johnnyrossman

I'm pretty new to the cherokee and am trying to figure out what axles i have. Is there a cross reference manual online, I looked but no luck any help would be great. thanks oh possibly tranny info as well its an auto

winston427

You can check this link. I learned a lot from it when I bought my first XJ.
http://jeephorizons.com/tech/xjstockspecs.html

This thread link will help you identify the axle you have.
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/do-i-have-dana-44-a-3973/

5-90

You will have a D30 front.

There are three possibles for the rear axle. The Dana 35 used an oval cover and housing opening, and was used in all years (1984-2001.) The Dana 44 found its way into some early rigs with the Tow Package from the factory, and the cover is roughly hexagonal (appearing to be balanced on one point.) The D44 was last used in 1988 in the XJ, although it made some appearance in the MJ with the Metric Tonne package until 1992. The third option is the Chrysler 8-1/4" - the cover is also roughly hexagonal (sometimes oval,) but the bottom of the housing is flat, and the housing itself is roughly hexagonal.

If your rig has ABS, you can rule out the Chrysler corporate axle - as it was never used under an XL or MJ with ABS. The Dana 35 could go either way.

johnnyrossman

thanks guys the first link was right on the money. my next delima is the old 4 engine it has 250x miles on it and is starting to show signs of water deposits on the oil stick, basically i just wanted to see everyones opinion on replacement engines. I had a 90 camaro with the 3.8 v6 it had a lot of torque with minimal problems would this engine mated to a 700R4 auto fit?
any and all ideas will be great

5-90

What year?

The 1984-1986XJ had two gasoline options - the AMC 2.46L I4 (not a bad engine,) and the GM 2.8L V6-60 (a dog. Rated marginally higher in output than the four, but the four made power at a more useful RPM range.)

HOWEVER, the mounts extant for the 2.8L V6 will readily accept the 3.1L or 3.4L V6-60 - both of which are superior, by almost an order of magnitude I'd think. Grab the entire donor drivetrain from an S-series to simplify things (if your donor is 1987 or older, find a later version of the THM700R4/4L60 for the swap. Avoid the later 4L60-E, as it's electronically controlled and you have that much more wiring to fight with. Avoid any "-E" version of the GM slushbox - they're all electronic.)

For the 1987-up XJ, swapping in the 4.0L becomes a readier possiblity - just grab the whole thing - engine, transmission, transfer case, wiring, and all. The AW4 is electronic/hydraulic, so you'll need the TCU and associated wiring (unless you get an AX-15 five-speed instead.)

Pretty much any XJ can accept a Small Block Chevvy swap using the Advance Adapters mounting cradle. This also opens you up for the 262ci/4.3L V6-90, which is based (loosely) upon the SBC and somewhat superior to the 3.8L. Find this in the S-series, K5 Blazer/Jimmy, K-10 Pickup, K-10 Suburban, and some K-20 Pickup/Suburban. The SBC can be found in K5/K10/K20/K30 without too much effort.

If you end up piecing together your V6 swap, make sure you get either the rear-wheel drive version or the Goodwrench Service Replacement engine (for the 60-degree V6.) The front-wheel drive variants will have the starter motor on the wrong side, as mounted. The GSR blocks may be identified in FWD platforms by looking for a starter motor mounting pad on the back side of the engine block, as mounted in the FWD vehicle (if you only have the starter motor mounting pad on the front side of the engine as mounted, pass. That will be the wrong side when mounted in a RWD vehicle.)