Originally Posted by CheaperJeeper (Post 632009)

For this kind of project a $4k, $5k, or $7k engine would be ridiculous. A CRD from a 2007 or newer GRAND Cherokee would be sweet, but the engine would be worth about twice what the rest of the vehicle is worth. If you're going to spend that kind of money, buy a Liberty or Grand Cherokee with the diesel already in it and call it a day.

For an old Cherokee, a 200k mile OM617 out of a mid 80's SDL can be had for less than a grand and is just about right for an XJ with 100k-200k on the clock. The old OM617s are known to routinely run over 300k, and 350k-400k isn't that uncommon. So, you put a 200k mile engine into a mid 90's XJ and drive it for another 100k. That's how you'll get more than your money's worth out of it.

Originally Posted by seaglf (Post 632306)

the cheapest om617 Ive seen on ebay was 2000, with 170 thousand miles, but I guess thats still cheaper, and they are really good engines...

Originally Posted by seaglf (Post 632306)

...but he has a 99 Cherokee so has to use a a 99 or newer engine " he says". They had the 2.7 strait 5 in sprinters of that year, Mercedes-Benz OM647 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_OM612_which may be found for around 2000 on ebay.

Originally Posted by seaglf (Post 632306)

Anyway does anyone know where I can find out more info on the regulations for a diesel swap. I live in Texas but would like a 50 state legal swap. I haven't really seen any treads on here that addresses that issue.
I saw a website where you can put a smaller tractor engine in a full size Ford and get 40 miles per gallon, and I have seen allot of diesel conversions on here. I would like to put that OM 642 with the 7 speed in a 2007 Wrangler Unlimited, But I just don't know any thing about the street legality of such swaps.

Originally Posted by CheaperJeeper (Post 633117)

WOW! Where are you looking? I bought two of them last year off CraigsList complete with stock trannies attached and only paid $200 for one and $300 for the other. The $300 one I got from a wrecking yard and it came out of an 85 SDL with about 150k on it IIRC. It went right into my 84 300CD.



My bad, I didn't re-read the whole thread and forgot that one little tidbit. I have the same problem here in WA, and found the available diesels in the late 90's/early 2000's range to be slim pickins and way too expensive.

That being the case then I'd say the best option would be to pick up a good low mileage stock 4.0L out of a wrecked Cherokee to drop into the 99. Anything newer than 91 will bolt right in - though you'd have to swap all your intake, exhaust, sensors, etc. off the 99 onto an older one to keep the OBDII computer happy.

Once the swap is done, if you really want a diesel XJ, then sell it and buy an older Cherokee that is a good "body donor" (nice body but bad or worn out engine) to use as the base for buiding your diesel Cherokee. That's the direction I went. Depending on the year you can put in an OM617 turbo (5 cyl - 85 or older), OM602 turbo (5 cyl - 87-93), OM603 turbo (6 cyl - 86-95), or even an OM606 turbo (6 cyl - 95 to present). Any of those except the OM606 should be able to be had for less than $2k if you shop around, and the older ones (up to about 1990 or so) should be under a grand with 100k-150k on them (100k is just good and broken in for an MB diesel).



Go to the web site of the agency that issues the plates in your state for the Texas regs. It will be pretty difficult to find a reference that covers the regs for all states since they are all different. However, if you look up the California regs that would probably be about the best you can do - because any rig that qualifies as legal in Cali will be legal in all 49 of the other states... :tu: