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Deisel Xj's

Here in Australia the diesel was available from 97 to 2001 and then again in the 2002 and up Cherokee (Liberty). Cant tell you much about them but go to http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com and then the forum for details on what we get here, diesel libertys, Grands and the XJ (when it was selling)

Cheers
Steve
 
They were also available in at least 85, because its in my 85's manual. I assume that means 84 too, because they didnt change anything between those 2 years.
 
In europe there a lots of diesels, at least in Norway/Sweden. The old 2.1, and the newer 2.5 TD. I think the 2.5 was sold up to 2001 here.
Engines are from Renault. The 2.5 has great torque too, if i remember right its about the same as the 4.0., and has potential for much more with chip-tuning etc.
 
Steve F said:
Here in Australia the diesel was available from 97 to 2001 and then again in the 2002 and up Cherokee (Liberty).

True, but that engine was never offered in the US - the only XJs equipped with a diesel from the factory in the US market had the old Renault 2.1-litre naturally-aspirated lump. The later VM (IIRC) unit that was used on non-US Cherokees was light years ahead.
 
Thanks for the info guys. I figured there were lots of export models, but I suspected the north american market models were pretty rare. The two that I've seen were both undergoing swaps to gas power due to cracked heads on the deisel engines. However, one of these had a badge on the liftgate which said "turbo Diesel" and it looked like a factory Jeep badge. Did Canada get turbo's but not the US? Stranger things have happened, I once owned a car which was nearly impossible to get aftermarket parts for since it was never sold in the US,which is where most of our parts come from.

Tony
 
tchase said:
Thanks for the info guys. I figured there were lots of export models, but I suspected the north american market models were pretty rare.

IIRC, the Renault-engined diesels were the only diesel Cherokees built in the US; the VM-engined ones were all made at the Graz plant, mainly for the European market. So technically only the Renault-engined Cherokees would've been the export-model diesels, at least from a US perspective ;)

The two that I've seen were both undergoing swaps to gas power due to cracked heads on the deisel engines. However, one of these had a badge on the liftgate which said "turbo Diesel" and it looked like a factory Jeep badge. Did Canada get turbo's but not the US?

I believe all the Renault units were turbos, at least as fitted to the XJ.

Stranger things have happened, I once owned a car which was nearly impossible to get aftermarket parts for since it was never sold in the US,which is where most of our parts come from.

Quite honestly, if you really want a diesel in your XJ, I'd recommend sourcing the VM engine and ancilliaries and swapping that in rather than keeping the Renault engine. Getting parts for any Renault in North America is nearly impossible (I know, I have one), and the power gains of the VM over the Renault unit are considerable. It's also a much more refined unit. Either way you're stuck with a parts nightmare, so may as well go with the better of the two units. Of course, it'll probably cost more to locate one, but if wishes were horses...

Of course, having said that, I'd love to see how well the KJ diesel fits in an XJ... Never gonna happen in California, though.
 
They were 85 and 86 models if I recall correctly, and like everyone says, they were awfully lousy. Foreign markets have always had a diesel option. And they are a very good option at that!

I am hoping to in the future drop a Mercedees diesel in a Cherokee. That's what they currently come with as well. All foreign (outside North America) get a diesel option. The Grands are a 2.7 Merceedes unit and the Liberty gets an Italian built unit. Not nearly as good, but pretty good from what I hear.
 
sweetjeep said:
They were 85 and 86 models if I recall correctly, and like everyone says, they were awfully lousy. Foreign markets have always had a diesel option. And they are a very good option at that!

I seem to remember that the first year or two that we got the Cherokee in Ireland, there was no diesel - just the 2.5l four or 4.0l six. Neither engine works well in a country where road tax is a) exorbitant and b) directly related to engine capacity.

As for the old Renault diesel... They sucked. I remember we had a postman with a Renault Extra (IIRC) van who was constantly cursing the unreliability of the thing. The old Renault 4s they had used prior to that were unbreakable.

I am hoping to in the future drop a Mercedees diesel in a Cherokee. That's what they currently come with as well. All foreign (outside North America) get a diesel option. The Grands are a 2.7 Merceedes unit and the Liberty gets an Italian built unit. Not nearly as good, but pretty good from what I hear.

I think the 2.7 is the VM lump, with the 3.1 in the Grand being the Mercedes option.

Also, I noticed I contradicted myself earlier in the post: the US-spec XJs were turbodiesels, which is what I meant to say throughout.
 
xjfish said:
86-87 Chrystler dropped in 88. 2.1L. Renalt built. 168ci. Poor hp numbers but fairly good torque output. That is if i remember correctly.

Poor HP AND torque. I'm not going to go look up the number now, but it had 85hp and less torque than the 2.5 or 2.8.
 
ZmOz said:
Poor HP AND torque. I'm not going to go look up the number now, but it had 85hp and less torque than the 2.5 or 2.8.
2.5L I4 carburated - 105hp@5000 rpm, 132ft/lb@2800 rpm - 84-85
2.5L I4 TBI (fuel injected) - 117hp@5000 rpm, 135ft/lb@3500 rpm - intro in 86 and updated in 87-90 to 121hp
2.5L I4 MPI (multi-port injection) - 130hp@5250 rpm, 139ft/lb@3250 rpm - 91-00
GM 2.8L V6 - 115hp@4800 rpm, 145ft/lb@2400 rpm - 84-86
Renault 2.1L 4cyl. Turbo Diesel - 85hp@3750 rpm, 132ft/lb@2750 rpm - 85-87
Italian VM 2.5L Turbo Diesel - 140hp, 236ft/lb torque - used in overseas XJs
4.0L I6 "Power Tech" Renix - 177hp@4750rpm, 224ft/lb@2400 rpm / 220lb/ft@2000rpm - 87-90
4.0L I6 MPI "Power Tech HO" (High Output) - 190hp@4750 rpm, 225ft/lb@3,950 rpm - 91-95
4.0L I6 MPI "Power Tech HO" (High Output) - 190hp@4600 rpm, 225ft/lb@3,000 rpm - 96-99 (OBDII)
4.0L I6 MPI "Power Tech HO" (High Output) - 193hp@4600 rpm, 231ft/lb@3,000 rpm - 00-01 w/distributorless ignition

So the Renault TD made less torque than any other Cherokee engine except the anemic 4-cyl the XJ intro'd with...
 
Read this recently. Some possible good news on bringing a Jeep diesel to the US:

Liberty Likely First of More Chrysler Diesels
Aug 19, 2004
The Car Connection


Though there are several potentially crippling hurdles, the new Jeep Liberty diesel is likely to be only the first in an expanding lineup of the fuel-efficient engines that Chrysler will bring to market over the next few years. CEO Dieter Zetsche told The CarConnection that other diesel models are now under development, though how many actually make it to market will depend on factors such as new emissions standards, fuel quality and a government-sponsored study of the potentially carcinogenic effects of diesel particulates. Low-sulfur diesel will reach market later this decade, but about the same time that new rules go into effect at both the federal and California state level. These regulations will effectively require automakers like Chrysler to deliver diesels as pollution-free as today's gasoline engines. Zetsche said the technology should be available, but "the issue is whether in an economically feasible (form)." Chrysler has a particular advantage over its rivals, he suggested, because of the diesel hardware and know-how it can tap into at the sibling Mercedes-Benz division. Eventually, if the technology does prove out, Zetsche believes it would "not be unrealistic" to see diesels capture as much as a ten-percent share of the American automotive market. Asked about the hybrid-electric technology Japanese makers are focusing on, the Chrysler CEO admitted his company has been slow off the blocks, but is determined to catch up. A mild hybrid pickup will launch shortly and, said Zetsche, "we're developing hybrids that are more in the center of this niche." Chrysler could have an advantage, he asserted, because "we're promoting diesels, too. It's not a case of either/or."
 
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