Cherokee Manifold replacment

Part I
Well, This all started when I was told I need to replace my cracked exhaust manifold, easy enough or so I thought and in doing so I found I would break fragile parts, bleed all over myself, have grim plop on my face, and create new expletive curses, all on the way to the manifold removal told to be easy and quick. First that nasty air cleaner had to go and in doing that I had to remove some of the vacuum lines...oops the main vent from the valve cover was the first to break on me "Snap" just like a dry twig in the Nevada desert, and inside that dark plastic tube fell out the blackest, driest, looking dust that reminded me more like what the movies show after a vampire hits the sun and falls to the floor in a pile. Oh joy, I knew I was in for some fun times ahead. (I could only buy the vacuum kit for an ‘89 Cherokee 4.0 manual 5 speed at the dealer for a $50 bill. Can you say rip-off, good I knew you could.) After reading what would have to be taken off next I contemplated for a good 1/2 hour if I really wanted to continue on, ahh hell I'm adventurous so I continued on and tackled the… fuel injectors… (Place haunting music here) So the book said… ha the book! Just rock the injectors gently back and forth and pull slightly back to remove… Crap, 15 years of sludge has done its nasty work to these baby’s; soon rocking gently became push and pull that came to heave hoe (I did release the fuel pressure and disengage the battery prior to extracting and removing any part) and “Suuu-pop!” OUCH! Knuckle busting at its best even with mechanics gloves on I manage to bleed over the intake. So there I am with a hand full of loose injectors so black and corroded that I need to remove the bits and bites with my buck knife, hell the first crack at cleaning the injector heads I snapped off a solid looking cone ¼ a inch long (No lie) It took me a second to realize that it was NOT a actual part that I just broke off but just carbon buildup. O.M.G. how was I even going down the road with this kind of blockage! And my mileage was consistent with what the books said it was suppose to be meeting. Next it was time for the removal of the power steering pump and main belt; a funny side note is that my girlfriend was reading me the instructions on how to remove the belt and steering pump but the bolts were all in the wrong spot, and the belt was wrapped wrong??? Wrong??? Ok let me look at that book…!!!... Well @3$&!, she was reading from my 2000 Wrangler manual all along… She soon decided to let me work alone, and left to the back of the house to play with the dogs. Ok I’ll forge on, time to remove the intake and exhaust manifolds, just need to remove a few bolts… yes just a few WELL PLACED hidden bolts that all you will need is a robotic arm and pneumatic interchangeable sockets for fingers. I had to call back the girlfriend with thank yous, and I couldn’t do this with out you, and you’re the best , blaa, blaa, blaa…to help me visually guide the sockets into the bolts due to the extreme angle they where placed, I tied to do this man style (all alone) at first but crawling under the Cherokee and fumbling blind for the correct spot only produced a large amount of gooey grime to fall on my face with a splatting noise (yes always wear your eye protection I’m glad I did) well not alone now we continued to move forward and all the while listening to the girlfriend talk about how if she were the engineer her design of vehicles would make this..that... yadda, yadda, ya, and the sounds of the dogs playing tug a war with one of my grease rags in the corner was no help ether…
Success! The last bolt was removed and all parts are ready to be removed, did I say removed… it became very apparent that “pry apart” was the correct term. The evil grime did it 15 years of work again, soon the rubber hammers came out and the dogs and girlfriend left the room but not to worry it only took 4 strikes and 3 colorful metaphors and the parts were free! The intake was the worst I have ever seen, never had I viewed such corroded ports in all my life, it took me a week of carb cleaner (3 19oz cans) , a dremel, and 3 wire cleaning brushes to get things looking good again, and that was just the inside of the intake manifold, the exhaust manifold had more cracks then “Chins” in a Chinese phone book, no wonder the sludge was built up so bad. Hell I would have expected it to burned a valve at the rate of air being sucked for who knows how long… well I hope my new stainless steel manifold will stave off those effects for a long time. Well that is about were I am at right now, so any input on other things I should tear into while I have this girl dressed down this far, just shout out and let me know.

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I must add I am not knocking Jeep products in fact this is all I drive. I love my jeeps, and just thought this project was a fun experiance... after doing it, and just wanted to post the results.

laughin the whole time of the story

LMAO!! It's amazing how "glued" together parts can get.

So how many trips to the parts store did you make for this? I can't seem to get by without 3 trips. One: to buy the parts I need. Two: to buy the parts I forgot I needed. Three: to exchange the wrong part(s) I got on trips 1 & 2.

At 15 years old there are all hell to work on and it's really bad if your state uses salt in the winter like here in Ohio. If you intend to work on her a lot get yourself a hacksaw. Airtools, torch and a large store of new nuts and bolts don't be afraid to use the torch.

OMG! MrJeep that's awesome! First, allow me to bow to your manliness in tackling the manifold job. Mine was wiped out too (I guess they all are eventually), but I hadn't grown the nads to go after it before my XJ was totaled.

Second, I bow to your humbleness (or salemanship) in being able to get the girlfriend to come back and help. I know when my wife helped me change the tranny filter (we battled the dipstick tube for an hour), she wouldn't talk to me until I offered to take her out to dinner...

Great narration of your experience! Loved it! But thats part of the whole Jeep thing!

Part II - The end I hope.
Well I dug down deep in my soul and pocket book, looking for the resolve and cash to complete the job I had started, and what did I find was… More trips to the parts store, bolts coming off easy but going on @&*$!^% difficult, more vain popping colorful curses, symmetrical bleeding (Gee now both hands match), the lessons of carburetor cleaner and how it eats grease buildup and also strips paint, melts plastic, and dissolves rubber, and “Oh look out!... Jeeze”, how a drunk, a battery, and loose dog food on the floor can make my shirt look like the constellations if you hold it just right in the light, all this and more coming up in Part II… The long weekend.

After my initial trial in fire I decided to take a break for a couple of days and run around in my good ole dependable 00’ Wrangler as my main transportation. Yup, taking her out of mothballs and firing her up it all came back to me, she was fast, she was powerful, she was a eye catcher, she was… to small for hauling my two big dogs, two wet stinky dirty large Pointers… hmm with the weather getting hotter in the 80’s I found the initiative I was lacking to finish the task and get the Cherokee running ASAP.
Well, well were did I leave off; I had the intake/exhaust combination manifold off and cleaned. I needed to strip down and take off the EVG valve and remove the butterfly throttle assembly along with the air cleaner, and snap together those vacuum tube kit(s) I had to buy at the dealer!!! (Ok, ok if you read my last post you will see how upset I was about the cost of this vacuum kit that could only be bought from the dealer… well to my surprise as I went down to the dealership and walked into the parts department I found out $50 was only for ½ the assembly!!! WHAT! Did I just walk in with my “Take me I’m a sucker” shirt and hat on? I looked at the man behind the counter with my best young Clint Eastwood stare and spoke very slowly “what was that --- punk” ok I added the punk part in this writing for effect but I really said it with my mind and expression, well anyhow after a heated discussion about the technological breakthroughs of new and improved polymers plus Asian labor costs we came to a compromise…. I can pay the cost of the part and I could leave unhappy, but wait… I actually got him to knock off $12 dollars, so instead of paying a whopping $100 dollars I stole it for a cool $88, and I think I thanked him too, crap if I didn’t need that part…grumble whine @%#$^

Getting up in the morning and setting up for a quick and easy install of all the parts I realize…
Dam, I needed the girlfriend again… this was not going to be easy as the last time we tried this she thought I was coming at her with a hammers. Yes this was going to take tact, I needed a plan, I would have to shine like a knight, talk like a salesman, and bribe her like a politician. So it came down to the brass tacks of promises; cooking breakfast, kisses, and talks about our feelings. Needless to say the breakfast went well for me, her, and the dogs, although half the dog food was left on the ground because of the excitement of company, the kisses were fun as always, and she says that I do lay on a good kiss, and I almost had the “talk” in the bag but then my eyes started to glaze after the about two minutes of our “Talk”… I don’t quite know what happened, one moment I was on top of her list, the next she was walking out of the house in a huff all the while babbling on about how I don’t listen… or something like that….
Crap, it was time to move on and get another assistant. Ahh yes that buddy from school or church, or the neighbor with a project every weekend and the perfect yard, or… yes your best friend from like two years old, your blood brother and wingman, your “I got your back“ and you knew he did type of friend, yahh the one your girlfriend made you stop seeing because she didn’t want you to go to jail… again, the one buddy that puked all over her the first time they met at a party years ago, the one she looked dead in the eye (His other eye was lost in Vegas) and said to him “I see the pull out method didn’t work, but maybe you can be a candidate for this years Darwin awards.” Yes and his warm come back, that little ray of sunshine that blistered like a third degree burn, torching the bridges of there friendship forever. (I will not repeat here.)
Meanwhile I was in a pinch but all I needed a set of hands and eyes, and I knew we would have this done in three hours tops, (place manic laughter here.) I gave the call and he was on his way.
OK, while waiting I striped the EVH off and the butterfly unit and decided to clean the intake ‘sludge collector’ one more time so I brake out the carb cleaner 19oz can, and lay the intake on the non skid mat and start to go to town. (Now I always use eye protection mechanic gloves, and work overalls, and even ear protection when needed. Safety does work.) Well as I am spraying and brushing in a ventilated area I notice when I turn the intake over that the nice nonskid mat is sticking pretty nice to that manifold in fact I would call it more like molded or painted to the manifold, Dam how stupid could I be! (Well let’s see) Carburetor cleaner + plastic = meltdown. So I rush the goop mess outside (As I plan to use much more carb cleaner then the ventilated area can handle) to the side of the house and bring my trusty wire brush and a slab of cardboard to catch the spatter. As I am rubbing, brushing, and spraying as much of the manifold as I can before it dries a small pool of black non slip sludge is forming on the cardboard, in fact much more then the cardboard can adsorb (I find this out later) . Side note: this area where I happen to take the manifold to be cleaned was the same spot where I had a roommate repair his bicycles long ago and although he had left some parts I never have gotten around cleaning that particular spot. Ok here is the setup it was an 80 degree day caustic chemicals pooling on cardboard and now running off onto some old 10 speed bike parts that ‘now have’ been thrown away. I am scrubbing for 15 min and sweating like a pig, I almost have the job done when “Bang!” Below me there is a 10 speed tire eaten away by the black carburetor cleaner sludge until it blew. Ok ok it really didn’t go bang... but it did go “pop” and it did spray goop on my coveralls and eye protection plus is scared the crap
out of me, I jumped back thinking I was being attacked by “Darby O’gill and the little people”. (Just Google that if you don’t know who that is.)
I swear the mishaps happening to me make me wonder is this project was cursed from the get go… I soon found out it was and was going to get worse…

I was sticky smelly and grimy and I hadn’t even crawled under the jeep yet, heck all I did so far was set out the tools on my bench and my parts in the box on the floor, ??? Looking at the box my eyes got bigger, looking at the box my heart beat faster, looking at the box I dropped the can of cleaner and started to run.
There is nothing like running after a dog that knows it is going to get it a$$ kicked when it gets caught, and it has a mouthful of ½ the vacuum hoses you just dumped $88.00 on.
I swear that dog; yes my dog knew he was running for his life, with the waves of negative forces emanating from my head, and the colorful metaphors flying from my mouth my neighbors would think a murder was going on. The dog gave it up after a while having his little fun (ha-ha) and me with a bag of parts panting… well more like wheezing and holding my side still trying to frantically look them over to make sure none were broken. Now walking back to the house I am sweatier, stinkier but now with grass stains and carburetor cleaner soaking through. (I guess I should mention that I have an acre for my back yard so you can visualize the stupidity of me; a slow human trying to chase after a rocket fast Point dog having fun with me.)

Time to change clothes but all I had was semi-nice clothes (I just donated all my grubs to a hippy/bum friend of mine.) so I choose jeans and a gray shirt.
Now feeling clean and ready to take on the project again I hear the clacking lifters of only one car that has earned the right to be called “The War-wagon” my buddies 1982 (Selec-Drive) 4WD AMC eagle.

Peeling in a cloud of dust, dogs barking and music blasting (I think to cover all the motor noises) I hear another voice calling through the dust cloud “Well, the gangs all here let’s rock…” Oh no, those were the words from not one but three more wild and crazy guys from my past; as they piled out of the War-wagon one after the other all carrying a ½ rack of beer I just tripled the repair time of this project. (That is if I got them all to focus before the beer was all drank.)
So names will not be mentioned I will now refer to the brothers in arms…. length of a cold beer, as #1 my best friend form two years of age and #2, and #3 my evil moral support group of buddies.
The first thing I had to do was get their attention on the vehicle and to do that I had to give them all jobs to do; #1 pull the battery and mounting bracket out and wash and brush it down cleaning all the corrosion off then spray the anti-corrosion paint, #2 Finish cleaning the manifold on the side of the house. #3 Cleanup the butterfly unit. Wow things were going at a good clip until #1 come strolling back into the garage with the newly cleaner battery. He is walking up to me, battery in hand when he gets about 3 feet to me I see the that his legs stopped moving but he was still sliding forward, well dog food on the ground turned into a patch of marbles for #1 and all he could do was try to balance unfortunately he had to release the battery, yes right in front of me and of course it hit on the corner and of course it broke and of course it splattered all over the front of my fresh clean shirt! I swear my day had been cursed from the gods, the signs have been all bad, and I should have just called it a day and drank beer till I passed out but no I was going to complete the job and now I was pissed. Now one thing I suggest to anyone working on anything… Never work angry! Well As I had #1 go down to the parts store and purchase a new battery after a debate on proper cleaning of a shop and the mopping up of battery acid with my new “grey shirt” rag I decided to start mounting the gaskets and exhaust donut, thank god the gaskets fit perfectly and the exhaust manifold set up great. I was under the Cherokee bolting up the exhaust when I kicked something with my foot I wrench my neck to see what it could be.
The can of carb cleaner (I dropped earlier) was rolling straight into the dogs newest tug a war game, as it came closer to the dogs my brain added up caustic chemicals plus curious dogs don’t equal anything good, I turned my head and gave a shout which was cut off suddenly with the exhaust pipe slamming into the side of my face. Fortunately the curses that soon exploded from my mouth that would make a sailor blush also grabbed the attention of the of the dogs and them not liking the tone and timber of my voice decided to leave “exit stage right”. More mad, madder, downright stupid mad I tried to pull myself out from under the jeep in one fluid motion. The only fluid part of that move was the blood that flew id from my hand as it caught the edge of something I still don’t know what it was and just like that I had symmetrical hand wounds. This point I decided to use my Zen qualities and calm my Chee down and just chill out and drink beer and finger tight the easy bolts I could get to and leave the rest for tomorrow.
Ahhhh Sunday and enter the drunk zone, I send the hung-over clowns away from the house and project as we all wake up the next day at a brisk 11:00am and that’s only because the dogs had to pee.
I examined all the placements we made the night before and I was amazed it all looked good everything was set up right, all that was needed was to add a few bolts and torque them down and plug in the new battery and pray then fire her up and see.

I couldn’t believe it I couldn’t add the two last bolts with out help I mean I tried duct tape with sticks and twigs to bear skins and bailing wire, there was only one person that would come over in such short notice and it wasn’t “sleeping it off” friend #1… Dum de dum dum yes the girlfriend, or as she might be called after our last encounter the friend that just happens to be a girl.
Actually I talked to her and laid the truth on her, and we were all cool again. (God, please don’t let her ever see this narrative and put 2+2 together.)
Anyhow she came over, and with lunch! And we fought to get the last two bolts in and then torqued them all down according to the manual, but I tell you there are three bolts to the combination manifold that there is NO WAY you can get a torque wrench even close to … So I said “forget it”, I judged it out as best I could and hoped for the best. Well after a couple hours I was… We were done.
We pushed the beast out into the driveway and crossed our fingers.
Well that was last week and I have had no problems at all she runs like a top I did get a emissions error pop up on the idiot light but I think I’m just going to take it in for that, So I hope you all enjoyed the true adventures of how I just wanted to change out a simple exhaust manifold and the path of destruction that followed.… so far.

My next project; building an electric fence in the back yard, that’s got to be easy, right?...