mjcxking

OK so I hope I am starting in the right area and I'm sure there are 100 threads about this, but I have a 99 jeep cherokee sport with 3 inch lift and 33's, but it has the aw4 transmission, I have done a lot of work to my jeep but I am kinda nervous about doing something like this myself so I will have a shop do it, I know that I will end up spending $5000+ for either one I do, but the om617 will hook up to the aw4 better than the tdi will to the aw4 (unless I'm missing something) but would it be worth the hassel to make it an ax-15 just to get the tdi engine? which is probably around $13k. Or would it be better to go with the om617? Which is more like 6k

andrewmp6

If your paying that much i would look in to a ls swap they get close to the same mileage but the aftermarket to make power is endless.For 13k you could have a twin turbo 12 valve cummins in a 90s bronco pulling some insane numbers.

mjcxking

Really same gas mileage? I think an ls at best would get 18mpg but the om617 should get about 22 or so, plus the price of diesel is lower than gasoline right now

cleenrob

for the record ill be doing an ls swap, mostly because of power and milage gains, and the eas of a gm drive train. i want to do a tdi but only if i were using it as a DD commuter

theres a couple TDI swap build threads going on here right now, go take a look at them a see whats up

as far as the om16 i couldnt tell you much but i do know that the aw4 isnt something you can easily adapt to other engines

Fred/N0AZZ

The question you need to ask yourself do you have the money to basically throw away, down the tubes, zero, zip, zilch, gone stuffed in a 96 XJ????


Some of us have been down that road more than others and then some not at all, they drive new cars all the time. My weakness has always been Hot Rods and Drag Race cars, now these damned Jeeps but they are much cheaper than fast cars.


When you put the money in expect nothing in return except your enjoyment and spending more money every time you take it out to keep things up and running............Then you will have no surprises as most here will tell you.


For me I would be thrilled with a quality re-built to race tolerance 4.0 and a stock AW4 with a better converter, then I could sit back and enjoy another quarter of a million miles or more.

s346k

I agree with the ls swap. there's no reason it shouldn't return 25 mpg pretty easily. if it were me, I would be do a 6 cyl atlas swap. you get the completely tunable gm computer, 300hp+ and one side of exhaust to deal with. not to mention you can adapt the drivetrain without much hassle.

mjcxking

But then I'd have to get a whole new transmission

XJmike0122

There is a guy on diesel bombers that did the om617 swap. I think he said he was getting around 19 mpg with 4.56 gears on 32s. Also if your area has emission testing I'm not 100% but I think there are some laws you will want to look into. Good luck though.

mjcxking

I'm in Indiana no such thing as emissions haha, but 19mpg is a hell of a lot better than 8-10

HudsonN

If your main concern is whether or not you need to get a different transmission i personally don't think you should be looking into this swap.

The OM617 adapts to the AW4. The OM617 adapts to the AX15. I have three OM617s. I thought about doing the same thing and realized i didn't feel like spending the time or money to have yet another cherokee.

I'd put your money somewhere cooler. 13k can buy you a bunch of other cool jeep stuff. Or do it yourself. The motors are cheap.

mjcxking

I'm trying to avoid spending 13k but the automatic transmission is easier in traffic and easier off road

andrewmp6

Ask serious off road what mpg his ls xj gets,But what is the reason for the swap?You can buy a cheap beater import for a daily driver for a lot less then what the swap is going to cost you.

mjcxking

Don't have a garage or space to put another car, and it'll be cheaper and better to just get a new engine

mjcxking

Were getting off track and my question hasn't even been answered yet

s346k

id go with the om617. where in Indiana are you and what shop is doing the work? I wouldn't trust a shop with a swap unless it was Cherokee specific...which don't exist as far as I know.