A few questions from Newbie Jeep-owner in Norway!
 

Hello

First I have to appologize for my English, here in Norway we`re not too international, and part of this thread is translated with Google translate, as my tecnical English is baaad... :dunno:

Just bought myself a 94 XJ Jamboree 4.0 HO as a hobbycar. Never had a Jeep before, so I thought to ask about the things I wonder here first.

- Did these cars come with remote central locking originally? The keys that followed the car hung only a remnant of a remote control, with holes for 2 buttons. In the roof right up to the window sits a gray "console" with which to me looks like an "eye" or receiver for IR signal, possibly sensor for alarm / interior. How to find out if the car had remote central locking in the first place? Is it possibly to buy new control/s? Difficult to program? Is it OK to buy used from eg ebay?

- This is a 4.0 HO with np242, with both full-time, part-time and low 4wd. What is the correct procedure for switching between these? Know that parttime only got to be used on loose surfaces, but should it be in park or neutral when changing? A friend thought that the car should roll slightly forward "to turn into mode" ..? Tried putting it in full-time up a grassy slope, but the green light did not come up in dash, only the yellow part time light. Also took some trial in Drive and Reverse before the yellow light went away after I set it back to 2wd mode. Normal?

- What is the recommended oil in the engine? It has just passed 180.000km, but neither service booklet or manual follows the car. Having previously used Quaker State 10w40 mineral on U.S. cars from the 90's, is this ok? Or is semi-synthetic recommended due to improved cleaning ability?

- Have had a peek around a bit here and generally about 4.0 for a while and see many recommend updated injectors, 62mm throttlebody and spacer for throttlebody. Will it require a custom map / chip for such updates, or is the ECU progressive in terms of supply of air / fuel? Thinking most of the power increase, consumption is hobby anyway;)

Greetings from cooold Norway! :icon_smile:

Welcome to the forum! With the exception of "94 XJ Jamboree 4.0 HO", either your English or Google's English is quite good.

And only 180k for 1994?! Wow!

That is exactly what that device is. Parts are very rare these days and the IR system is crappy, it will be cheaper and give you better results to purchase an aftermarket RF system to just replace it.

Correct. With the two high speed ranges, 4WD Part Time and 4WD Full Time, you can shift at any speed. There is no clutch in the shift mechanism but it is somewhat synchronized, just let off the accelerator, shift into the new mode, then resume driving. It may take a second or two to engage. Problems exiting 4WD are normally caused by parts binding, such as operating in Part Time mode and not allowing enough slippage. When this happens sometimes you will need to drive in reverse a little to get it out. It sounds to me like your shift handle is misaligned.

4LO does need to be entered at an almost stand still, just a slight roll so that the parts move internally. I would use Neutral for this.

Over here it was specified with Xw30 oils. Being in Norway I eould encourage the use of an oil with a lower startup viscosity, such as 5w30 or 5w40. There is a lot of debate on this topic, really you can run whichever brand you like that the Jeep likes the most (least engine noise). Some people run 15w40 all seasons, but I think gas is very cheap for them.

The stock ECU/PCM is quite adaptive, and chips don't do anything for the 4.0. There are replacements and piggy-back systems, and larger MAPs, injectors, and Fuel Pressure Regulators but they are not necessary unless you significantly increase displacement or force induction. When upgrading the intake, be sure to upgrade the exhaust, too. Air in = air out. High flow catalytic converter and muffler is a good start, also performance exhaust header and large mandrel-bent piping.

The AMC 4.0 is one of the most (if not the best) durable engines ever built. They routinely go 300,000 miles and beyond.
Any oil is ok but since it is a flat tappet cam engine it is best to use high zinc diesel oils like Shell Rotella. Don't waste your money on synthetic the Jeep 4.0 requires frequent oil changes (3500 miles) to keep it happy. These noisy engines are OLD technology and very similar to a tractor engine but will run forever!

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks a lot guys, you're really helpful!

Yes it has only got 132.000 miles on the clock (=180.000km) , so im not to worried yet ;)

The most common oil up north is the 10w40 mineral based oil, so i guess that should be ok.
I firmly believe that u.s oils suit u.s engines the best, especially 20 years ago..

How difficult is it to change the "joints"(in lack of better english..) ?
I got a "knocking" sound on full lock, sounds like a normal CV joint on any other car.
Will i need specialist tools?

F

No special tools but you will want to be very careful installing the axles. Do not just slide it in or you will shove any dirt or debris sitting on the bottom of the axle tube right in to the inner axle seal. Then the axle seals will leak. You will want to try and support the axle as you slide it in to keep it from picking up anything.

Miles

Thanks Miles, i'll keep that in mind.

New question.. The driver side door is sagging a lot, needs lift to close properly. There's a lot of play in the hinge itself, but the weld is not cracked as i read a lot about. On ebay theres a lot of hinge repairkits for 99+ XJs but cant seem to find any for the pre-facelift. Is there a similar fix for the 91-99 models (brass fittings&new pin)?

What do you mean "Full Lock"? It is common for the rear drive shaft U-Joints to go bad and cause a clunk when shifting into drive or reverse from a full stop.

With "full lock" I mean "the steering wheel all the way to the left/right", full turn.. My english is far from perfect, i'll try to explain better next time :)
Anyway, the noise is coming from the front wheels (in 2WD mode) when turning hard left or right. U-joints (is that what you call this bearings that looks like a "+"..?) or something else, like a wheelbearing or just normal due to 1.75" lift and bigger tires?

Okay, the front wheels.

It may be the front axle(s) Universal Joints (U-Joints) ...."+", yes.