Jeep Cherokee XJ Walkaround 

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching. Im glad she's on board and enjoys the campaign. Hopefully I can get the sleeping side of things sorted for the ever growing family

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Number two on the way? 😉

Having the wife onboard is the only way you could have made this amount of progress 😂

What's the gear ratios on the diffs, I mean is there a difference between the gears ratio on the D30 High pinion and the C8.25? 🙂

I love the 4.0L. I've had 6 of them as well as three 4.2Ls. I would kill for a deisel though, in my xj and yj. I looked into the conversion but I dont think it's worth the cost

I think the wheel is to far away from the vehicle with the smitty bilt. I really like the JCR XJ Tire Carrier. Maybe you could mount it to a custom made bumper.

Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps I will stick with what I have and just adapt it. I considered building the carrier into the bumper and making them one unit. The mechanism needs attention again.

​@@WorkshoptoWilderness I second this opinion. For what you're paying you're better off with something else and as mentioned the tire sticks out really far. Aesthetically I didn't like it. You're capable of making something more solid for half the price I'm sure. Smittybilt is decent but definitely not the best quality.

Personally I would go with the xj in the 4l for what your doing. The diesel is good for offroad and range but its going to need a lot of work to make it reliable and maximise power. The 4l will won't need any work, it will drink fuel, but as an offroad fun vehicle it's perfect. The zj 5.2 will actually get better fuel economy than the 4l. They are powerful but also super thirsty. My only concern would be what rear axles are you getting on these jeeps? Do the xjs have a dana 30hp. Is the rear a dana 35? The zj might come with a dana 44 but it will have an aluminium pumping and there shite. It all depends on spec, but out of all of them the xj will stand the test of time, look better, sell for more and there are way more parts to support them

Thats extremely generous of you. I dont have a go fund me. I actually didn't know what that was. I have PayPal but honestly I don't expect a thing, watching Is payment enough

Hey Josh, yes I did get some bump steer with it. It wasn't too bad but it was enough to be a problem on really bumpy roads. I changed the setup and fabricated an over the pumpkin axle bracket to fix the geometry - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fbpdyTiY5BI.html Thanks for watching!

I didn't say much on the old channel about this one. I got quite a bit of stick for the jeep stuff back in the day despite it being something I've enjoyed along side my bush skills. Appreciate you watching!

Thanks for the feedback and for watching. I really do need to cut those bolts under the hood. They do drive me mad but I have some how blocked them from my mind haha. I'm actually really excited to get the tent off and find a better solution for all the family. I've run the tent for four years now and it has been great but I think something that can be winterised would be fantastic. With regards to lockers its definitely going to happen, at least in the back for now. An ox locker is what I have pegged. I actually have to regear again due to the tire size increase and I will put in 4.88s which I think its the maximum the Chrysler 8.25 can handle. I swapped to 4.10 last year and it made quite a difference on 32s but now im back to square one again as I had to go and slap some 35s on it!

Workshop & Wilderness Adventures excellent progress all around, been a real treat watching it grow and change. Yes a tent with a liner, like many if the modern lavuu from your area, is immediately what I thought of in your situation, and I always liked tents in general for the versatility and many different situations they can cover. I don’t dislike rooftop tents particularly, but they are on the roof and thats that, its a bit of a limiting factor sometimes. In my heyday I used my tent for knife shows and hammerins, four seasons, along with being able to do classes of my own in remote areas, also used it to set up as a sales tent sometimes, and that was all along with the canoe trips and personal camping I did besides...could fire it in my own vehicle or somebody else’s, and a couple of times even shipped it ahead for a trip. OxLocker is an excellent choice. I know airlockers are all the rage along with dual compressors and all that stuff. I spent a lot of time chasing down issues with the air systems, and customers had to eat quite a bit of labour on it at times, and occasionally on chasing electrical problems related to it all as well. About the worst that happens to an Ox is replacing the cable. And if it breaks you can still engage or disengage the lock as need to get home. Rambling/reminiscing 😄 You’re doing great with the Cherokee, making more of a truck out of it than certainly was ever imagined by the engineers for sure. Was really glad to see the frame get beefed. I’ve repaired literally dozens of jeeps with cracked frames directly over the rear axle, especially if they had trailer hitches. You’re a good fabber, I would have hired you in the day 😄

@@randal1470 thats what we were thinking, somthing we could put a wood stove in or diesel heater and pull on a sled or tabogen. I could always use it alone in the winter for me camps and have a warm space to call home away from the icy outdoors. Versatility would be the benefit I think plus like you said its not permanently strapped to the truck up high. I will miss the roof tent. I do like the idea of the the ox locker. I like mechanical over the air and electronics. Expensive but with the snow I think it will really help to have a locker. Ah appreciate that, my welding isn't the best but I try and nothing seems to have come apart yet haha

Thanks for watching again!

Appreciate you watching. They are made by North Blend. Just light weight summer pants.

Its a very unpopular 2.5TD VM Diesel engine. I've made quite a number of changes to it to improve performance but also reliability. There are some more photos of it all on Instagram. Basically its got a better head on it, slightly bigger turbo, intercooler and a larger down pipe off the turbo into a short exhaust. The radiator and coolant lines are also copper. It runs well and pumps out enough power.

I used two long curtain poles with some swivel gopro mounts in the end. I had to weld up an adapter that's bolted to the roof rack that it could slot into with a pin to hold it in place. It kind of worked but it started to damage the roof rack so I need to make a better design with some triangulation to stop the aggressive movement.

Hey, I am unsure of what you mean by 'test'. Do you mean gauges? Many thanks

@@WorkshoptoWilderness sorry, i meant the VM engine heads, where did you buy them?

Ah you can get those from autococ. Just get the AMC vm 2.5td cylinder heads.

Thanks for watching. It certainly gives you more flex and a bit of a softer ride.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness good to hear thanks

Thanks! Yeah that's correct. Nice tire, they do wear fast though

@@WorkshoptoWilderness cool, and what's the lift of you car?

We live in Vasterbotten near Lyksele

Hey thanks for watching and subscribing. The XJ has come along way over the years although I still have plenty to do on it which is kind of nice. Haha its not difficult to fall asleep to my monotone voice. Thanks again for the comment and hope you like what's to come.

Thanks for watching and glad you like the videos. I cant run a factory pitman arm, the steering is terrible and the tie rod bushings that eliminate tie rod role get chewed up pretty fast resulting in a dangerous amount of slop. All these things are working progress and for now its running really smooth with surprisingly no bump steer. But I am ordering a drop track bar mount with the intentions of fabricating a new track bar mounting location based on another guys build who runs a RHD.

Thanks for watching! Yeah they are stock axles at the front. I cant say I have noticed any issues with them but I guess in a really bad situation the u-joint eyes would be the worry. No issues so far though.

Ah no worries. Its not a bad bumper at all. Made from 6mm and 4mm but what I will say its the powder coat isn't great. After about one year mine was flaking and rusting. I had to blast it back and raptor line it. Still its solid.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Thanks Mike, great information.

They didn't so well back then, but they do now I've fabricated new fenders

It was a turbo off of a R-ohv425 which was a slightly improved version of the ohv425 - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Turbocharger-Jeep-Cherokee-2-5-TD-1988-115hp-VA59A-35242053F-VA180069/321844313937?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 Its the same dimensions but it has a twin turbine intake and a larger exhaust turbine. The specs basically show that it puts out 4lb of boost more over the standard turbo used in the ohv425. Its a minor upgrade but with every 1lb is 10hp and if you plumb in a better cooler with stainless charge pipes and open the exhaust and intake up you do see a significant performance increase.

I will find the model for you. Its somewhere in the comments and I'm trying to find it. I've not heard of that engine swap. Sounds awesome! What is the name of the group?

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Group name is: "Jeep XJ ZJ WJ swap BMW 3.0d M57 projekty porady pytania", link: facebook.com/groups/535862726977811

Its 4.11 ratio. Running okay but 4.88 would be much better

Mine is Dana 30 High pinion with 3.73 gears, will it be a problem to change the rear Dana 35 with C8.25.

@@kiriljanevski8894 its a direct swap. I swapped out my 35 with this c8.25. I bought the c8.25 with 4.11 gears installed and regaeared the front. The only parts that may need swapping are the u bolts and maybe u joint. The ubolts need to be 3 inches internal diameter.

Sadly he has discontinued making them.... Possibly Brexit or covid.

Thanks for the comment 👍 to get the jcr bumper into the country im looking at 700 dollars so I will probably stick with what I have and just try to rebuild it.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness yikes that is steep to have it imported.. well I'll be subscribing to your channel and watching what you come up with for the back bumper.

Thanks for subscribing!

How long have you been using it? It seems like a more affordable option than the JCR's.

I don't recommended it for someone who cannot work on their own engine. Most people don't want to buy a vehicle knowing that they have to change the cylinder head. I'm very happy with the engine now and I don't even think about it when driving 1000s of kms but its taken a lot of work to get there. I would buy one but be prepared to replace the head. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching and for the comment. It sounds like a really good tire carrier system, I'm going to have to check it out and see what the shipping is. Alternatively I've started drawing out my own. I've taken off the bumper and tire carrier as I'm currently building rear fenders and widening the rear arches. I weighed the bumper and tire carrier without the tire and its almost 96kg. The tire carrier alone is 55kg. Its really heavy and it has to go or be streamlined.

It would be very rare for this engine to overheat when offroading, crawling etc. The engine prefers a scenario where it maintains high load at its max torque curve 2000rpm 320nm and will perform at this level all day as this is its intended design. Its high speeds in highways with gradual inclines that creep temps up. Also people who push them at high speeds or bog the engine in the wrong gear in an rpm thats too low for the speed your travelling at. This causes a spike in egt which is often why smaller turbo charged engines fail eventually. Anyway they are often misunderstood but its advantages come with its high torque at very low rmp range like most diesels i guess. Anyway I can ramble on all day, thanks for watching and for the comments.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Great and very clear explanation of how the Diesel engine reacts at low and high speed, gives one a better understanding and makes things understandable about the misconceptions of the engine. Also your mechanical experience speaks for itself....I try to learn as much as possible and try to get ready for the challenge. Thanks again , Peace

@@carloscartaya9932 I say all of this and it will probably explode tomorrow! Ah you never know i guess. Thanks again for watching

Most of the newer gaskets are multi layered steel with a coting on. www.jeepchryslerparts.co.uk/shop/product/867/head-gasket-1-62mm.html There are three thicknesses of gasket. Normally you choose the middle one but it depends on the piston and liner protrusion from the block. You can check the old gasket and just buy the same thickness.

I would agree. It has a bad reputation but when you read the forums of people sharing there insights into why its bad, most haven't got a clue. You just have to maintain them. Thanks for watching

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Hey Mike, I drive an XJ 2.5D here in New Zealand, 230k kms and goes alright. What regular maintenance do you do? I've only done oil and filter changes every 8000 kms or, wondering what else I should consider. Have an EGR blocking plate installed. Cheers, Bipin

Thanks! Yeah we have the 2.1 here also but its quite rare. Also a 2.5 petrol engine version. We have the Comanche in the UK but its incredibly rare. Also in Sweden I have seen a few but again very rare. Thanks for watching

Perhaps some day I will but I need a good engine to swap in first. I have a 5.2L V8 I could swap in but its thirsty! I will stick with the VM for now as its working very well and I am very happy with the upgrades I have made. Maybe when my son is older we can swap it out together. Thanks again.

Hola Edu, has entendido lo que le ha hecho no me queda claro por mi inglés.. un saludo

@@antoniobonmati6111 Que va, ni idea, mi inglés es peor, jajaja, lo comento por las imágenes, se ve que lo a renovado completo. Saludos

I think Labour would be the killer depending on who did it or if you did it yourself. It must be over 25k total. I think if you bought a decent clean stock xj took everything off of it so it was just a shell with the engine and transmission still in, you could sand blast it and weld the stifferners in easy.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness thank you kindly for the reply.

It came out of a stroller. We took the inner part out and hung it with some straps. I can grab a name off my wife if you want it?

Ah nice, thanks for checking out the video!

An SYE is something I need to get. I dont have anything under there right now but I also don't get any drive line vibrations. I think it would help take stress of the transfer case output bearing. Thanks for watching!

Hey, Its not really but it is a bit of a pain as things need to be removed to do it. In a nutshell you disconnect the down pipe from the exhaust, then disconnect the turbo from the manifold. The three bolts that hold the turbo to the manifold can be very difficulty to get off without heat. Once removed you can disconnect the driver side engine mount and jack up the engine from the sump using a large block off wood to take up any stress. This will lift the engine allowing the turbo to free up a bit. You can then disconnect the intake and exhaust manifold and pull the turbo connected to the down pipe directly out of the top of engine bay. It can then be disconnected from the down pipe which isnt that hard as the bolts free up easily. You can then connect the new turbo to the downpipe and drop it back in and reverse the process. But as this is almost the same procedure for the starter motor its worth swapping that out for a new one at the time. I've done this to three engines, two of mine and one on a mates recently. There are few complications bar the three bolts on the turbo to exhaust manifold. I found a way around this on the last job by leaving the turbo connected to the exhaust manifold and just pulling everything out in one go. It worked but its just a small engine bay with little room so you have to play Tetris.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness okay great, up any steep ish hill mine has to drop down to 2nd even when empty... doesn’t really accelerate up the hills.. not long had it so unsure of its normal..?

@@WorkshoptoWilderness please can you just do mine for me?? Haha

@@jamesinretail7482 Where do you live? If your In Sweden I will help you out. Its not normal to drop into second on hills. There are other factors in play perhaps but My jeep is very heavy and it can maintain 2000rpm up hills in 4th. A standard TD XJ should have plenty of power really. Your main issues for power loss will be the Turbo and all its associated piping from intake, intercooler to exhaust. an EGR delete will also help with coking of the intercooler pipes, intercooler and intake manifold. You may also be lacking full compression in some of the cylinders so adding an oil additive like AMETECH RESTORE OIL will restore almost maximum compression for you. I use it with every oil change to help with cold starts, bearing tolerances and cylinder repair. It basically adds lead and copper particles to the oil and despite the snake oil opinion of many its actually a scientifically backed method that's perfect for such an older engine. It wont fix your power issue as it sound like you need to upgrade to this - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Turbocharger-Jeep-Cherokee-2-5-TD-1988-115hp-VA59A-35242053F-VA180069/321844313937?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 It will probably give you 5lb of boost more which will be an very noticeable increase in power. But then you must upgrade the piping to this - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-50mm-UNIVERSAL-ALLOY-CUSTOM-TURBO-FRONT-MOUNT-INTERCOOLER-FMIC-HARD-PIPE-KIT/231388764758?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 And add this cooler in front of the radiator - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-25-54mm-BLACK-ALLOY-RACE-SPORT-RALLY-TURBO-FRONT-MOUNT-INTERCOOLER-FMIC-CORE/153257773369?epid=4043364635&hash=item23aee00939:g:Pg8AAOSwIf9e0MrF These upgrades with an EGR delete, engine oil additive and proper cleaning of the manifolds will allow the engine to breath. Putting on a shorter side exit exhaust will also help a great deal. You would notice a huge performance increase if you did this with lower exhaust gas temps, colder intake temps and a just a happier engine.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness I bloody wish I was in Sweden! I just went out in it to test again and it almost seems like there is no turbo at all...! Sounds stupid but can’t really hear it and there is no normal ‘power band’ like with a normal TD engine.. I looked at the turbo quickly as it’s dark and there is a reasonable amount of oil around it.. around the actuator area..? Thanks for your replies by the way, very helpful.

I purchased a R425 OHV Direct Injection engine from a guy in Sweden. The bottom end is pretty identical to the 425 engine I have in mine but It has a totally different fuel injection system, cylinder heads, turbo, exhaust manifold, along with many other slight differences. I couldn't find a huge amount of information on this specific engine apart from its power output which is only 6hp more than the standard 425. I stripped it down to parts and when looking at the exhaust manifold I noticed it was thicker than mine. The down pipe was also much wider internally in one cast piece and the cast is very thick at around 1cm near the top. The turbo also has a considerably larger exhaust turbine and a duel fin input turbine. I tried to find more information on all of this but its pretty sparse. I fitted it none the less although I did have a larger intercooler with aluminium 2.25" piping already plumed in. In all honestly the power difference is huge compared to the old setup. I have no exact figures but its like a different engine. I am worried though and I have bought a boost gauge to fit and look at what boost i'm getting at the manifold. I expected the turbo to come in at a much higher RPM but its coming in at 1300rpm and spooling right up until I'm scared to push it more. I tested the waste gate also with a small compressor to check it was working and it opened around 25psi. The older one opened at around 15psi but these figures are not accurate at all but just to check that the gate wasn't stuck. I will try to find a link to the turbo for you but i'm trying to work it all out myself.

I did some digging and I have found some information for you. My older turbo is a - VB180086 - www.invasionautoproducts.com/jecarrhtuva2.html The newer one I pulled is a - VA180069 - www.invasionautoproducts.com/jecarrhtuva1.html From the info it just pushes a bit more boost. With regards to the dump pipe and manifold I cannot find any links, pics or information on it at all.

Workshop & Wilderness Adventures shouldn’t be any issues really, but yeah it’ll come on way way quicker. The boost should not be any issue with the motor itself, perhaps some of the stock clamps and connections may not be up to the increase in boost which would be minor, although it didn’t look like there was anything much left in the intake path that was stock. On the big American stuff turbo upgrades often cause minor issues with some of the auxiliary ports and pipes that will bleed by at joints and connections, and because there is so much crap stuffed under the hood it can be a bugger to track those down. 25pounds is nothing really for that motor, as long as the gate is operating when it should the spool up you hear is just the impeller winding up to provide the needed volume. Always two parts in that equation, pressure and volume. Double impeller blade rows are noisy af anyway. You can make them even noiser if you want 😄

@@randal1470 Ah thanks for reading this. I am no expert at all on this sort of thing so really I should stop playing around with things but I figured it would be okay given the similar motor it came from and the upgrades in piping etc.. Haha yeah its bloody noisy actually and basically I can hear a winding up pressure like noise resonating through the engine bay as I accelerate. The egt reads at around 475c at the 4th cylinder on the manifold in 5th gear at about 80mph. From what I looked into that seems okay? I think I will fit a Boost gauge and fit it near the manifold and see what i'm getting.

Workshop & Wilderness Adventures yes on the boost gauge, for sure. I doubt the turbo has the capacity to overpressure that engine, but still. Anything that excludes raw data is a guess. You are roughy double the airflow now, and earlier as well, the noise increase likely is more about the airflow ahead of the impeller in the intake path. All the turbo related noise you hear actually, aside from the waste gate, is from the impeller face out to the filter and primary opening. It’s exceptionally rare to hear any related noise from the boost side to the cylinder. From the cylinder to the turbine, and through the dump, it actually is quieter than an open exhaust with no turbo at all. If it really does make you raise your eyebrows you might want to check your filter, and all of the hoses and fittings, anything in the intake path, for deflection or collapse on surfaces when its given a good hard rev up. I would expect a lot more intake noise in any case, but it could be a sign of restriction for the added volume demand.

I picked them up off of ebay some years ago. I just searched jeep mud flaps and they came in pairs. If I find the link I will share it. Thanks for watching

@@WorkshoptoWilderness thank you my friend for your attention

Its been about 6 or 7 years work to get to this stage. I don't think I would have the energy to do it again but I must admit I have enjoyed the whole process and now that most of big jobs are over its nice to do smaller more fun work on improving offroad capability. If I owned my own welder and I wasn't using the Jeep I don't think it would have taken so long. Thanks for watching!

@@WorkshoptoWilderness the fact it is in almost show condition though is testament to the amount of time and effort you've put into not just building it but also looking after it. It really is a beautiful looking truck. Am keen to see what direction you decide to go in for the new accommodation next.

Im on 4.11, I would like to go to 4.88.

It averages about 27mpg. I use to get 36mpg but those days are long gone

@@WorkshoptoWilderness that was awesome

I pulled the turbo and downpipe of a slightly updated R425 engine with a direct injection fuel system. The turbo pushes about 4psi more and the downpipe was larger. There is a comment below with the exact part number of the turbo but I'm at work on my phone so I can dig it out for you later. Thanks for watching

@@WorkshoptoWilderness I think the improved intercooler with backing up the radiator 2 inches was a fabulous idea. But I still don't know how you done it, and how you managed to don't hit the fan.

@@vitornunes09 All i have are photos of this work given the time when I did it. The radiator moved back fairly easily and there is still room between the fan an the radiator. You can email me if you like and I can send you all of the photos I have of the work. It may help or It may not. I did have to swap the fan cowl to the Petrol version to eliminate the intercooler part at the bottom.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Hello, I sure will email you, thank you for sharing your ideas and the small details. People always think of engine swaps, but forget that maybe with half the time and money this engine can be great also. I also know some people how swapped the 2.5 VM for the 3.1 VM 5cylinder, more power but also power fuel consumption.

@@vitornunes09 my email is mike@mcqbushcraft.co.uk so just send me an email and I will dig out the build photos. Its really not a bad engine at all.

Sometimes yes. I would like to make a skid plate for it, or buy one.

Thanks mate, she's come a long way. Got some old shots in of the days when we took it around Gloucestershire.

@@WorkshoptoWilderness More like Bossed it round Gloucestershire.... ;)