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I have a '94 Jeep Cherokee SE, manual transmission, 4.0 Liter, inline 6 which I recently took
on an extensive road trip. Before leaving I gave it an oil change, installed all new filters, and
had all hoses inspected/replaced. For the most part, I was happy with its pick up, overall
power, and performance. While driving in Colorado (I-70), I noticed extremely poor
performance while driving up the mountains as there just wasn't enough power to keep me
going over 35-40MPH. This was the return trip, and my cargo load was minimal. I may be
making a similar trip in a couple of months, so I was wondering if anyone had any advice or
suggestions regarding how to improve the situation. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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just off the top of my head, have you checked your air filter? could
be dirty, hence the low performance in low Oxygen areas.
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At high altitudes a higher octane fuel is needed in most vehicles.
You may have just been running 87.
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Living in Colorado, I can almost guarantee I even know exactly which hills on I70 you're talking about. The first, and I think the worst, is when you start to climb out of Denver. The town you would be near is Morrison, where the Red Rocks Ampitheatre is off to your left. As a tangent note, that hill is a BLAST to drive down!
There are a few more hills in the next ten miles, then Eisenhower tunnel, and Vail Pass.
I've lived here 10 years, had about 5 or 6 cars. Only 2 of them would accelerate up those hills. 1. My Dodge Hemi truck 2. My Subaru Outback. I have a 97 Cherokee now, with a 4L engine. It was doing ok until I put bigger tires on it, and lifted it 3 inches.
Maybe a higher-octane will help, I'll have to try that. On the other hand, my Jeep is not really for the highway. At least not to me. It's for being able to drive around all the idiots around here in the winter who don't realize that they're not in California or Texas. I live right by a major road and when it snows, I watch people all day get stuck going uphill. People with good clearance on their cars or trucks, that have a clue, drive around them and/or sometimes help them out.
Phew, that was a tangent. Anyway, I'm open to suggestion on how to get a little more high-end power going up hill on I70 in my Jeep from some of the locals.
Any other suggestions than more expensive gas?
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Are turbochargers or superchargers available for the 4.0? I'd think
that cramming more air into the combustion chambers would make up for
the less-dense air at Colorado altitudes.
You'd think that cars sold in high-altitude places would have
'charging as standard equipment, but in a vehicle designed to run
off-road, dust may be an issue with a 'charger.
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Octane boost formula?
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Yeah, the guy who did my lift kit sells superchargers. The problem: they cost 4 grand. I can also probably dink around with the differential ratio and get back some pickup.
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I'm not really complaining about it. When I first moved here, I had an 86 Cherokee with the 2.8 v6. Talk about an engine that sucked!!!! Yeah, the few times I went up that hill I just pulled over to the right lane, put it in 3rd gear, and got behind a slow-moving truck. Hell, I used to plan my routes around town to avoid hills! I live in Colorado Springs.
The 4L does fine, compared to a lot of my former vehicles. OTH, My outback is the fastest thing I've had in a while. It drives like a sports car, has a linear power curve and unlimited (it seems) acceleration.
From the point of view of general handling, the outback is the best thing I've ever driven on ice and snow - ON THE ROAD. Much better than my Cherokee. The Subaru ABS is the best I've ever driven. Even going down the hill I live on, and ice I could almost skate on, it stops in a straight line, even when I stomp on the brakes. It's great for going to the snowboard resorts (aka ski resorts).. It's all highway between here and there.
Take it off the road around here, and you'll be ripping parts off of the bottom. No clearance.
I think I'll just keep them both.
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