Rover800.Info

Well i finally did it - bought a Cherokee!

It had a few minor faults (and one not so minor!), was badly listed and the seller hadn't washed it before listing it or even before i collected it :



Damn it looks scruffy there! That's where i picked it up from and to be honest, i very nearly left it there. The steering wheel turned half a turn in each direction before anything happened at the wheels - it made for an interesting drive home i can tell you!

A couple of months later with complete new brake fluid, a freed off O/S/R brake cylinder, oil and filter change, replacement steering box, chassis welded back together and reinforced where the steering box mounts, replacement headlamps and driving lamps, a new plug on #6 injector and a wash and it looks (and drives!) a whole lot better!





Oh yeah, put a couple of second hand wheels and tyres on it to replace the borderline-illegal ones on the front too! Much of the front panelwork had to be replaced when i did the steering box because i needed access to the chassis rail to fit the reinforcing plates and all the screws sheared in the panels!

Put it in for MoT last week and it failed on emissions (which i knew about but my Gastester went belly up) and the O/S sill. Sorted the emissions at the test station then left it there so they can have the fun of removing the seat etc and welding the sill up and a small hole on the end of each sill at the back.

I'll update and add to this thread with more stuff as i go, there's a lot of other "little stuff" i've already done to be added. Already chucked just under a litre of Dexron in with the engine oil to sort a noisy tappet (it works on Jeeps as well as 800s! ) and for the most part the engine doesn't give any clues that it's done 246k miles now. No oil burning, rattles or anything untoward and will still pull a house down. Returns about 18mpg on LPG so real terms cost of about 35-37mpg on petrol.

Looks tidy Dave .... have fun

Thanks Gaz - that's the plan, just need to find some Smartcars to run over now!

Joking aside, i have been thinking for a long time now this winter is going to be horrendous so at least it will minimise the risk to the Rovers this way. Also means i can do a couple of those "longer" jobs on them as well, things like replacing the rack on the Sterling and the brake reaction bar bushes etc.

That's the same age as mine

Not sure on age exactly but i've found a lot of parts are on the changeover Richard - have you found similar?

Looks like a fun toy - I came very close to buying one of these about 8 years ago (as in agreed to buy, before the seller just vanished off the face of the planet, never to be seen again) and have always had a hankering.

Just like with everything else, I can't justify a second car just for me.

scoobyh123 wrote:Not sure on age exactly but i've found a lot of parts are on the changeover Richard - have you found similar?

The big facelift came in 1998 and mainly consisted of new light, tailgate and interior. There was some chassis stiffening, too, along with a revised cylinder head design that was prone to cracking

That's what i thought but i have found many things when i've been asking for parts and said it's a 1995, "<sharp intake of breath> That's right on the changeover" like the rear drums are 9" on mine and the later ones are 8" i believe (compensated for by a different slave cylinder and wider shoes) so mine seems to be pre-changeover.

I'm sure you know this bit already but were you also surprised to find the HT leads, dizzy cap and rotor arm are service items at 60k? "They MUST be changed at 60,000 miles" - almost a quote from the Haynes Book Of Fantasy and also an online Jeep Workshop Manual.

Have to confess i'm not so keen on the look of the later ones, i find the older (93-96) versions have a sort of "rugged charm" that a cruel person might call "agricultural" but having pulled a few bits off various Jeeps in my local scrappy, the earlier ones seem better built as well.

Out of interest and as you have both, how doe the Grand Cherokee compare to the Cherokee? Is it as i suspect, basically the same car but with a few more toys/different trim and front end treatment or is it more than skin deep?

mercedade wrote:Looks like a fun toy - I came very close to buying one of these about 8 years ago (as in agreed to buy, before the seller just vanished off the face of the planet, never to be seen again) and have always had a hankering.

Just like with everything else, I can't justify a second car just for me.

That's an itch that needs to be scratched Adrian! Justification? This winter is going to be harsh - very harsh! You'll need a 4x4. If it turns out to be relatively mild then at least you were prepared!

scoobyh123 wrote:i find the older (93-96) versions have a sort of "rugged charm" that a cruel person might call "agricultural"

I think most tractor manufacturers would be offended if you called their products a bit "jeepy".

The Grand Cherokee is like cheese compared to the Cherokee's chalk. Bigger, smoother, quieter, stronger and nicer to drive

Is that before or after they'd lost the tug o' war to the Jeep?

scoobyh123 wrote:This winter is going to be harsh - very harsh!

Someone's been reading too many weather reports from the Express!

mercedade wrote:

scoobyh123 wrote:This winter is going to be harsh - very harsh!

Someone's been reading too many weather reports from the Express!

Yeah and Elvis was seen on a Harley with princess Di riding shotgun on the Isle of Wight this morning

rovercoup wrote:

mercedade wrote:

scoobyh123 wrote:This winter is going to be harsh - very harsh!

Someone's been reading too many weather reports from the Express!

Yeah and Elvis was seen on a Harley with princess Di riding shotgun on the Isle of Wight this morning

Nope, just gut feeling and the fact one of the shops round here has had sleds in their store room since July. Whether i'm right or wrong, at least i'll be prepared! If i'm wrong i still plan to have some fun with it although it may not involve drifitng in a snow drift!