Tural

bought new headers, so decided to start taking it apart. here's what i found:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/member...7-img-3488.jpg
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/member...1-img-3498.jpg
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/member...0-img-3497.jpg
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/member...3-img-3496.jpg

this is a direct result of leaking valve cover. it drenched the manifold gasket in oil.
now bear in mind, my XJ was getting 23mpg before the lift, and i think i still get around 18mpg on exclusive highway. so if anyone talks junk about your XJ smack them right in their weenie sucker.

89Laredo

No Clicky:





Wow, Maybe I should hurry up and do my gasket.

BTW, Unless you have a question. You should of put this in chat.

Tural

this is not a chat though. it's a food for thought while you're driving down the road with a leaking valve cover gasket.

91familyxj

Thats nasty!!!!!!!! lol But I wish I got at least 18 mpg.

Tural

btw, how did you post direct pictures? what do you click?

ol"blue

That looks nasty alright.

darknezz

yummy, thats what mine will look like when I get around to changing my manifold gasket. Ill be giving the intake man a nice cleaning out. When ever I get the urge to do it, getting pretty tired of hearing the puttering of a exhaust leak :S

Anything I need to know about doing this to mine? I've done chevy 350 headers, bmws and nissan z24's before, this can't be to much harder right?

Oh and my jeep seems to get alright gas miliage, not sure what but its definitally not worse than my bmw :S

89Laredo

I meant it should be in cherokee chat, since youre not asking a tech question. Instead, youre just posting pictures for people to look at.

Right click on the image, Click "copy image location", up on top of the reply box you will see a yellow box next to the quote thing, click that, then paste your image location. Click ok, and youre done.

Tural

did you guys need a complete writeup?

darknezz

I know the basics, just wondering if theres any tips or tricks to a jeep, pb blast the bolts and nuts for days of course :P

Tural

i did it the hard way. after it all came apart i realized i could have done it easier. i don't remember the exact socket sizes, but i think most of them came off with 9/16 and 15mm.
take off intake tube and air filter box
take off two (i think) 10mm bolts on top of (when facing the engine from front)right side fan, disconnect electric harness to the fan, take fan out
loosen center bolt on pulley under power steering pump, back off the tension bolt that runs diagonal to the bolt in the center of the pulley, belt will loosen up.
remove belt.
power steering pump has two bolts to the front of the block, THREE behind the power steering pulley and one more to the side of the block.
once you take them all off set the power steering pump where the airbox used to sit.
at this point i went under the truck and took off the downpipe flange bolts, but i guess you can do that any other time.
take off the accelerator cables. the main cable get popped off the ball and the return cable gets pulled sideways if i can remember it right.
push the tabs on the throttle bracket together and take the cables off the bracket.
disconnect the vaccum lines from the side of the intake manifold and brake booster vaccum hose.
pop off the top of the long fixture that holds the injector wires. slide the bottoms off the threader studs that come off the head.(mine broke right down the middle)
take off FOUR 10mm nuts that hold the fuel rail on the manifold. THE ONE CLOSEST TO THE FIREWALL MIGHT HAVE ANOTHER FIFTH NUT. and i think the front nut comes off with a threaded stud.
pull off the injectors while attached to the fuel rail.
disconnect the 3 sensor harnesses off the throttle body and the harness that was connected to the firewall side bolt of the fuel rail.
i took the top manifold bolts with a 9/16 box wrench.
you will need a u-joint on your socket wrench extension to take off the bottom ones.
IT'S NOT IMPORTANT TO TAKE THEM COMPLETELY OFF. I THINK JUST LOOSENING THEM WOULD HAVE WORKED.
the last bolt is the one that has a threaded stud with a star end.
now the one before that needs to be taken off from under the truck. a buddy could help you bigtime here. you get under the truck, get the socket on the bolt, and your buddy turns the wrench from the top.
remember, once the manifold bolts are loose, they come off pretty easy by hand.

Tural

and for me, the easiest way to remember where the bolts and nuts go is to put them back where they came off of. separate the mating surfaces and leave the nuts and bolts on the side that has the threads.

darknezz

hey thanks for the write up, damn taking the power steering pump off and everything? This is definitally the hardest manifold gasket I'll have done, I'll get it though.

Oh is there a donut ring for the down pipe or is it just a tapered flange?

Thanks again. And thats your phone number? Your actually giving your phone number on a public forum? Must be some trusting people here

OH and I've heard the exhaist manifold can crack on these, how true is that? Should I just get a new exhaust manifold before I go tearing into it, I only want to do this once.

guest02

No, your Intake Manifold should be fine!

I just installed my Header a few weeks ago.

A few lessons learned...
PB Blaster is your friend,
Ratcheting Wrenches are AWESOME! i used a 14mm for the Header Bolts,
Buy NEW Header Bolts- (11) 3/8"-16X 1 1/4", i broke the Rear Stud off in the Head during the torque sequence!!!




BTW- Great Write-up Tural!!!

darknezz

not the intake, the exhaust, yeah I will get new header bolts, always do.