Thinking about buying XJ

[MONGREL]

Just after a bit of help with my decision.

Few Questions:
Fuel consumption, from what ive read in standard form 10L/100km highway? Around 15L/100kms city?

From 4WD monthly known problems are over heating, bush flogging out in dizzy somewhere and auto trans not being looked after?

If you have a problem one of these problems like the dizzy or trans whats the cost of repair?

Anything else?

What would it cost to lift it enough for 35's? (Not affraid of cutting guards) Will the diffs handle it?

Thanks in advance.
Tim

[j-top paj]

From 4WD monthly known problems are over heating,

[franco]

fuel consumption is about right, except 10L/100km maybe a bit optmisitic. best ive got fully loaded is around 11-12L/100km (thats on 31s MTs and 4.11 ratios)

havent heard of many probs with dizzy or trans (touch wood)... The trans i think is a yota type one anyway.

if ya clean the crap out of the radiotor after a mud bash, they shouldnt overheat. the engines run hot anyway, there designed too. upgrading to a larger auto trans cooler is a good idea to keep the trans in good shape.

lifting for 35s cost big. its a unibody frame therefore no bodylift only suspension lift. need to guard trim and anything from 5-6" lift needed although Ive seen photos of rigs setup (on NAXJA) with 4.5" lift and lots of trimming. rear diff (Dana35) wont handle 35s if its locked and you drive it hard.
you can soop these up but probably cheaper getting a Dana44 from a TJ or custom shop like solidaxle.com. 33s might be a better compromise it will have just as much if not more clearance than a trol on 35s.

[jimmyb]

something like this??



or more like this?



Either way prepare for big bucks, I should know. The first one, 4.5" lift with guard trimming and 33's.

Second one 7.5" lift, locked, long arms, ratios, blah blah and 35's.

Building another one at the moment though which will feature 37's and 6" lift so go figure

Ditto on rear diff, red one had warn full floating conversion with hubs, expansive. You can put a narrowed 9" into the rear, or a GQ diff if you are prepared to go 4" wider in track.

Front diffs are ok, weak in the axle ears. Cross members are weak. Uni body yes, can be stiffened though.

Good power to weight though and these things can be built tough. Depends on how much you can do yourself and how creative you wanna go.

[goodie]

Building another one at the moment though which will feature 37's and 6" lift so go figure

building or chopping?

[MONGREL]

The reason for 35's, a mate of mine whom i will be wheelin with has hilux with 35's, we went to yahwal in Nowra NSW a couple of weeks ago and for those tracks you would need 35's to stop from getting hung up on the diff due to the deep rutts. And there is no where else to go but drive in them.
Anyways can someone put a price on the lift for 33's ?
Kinda need $$$ figures to way up what to do.

Thanks guys

[jimmyb]

chopping Goodie, you have seen me selling all my shit off for a reason.

Now 33 run a 4.5" lift with chop of guards.
4.5 RE lift with shocks, coils, leaves, extended shackles, front coil spacers, lower control arms, SYE + rear shaft, 4.56 gears swaybar discos excluding rubber budget $5-6k

Now for 35's still need chop
5.5re kit, same as above maybe with long arm front. budget around 8-10k

Now this isnt including lockers, still with shitty rear diff.

I have seen plenty of setup XJ's running 31's go places GQ's go on 35's. Its not a big dick thing trust me, these vehicles go well.

[MONGREL]

$$$$$ and more $$$$$. was not expecting 6g for 33's nor 10g's to fit 35's. Guess thats where the body lift would come in handy.
To buy a XJ is at good price at the moment, light wieght, squat and plenty of power with decent fuel consumption.
Man whats a good setup on 31's worth just out of curiousity? Clearence must become an issue on 31's.

[jimmyb]

You could get away with a 4.5" lift for 31's jus do shocks coils, leaves and discos, leave arms alone. Dont need to do ratios. At a pinch you could trim guards and get like a 32x11.5 goodyear wrangler tyres. Things like track bar arent really necessary as you can redrill the hole to move front diff over. Lots of little things like that can save you mega bucks.

Again budget maybe 2.5-3k

Forgot to mention also need brake lines, 1 x rear and 2 x front for all these lifts.

Listen jump on Ausjeep in the XJ section of the forum, you will find a section with pics of xj's and plenty of good reading especially the sticky thread which is a compilation of mods.

www.ausjeepoffroad.com

[MONGREL]

Thaks Jimmyb.

[Cpage66]

if ya clean the crap out of the radiotor after a mud bash, they shouldnt overheat. the engines run hot anyway, there designed too. upgrading to a larger auto trans cooler is a good idea to keep the trans in good shape.

l.

Incorrect...they run hot because the engine bay was originally designed for the General Motors 2.8ltr V6 which was the only motors you could get until the 4.0 ltr. motor was introduced. The engine bay on the XJ is actually too small for the straight six and wasn't redesigned for it. Heat does NOT escape very well.

[MONGREL]

if ya clean the crap out of the radiotor after a mud bash, they shouldnt overheat. the engines run hot anyway, there designed too. upgrading to a larger auto trans cooler is a good idea to keep the trans in good shape.

l.

Incorrect...they run hot because the engine bay was originally designed for the General Motors 2.8ltr V6 which was the only motors you could get until the 4.0 ltr. motor was introduced. The engine bay on the XJ is actually too small for the straight six and wasn't redesigned for it. Heat does NOT escape very well.

Yeah that was stated in 4WD monthly, buy the sounds of it that could be rectified with bonnet vents?

[j-top paj]

$$$$$ and more $$$$$. was not expecting 6g for 33's nor 10g's to fit 35's. Guess thats where the body lift would come in handy.

on a monocawk vehicle??

[sasjeep]

forget about fitting one out heres one already done. you can have for 12,500 now. huge list of new parts.

[Cpage66]

if ya clean the crap out of the radiotor after a mud bash, they shouldnt overheat. the engines run hot anyway, there designed too. upgrading to a larger auto trans cooler is a good idea to keep the trans in good shape.

l.

Incorrect...they run hot because the engine bay was originally designed for the General Motors 2.8ltr V6 which was the only motors you could get until the 4.0 ltr. motor was introduced. The engine bay on the XJ is actually too small for the straight six and wasn't redesigned for it. Heat does NOT escape very well.

Yeah that was stated in 4WD monthly, buy the sounds of it that could be rectified with bonnet vents?

Yes...and there are several aftermarket kits available for just such an afternoon project.
And don't be using 4WD Monthly as much of a "guide" on Jeeps please!

[Steve F]

if ya clean the crap out of the radiotor after a mud bash, they shouldnt overheat. the engines run hot anyway, there designed too. upgrading to a larger auto trans cooler is a good idea to keep the trans in good shape.

l.

Incorrect...they run hot because the engine bay was originally designed for the General Motors 2.8ltr V6 which was the only motors you could get until the 4.0 ltr. motor was introduced. The engine bay on the XJ is actually too small for the straight six and wasn't redesigned for it. Heat does NOT escape very well.

Yeah that was stated in 4WD monthly, buy the sounds of it that could be rectified with bonnet vents?

Yes...and there are several aftermarket kits available for just such an afternoon project.
And don't be using 4WD Monthly as much of a "guide" on Jeeps please!

Hey Chris, mines in this months issue (108) So it cant be all bad

Cheers
Steve

[franco]

look, I dont think my statement is entirely incorrect. I didn't want to elaborate too much on this issue just becuase 4wd monthly made a point of it...I dont think it is as a big deal as they make out. Its NOT the sole reason to stop someone from buying an XJ. just my opinion.

My point about cleaning the radiator is valid, Ive seen so many people have their engine overheat, and you look at the radiotor and its covered in crap in the fins - no wonder air cannot flow through it. I clean mine regularly esp. after off road use and know others that do as well and have less to no issues with cooling. To me its just common sense.

i do a admit they run hot and am privy to overheating issues some people experience (sometimes as stated above from poor maintenance) and dont deny XJs can overheat and dont have the best cooling system ever invented. yes i am aware that the 4.0L engine was not originally designed for the XJ (or vice versa).

95-105*C is normal temp range (and see a lot of people freak out about that without realising its normal) and yes bonnet vents is a good idea. Other mods to improve your cooling are by fitting another electric thermo fan to replace the viscous coupling fan when it craps out and high flow water pump.

In my experience (11 years with my 96 XJ) ive never had to stop the car to cool it down due to overheating from offroad use (touch wood) although I admit I have used the heater to keep the cooling more effective and have never overheated for normal road driving conditions in all weather conditions. I run a dual batt system under the hood, so i have less room under the hood and still run the stock cooling system.

[Cpage66]

look, I dont think my statement is entirely incorrect. I didn't want to elaborate too much on this issue just becuase 4wd monthly made a point of it...I dont think it is as a big deal as they make out. Its NOT the sole reason to stop someone from buying an XJ. just my opinion.

My point about cleaning the radiator is valid, Ive seen so many people have their engine overheat, and you look at the radiotor and its covered in crap in the fins - no wonder air cannot flow through it. I clean mine regularly esp. after off road use and know others that do as well and have less to no issues with cooling. To me its just common sense.

i do a admit they run hot and am privy to overheating issues some people experience (sometimes as stated above from poor maintenance) and dont deny XJs can overheat and dont have the best cooling system ever invented. yes i am aware that the 4.0L engine was not originally designed for the XJ (or vice versa).

95-105*C is normal temp range (and see a lot of people freak out about that without realising its normal) and yes bonnet vents is a good idea. Other mods to improve your cooling are by fitting another electric thermo fan to replace the viscous coupling fan when it craps out and high flow water pump.

In my experience (11 years with my 96 XJ) ive never had to stop the car to cool it down due to overheating from offroad use (touch wood) although I admit I have used the heater to keep the cooling more effective and have never overheated for normal road driving conditions in all weather conditions. I run a dual batt system under the hood, so i have less room under the hood and still run the stock cooling system.

The only thing is that the 4.0 is NOT designed to run hot. They don't in the TJ,LJ,ZJ,or WJ...The XJ is just WAY more prone. Just slap some heat transfer liquid (such as Red Line Water Wetter), vent the thing properly and keep your oil changed more often and she'll be fine.

[franco]

look, I dont think my statement is entirely incorrect. I didn't want to elaborate too much on this issue just becuase 4wd monthly made a point of it...I dont think it is as a big deal as they make out. Its NOT the sole reason to stop someone from buying an XJ. just my opinion.

My point about cleaning the radiator is valid, Ive seen so many people have their engine overheat, and you look at the radiotor and its covered in crap in the fins - no wonder air cannot flow through it. I clean mine regularly esp. after off road use and know others that do as well and have less to no issues with cooling. To me its just common sense.

i do a admit they run hot and am privy to overheating issues some people experience (sometimes as stated above from poor maintenance) and dont deny XJs can overheat and dont have the best cooling system ever invented. yes i am aware that the 4.0L engine was not originally designed for the XJ (or vice versa).

95-105*C is normal temp range (and see a lot of people freak out about that without realising its normal) and yes bonnet vents is a good idea. Other mods to improve your cooling are by fitting another electric thermo fan to replace the viscous coupling fan when it craps out and high flow water pump.

In my experience (11 years with my 96 XJ) ive never had to stop the car to cool it down due to overheating from offroad use (touch wood) although I admit I have used the heater to keep the cooling more effective and have never overheated for normal road driving conditions in all weather conditions. I run a dual batt system under the hood, so i have less room under the hood and still run the stock cooling system.

The only thing is that the 4.0 is NOT designed to run hot. They don't in the TJ,LJ,ZJ,or WJ...The XJ is just WAY more prone. Just slap some heat transfer liquid (such as Red Line Water Wetter), vent the thing properly and keep your oil changed more often and she'll be fine.

so is 95-105*C hot or cold to you - the thermo kicks in at 105*C? I suppose "hot" its pretty subjective term to use. I considered this hot sorry - I must have it wrong. However Ive seen plenty of TJs overheat too - as in fluid boil out of reservoir and temp gauge in the red???

[Highway-Star]

I know this is deviating away from the original topic even further but I have some question/suggestions for cooling issues.

Changing thermostat, has anyone played with this? Also the damn Cherokee heater is overkill (even hotter than my Suzuki's heater), can this rectify this problem too?

Also the rubber matt that sits at the front of the engine bay, bolted in between the 'chassis rails' and diff guard. Ours has been removed because it was a PITA, but this would let more air flow and I think it could be beneficial.

Also flush the cooling system out (with pressure, not just a light squirt from the hose), its amazing the colour of water and collant after about 2 years in the car. Its a PITA on an Cherokee, but it can be done.

Also I dont understand people you can let their vehicles get that hot. There is this thing on the dash called a temperature gauge, if it gets to high, pull over and let it cool, and try to figure out why.


To the original topic:
Can't comment on big tyres. The transmissions can play up a bit, but get it looked after and they can be quite an agrresive auto, changing back when they should and not staying in top gear all the time.

Fuel economy is rarely that good on the highway, but around town thats probably a little on the worse side. Dad rekons he gets better economy driving around town with the T-bar locked in 3rd.

[MONGREL]

$$$$$ and more $$$$$. was not expecting 6g for 33's nor 10g's to fit 35's. Guess thats where the body lift would come in handy.

on a monocawk vehicle??

I am aware a body lift cant be done on these cars! just saying it would help with the cost??

[PK]

When you consider that you can buy an update XJ for around $6500 plus in original condition, they are a fantastic buy!

Solid axles front and rear, heaps of horsepower, convert well to LPG if you want, extremely capable in the bush.

I lifted mine a couple of inches to get the 31's on it from my Wrangler (don't disconnect tho) and I am extremely happy with it!!

Yes they CAN run hot, but keep coolant fresh, radiator clean and it shouldn't be an issue.

[DionM]

I can get around 10L/100 on the highway in my 01 XJ (stock 'cept for a 2" lift). Round town it's 15ish if you're 'normal', 17+ if you sink the boot in regularly and use the 4.0L and the light weight to beat traffic

Overheating is an issue but you just need to pay more attention to the cooling system than other vehicles. It is a big lump of an engine in a little, poorly vented engine bay.

Mine pee'd itself at LCMP one day
http://www.4wdphotos.net/gallery/main.p ... temId=5752

But I think it was a faulty rad cap and the overflow bottle ... overflowed! Or could be that I just finished a long downhill and shut her down while we went and looked at the next climb, shoulda let it idle for a while.

Never heard of any major dramas with the autobox, it's pretty reliable from what I gather. It's actually a pretty good box too, better than the POS in Commodores for example.

Oil leaks are somewhat common, and if they're not losing oil majorly, let sleeping dogs lie (rear main seal in particular). Mine has had an oil leak from the head gasket but it's a return (no pressure) and has been fine for 20,000kms ... I have a gasket kit but won't 'fix' it unless it gets worse.

Jeep diffs are smaller so you get free ground clearance ... I've followed other trucks with more lift and bigger tyres and never had a problem and I've got standard tyres and just a 2" lift.

[MONGREL]

Thanks guys but i think the jeeps are out of my price range on the modification side of things.

Thanks for your help.

[sholts]

hey mate the jeep xj are good diffs ive rebuilt quite a few once diff is freshend up they are pretty good just check your pinion and crownwheel condition

[EARSEZOOK]

I am selling my modded XJ.
Where do you live?
I am in melbourne.