Donnie's 1989 Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

 

 

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE XJ

 

The Jeep XJ Cherokee was produced between 1984-2001 in the United States. During the eighteen years of production, nearly three million (2,884,172) Cherokees were built, and from what I understand, they always sold every one of them soon after. This is unlike some other manufacturers that you hear advertising 'new' vehicles that are a year or more out of date...
Originally designed and built by American Motors (AMC), Chrysler continued the same design when they bought AMC in 1987. The first "sport utility vehicle", the Cherokee led to a market full of imitators. Due to that, the name "SUV" has been diluted into nothingness and seems to apply to any 4x4 station wagon, regardless of whether it actually has any offroad capability or not. Throughout the 18 years of production, the Cherokee remained very capable offroad and is truly sporty and utilitarian at the same time.

 

COMMON DESIGN

All XJs were built as a "Unibody" design with the body and frame rails tied together as one piece as opposed to a body on frame design. All XJs have solid axles front and rear. The suspension consists of coils for the front and leaf springs for the rear. All XJs came with disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear.

 

DIMENSIONS

 

  • wheelbase = 101.4"
  • overall length = 165.3" - 168.8"
  • overall width = 67.9" - 70.5"
  • track = 58"
  • height = 64"
  • height with roof rack = 66.8"
  • ground clearance (from differentials) = 7.3" - 8.3"
  • approach angle = 37.6* - 38*
  • departure angle = 31* - 32.1*
  • breakover angle = 21* - 21.9*
  • curb weight 2wd = 2,891 lbs - 2,993 lbs
  • curb weight 4wd = 3,057 lbs - 3,386 lbs
  • cargo capacity = 71.0 cu ft.

 

BODY


The body came in 4-door style with a rear hatch (liftgate).

 

ENGINE


4.0L I6 "Power Tech" - 177 hp @ 4750 rpm, 220 ft lb @ 4000 rpm


TRANSMISSION


• Automatic Transmission
AW4 - 4 speed automatic, electronically controlled - manufactured by Aisin –
(includes a Power/Comfort button that adjusts the shift points)

 

TRANSFER CASE


The transfer case used is all chain driven with aluminum housings. NP stands for "New Process" which is the brand.

NP242 - "Selec-Trac" part-time OR full-time - 2.72:1 ratio low range - shift pattern 2wd - 4part-time - 4full-time - N - 4LO

 

AXLES

• Front Axle
Dana 30 high pinion - reverse cut - 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts, 7.13" ring gear
• Rear Axle
Dana 35 non c-clip - 27 spline, 1.18" diameter shafts, 7.58" ring gear, 2.62" axle tube

GEARING


3.55:1 - used with 4.0L engine / automatic transmission

 

COOLING SYSTEM


Closed style - has no radiator cap and utilizes a pressure bottle.

 

DRIVESHAFTS


Front Driveshaft - The front is a "double cardan" two-piece driveshaft with a CV joint at the transfer case end.

Rear Driveshaft - The rear is a one-piece shaft with standard u-joints at both ends. The slip yoke is located on the output shaft of the transfer case. The yoke slides in and out of the transfer case and is lubricated by the ATF fluid internally.

 

PRODUCTION


# of 1989 XJs built
207,216

TRIM LEVEL


Limited with leather package

MODIFICATIONS


The following modifications have been done since the vehicle rolled off the assembly line:

 

  • After the rear Dana 35 axel failed me the 2nd time I replaced it with a Dana 44 non c-clip - 30 spline, 1.31" diameter shafts, 8.5" ring gear, 2.75" axle tube – this was taken from a 1987 XJ with the towing package, it came with the 2.5” wide brakes.
  • The front and rear axels were fitted with Yukon 4.88:1 ring and Pinion gears and ARB Air Lockers.
  • The front disconnect axel was replaced with a 1 piece unit.
  • Suspension consists of TNT CUSTOMS Y-LINK Long arm upgrade kit, Rubicon Express 5.5”/6” front and rear with added 1.5” spacers in front to level things out. Rancho RS5000’s at each corner dampen the bumps
  • The rear slip yoke was ground down for higher angle clearance
  • Rear bumper/tire carrier combo from Tomken
  • Traction provided by 35x12.50x15 Goodyear MTR’s
    on 15 x 8 black steel modular wheels.
  • Trimmed fenders to clear the 35” tires
  • The front custom low profile winch bumper allows the Warn 9.5TI winch to be mounted low enough to not block airflow and its recessed into the lower part of the grill as well for a clean appearance.
  • Custom 2 x 6 rocker replacements/sliders
  • A 1500 watt Power inverter was mounted inside to supply 110v power as needed.
  • Communications are provided by a President McKinley 40 channel CB radio and fire stick antennae.
  • Tunes flow from a Sony Xplod CD deck through front and rear Sony 6.5” speakers.

    •  

    Future plans will add the following items:

     

  • Full side sliders from rockers to bottom of “frame” rail
  • Additional custom skid plates
  • Tie rod flip conversion for more clearance
  • NP231 Transfer case with 4:1 kit
  • Torque Converter lock up switch to keep 1st from up shifting when not wanted
  • Rear cargo storage slide out drawers with tie down mounts
  • Hood vents
  • Dual battery set up
  • On board air with added storage tanks
  • Hot water shower system
  • Full internal cage
  • Partial external-cage for body protection in certain areas