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tell me why this isnt done

Ewenm

NAXJA Forum User
ive followed some of the V8 conversions to XJ,s and have been amazed at the inventiveness of people, and i was wondering why people don't try fitting the Jeep 4.7 V8 and tranny out of a mid 2000,s Grand Cherokee.

i would love to do this but want to still keep all the original gauges ( 1994 xj Limited)

would it not be a simpler fit, would the gauges work easier??.

maybe im missing something
 
Its not worth the work. You're going from a 190-195 horse motor to a ~220 horse motor (wikipedia says 235, but I cant find that number anywhere else..)
 
The ho version is more like 265, and 335 ft lbs. The wife's wj is the only jeep I've ever driven with a factory drivetrain that actually felt like it had power. I still wouldn't go to all the effort to swap one in, but I'd probably just start with a wj if I were planning to build another jeep.
 
The engine bay of the big wide WJ is already packed tight with all the crap it takes to run the HO engine. I could barely find space to route a few wiring harnesses for my lights. It would be a hell of a task to fit it all in the XJ engine bay. Besides, have you seen how big the radiator is on the WJ? The engine would probably overheat after 3 minutes of running.

That being said, I do love the power and torque of the 4.7HO engine. My WJ has crazy throttle response, maybe even too much for the trails, but I know people do it. Might as well just find a wrecked WJ and hack it up for a trail vehicle.
 
The "big wide wj" tapers down to nothing in the front due to the rounded design. The radiator is a super thin single core, but yes it is significantly taller than the xj's. The 4.7 is significantly shorter than the 4.0, allowing plenty of space for creative cooling improvements in front if you put it in an xj. No need to find a wrecked wj, my wifes was stock and mint when we bought it, its pretty much a trail toy now.
 
The 4.7 motor doesn't have the best reputation for reliability offroad from what I've read, it's got oiling issues especially if not well maintained. Again, that's what I've read, I haven't owned one, mostly because I don't see the need for it.

Also, the electronics are completely incompatible sensor/signal wise if you try to put it in a 97 or later, and it won't bolt to the same transmissions (easily rectified if using a manual, admittedly) so you might as well just go with an LS/LT/LQ swap for way more potential power at that point. People have boosted those into the four figures with no bottom end upgrades and it's about as complex as a 4.7 swap IMO.
 
What Kastein said.
It isn't any easier than swapping in Chevy stuff and won't be much cheaper than building a stroker by the time you're done (well, maybe).
260 horse and a 5 speed auto would really liven up an XJ but its a lot of work that nobody else has done. Make life easier and stick to the LS / LQ swap - it's been done enough that you can buy parts & find help.
The 4.8 liter LR4 engine would be plenty, though the 6.0 would be sick - even sicker if you could keep the MDS functional.
 
What Kastein said.
It isn't any easier than swapping in Chevy stuff and won't be much cheaper than building a stroker by the time you're done (well, maybe).
260 horse and a 5 speed auto would really liven up an XJ but its a lot of work that nobody else has done. Make life easier and stick to the LS / LQ swap - it's been done enough that you can buy parts & find help.
The 4.8 liter LR4 engine would be plenty, though the 6.0 would be sick - even sicker if you could keep the MDS functional.

This ^^. My plan is to run a LQ4 w/ LSx car intake custom harness/pcm program, Aw4 and 242 (with the same adapter as ixnayxj's if it hold up). Altho, if I get a killer deal on a LM I wont complain. Hopefully since my heep is a renix, the IP will be easier to get to run correctly. If not, am not opposed to run aftermarket gauges.
I know it would be a bit of "modifying" the trans tunnel, but running a 6.0/6.2 with a 6L80 would be a better solution to getting better mileage on the highway.
 
uuuhh the 4.7 kinda sucks, power factors aside. i work at a jeep dealer, these engines are way less reliable than the 4.0. the main thing is they like to drop valve seats whenever they feel like it. im not saying it happens to every single one but its a pretty common issue.
 
Simply because the 4.7L is a piece of crap. People can say what they want that it isn't bad or blah blah blah. I'm a MOPAR nut and listen it is a turd. Not reliable at all. I'm head of inventory in a junkyard and buy them all the time. Blocked oil passages, over heated, heads destroyed, etc. Generally all back to the poor oiling issue from sludge build up/shitty oil passages. People also deny the sludge issue. I've had MANY apart at work and there is sludge in all the junk ones. Had one blow the intake manifold in my face on start up once. Then again i got a ram with a 4.7L that was hammered on with 220k and it ran great... transfer case had exploded into 3 pieces. So I round this rant up with buy a Magnum 318 or 360. Way better motors. Just get a plenum repair kit from hughes engine before you install the motor and maybe do an M1 intake with a performance oriented idle-5500rpm operating range cam. All that could be had from Hughes along with a bigger aftermarket or bored factory TB. I would also get the heads checked/freshened up but thats just the short run on how I would put a small block in a cherokee. Chrysler power all the way.
 
To add to that, you can put a 318 or 360 in front of an AX15 or NV3550 using a bellhousing from a 3.9L V6 equipped Dakota, if you think your driving style will make such a trans last behind those engines.

Else, they are shipped natively married to NV3500s and NV4500s.

318s and 360s are common as hell (at least, anywhere you can find 4.7s too) compared to 4.7s, more reliable, and probably cheaper, as they're so common and "older" so not as desireable/commonly needed by shops doing repairs. I can have my pick of the litter for them at a local yard for $125 each and can make a reasonable assumption that they will all be good engines without test starting them.

Autos: ehhh, 4xRE/RH series. All I'll say is a 46re behind a 318 cost my parents over 6000 dollars in rebuilds between 2002 and 2009 or so, in under 100k miles. It died for the fourth and last time at my hands in September or so at 138k total vehicle mileage and I scrapped it. Make your own decision.
 
318 / 360, Magnum or Carbed or Whatever, is still probably on par with an LS swap - just getting the block in. Horsepower for horsepower, dollar for dollar - it's hard to beat the LS motor.
Still isn't mopar, though.
 
AMC = All Makes Combined

I see no issue with not using mopar power, but I was a chevy guy before I came to the jeep darkside
 
thanks guys, i wasn't seriously considering a V8 swap, just wondered why that particular combination wasn't done,

however while i would love a V8 swap, if mine dies i will be going with a stroker, much much simpler here in Australia
 
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