

 

Don't you dare; the chrome grille looks *brilliant*!

I will almost certainly keep it on there, don't worry - I'm starting to get attached to it.

[RichardMoss]

Headlights replaced with cheapo projectors from Ebay:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170899360075?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

 

 

They have clear "glass" and the light beam is shaped by the reflector, not the lens. They're the type used on about 99% of new cars and are supposed to give a better light pattern. They seem to make a big difference but if the standard H4 bulbs don't cut it, I should be able to put an HID kit in there (like I did on the Luminaro).

 

Talking of which, I've been enjoying the XJ so much that I haven't really missed the Lumina like I expected I would.

 

A friend asked me on another forum if upgraded, all-metal radiators are available for the Cherokee - and the answer is "yes". So, I have just bought one - all brass, beautifully put together and all the way from America. Not cheap but I think it will be worth it as it has an uprated core, too. Actually, for what it is, it is great value at $204 including shipping to my US courier - then it cost me just over $100 to get it here! The suppliers were also very helpful.

 

http://www.btr-radiator.com/partslistin ... =-1&id5=-1 Once it is in and tested I shall post some more piccies.

 

I'm part way through fitting a wide flare kit, a cheapo ebay copy of the very expensive Bushwacker kit. Half the price but probably twice the work to fit.

This is what the original flares look like:

 

This is the kit of wider flares. Single-piece front flares, two-piece rears (part for the door part for the wing) and two funny looking bits that have yet to be identified! :

 

I used fibreglass matting and resin to beef up the areas where the bolts go through (sorry no "after" pic just yet):

 

There were no instructions or bolts but it's not rocket science. Whip off the original flares, offer up the new ones and get an idea where the slightly mis-shapen fibreglas needs to be trimmed. Then get brave with the angle grinder and attack the wing!

 

This is what came off:

 

After drilling a load of holes in the flares and the wing (all rust treated and painted), I used some small bore irrigation tube (split down the middle) to edge the lip that presses up against the wing. Then I bolted it into place with some nice M8 hex headed bolts. The area under the front end of the flare has been left untrimmed for now - once I've get everything in place I'll trim/fold/paint it to tidy it up.

 

Then it's time to tackle the other side. Here you can see the mounting holes. No going back now! You can also see here the lift springs and uprated shocks that I had fitted some time back (about 1.75" of lift). Needless to say, this side took a lot less time than the first!

 

You'll probably have noticed that the new flares cover the area of the side repeaters. i have fitted some LED indicator repeaters to the mirrors (you can see them in the last three shots) and will see if there is somewhere convenient to refit the side repeaters - probably above the crease line.

 

Now the rears are going to be a bit more tricky because there are some double skinned, areas that I really don't want to trim because it would weaken the shell (where the inner arches meet the rear wings) so I will have to fold, weld and paint those bits and spend more time trimming the flares.

 

I'm reasonably pleased with them although the rear end of the front left flare is a rather poor fit at the bottom of the wing and could do with building up - but that's a job for another time. Rears first!

 

Also, the wheels look a little lost now (as expected) so I may swap them for the ones on my red Grand Cherokee which have a wider offset or fit spacers. Hopefully I'll get one or both rear arches done this weekend.

[garycox]

Why do you need those horrible arches?

[RichardMoss]

Why do you need those horrible arches?

More clearance for the wheels - the tyres were sometimes catching on the wings and that would damage the Dunlops. I have a set of slightly wider tyres on a set of wheels which have a slightly wider offset which together should prove beneficial on sand. However, they would not have fitted under the existing arches, hence the change

[RichardMoss]

Driver's side arch on:

 

The plastic "beading":

 

Never mind the quality, feel the width :

 

A gap that even a Range Rover would be ashamed of!

 

Rear arch:

 

All 4 arches on:

 

Relocated side repeater and Cherokee badge

 

I'm reasonably pleased with the results but it's not a job I fancy repeating any time soon. I'll be charitable and say that "the fit could have been better" - in fact, I think that the arch flares were made by someone who had once seen a Cherokee from a distance but never actually got close enough to measure up . A LOT of fettling was required - perhaps made worse by the fact that I did not want to trim the rear wings/inner wheelarches because of the risk of weakening the structure, so I just folded the lip of the wheelarch up into the inner arch (forgot to take photos, though).

 

Now for some spacers for the wheels so that they can fill those arches.

 

Thankfully the new radiator was a whole different kettle of fish. Beautifully made and it slotted straight in with no troubles. I flushed the cooling system, changed a few hoses and fitted a new expansion tank and everything was fine - for one whole day until the water pump munched its seals! So it all had to come out again for a new water pump to go in. on the plus side, I also took the opportunity to fit a heavy duty viscous clutch to the fan so it should help cooling, too. So far so good.............

 

[andrew e]

Dickie, have you stuck vents in the Bonnet (fiesta turbo???) I can appreciate why obviously.

[RichardMoss]

I have - cheapo ebay ones that do seem to allow more hot air to exit the engine bay. The cooling system on these things is marginal at best, not as good as the Grand Cherokee thanks to a radiator that is about 2/3 the size that it needs to be and a tendency to trap air in the higher points of the system.. I plan to give it a run out in the dunes on saturday afternoon, so I'll take plenty of spare water just in case of a boil up

[RichardMoss]

Another job done on the Jeep (some time ago!) - wheel spacers.  After fitting the flared arches with the aim of giving more clearance for suspension travel, the bodywork is a bit wider and the wheels looked a touch lost.  So, Ebay.com came to the rescue with a set of 1.25" aluminium wheel spacers at an attractive price (certainly better value than wider wheels and new tyres!)
Before and after pictures (taken in the dark because that's when the temperature drops to sensible levels - i.e. below 40C):




In daylight:


I also fitted the cupholder after adjusting the handbrake so that the lever doesn't foul on it:


The radiator fan shroud disintegrated a few weeks ago on an offroad trip.  The problem is that with no shroud there is a lower volume of air drawn through the radiator.  My local parts shop had one on stock, so that's now back to standard spec.


The electric cooling fan is used to supplement the mechanical fan when  the engine warms up and when the aircon is on.  The original type of fan used up to 1997 had six, straight blades and was very noisy - mine especially so as the bearings in the motor were wearing out.

The 1998-onwards fan has 10 curved blades and is supposed to move more air whilst being cooler.  My local parts shop had them in stock at an attractive price so the old fan has been replaced by this:

It's certainly quieter and smoother (less vibration) and does seem to move lots of air - I've no idea if it's more effective but it's worth a try.  I was going to fit one to replace the mechanical fan because that is supposed to be the best setup but unfortunately my uprated radiator is thicker than the original and there is not enough space between the rad and the belt pulley on the engine.  Bum (although I may be able to create more space using the drive pulleys from a Grand Cherokee).

Lastly for now, the chrome plated moldings around the headlights were cracked and broken so I bought some cheap, black ones and sprayed the grille black to match.  I've never liked the chrome look so I'm much happier with this, especially now that it matches the flared arches.  

15 October:
Today's little moment of joy - a really nasty vibration when under power. I think it's the universal joint(s) in the rear driveshaft/propshaft. There's always something.......but at least I have replacement joints on the shelf ready to be fitted.

16 October:
I looked at the rear propshaft (driveshaft) and the forward universal joint was completely shot.  Repairs had to wait until this evening but were pretty straightforward.  The photos below show the extent of the wear - the bearings were dry and completely trashed.  What is annoying is that when it was in the workshop of "a certain well known local garage", I asked them to check out the vibration which I said was probably coming from the propshaft.  I was assured that it was fine - yet 2 weeks later, here we are!

How it should be:



How it was:



It's interesting to note that I have always experienced experienced what I thought was clutch judder when pulling away from a standstill and just put that down to the usual XJ lack of refinement (Chrysler/Jeep please note:  you can find "refinement" in the dictionary between "rattle" and "rubbish". The judder is now gone and so it must have been caused by the prop UJ binding.
 

[RichardMoss]

I got round to replacing all the front suspension bushes last week - and it's made quite an improvement to the handling and steering (the old ones were well and truly shot).  Each side of the axle has an upper arm and a lower one and with each having two bushes, that makes 8 to change.  I also fitted new anti-roll bar drop links at the same time - it was not worth leaving them for another day (they were knackered, too).  Removal and refitting involved undoing the bolts and beating the crap out of the old bushes with a big hammer and a chisel and then beating the crap back in  

Here are some of the old ones:




These are the shiny new ones in place.




I also fitted some camber adjusting wedges to the rear axle (to straighten out the angle of the propshaft universal joints and reduce judder).  I forgot to take photos but the modification has made it smoother to drive.

On Christmas Day afternoon I fitted a remote control central locking system bought from Amazon for about $18.  It was dead easy to fit and uses the existing central locking system motors.  It was so good, I'm going to fit one to my Grand Cherokee and Phillippa's Rover (when we're next back in the UK).

Next up - cracked exhaust manifold, blown downpipe gasket and (it seems) a front wheelbearing

 

 

The crankshaft rear oil seal failed out in the desert the other day - now sorted thanks to a local garage - along with the (overdue) oil and filter change plus a new sump gasket (also overdue) thanks to the long-standing leaks.

I finally pulled the pictures of my rear spring bushes off my camera - you can see why the handling was a bit suspect:




Some "action" shots: