Cherokee OM617 Swap
#121
02-08-2010, 10:06 PM
#122
02-09-2010, 06:22 AM
#123
02-09-2010, 07:22 PM
Yea, I forget you live back there. It is getting nice here and I am getting more done in between work. I will start my build thread soon, got side tracked with parting out the benz and selling off the cherokee motor and trans. Now I have the funds to move along. I think we have the same jeeps, I checked the axle ratio 411 in mine should be perfect with 30in tires. Also when I drove mine before I yanked the motor, I could feel the t-conv lockup. Felt like another gear, so I wonder weather yours was working resulting in the so so mileage . So I just got off the phone with the guy you bought the flex plate from, he lives just down the road!
Last edited by FTE; 02-09-2010 at 09:32 PM. Reason: "small world"
#124
02-10-2010, 05:00 PM
To fix or not to fix?
Hello All,
I may sell the Jeep and let someone put a 4.0 or what not in it. I am a musician, and I joined a band recently. I probably won't have the time to put into getting it back on the road. I really wanted to keep the 4X4, but don't want to put a bunch of money and time into it. I may buy a Liberty CRD, they are reasonably priced around here. Thanks to all that helped and supported me during this build. If I do get rid of the Jeep ,I will keep the OM617 to drop into something else.
John
I may sell the Jeep and let someone put a 4.0 or what not in it. I am a musician, and I joined a band recently. I probably won't have the time to put into getting it back on the road. I really wanted to keep the 4X4, but don't want to put a bunch of money and time into it. I may buy a Liberty CRD, they are reasonably priced around here. Thanks to all that helped and supported me during this build. If I do get rid of the Jeep ,I will keep the OM617 to drop into something else.
John
#125
02-10-2010, 08:24 PM
Diesel Enthusiast
Hello All,
I may sell the Jeep and let someone put a 4.0 or what not in it. I am a musician, and I joined a band recently. I probably won't have the time to put into getting it back on the road. I really wanted to keep the 4X4, but don't want to put a bunch of money and time into it. I may buy a Liberty CRD, they are reasonably priced around here. Thanks to all that helped and supported me during this build. If I do get rid of the Jeep ,I will keep the OM617 to drop into something else.
John
I may sell the Jeep and let someone put a 4.0 or what not in it. I am a musician, and I joined a band recently. I probably won't have the time to put into getting it back on the road. I really wanted to keep the 4X4, but don't want to put a bunch of money and time into it. I may buy a Liberty CRD, they are reasonably priced around here. Thanks to all that helped and supported me during this build. If I do get rid of the Jeep ,I will keep the OM617 to drop into something else.
John
#126
02-12-2010, 07:31 PM
I will probably get a 700r4 for it and get the adapter kit to install it. It's expensive ($925)
but will save me a ton of fabricating time. I considered buying a newer CRD Jeep, but I did some research on them, many people are not very happy with them. They had some serious recalls as well, (torque converter). I have enough tranny problems with my old Jeep!! Either way, nothing beats an OM617 anyway, I was just frustrated. I thought I had the issue fixed and it failed again. It's probably for the better, I need overdrive with the axle ratio I have. The OM617 gets peak fuel economy between 2000-2500 RPM. I know I am higher than that in high gear with the three speed trans. Once the weather warms up a little, I will pull the trans out and survey the damage.
John
but will save me a ton of fabricating time. I considered buying a newer CRD Jeep, but I did some research on them, many people are not very happy with them. They had some serious recalls as well, (torque converter). I have enough tranny problems with my old Jeep!! Either way, nothing beats an OM617 anyway, I was just frustrated. I thought I had the issue fixed and it failed again. It's probably for the better, I need overdrive with the axle ratio I have. The OM617 gets peak fuel economy between 2000-2500 RPM. I know I am higher than that in high gear with the three speed trans. Once the weather warms up a little, I will pull the trans out and survey the damage.
John
#127
02-12-2010, 09:30 PM
Diesel Enthusiast
I will probably get a 700r4 for it and get the adapter kit to install it. It's expensive ($925)
but will save me a ton of fabricating time. I considered buying a newer CRD Jeep, but I did some research on them, many people are not very happy with them. They had some serious recalls as well, (torque converter). I have enough tranny problems with my old Jeep!! Either way, nothing beats an OM617 anyway, I was just frustrated. I thought I had the issue fixed and it failed again. It's probably for the better, I need overdrive with the axle ratio I have. The OM617 gets peak fuel economy between 2000-2500 RPM. I know I am higher than that in high gear with the three speed trans. Once the weather warms up a little, I will pull the trans out and survey the damage.
John
but will save me a ton of fabricating time. I considered buying a newer CRD Jeep, but I did some research on them, many people are not very happy with them. They had some serious recalls as well, (torque converter). I have enough tranny problems with my old Jeep!! Either way, nothing beats an OM617 anyway, I was just frustrated. I thought I had the issue fixed and it failed again. It's probably for the better, I need overdrive with the axle ratio I have. The OM617 gets peak fuel economy between 2000-2500 RPM. I know I am higher than that in high gear with the three speed trans. Once the weather warms up a little, I will pull the trans out and survey the damage.
John
You've worked too hard and too much to give up on it now. Especially since you're so close...
#128
02-15-2010, 06:44 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2010
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Cheeper Jeeper & all
Thanks for your answer I have accesst to both. Also if this thread dies, althought i hope not it is interesting reading, please send me to your thread so i can keep up with your build. Too all others keep up the good work.
Good question. The cast iron heads are prone to cracking between the valves. They say that 95% of the time the cracks are pretty much only surface and cosmetic and don't cause any problems. SOme folks claim to have run them like that for tens of thousands of miles, but I wouldn't be all that comfortable knowing that the heads on my motor had cracks in them.
The aluminum heads don't have cracking problems, but from what I've read it only takes ONE serious overheat to warp them. Of course they can always be resurfaced but the more times they are the more warp-prone they become.
The cast iron heads came on some of the RWD motors. The aluminum heads came on some of the RWD and all of the FWD motors. Since the engines are pretty rare, you pretty much have to go with what you can get. I have 3 of the FWD motors, so they should all be aluminum.
The aluminum heads don't have cracking problems, but from what I've read it only takes ONE serious overheat to warp them. Of course they can always be resurfaced but the more times they are the more warp-prone they become.
The cast iron heads came on some of the RWD motors. The aluminum heads came on some of the RWD and all of the FWD motors. Since the engines are pretty rare, you pretty much have to go with what you can get. I have 3 of the FWD motors, so they should all be aluminum.
#129
02-15-2010, 10:58 AM
John you arlready have tha adapter for the 700r4, as long as it is a 60 deg pattern. Same as the 904. The t-conv bolt pattern on the 700r4 is 3 lug too. The t-conv is 11 in like the benz too so it shouldn't be too hard to bolt up. My 700r4 is 90 deg so the t-conv is 12 in making it a tight squeeze, the bolt circle is larger. Get the trans and t-case out of an s10 with the 2.8 and your good to go!
#130
02-16-2010, 10:02 PM
Diesel Enthusiast
John you arlready have tha adapter for the 700r4, as long as it is a 60 deg pattern. Same as the 904. The t-conv bolt pattern on the 700r4 is 3 lug too. The t-conv is 11 in like the benz too so it shouldn't be too hard to bolt up. My 700r4 is 90 deg so the t-conv is 12 in making it a tight squeeze, the bolt circle is larger. Get the trans and t-case out of an s10 with the 2.8 and your good to go!
FTE has a point. Since both TCs are 3-bolt, you should be able to re-drill an OM617 flex plate and make it bolt up. IIRC the bolt circle on the 700R4 TC is 255mm and compared to the Benz it has a skinnier center pilot, so it should be easy to machine a sleeve to go around it that will center it nicely in the OM617 flex plate. IIRC Vlado said that the bronze pilot bushing from ford,lincoln/mercury 1968-82 250 cu.in., or 1968-86 302,351,400 cu.in engines fit right into the pilot hole of the MB crank, so all you'd have to do is get one of those and drill the center hole out big enough for the pilot of the 700R4 TC to slip into it...
Last edited by CheaperJeeper; 02-17-2010 at 12:18 AM.
