Re-introduction

[Sparkchaser]

Hello, all! Been a while since I was last on here, and now am embarking on a new project- one of those evil SUV's! I just acquired a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 LTD for a song. I have to have 4x4 to reliably get to work in the winter and waiting for a snowplow to clear the roads is not an option. The old 98 Jetta was just barely doing it AFTER the snowplow, and going through divorce makes money too tight to just go buy that new 4x4 I wanted, so, here goes. My previous Jeep Cherokee could easily get 21mpg, but the wife(now ex) wanted a Durango so we got that, which she averaged 13, while I averaged 18 and broke 20 with a few times without really trying. So, this new-to-me Jeep I believe can do better, as it weighs quite a bit less, has better tires, and is more aerodynamic than the Durango. I have read others have gotten 23+ from their GC's so I think I can make it get that without too much trouble. This Jeep is fairly low mileage for its age, 126000 miles, but I know it needs a little repair before I can drive it- I had to tow it home on a trailer. I'll be doing a thorough exam of it today to find what needs fixing.

This is a basically stock vehicle other than an air ram intake with K&N-type air filter. After engine repair, first step I think will be aero hubcaps, simple air dam, then belly pan(at least partial). Also, I think this car would respond well to water injection since having a performance engine it has a sticker saying it requires premium fuel. It already has stock a pretty free-flowing exhaust, and electric engine cooling fans too. I'll update as I go along, but over in that other part of the website where people track their projects. (Moderator, perhaps this post should have started out over there? Its been a while for me...)

[Daox]

No offense, I actually find this quite comical if I'm right, but I must be missing something here... Vancouver Washington, right? According to a quick google search you guys get a whopping 6.5 inches of average snowfall.

Climate and weather - All About Vancouver - City of Vancouver, Washington, USA

[2000neon]

I'm going to guess Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada

Edit: Nevermind, it does say washington in his location.

[ksa8907]

good luck getting decent mileage out of that beast. surely by 1998 they got better mileage, but my parents had a '92 15 passenger van with a 5.9 in it that i started driving with. on a good day with a tail wind it had a small chance of breaking 13mpg, and that was before 10% ethanol. i think you would be better off with a subaru awd. snow tires work wonders.

[Sparkchaser]

Just to clarify for you folks, I live about 65 miles east of Vancouver Washington, in White Salmon Wa, at about 950 feet elevation. We got 18 inches of snow last winter at my house, a lot more just up the hill at a friend's place. We had over a foot in the parking lot at my workplace in The Dalles, Oregon.

[ksa8907]

maybe we shouldn't rag on the usefulness of the vehicle but rather recommend advise. Aero mods are going to do the most good, maybe a warm air intake. if im not mistaken, that uses an old vacuum 4 speed trans.

i've never used snow tires and never been stuck. through ice and snow, fwd.

[brucepick]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

maybe we shouldn't rag on the usefulness of the vehicle but rather recommend advise. Aero mods are going to do the most good, maybe a warm air intake. if im not mistaken, that uses an old vacuum 4 speed trans.

i've never used snow tires and never been stuck. through ice and snow, fwd.

Good that you want to get the best possible mileage with your new Jeep. You should be able to improve things with eco-driving, plenty tire pressure, thinnest possible lubricants, aero mods, maybe a warm air intake, and don't stretch out the tuneup intervals.

That said, if you can swap or sell it for a Subaru of similar vintage, go for it. But if your world is only complete if it includes a heavy vehicle with a large displacement engine, then you'll want to keep the Jeep.

[Sparkchaser]

Hello, all!
Well, sometimes, the one-size-fits-all econobox approach just doesn't quite fit. Thanks for bringing us back on track, KSA8907. As I am going through a divorce, I am needing to downsize a little. I have to sell my truck, which is used to pull various trailers including a boat (I'd sell it too, but that's another story for another day..), as well as haul 3 kids and two dogs around a lot, so I needed something strong enough and with enough passenger space to do the job, and is 4x4 for the winter. There is often ice and/or snow on the road, and many steep hills on the 26 mile drive to work. It doesn't take much snow or ice to mess you up on a hill. I do carpool a lot, so that saves me a lot on gas, but I also sometimes need to drive myself for an emergency callout at any time, whether there is snow, ice or whatever. The Subaru suggestion would have been great, but those can't pull a trailer. Our old Durango filled the bill very well, but the ex traded that for something else a while back. My previous Jeeps were great, but couldn't pull more than a small trailer, while the Grand Cherokee has both the power and braking capacity needed.

[Sparkchaser]

So, anyway, I'm thinking while I have the oil pan off the engine, I should see about putting a windage tray in, as well as perhaps take a look at cleaning up the throttle body. I also saw over on the jeepforum.com, folks are swapping in fuel injectors from Dodge and Ford applications, as they are 4 orifice injectors and do a better job atomizing fuel, resulting in smoother running engines and slight to moderate gains in fuel economy. Most of those folks are sourcing injectors from wrecking yards for around $5 apiece, and "rebuilding' them with an $18 kit(for the set) which includes new filter screens, a plastic tip protector of some sort, and o-rings. Seems like a simple mod! There's quite a write-up on it! I hope it's not considered bad form here to reference other sites!

The belly pan stuff seems like pretty simple as well! I already have some large scraps of sheet metal in my shop, just need to sawzall it to shape. I'll probably create a template from cardboard first though. Someone mentioned the transmission- its a 46RE, which is a 4 speed auto, electronically controlled, so I'm thinking we should look into electronic tuner devices- anyone know much about those for this application? I used a Superchips on my Dodge Ram CTD pickup, but was not particularly impressed, though a friend with identical truck swore by his. Of course I can't spend huge amounts on this project, especially at first!

[Daox]

Parking the Jeep 99% of the time would be the best mod. So much so that I wouldn't even modify it. Spend your time modding the Jetta, and get a set of snow tires so you can actually drive through a couple inches of snow.