Just some info if anyone has an early Cherokee with a 2.8 liter Chevy V-6. I know the first thought is to send it to the wreckers if the engine takes a dump but there is an option that I learned the hard way.

I had an 85 with a bad 2.8 so I pulled it and had it gone through. It lasted about 20,000 miles and the front lobe on the crank broke. Unfortunately the place that built the engine for me went out of business. I would have trashed the Jeep and started again with a 4.0 but I had already Lifted it and redone some of the interior and put in a system etc.

I found a complete 3.4 Liter Chevy out of a 1997 Camaro with computer and wiring harness for $500 and it only had 75k on it.

The engine will bolt up to the stock tranny and the stock motor mounts will bolt up. The stock radiator can be reused. The exhaust will bolt up to the Camaro manifolds with a little massaging.

Here is some information that might help if someone want to do the swap:

The wiring schematics I found at the Chevy house, one of the techs photo copied them for me.

I built a complete stand alone fuse box for the harness and fuel pump etc.

The fuel pump was an external out of an 85 Ford Van.
It can be installed inline and you can use the factory tank.

The AC compressor hits the unibody frame rail on the passenger side, I opted to remove the AC and use a shorter belt but with some cutting and welding I am sure it can be made to fit.

The ECM has a code built in for the key so if you do not have a factory key with the correct chip you will have to build a bypass box for it which I found the prints for on a Fiero site but cannot find them now.

I had to make a custom intake using a cheap K&N style filter from Oreillys.

The 2.8 is externally balanced and the 3.4 is internally balanced so the flywheel has to be shaved of all its weights and balanced.

Use a heavy duty clutch because that motor makes almost twice the horsepower.

It was really a good swap and would recommend it to anyone with an older 85 or 86 Cherokee with the 2.8.

I am sorry but I don't have any pics as I lost them all when my website crashed.

 

Here is some more info on a 2.8 to 3.4 swap. It is for an S10 but it is the same for an XJ.
http://members.shaw.ca/betterthanyou...ine%20swap.htm

 

What mpg, or does that even apply due to type of usage?

 

Great info dude! Awesome to see contributions like this!

 

i hate my 86' waggy's 2.8 its liturally the ONLY reason im selling it! 14mpg and 150ish horsepower doesnt fly with me. cant wait to see how this goes

 

About the mpg. I would think that the gas mileage was much better but I was putting mileage on at about 2 mph most of the time so I am not sure. The biggest thing is that it had a ton of power compared to the 2.8 and it ran awesome at any angle and it passes emissions with flying colors compared to the 2.8 which I was always tweaking to get it to pass.

 

86 Waggy 2.8- is that a diesel? I'm a FNG ( Friggin New Guy ) to Jeepdom.

 

i wish..... its a ****ty gm 60 degree engine that's basically a boat anchor

 

That would be cool if it was the 2.8 CRD Diesel. Believe me it
would have not been swapped.

The 2.8 really is a piece o you know what. They were under powered, prone to problems and had really poor longevity. Believe me if I would have known half of what I knew when I swapped it back when I first got the Jeep I would have swapped it then unfortunately I did not. If I knew then what I know now I woul have swapped in a v-8. If anyone remembers the early top truck challenges there was a Cherokee with 35" swampers and 9" and Dana 44 axles and the guy ripped out all of the 5 link in the front and put in leafs to get the height. He also had folding swivel shackles on the front
And rear and a swapped in chevy 350 v-8 with a carb. I loved that Cherokee but it really didn't perform all that well. The folding shackles in the front kept blowing front shafts and the carb didn't run off camber and there were a few other issues. It was cool because they lifted a cherokee high before it was cool with a swapped in v-8 before anyone else that I saw and swapped in heavier axles before most. Very cool but I digress.

 

Man this is great news I am about to pick up a 85 for 1200 and that is like the only thing holding me back but not any more.