Cherokee economy brainstorming.

rob_man, Aug 15, 7:05am
I have always admired the early Cherokees as a fairly robust unit without a whole lot of unnecessary frills, they are viciously wasteful fuel eaters though and this puts them out of my reach and, I'm sure, beyond what most people would find acceptable.
The 4.2L engine is a development of the old 232 cu in unit that was the standard in the old Rambler Rebel and Classic, those vehicles were very economical considering their size and weight and this has me wondering what could be done to make a Cherokee more economical, perhaps toss the injection system altogether and bolt on a single barrel carburettor like the old Ramblers had!
Thoughts!
mugenb20b, Aug 15, 7:08am
No, I'd say EFi would be more economical. There is a 2.5 litre diesel (VM I think it's called!) Cherokee available too and they have a manual gearbox, so I wonder if it will bolt up to a 6.
thunderbolt, Aug 15, 7:11am
LPG!
rob_man, Aug 15, 7:11am
I've yet to come across one of those, could be some interesting hybridising to be done.
kazbanz, Aug 15, 7:12am
Buy the diesel version! run it on LPG --or as you say try pottering
I suspect though that part of the issue is all the extra "stuff" you are draggin around -they have some weight in em
rob_man, Aug 15, 7:14am
Seems a bit obvious I guess, it hadn't occurred to me to tell the truth. I wonder how they perform.
daryl14, Aug 15, 7:14am
Would a Dodge (Cummins) CRD go in there easily I wonder!.

Toyota v8.

Something else from Daimler chrysler. Hmm.
offrd1, Aug 15, 7:15am
The Wrangler is not any better,i think the shape may have something to do with it.the shape of a brick.lol.
rob_man, Aug 15, 7:17am
The thing is, they're so bloody cheap. It's tempting to try pottering a bit, maybe a Holden V6 would work with a manual box.
Are they really that heavy! Monocoque construction and all that.
morrisman1, Aug 15, 7:21am
Theres a small european car with a 1.2L engine which would swap over nicely. More economical, more powerful and will be far more reliable.
thunderbolt, Aug 15, 7:23am
Adapting the DSG to the transfer case might be a struggle though.
daryl14, Aug 15, 7:25am
VR6 Golf engine. They use them in fork lifts!
morrisman1, Aug 15, 7:28am
Imagine that! A Fiat Punto with a DSG gearbox. I just jizzed in my pants
franc123, Aug 15, 7:40am
I don't think its really a weight issue either. Poor aerodynamics and the lack of FWH's meaning the front axle is being driven all the time causes much of it.
rob_man, Aug 15, 7:51am
The have AWD which makes the FWH redundant.
edit; They wouldn't be any more brick-like than a 70 series Cruiser.
mortluby, Aug 15, 7:55am
Descent exhaust woud be my starting point. I wouldn't be suprised if the engine was working extra hard just to pump the exhaust gasses out.
kazbanz, Aug 15, 7:58am
Remember who they were origonally built for--the US army--like they care about fuel economy.
I have to tell you that straight 6 is a pretty tight fit in there -lenth wise
I reckon the LPG conversion would be the go unless its for fishing and you get a bit careless with fuel level.
offrd1, Aug 15, 7:59am
A petrol land cruiser is not any better than the Jeep [ i have had both.still got a Jeep ]
kazbanz, Aug 15, 8:00am
Which model cherokee you talking about rob! --the old brick straight 6 orthe newer one. The old brick one isn't AWD --IMO its got about the most robust four wheel drive box on the planet--put it into 4wd and it clunks in solid like
franc123, Aug 15, 8:15am
An LPG conversion would be a waste of time too for a recreational user, its simply not worth it. If LPG was being sold at the price it should be in NZ then maybe. Its stick the petrol nozzle in and grit your teeth and console yourself in the knowledge that you didn't line up with the other sheep to pay an extra $10k in Toyota Tax for a mid 90's Prado. Enjoy.
rob_man, Aug 15, 8:21am
I thought they had that old school New Process AWD case. If that's the case there must be free wheelers available for them.
They just seem like a good platform for experimentation.
craig04, Aug 15, 8:40am
Our old Cherokee wasn't that bad on fuel for a 4.0 4wd. We used to get 15L/100km's round town. As someone else mentioned, they are very cheap, so the fuel cost shouldn't be too much of an issue. I think they only weigh about 1600kg's or thereabouts.
offrd1, Aug 15, 8:45am
What are you smoking.the Cherokee are none of those things,they are bloody good off road,one of the most reliable 4x4's out there .YES i have owned a lot of 4x4's,the Jeep so far would be the most reliable by far and mine is thrashed and mostly off road [ Wrangler ] I 4x4 with a lot of Cherokee's,they really are good 4x4's,and bloody tuff and good value for money.BUT they are thirsty .lol.
llortmt, Aug 15, 10:36am
They do nowdays Kaz. If the next war isn't fought on foot or in a Prius the US army cant afford to attend and then even if it is they'll be painting broom sticks black to look like guns!