Not really a build thread, just somewhere to keep track of stuff done to the jeep.

7/31/25
208700
Bought Jeep. Paid 1800.
Planned on fixing the overheating and driving it, with no intention of it becoming a $5k+ money pit.






8/1/25
Flushed radiator and heater core. Fixed overheating (mostly)


8/20ish
Blew up...

9/29/25
Started pulling engine

10/2-10/13
Engine out, deliver to shop








10/23/25
Pick up engine from shop



10/26/25
209088
Install Engine


Crank/start. No oil pressure. ****

10/30/25
Water can extinguisher full of oil, 4 quarts, no oil to rockers.
Pull distributor and run with drill for 10 mins... Got oil
20 min cam breakin.


11/2/25
This doesnt seem right...


Found the problem... **** ****



Guess its time to do this (and start drinking) again...



Back to the machine shop

Meanwhile:
Brake pads, front shocks, AC lines, swaybar bushings, swaybar links, hatch bumpers, hatch struts, radiator, heater core, trans cooler, radio, fix drivers door harness, battery cables, more stuff Im forgetting about...






Thanksgiving vacation



Back to work. Finish installing radio, engine, etc.
IT LOCKED ITSELF
FFS
Figured out how to get in





12/21/25
TEST DRIVE




Now:
~700 miles after installation, engine holds 55lbs going down the road and 25 at idle, time for oil change. Printed some grille panels to keep temp up a little bit.

Changed gear oil to 75w90, Trans fluid drain/fill twice, changed both oxygen sensors (14mpg to 17mpg), ordered 4hole injectors. Still tons of little stuff to do.

 

Nice work. You rebuilt the engine, or swapped the block?

 

Rebuilt
30 over, ground crank, new pistons, new cam, lifters, bearings, block and head decked, etc

 

Gee - that's a lot of good work - Congrats! Are new springs on the to-do list?

 

Eventually. I really want to lift it but I need to leave it stock or close to it so I can get mom in and out of it. This will be only the 2nd jeep out of 5 Ive owned that I didnt lift right away.
Not sure if Im going to get new springs or not, I dont realy feel like dealing with the bolts and bushings. Ive been kinda thinking about a set of overload leafs, coilover shocks, or something just to bandaid it for now.


Forgout about last weekend:
ZJ Steering installed.

 

Any idea what the engine originally let go?

 

Low oil pressure and broken piston.
I was gonna just deal with the oil pressure, but the piston couldnt be ignored.

 

Understand - I was lucky to use my wife's Honda to cart my mother around towards the end of her life. And indeed, dealing with suspension bushings isn't fun even if you have a good press. Your right that the sag on the back of this 2000 may benefit from overload leafs for the short term. At first, on my jeep, I did a very modest 2" lift with good Australian steel. When I acquired my truck - which freed up the Jeep from mundane tasks; I was able to add the 6th lief to the spring pack in back of my XJ and a spacer to front for a 3-1/4" lift. I've enjoyed good suspension the whole time. Now, if I could only have your fresh engine... .

 

Today
210K

Oil Change
Headlight Harness (bought the stuff to make one myself but got lazy and bought one instead)
Injectors.

Found 1 4hole injector and 5 1hole injector... Idle is a little better now. Hoping for a little better MPG.


Still needs to be done:
Rear shocks, rear springs (?), alignment, TIRES, speaker wiring, 2m Radio/antenna, HF antenna (?), amp/sub, ext idle switch, LED light wiring/relay, check/adjust tcase linkage or possibly azzy kit, hitch, tow hooks, I'll think of more...

 

This thing is bouncy AF, Itll almost make you seasick lol
I was thinking about getting the short IRO overloads, but now Im thinking about adding a full leaf cut out of another jeep, or finding a full length no lift add a leaf if such a thing exists.

 

It's ashamed about the mix of injectors in your hands. And the choice between a China made stock leaf pack or one that Chrysler made decades ago isn't one to relish. The guy that owned my Jeep before me placed a stock Chinese made leaf pack with an additional add-a leaf to get a modest lift in it- It lasted a little over a year before they sagged. The problem is so much crap in the market place. Hopefully, you can find something that meets your needs. I'd ask Old Man Emu about removing two leafs from their pack - at least you'd get quality steel

 

Yeah this jeep suffers from a bit of DAPO so I wasnt super surprised about the injectors. Ill have to look at them again, but externally it looked like a stock injector, so maybe theyre an updated stock PN?

New leaf packs are pretty much on the bottom of my list of things I want to do, between the possibility of rusty bolts/bushings, spring quality, and money. If it does get to that point I will probly do OME 2" lift.
I found one pack and plate from the green jeep, not sure where the other one is. Im gonna try to cut the mains out and add them to my current leaf and see what happens.



Seems like its settled back into low idle (670) and bad MPG... Tempted to fire the parts cannon and throw a TPS and MAP at it. I also need to check cam sync but Im not sure if it actually causes any symptoms... Dont really want to spend 200 bucks on obd2 stuff for my mt2500 so hopefully I can find someone with a scanner.


Im also annoyed at the way the trans shifts, but Im pretty sure thats just the way it is. Have I mentioned I HATE 97+ cherokees?

 

The best my jeep ever road was with an OME 2" lift. Good luck with the spring salvage. As for the parts canon, the last MAP sensor I bought cost me a C note (Standard red box from o'reilly's ). Cold weather with a vacuum pump and a VOM makes cold fingers / but may save you $100. At least the TPS is a simple potentiometer and all one has to do is watch the meter climb to 4.8V - who said we weren't having fun!

The Aisin-Warner AW-4 four-speed automatic went in in '87 and they are expensive to rebuild. With 3 close gears and a huge gap to 4th, the ratios are typical for that period. The Transmission control unit and/or warren solenoids may be causing your frustration. I'd change the fluid in it as soon as you start driving it in any case

 

Yeah Im gonna put off the map sensor for now and do some more testing. I need to look at the TPS too, it says 14.9% (which I think is low?) on my scanner but I havent done a sweep or anything.
Im fighting a low and somewhat rough idle. No major miss or anything, just enough to be noticeable and annoying. It had this before the engine work too.
If I can get it in the shop this weekend I think Im gonna pull the TB off and clean it.

I dont think theres anything wrong with the transmission and I have drained/filled it twice. I have another gallon of fluid waiting to be changed again. I just dont like the way it shifts, seems to hold gears way longer than I like, up to 2500-3000rpm sometimes. After I did some agressive driving (trying to be gentle to the engine still) it seems like it started shifting better. I dont remember my other jeeps holding gears that long, but it has been like 8 years since Ive had one, and closer to 15 since Ive had a 97+.

 

Tires, alignment, all new lug nuts. $726.
I think maybe with 4 matched tires my tcase isn't getting stuck in gear anymore. Will test more tomorrow.
Have efan and some sensors ordered.