Idea: Sounds crazy but a SRT4 motor in a cherokee

[TNT]

Weight. Not for trail rides, but desert running.

I can see it. A SRT-4 engine with a Stage 3 kit would be a great engine for any use a 4wd sees. It would be wicked in a 2wd MJ. It would probably run in the elevens.

 

[mitsumotors]

wow, as an srt-4 driver i was always hated on by every other car driver out there(especially cobaltaliers) but its nice to see some appreciation for one of the strongest engines out there..... too bad i got rid of mine a year ago... I miss it....:tears:

 

[RaiderX7]

Finally some people who know what im talking about and get what im trying to say. If mopar doesnt make the KJ diesel availble in a kit i might actually think about this.

 

[bjoehandley]

Got a question for the SRT4 guys, how durable are the engines? I've been told by a co-worker that they're fragile, but have never heard that elseware and saw that Honda brownnosers Sport Compact Car had all but admited that of their fleet of "project cars" , the SRT-4 project was the most reliable of the fleet and that all of the problems were stuff they'd done to the car and not factory problems!

 

[xjjeeper19]

TNT, my brother has one for sale.....

 

[RaiderX7]

The stock engine can handle around 400ish HP. they are very strong and love boost. The stock compression Ratio is 8.1 to 1. The only time i have heard of anyone blowing one of these motors is someone making over 500hp.

 

[bjoehandley]

From what I've heard, and think that it's the main problem is that most of the engine failures are cars being built and driven by kids with Mama and Dad's credit card.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

Weight. Not for trail rides, but desert running.

Saving weight would be the only logical reason to me for swapping an SRT4 engine into an XJ, but then you could also consider that the 5.7L Chevy LS1 V8 with 137% more displacement than the SRT4 engine is a good deal lighter (about 100lb) than the 4.0.
Don't get me wrong; the 2.4 turbo is a great engine in the Neon but somehow I can't see it having anywhere near the same potential in the heavier, brick-like XJ. Then again, someone out there might prove me wrong and I'd take my hat off to him for doing it.

 

[srimes]

Saving weight would be the only logical reason to me for swapping an SRT4 engine into an XJ, but then you could also consider that the 5.7L Chevy LS1 V8 with 137% more displacement than the SRT4 engine is a good deal lighter (about 100lb) than the 4.0.
Don't get me wrong; the 2.4 turbo is a great engine in the Neon but somehow I can't see it having anywhere near the same potential in the heavier, brick-like XJ. Then again, someone out there might prove me wrong and I'd take my hat off to him for doing it.

I love the chevy ls family of motors, they are my overall favorites and what I would like to put in my jeep, and just about anything else that moves for that matter.

The only reason I'd choose an srt4 over an ls1 would be if the swap was easier and cheaper. Srt4 swap would still be very cool, even if it isn't my first choice. I know someone who's putting in a DOHC 4.0 V8 from a lexus in a cherokee and I think that'll be cool as hell too, but I'd still chose an LS1. But he says the toyota motor will bolt up to the aw4, so that's a factor to consider.

 

[Mr_Random]

Why not get the tranny and transfer from a 4 cyl Dakota and use the 2.5 turbo out of a early turbo Mopar like was stated eariler in this post. It is a lot cheaper and easier to find parts for the 2.5/2.5 engines. These motors have pushed early Caravans into the 12's with some minor bolt ons!

I just have to say that there is a difference between the AMC 2.5, Chryco 2.5, and Pontiac 2.5 (Iron duke).

The Chryco 2.5 was used in labarons with 2.2L (I'm pretty sure) displacement and a turbo, so it is common to pull the whole engine harness and turbo from a labaron and plant it in other chrysler vehicles.

The Pontiac 2.5, is almost exactly the same as the chryco, except it came first and I think it had a 2.0/Turbo combo in the fiero and other applications.

The AMC NEVER had a Turbo, and while the internals are similar to the other two (moreso the pontiac), the exhaust and intake are on the same side of the engine.

SOME jeeps in the 80's came with the Iron duke, but the only chrysler 4cylinder to see a jeep was in 03(?), the 2.4L DOHC aluminum head with plastic intake mani, which is a brother to the Turbo'd PT cruiser engines of the same time...

What I didn't know was that the SRT-4 was much different from the PT turbo engines, can someone clarify WHY it is different?

Please correct me on any wrong points, I often make mistakes...

EDIT: OH, and strangely, for a couple of years, the dakota used the AMC 2.5 rather than the chrysler (I think the new 2.4 was in development at the time and the old 2.5 was discontinued?), which I'm pretty sure is the only time the AMC 2.5 saw an application outside of AMC designed vehicles, unless early caravans used them... but who knows??? I'm starting to confuse myself...

 

[mitsumotors]

Its really not all that different... same block, head, internals and all. The PtCruiser motor doesn't have the oil squirters for the pistons like the srt4 motor does, it has a different more tuned down pcm than the srt-4. intake setup is different and the downpipe exhaust setup. the rest is mostly the same though.

 

[BBeach]

You know there is more to this world than the XJ right?

I would drop my XJ for a GLHS Omni in a heartbeat!

Yeah, seeing as I barely drive mine anymore....It was more along the lines as a joke due to the high gas prices and our gas guzzlers becoming extinct. Lighten up man!

 

[BBeach]

agreed, my srt-4 can make boost at idle.... not really though but damn close, it spools up so fast there is really no lag at all, it would be awsome for wheeling because of all the bottom end torque. i had my stock srt-4 dyno'd at 228hp and 258ft./lbs of torque, and all at pretty low rpm too!!! i would love to see somebody do this!!

x2, no replacement for displacement except for a turbo....people seem to underestimate the powers turbo put out even at lower rpms.

 

[mitsumotors]

people seem to underestimate the powers turbo put out even at lower rpms.

Even with the stage 3 turbo on the srt-4 motor making something like 300hp and 320ft./lbs of torque there is barely any turbo lag.... the power comes on strong at low rpms. I think that people just get the wrong idea about turbo's because they see big v8's running turbo's as big as your head and they take like 6 miles to spool.:eeks1:

 

[TNT]

Saving weight would be the only logical reason to me for swapping an SRT4 engine into an XJ, but then you could also consider that the 5.7L Chevy LS1 V8 with 137% more displacement than the SRT4 engine is a good deal lighter (about 100lb) than the 4.0.
Don't get me wrong; the 2.4 turbo is a great engine in the Neon but somehow I can't see it having anywhere near the same potential in the heavier, brick-like XJ. Then again, someone out there might prove me wrong and I'd take my hat off to him for doing it.

You don't have a clue. A SRT-4 engine in a 4x4 would be wicked, a stroker wouldn't have a chance. With about 24 psi of boost the cylinders hold the same amount of air and fuel as a 7 liter engine would and be about 400hp if tuned right. Throttle response on these engines is amazing.

 

[Talyn]

Off topic a bit but I remember reading someplace that the SRT4 Neon did not use a muffler as its exhausts was tuned. Any truth to this?

 

[RaiderX7]

This is true. The SRT4 did not come with any muffelers. Just a resesantor(probably spelled it wrong) and a cat. the federal law states that you have to have some sound reducing device and the turbo counts. thats how dodge got away with it.

 

[TNT]

Off topic a bit but I remember reading someplace that the SRT4 Neon did not use a muffler as its exhausts was tuned. Any truth to this?

It came the with two resonators on the midpipe of the stock exhaust. The Borla exaust only had one.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

You don't have a clue. A SRT-4 engine in a 4x4 would be wicked, a stroker wouldn't have a chance. With about 24 psi of boost the cylinders hold the same amount of air and fuel as a 7 liter engine would and be about 400hp if tuned right. Throttle response on these engines is amazing.

Like I said, I'd like to see someone do it and prove me wrong and I mean that sincerely 'cause it would be cool. Which tranny and transfer case would you use for such a swap? Any other custom parts? How much would it cost?
If this swap could deliver better fuel economy in these days of $4+ per gallon gas prices, that would be a bonus. Unfortunately for me the SRT4 never came to the UAE so that wouldn't even be an option, but there are plenty of low mileage junkyard LS1's around here that can be had complete with accessories, wiring harness, and computer for about $2500. I have the AX15 so with the Novak Conversions bellhousing adapter kit, it becomes a fairly easy swap.

I know someone who's putting in a DOHC 4.0 V8 from a lexus in a cherokee and I think that'll be cool as hell too, but I'd still chose an LS1. But he says the toyota motor will bolt up to the aw4, so that's a factor to consider.

There's a few of those Lexus motors sitting in the junkyards as well but they're a lot more expensive than the Chevy LS1. Still a cool swap though especially if they mate with the AW4.

 

[bjoehandley]

I love the chevy ls family of motors, they are my overall favorites and what I would like to put in my jeep, and just about anything else that moves for that matter.

The only reason I'd choose an srt4 over an ls1 would be if the swap was easier and cheaper. Srt4 swap would still be very cool, even if it isn't my first choice. I know someone who's putting in a DOHC 4.0 V8 from a lexus in a cherokee and I think that'll be cool as hell too, but I'd still chose an LS1. But he says the toyota motor will bolt up to the aw4, so that's a factor to consider.

I'd love to a SRT8 GC swap into an XJ, as damn quick as those are stock, hten htrow htem into a lighter unibody would be incredable!

I just have to say that there is a difference between the AMC 2.5, Chryco 2.5, and Pontiac 2.5 (Iron duke).

The Chryco 2.5 was used in labarons with 2.2L (I'm pretty sure) displacement and a turbo, so it is common to pull the whole engine harness and turbo from a labaron and plant it in other chrysler vehicles.

The Pontiac 2.5, is almost exactly the same as the chryco, except it came first and I think it had a 2.0/Turbo combo in the fiero and other applications.

The Chrysler 2.2/2.5 motors were an SOHC design that was used on all of the FWD Chrysler built cars and Minivans in the 80's. From what I understand, one of the original designers of that family designed it before he retired and was also involved in the development of the legendary Slant 6. Chrysler did use Mitsubishi's 2.6l I-4 on a number of products, and for a while, that's most of what I saw in the boneyards around here before all cars of that generation of cars got old enough to be worth scrapping instead of fixing.

IIRC the Iron Duke was a 4 cylinder version of the Pontiac 389, so if that's the case, it has nothing in common with the Chrysler 2.2/2.5 except maybe displacement and country of origin. The 2.0/2.2 used in the GM FWD's and S-trucks were another engine all together and were also pushrod/OHV instead of OHC. Those were offered in turbo form on the Sunbird and I've even seen a Grand Am or two with the turbo badges on them.

Olds also had their Quad 4, which was either 2.3l or 2.4l that when it first came out was a high strung, somewhat unreliable motor, that had about 40hp knocked out of it over the years and was stuck in the later Cavilier Z24's until the Ecotec came out.