Hi my name is joshua. i am picking up my first jeep. it happens to be a 87 with a 4.0L & manual trans.

it has the common cracked exhaust manifold. also a bad heater fan but thanks to one of you gents. i found a nice write up for that and will be tackling that.

so what would be the brand of manifold seems to last the longest? also is it worth it to send it in to be heat treated / stress relived so it dosn't happen again?

the engine runs pretty good. any trouble there i can probley handle or research, what mite be the things that tend to get over looked?

 

WOW i like this guy already. got an XJ and started reading and researching before asking questions.

welcome friend.

 

as for the exhust manifold maybe buy a header and upgrade ,or just get it welded renix parts are a little tuff to find

 

X 2, If funds are low get it welded up to hold you until you can save enough for a header. Don't bother wasting your money on a "good" one from a junkyard. Chances are it's 1 or 2 hot/cold cycles away from cracking and you'll be right back where you started.

 

quick question. do the h.o parts swap with the renix? i'm going to have to do some research and see what i can find for it unless theres a good source any of you would like to tell me about.

next thing will be axles. trying to find the gear ratio for the trans so i can choose a lower ratio like a 4:10 or some thing a step down. slow it down a bit. i like to crawl along and site see.

 

None of your engine electrical parts transfer between renix and H.O. However, all engine hard parts and drivetrain parts will transfer.

 

is a wire harness and electronics swap a common order of biz with the older jeep like mine? there are plenty of h.o's local to remove parts from if thats a possibility.

 

It's not common. Hardware swaps can be done but the electrix don't play well together. Many have tried and then realized too late that they shouldn't have.

 

Yeah, I've been told by many that trying to convert a Renix XJ over to HO is a bigger PITA than it is worth. Besides coming from a guy who owns an HO and has a son who owns a Renix. The Renix sensors are way easier to troubleshoot. Tons of info. on the internet about this.

 

from the time it would take to pull it off weld it and it break again i will save my self the trouble just getting a decent header like mentioned. my brother has a 93 and his factory one is still good. is this a problem they ratified in the later models ?

 

maybe i start snagging up electronics then. or stat saving for a engien swap to a 4 cyl diesel chug chug

 

Hey you should post a couple pics of your jeep or i can if you want

 

The 91 and later HO type manifolds are better....and the 93 manifold will fit your 88 motor. The only catch is you or a muffler shop would have to weld an inline bung in the exhaust pipe for your O2 sensor. The Renix Jeeps had this built into the manifold. the later Jeeps its in the exhaust pipe.

 

thanks for the input. i am currently tackling the exhaust issue. i plan to have it leak free. going to run 2.5 pipe and mandrel bends. going to keep it short with a turn out to blow exhaust gas out the side but keep the pipe by the uni-body frame rail. so i don't tear it off.