nojeep

just asking about my options, I stopped driving my Cherokee last summer due to my left knee hurting in pain so much. I honestly cant hold pedal down at a stoplight without severe pain. and will put in neutral before I get to stop light, & hurt so bad I dont want to push pedal down. when I bought it I didnt have problem, but I have drove stick shifts as primary vehicles for 30 years, some with very stiff clutches in old muscle cars.

I really like my Cherokee, & it has been extremely great, but it does have a few issues, I know rings are worn as it wont hold on a hill in gear & have to rely on emergency brakes to hold it, but doesnt burn much oil, over 2000 miles per quart.

long story I am moving & will be 5 miles off a main road, & past state maintenance, so I am going to need 4wd, as my job would fire me before I could stay out more than a day or so until main roads are clear. presently I am 1/4 mile off main road, & even with 2wd I can get out almost as soon as main roads are scraped.

I cant afford to buy another vehicle for 22 months, when I do I will try to find a nice Cherokee again, but 6 cylinder automatic.

anyway are there any decent options, like an automatic for 4 cylinder that wont kill my power, which is ok around town, but sucks in mountains, I cant afford to do much financially, as I just signed my life away buying this property & still have a few bills that I got on me for 22 months.

will the automatic from the 6 cylinder fit? any other mods other than a trans cooler, lines, shifter, remove pilot bearing, installing a flex plate? & is the 4 cylinder needing a special flex plate? or 6 cylinder one fit? will I have any issues with driveshaft length? or my transfer case?

also is it alot of issues to swap the 4 cylinder to a 6 cylinder? I figure engine wiring harness? computer? I can get a free 4.0 that needs rebuilding but its a newer model, it had coil pack across head. I know 4 cylinder isnt going to cut it, but will make do until I either can afford to buy a nice Cherokee, or get me a new drivetrain in mine.

I will have to do everything a tiny bit at a time, but if can convert the tranny to automatic it will be great & I really am fond of my Cherokee, just cant deal with clutch anymore.

cruiser54

Big deal. 4.0 and 2.5 trannies are different.

Get another Jeep.

andrewmp6

For the time its gonna take to do all this you can buy a auto 4x4 jeep cheaper.

nojeep

? huh? my labor is free? & I am broke, & in debt more than I should be.

I dont have any money ill have to save to buy a junkyard tranny, & I would even consider a bad tranny, if I can get a rebuild kit for it cheap enough? I used to build auto trannys, but not built one in over 10 years, but I cant buy anything big for almost 2 years, I will be lucky to be able to have $150 a month, & I cant buy anything that will push me to my max limit & drop my quality of life.

22 months I will have 4 bills off me & would gladly buy a nice relatively stock Cherokee, but right now I got to make do best I can.

mschi772

An XJ with a 2.5 and a 5-speed you say.... I'd have been very tempted by something like that for a daily driver back when I was shopping around. That's a configuration that can actually get surprising MPG for the XJ's terrible aerodynamics. I'd hate to "ruin" that by putting an AW4 in it.

No matter how I look at this...no matter what angle I take, the smart move no matter what is to sell yours and buy the XJ you want to replace it.

nojeep

as for mileage, no matter how hard I tried never got to 25, but could get 24 24.5 or so, from time to time, have to drive back roads, 45-55 mph, you do any interstate & mileage drops. you carry a passenger & will drop close to 1mpg, daily driving 22mpg to & from work was my normal average.

this thread is not very encouraging, I was hoping since the 2.5 was based on the 4.0 I could swap in a tranny & roll. oh well.

as to selling it, I am still stubborn, I was trying to sell it last year & I would have let it go for a lot less than I should have, wanted $2,200, & people were offering me junk prices for a very nice Cherokee, & I been looking for about a week on prices & my jaw is dropped. to get one as nice as mine most are running $4,500-$5,500, before I spend it, I will yank my drivetrain out & put in a new built engine & trans, in 2 years when my finances get better.

if it matters it is a 2 door which seem a lot harder to find, seem to go higher priced?

right now I have replaced the gas tank, I also plated a small section of frame that had light rust, it was beside gas tank, its done very professional, & will not give an issue again, all new brakes, all new universal joints including front axles, new axle seals front & rear, tires at 3/4 tread, the interior is cherry, the exterior is extremely nice other than 1 rocker edge, it also has running boards which I really dig, when I bought it there were many issues plus a huge amount of electrical issues that several mechanics couldnt figure out, so why again should I sell it, to buy someone else s problems? & cost me way more than I could convert this one.

Rogue4x4

My advice to you...keep it, drive the **** out of it, maintain it for the next couple of years as it needs it, then keep drivi g it and save up for what you really want. Get over that debt and then save to get what you want.

Outlaw Star

Sorry about your knee injury but the vast majority are right. The 2.5L has the same bellhousing as the 60° Chevy V6 unlike the 4.0L. Now they did make an automatic for the 2.5L but it is hard to find.

nojeep

that brings me back to why I asked here, my left knee wont allow me to drive it. to move my jeep around yard I can do, but just a few miles & I am in severe pain, to drive it to work, I will be limping most of the day & hurt all day, thats why I stopped driving it, I loved it otherwise, & I never would have stopped driving it if it didnt cause me so much pain.

I am able to do anything in mechanic work, I have built thousands of engines, can weld & fabricate, have rebuilt maybe 100 automatic transmission, just nothing in last decade. I just didnt know what swaps I could do, or what fits what as this 2.5 liter is uncommon, & besides minor work I not done anything with it. I know I can score a late 4.0 & should be able to score a free rebuildable tranny, I sent quite a few jeep auto trannys to crusher several years back that I had personally swapped for customers. its just a matter of wiring & correct computers to make it all work.

nojeep

ty, my knee is got so bad I cant ride my Harley as much as I would like as some days I cant hold bike up good, and have come close to dropping bike a few times, & a trike or trike conversion of some sorts will be in my near future

a couple days ago I saw a 4 cylinder automatic cherokee for sale, however it was 2wd, & was $3000. so if could find a 2wd trans, is output shaft correct? or would have to swap shaft? or trans wouldnt work at all?

& if your saying the 60 degree chevy? so an early S10 with 2.8 4wd automatic trans belhousing would fit? pending torque converter issues, as well as driveshaft issues, plus starter fitting? if bump on bellhousing is correct for the swap?

also wasnt the early v6 cherokee the 2.8 chevy v6? with revised intake sealing? so would one of those automatics fit?

Outlaw Star

It shares the same bellhousing pattern but the GMs have no provision/mounting for the CPS (this controls your spark). As for that 2wd one, you can swap it in but the tcase will not be able to be used. But if you really need an automatic, go for it and drive until you can find a 4wd automatic. As for the 2.8L V6, that automatic was the old TF999 which may has no CPS mount as well.

I know this isn't the advice you were originally looking for but we are trying to give you options to get you going.

nojeep

well we are getting warmer in my thoughts, anyway.

I know on the 4.0 there are several options to use for ignition, instead of crank triggered, like points & condenser from the old 258, or even a GM inline 6 with a HEI, but different distributor gear.

any stand alone ignitions easily swappable for the 2.5, I havent took time to research this aspect yet, if so that will take care of ignition.

andrewmp6

Keep a eye on craigslist see if you can find a parts jeep cheap you can use.Or buy the bare basic cheapest beater you can and drive that for the mean while.

nojeep

I am watching, but the cheapest driver I seen listed so far was $1300 with 325,xxx miles & deer damage & cracked windshield. everything else cheaper is in horrible shape body wise.

I am fully qualified to do all body work, as well as painting, I can do rust repair & panel replacements, I did that for a living to, however I think its easier to do mechanical work than body, so I usually have spent extra money buying nicest body & interior I can find, & fix drive train.

the property that put me in this mess financially belonged to my best friend, we were friends for 35+ years since we were kids playing together, building bicycles, then motorcycles & cars together & he died of a heart attack last June, age 48, & his mom offered it to me for an awesome price, & my wife loves the views, where we live no views, no level ground, rocky treacherous mountain, so I did what I had to do. & its beautiful, but I will have to have 4wd in winter. if I still have issues I may try to just borrow a 4wd for the worst of winter these next 2 years, & then I will build or buy a nice Cherokee.

andrewmp6

Where do you live ?I can find xjs here for 2k or less that need work but are driveable or even full size broncos and pickups that are 4x4 for the same price and shape.