Eurofag here.
I got offer for old '86 Cherokee XJ with Renault made J8S 2.1TD engine.
Anyone got any ideas what i should look for? The axles/unibody/engine itself etc. ?
It would be my first "Jeep" and I am getting it pretty much for a project car. I dont' mind the powerless engine either. I just would like to know problems to seek and avoid.
I have lot's of experience building cars but have never faced Jeep before so I do not know what to expect.
Gonna go and see it tomorrow.
Get one with an AMC 242 in it instead, fuck that gay euro shit 2.1 are u fucking kidding me? That's Ike 12ftlbs of torque my cell phone charger puts out more power than that
>XJ
Doing good so far...
>with a Renault
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Trust me, would you see our fuel prices you'd look for powerless "push it faster with one leg out of the door" cars too. And why I need 4x4 is because I have lots of forests to cover where I live. So its just going to be workhorse - no need for speed nor "power".
>85 hp @ 3750 rpm, 132 ft lb @ 2750 rpm
How rough is this terrain you're looking to cross exactly? That engine makes enough power to get you across shitty grass, but will be rather useless on steep inclines and rocks.
Most of the time shit like pic related with and without snow. No crawling nor being in deep shit.
I've had Nissan Patrol Y60 2.8D and it had more than enough power for my needs.
I am just wondering what to look for Cherokee. Any common shit what to avoid?
I've heard they're reliable in general, and the engine I know for a fact it is very reliable. There are no particular points you should watch but you should be aware that the engine overheats easily if you push on it a lot and it absolutely hates overheating. But by the looks of you shouldnt have too many issues.
Where are you in yuro? Parts are fucking plentiful in france of course but I'm not so sure about other countries.
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Already checked for parts what get most of the wear they are pretty common around here for my suprise. Just need some reliable half project/half workhorse coffin I could haul around in forest trails.
Thanks for reply.
I am from Baltics.
You'll have no trouble with roads like that. As another user said make sure you take good care of the cooling system, they are the xj's weak point.
again, you can't go wrong with the J8S. Just make sure it has oil, dont overrev for long periods of time
If you want more power you can do so without having to actually change parts, but you'd have to give me time so I can translate that.
You'll have a bit worse mileage but it's probably not stellar already on the XJ.
The block's the problem. It has a pig iron block and an aluminium head, so the block keeps a shitton of heat and the head picks up heat easily and then warps.
But the only time I've gotten close to overheating was when I was at 160/170 on the highway for about 5 minutes nonstop, foot completely down, and at that speed the engine revs at nearly 4k.
Good to hear. Hows the unibody? Any weak points there I should look for and avoid?
It seems to have mechanical fuel Injection pump so I guess you just screw it for "more fuel mixture" and it'll have more power. I've done it for VW Golf MK2 beater back in the day. Damn thing smoked like hell, but it was fun.
I own a 2000 so some of what I know might not apply, but the unibody is much stronger than you would think. It's closer to a full frame design than a typical unibody vehicle.
There's that but also the turbo can be set to give more power and you can get the redline a bit higher. Since the cam is sharp-ish (for a diesel) it can give just a bit more up top.
I want to try running fuel system cleaner through my block, and if you do get the XJ, I can tell you if it's worth it or not.
By the way, do you know how many km does it have on the clock?
Figured much ... thanks user!
Id love to get tips on anything XJ/J8S related so go ahead!
And it has 250 000+ on clock ...
I figured for diesel it's "okay-ish" as long I change all fluids ASAP after getting that coffin.
I dont really have any XJ trips on hand but I do know the J8S kinda well now.
It's pretty torquey in low/mid RPM (peak torque is at 2k), and it can pull well enough at higher RPM. For maintenance I do air filter and oil every 10k, oil and diesel filter every 15k. distribution belt needs change every 75k km or so.
You can easily do 400k+ km without having to overhaul the block but you'd have to get to that point, especially if you stay higher in RPM. But one of my dad's friends had the same engine in a R21 and pushed it to 980k km without changing the engine. Had to re-bore the cylinders, but otherwise no issue ever. engine didnt even die, he just gave the car away.
Just think about basic maintenance and you'll be good.
What about turbo itself. I remember something about turbos being weak point on cherokees - dno about that unicorn engine tho.
AFAIK, it was fitted with the Renault engine onboard computer, and not one made by AMC, so as far as using pre-OBD tech type scanners on it, you might be out of luck.
In the states, those are pretty rare trucks, even more-so in a Jeep MJ (Comanche); and I only personally know of 2 people who own a 2.1 Turbo in a Jeep (both Comanches). One of the guys had a hell of a time outsourcing timing related parts and some of the tensioners and the like even from overseas (had to get a buddy in Germany to send him some parts out of a junkyard) so as far as reliability is concerned, I guess it depends on what you can find in other cars / trucks to work.
I know now that the motor is pretty solid, and that he has no real issues other than a quirky few from the AMC wiring job they did at the factory. Boost works and the motor does what it does. Gets a respectable 25-ish in the city and around 30 or so on the highway in his MJ.
Like any other Cherokee of that era, I would look at the floorpans if you could. Suspension components should be akin to any other Jeep from that time period; straight solid from axle with basic truck suspension components. Good news is that most every part on the Cherokee in that regard is usually found for cheap, because of how many are still around (in the states anyway). Across the pond might be a different matter, but it should still be the same. I know they sold respectably when Chrysler started to peddle them there in 93 or 94.
Thanks for answer again, yep already took a look for timing belts and tensioners, Also other parts what may need changing. Everything I need or might need to change after buying is available here and pretty cheap for my suprise.
I am more and more of thinking getting that coffin for real if it comes around being good enough.
Oh shit, fellow yuropoor with an XJ. I have the 2.5 VM Motori diesel. Climbed a pretty tough mountain with it, it performed great stock. Haven't had any technical difficulties yet.
Much like all turbos, it's fragile if not taken care of (aka stomping the foot in when cold and on startup, not letting oil get down in the engine before cutting off, not doing oil changes frequently or at all).
Oh, by the way, the lower engine might have some very minor oil leaks. It's not unusual at all but even my 2.1 with the oil pan nigh constantly drenched in oil I didnt have to put oil in since I did the oil change a month ago and 1.5/2k km.
Nice, pretty much got all my answers here.
If anyone has any tips or recommendations for that coffin, post em here.
I'll check the thread frequently and try to let you know if I'll get it or not.
>25 highway mpg
oh jeep, you and your lies
well that is with the 2.5 not the 4.0
Do it man, French engine reliability combined with American build quality sounds like a winning combo to me
Try to check for signs of overheating. The XJs radiator hoses liked to pinch leading to no cooling and eventually overheating.
This problem is solved by running a long flexible spring in the radiator hose to keep it from collapsing.
>Reliablity of a french engine
I would agree but the 4.0 I6 is built like a brick fucking shithouse.
Aside from having to replace the gaskets that thing will never fucking quit on you.
No.
You want 4L or nothing. That trans is notorious shit and nothing will ever fit.
Run op, run far away on your little carless legs.
They aren't bulletproof, my sisters developed pressure cracks in the block. She payed a ton of money to get it bored out and now hardly ever drives it
No fucking engine is bullet proof.
Except maybe a Honda or some shit, but not Euro/American engines.
I'm pretty sure there are american or euro engines that are bulletproof.
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