89 XJ lower engine bay shield.

Boy what a pain! I paid to have my harmonic balancer changed at a shop my friends use. It started coming undone faster then I had time to replace it.
I told the mechanic to just leave the rubber shield in the back of the Jeep and I guess he took that to mean I didn't want it because later I noticed he just ripped it off!
A big search online showed NLA for 89's and costly newer XJ could be bought but had to be modified so I ordered some cloth impregnated rubber sheet stock a bit thicker than the old part. (About 50 bucks shipped.) Now that I'm getting into it I see several different fasteners, grommets and a plate that was riveted to it all held it in place. This job is getting much bigger then I ever assumed! (Just like the replacement front fender liners did with some of the fender flair studs snapping off.)
With the rain we get in Florida I need this thing to be protected from water intrusion, It was a key reason I bought the XJ. Seeing how low the Alt. sits has me wondering how anyone does any deep forging off road like the guys with snorkel intakes show pic's of?

Lot's of mechanic's like to just rip stuff out and say "you don't need that" . OK so why did the factory put it there . Same goes for the radiator shroud . I bought my new years ago since i could never find a replacement used . I think it was from Team Cherokee . Belts never get wet now and no rainy weather engine spray . Water can still get in but much dryer now . It think it would be easier and cheaper to just buy one and be done with it . Time IS money . Good luck anyway since you have a head start on the job as of now .

Whenever I need anything done I'm not doing myself I have to tell them ' do not rip anything out , I need everything that's there " One guy wanted to remove my rear disc because they did not come on the Jeep !

Yeah that shield/air dam deflector is necessary for our Renix. Well sort of. I don't run with mine only because even with a floor jack, I could not get it back on. Had it off once, put it back on once, but the second time no go. Hell with it! It now resides in my parts bin. Thing about fording water is that dirt in the water, (muddy water), will create havoc inside the alternator. Snorkel won't help out there, lol. Some go for it, but carry extra alternator(s). The splash-guard/shield/air-dam-deflector will help a little bit to protect the lower mounted alternator, and some even add an extra piece of material to extend beyond, and go further under the alternator, but to really protect the alternator one must configure it to a higher position.

If you have A/C, and don/t want A/C you are half-way to gaining a new home, (using some of the A/C brackets), for your alternator up in a higher position. It's been over a year since I intended to make the switch, but having no A/C to begin with requires my either finding some of those bracket parts, or making modifications of some sort.

There are very few, if any Renix Cherokees in my area since that bum provided "cash for clunkers" in order to have all of those useful parts vehicles crushed and sent to commie china in order for them to acquire steel to build up their military hardware. I would think you have all sorts of Renix availability where you are at.

However, I also suspect that you need A/C, unlike me. I just roll down the windows on a warm Alaskan day, lol. (Freaking minus 15 last night with a breeze!). Hence, in your stock built Renix, your A/C is in the way of moving your alternator into that position.

However, if you look around in your area junk yards you might be able to see how the newer engines provide a better set-up. Others will perhaps chime in and provide us better instructions on how to do that. (RENIX IS SO OLD, THAT I THINK NEEDS TO PROVIDE A SEPARATE SECTION).

The snorkel issue is a different animal for us Renix owners. Seems the best way is to rip out the stock air filter box, get a popular air filter like K&N, Spectra, or a complete kit, rather than home made, etc., etc., etc., and plumb that in with a cross over pipe going to the passenger side firewall, next to the coolent bottle, into and under the somewhat protected cowling. That allows for free'd up space for an extra battery tray, or maybe even an alternator. I don't know about the latter though... (RENIX IS SO OLD, THAT I THINK NEEDS TO PROVIDE A SEPARATE SECTION). They are so old they are 'classics', becoming 'antiques', for crying out loud!!!!!!!! Searching for Renix help on is becoming harder. Try 'googling' your search terms, and you'll be better off.., until: (RENIX IS SO OLD, THAT I THINK NEEDS TO PROVIDE A SEPARATE SECTION).:speepin::twak::smsoap::roll::helpme:

I tossed mine on all of my XJ's. The protection it provides is marginal. I'd much rather be able to wash the salt out of that area and be able to inspect for leaks, than rely on that thing for protection. I crawl under my XJ's on a regular basis with a flashlight and inspect things, I like to catch small problems before they turn into big problems.

I've never really had water cause many issue with the alternator, it gets wet and then it dries out again. I even clean the mud out of mine with a pressure washer. Mud, sand, salt water or coolant can cause issues, rain water or fairly clean water of any sort rarely causes any trouble..

My 96's deflector was torn, so I removed it and fabricated
up a piece of metal to replace the passenger side of the
deflector. It provides splash protection for the alternator
and I even used some of the factory bolt holes to hold it
in place. It's not 'waterproof' by any means, but protects
the alternator from rain spray kicked up by the right side
tire...

Does anyone have a pic of this shield? I don't think I ever saw one on my Jeep.

SuperRA said:

Does anyone have a pic of this shield? I don't think I ever saw one on my Jeep.

Click to expand...

No. We all threw them away!! LOL.

I did, and I live in Arizona. aC works fine on all 3 Jeeps without "splash" shields.

I recreated mine with some rubber mat from Lowes. I've heard of people using a truck mud flap.

I also tossed mine and the factory skid plate. Enabled me to see and fix a leak in the trans cooler line.

My opinion is...if anyone wants it...what shield???

My Nissan has one. It's a HUGE pain in the arse to remove to do anything underneath.
My wife's Camry has one...Ditto...pain in arse.
Work truck...arse pain
Daughter's Volvo...same deal.
My son's Jeep...no shield...I removed what was left of it flapping around underneath...it was a pain in the...
My Jeeps (of the 3 I've owned) have never had one...but if I did have one, I 'd remove it post haste.

GregGA said:

I also tossed mine and the factory skid plate. Enabled me to see and fix a leak in the trans cooler line.

Click to expand...

Yep. Ditto on the front skid plate.