Mylesofsmyles

So, I've now had my Cherokee for two weeks and have, so far, replaced the water pump, serpentine belt, lower radiator hose, thermostat and housing. She's a solid runner, despite the fact that only the fuel gauge works and there's no radio...this is one ghetto beast. I didn't buy it for looks or luxury, but instead for the occasional need to tow a light car home. I specialize in used parts sales and car dismantling for Mazda Miata's and 200 & 700 Series Volvo's. There was a wrecked '96 Miata waiting for me in Clearlake and all I needed to do was haul an empty trailer the 90 miles north from San Francisco and get'er home!

The week before, I had installed a tubular steel trailer hitch and wiring kit from Curt Mfg. which was rated to 5,000 lbs., so I was good to go. Sunday, after work, I booked over to my local U-Haul to find that they were rented out of tow dollies and my only option was a full length, exposed, car carrier. Alone, the trailer weighs 2,000 lbs. It didn't take the distance from the parking lot to the street to experience just how strenuous this was on my lil' old 2.5L 4-pot...this wasn't going to be fun! Limping through town, I realized this was going to be murderous on my clutch, but I headed for the 101 anyways.

On the freeway it wasn't so bad, unless there was any kind of upward cant. In 5th gear, the car would simply bog to a crawl, as I'd reach for 4th and sometimes all the way down to 3rd at a pace slower than on my bicycle. I made it to Santa Rosa without a hick up and was feeling quite confident. From Santa Rosa to Clearlake, it was one insane climb and descent after another...having me ponder what the drive home would be like with another 2,500 lbs. behind me. Oh No!!!

Not in a hurry, my XJ tackled every hill like champ. Sometimes down to 20 or less mph. but it got there no less. At my last incline before Middletown, at Robert Louis Stevenson Park, my engine overheated and I was stranded at the peak. With no help from AAA, the man selling me the Miata drove out to meet me in his truck. We swapped the trailer to his truck and he towed me down to his shop! It was cool kickin it in the back seat of my truck with my dog as we got dragged down the pass.

I blew the heater hose to the thermostat, so he gave me a new one and installed my new upper radiator hose which I had in the trunk. Some more coolant and I was good to go! With the car loaded up, my rear suspension was basiclly riding on the bumpstops the whole 150 miles home. I had to change course to find a less hilly way, witch called for driving 50 miles in the wrong direction. Hills became a major issue and I was finding myself coming down as low as second gear to keep the car moving.

It made it home no less, still running, but I think the overflow bottle is cracked somewhere, because it still leaks a bit of coolant. Oh, and I made the entire trip on a single tank of gas!

Hommersimpson

LOL
Glad you made it back home safe...Nice story..

Johbby

I can't believe you towed a car with an XJ with 4 angry squirrels. WOW!

rspain04

I'm thinking a 4.0L is sounding like a better choice

Mylesofsmyles

i'd have to agree with you! I'm looking at parts cars on craigslist, hoping i can find a nice one for a few hundred with a 4.0L, manual transmission and 4wd...those'd be some nice upgrades for my 2dr.

djritter1122

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f11/89...0-250-a-36286/

did that trip once but it was in a 89 s10 4.3 vs a 71 monte carlo. lol that was fun

Mylesofsmyles

Well, thought I'd take another stab at towing cars home in my 4-cylinder cherokee this weekend. Sunday night, I drove 100 miles east, to Escalon, CA, where there was another broken down Miata waiting for me. I rented a car dolly this time, thinking it would help in terms of overall towing weight and tongue weight...didn't take two blocks with the empty dolly to realize this was a better solution than a full car carrier.

I made it out there with no problem, loaded the Miata up just fine and made my way home. The hills through Livermore were a bit tough, barely kept up with the 18 wheelers, but no problems no less! Yesterday morning I had to pickup an Audi 4000s that was given to me by a local repair shop, so dollied it home really fast. As I was unloading it, two guys in a pickup stopped and asked what's up with the Audi...considering I don't have the time or space, right now, to give it the clutch it needs, I was rather motivated to talk to them about it. It didn't take ten minutes and they had bought the car off my dolly, provided I'd deliver it the 20 miles north it had to go.

Booking up the 101, my car overheated twice before Rohnert Park, forcing us to get another truck to finish the delivery. Trying to make up for lost time on the way home, the car overheated again, and then again...I kept it going as long as I could and fought through the worst knocking sound I've ever heard from an engine...I swear a piston was going to shoot through the hood. It died at a gas station just south of Petaluma. When I popped the hood to clear the smoke, I noticed there was a small flame above the four injectors. Ahh! Oil was slowly leaking on the ground and the car will not start anymore.

Thanks AAA for looking the other way on my car dolly and towing me home! Looks like I'll be springing for that LSX swap sooner than later.

hotride3021

do the LSX swap ... get the bowtie block and bore aand strock it out to a 427 haha or higher .... I love that block I have worked on a couple of them they are easy as pie to work on. .... DO IT

DagBMX

man... the fact you even thought about towing with the I4 is ballsy: i salute you, sir.