maninthebox1064

Hi everyone, I am really new to the Jeep Cherokee and was curious what sort of upgrades I can make to my 1995 Cherokee (4.0L). I am mainly looking to make it into a daily driver. Since it's my first one, I would like to start with inexpensive upgrades to add to performance and fuel economy without breaking the bank or getting too far in over my head. I do have experience working with engines in cars, just not jeep yet. any help would be appreciated, thanks!

SeriousOffroad

Use the SEARCH button above and look for threads containing performance or fuel economy .

bbojarzin

Cold air intake and spark plugs is a good start, very easy as well

maninthebox1064

Thanks, I was considering starting there with either an AEM or K&N intake, but as for plugs is there any brand that is better than others?

This is the list of upgrades I have gathered from various forums and sites over the internet, but I've heard both positive and negative responses and review on some:

Change/upgrade fuel filter
Throttle body spacer - have heard a LOT of criticisms about this one
Mustang fuel injectors?
upgrading radiator?
ignition coil upgrade


well, it's a start anyways

XJwonders

I didn't know they could upgrade the fuel filter

SeriousOffroad

There are two sock-style filters in the tank.

They can be replaced but there aren't any upgrades for them.

XJwonders

Alright make sense.

I got a question for ya but I ll pm you instead, keep your eyes open shortly.

PocketsEmpty

Welcome to Jeepland, where the possibilities for upgrades are only limited by your imagination and your wallet and possibly your tool box, and the good old 4.0 likes to keep it simple. Easiest engine I've ever worked on. Throw the standard Champion or NGK spark plugs gapped to .035. Do a full tune up. In addition to the plugs, get new wires, new cap and rotor (real easy to install), and I'd say air filter unless you're doing the CAI. An easy and semi-cheap upgrade I did when I first got mine was a LED interior light upgrade. Took about an hour with some soldering but there are tons of ways to do it. have fun!

scrous

I would focus on all the maintenance items, change all fluids, ignition tune up, u-joints, brakes etc. Good to address rust prevention on XJ, maybe recovery points and gear. Start thinking about how you really want to use your XJ. There are tons of HP and MPG gaining threads as others mentioned, as always more smooth delivery of fuel and output of exhaust is a good thing... Good luck

Potatowalker

General tune-up for the engine is always good. I got a "new" 99xj in November and have been upgrading it constantly since then. I started with plugs/wires/cap/rotor, new stock air filter, and some underbody coating to prevent rust. I also took the throttle body off and gave it a thorough cleaning. The engine runs & idles smoother and noticed a very slight increase in mpg. Next I changed all my fluids over to synthetic which made it noticeably better in extreme cold. Then I went a little crazy on the suspension. Then my exhaust fell apart so I put a new APN header, high-flow cat and muffler with 2.5" pipe. The exhaust upgrade gave me a slight increase in felt power/acceleration in the lower rpm ranges.

I plan on doing the homebrew cowl-snorkel intake with a high-flow drop-in filter next so my engine will have a true source of cold air and better flow. The K&N intake and ones like it will increase air flow, but it will be hot air so in my mind it's not worth the cost of those things.

Replacing the wiring, especially the grounds won't hurt. I plan on replacing all my grounds and battery/alt./starter cables this summer. Replacing u-joints on drive shafts and axles, replacing the unit bearings on the front hubs, and the tie rod ends on the steering will get you better handling and reduce rolling resistance (slight mpg increases possible).

Another thing often overlooked is the brake and steering fluid. Brake fluid absorbs water and should be replaced every 4-5 years IIRC to prevent things from rusting from the inside-out. Steering will run cooler and last longer with clean fluid.

More efficient fuel injectors is on my list for the summer too.
From what I understand throttle body spacers are a waste of time/money, particularly for MPI, though I've read some posts where people noticed a slight increase in throttle response. You can get a set of rebuilt 4-hole injectors (from vendors on this forum) for about the same price, so I'd go with injectors over a TB spacer any day!

Don't forget to do stuff that makes you smile too - like LED interior lighting, stereo/speakers, seat covers, etc. This summer I'm also hoping to have time/money to make a raised floor in the back with a drawer under it for my tools/recovery gear and lashing points on top to strap things down.

Just be warned - both jeeps I've owned have the tendency to get spoiled in that as soon as I finish fixing/upgrading one thing, something else would start acting up or going bad. If I didn't touch it for a few weeks it would just keep chugging along but the second I gave it some love it would always want more! (But I enjoy it so I never really minded.)

Big David

You can start here:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/bud...herokee-58797/

NewJerseyXJ609

Do not go out and get a CAI or a throttle body spacer. Both "upgrades" will net you no advantage anywhere across the board... Besides an empty wallet...

maninthebox1064

Thank you everyone for the help, it's taken me years to get this jeep and I want to make sure I do it right, and it's indestructible (no more trying to squeeze my rifles in a honda civic)