Getting back into the XJ game. Any Humboldt folks?

[srmitchell]

Hey all!
After some time away from my Cherokee, I've started doing some repairs, upgrades and restoration. I thought about selling it for a while. Ended up selling my Dart instead. Now I daily drive my WJ, and this is the weekend rig.

-Completely rebuilt Tom Woods drivelines. All my vibrations are gone! Thanks Tom! :wave1:

-Re-wired aux fan using the proper pcm pins and a relay. (No check engine light!)
IMG_8948 by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

-Paint restoration.
IMG_8518 by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

And my favorite upgrade- Indoor storage. Moved into a new house, and xj is now inside. My cat, Max, is happy too.

IMG_9072 by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

Any Humboldt County folks on here? I'd love to hit some trails... Not sure if there's any decent day trips locally.

Cheers!
-Mitchell

 

[Rob D]

Hey Sean, welcome back. The XJ is still looking really good. My daughter is still up there, just graduated from HSU and now living in Eureka and working at Ramones in Old Town.

 

[srmitchell]

Well, life is full of surprises.
Drove the xj out to a local river spot yesterday, about 40 miles from home. Lots of hills, 90 degree heat. Couldn't get out of its own way. Incredibly slow, hard to hold speed on hills, etc.

Did a compression check.
1- 85psi
2- 105psi
3- 95psi
4- 90psi
5- 95psi
6- 100psi

Retested 1 and 4, went from 85 to 95 and then 90 to 110 with oil in the cylinders.

So, my guess is rings. Doesn't burn much oil though.

Thoughts? ATK seems like a good idea. Can't afford a Golen.

https://www.quadratec.com/products/51107_0017.htm

 

[blondejoncherokee]

those are super low compression numbers. Hmm. You could just tear your motor apart and do a basic rebuild with a mild cam and port and polish the head and the intake.

 

[srmitchell]

those are super low compression numbers. Hmm. You could just tear your motor apart and do a basic rebuild with a mild cam and port and polish the head and the intake.

I know. I almost can't believe it. Just did a steam clean with a slow introduction of water into the intake. Dropped a can of seafoam in too. I'm going to burn through this next 2/3rds of a tank, and then I might test it again. I'm wondering if the head has lots of valve deposits which might cause leakage. It's my alternative to just ripping it apart.

In some ways I feel validated because people always say "stop worrying about MPG" or "of course its slow, its a jeep," but I knew something was up. And average of 94psi for an engine rated at 120-150 is quite terrible.