ZJ Fan Clutch Upgrade in my XJ

Yesterday I decided to give the ol' ZJ Fan Clutch upgrade a go on my XJ.  Its a cheap upgrade and the according to the Internet Buzz on the Cherokee Forums its one of the best upgrades you can make.  After reading up on it, the fan clutch of choice seemed to be NAPA Part #272310.  If you order the part online through NAPA you get an additional 10% off which to me was a great deal. 

So what is involved in doing this?

1. First Step was to remove the Fan Shroud, which involved 2x10mm screws on the top.  once you remove them, you kinda have to wiggle it up and it should come out. 
2. Once the Shroud is removed you can reach in with a wrench and remove the Fan Clutch.
3. When you remove the fan clutch, you can then unbolt the FAN from the Clutch Fan.  The bolts mine used were 1/2". 
4. Now you can bolt the FAN to the new FAN Clutch using same bolts, etc. 
5. Once that is done, bolt back the whole fan/clutch assembly to the engine and replace fan shroud.  
6. Drink a Beer because you are done!!

Below you can see pictures that I took during the process:

Old Fan Clutch

Difference Between 2 Fan Clutches

No Clearance Issues at all

Jeep ZJ Steering Parts Upgrade on my XJ

One of the very first issues I encountered when first driving my Jeep Cherokee was the sloppy steering.  So I took to the forums and researched the best upgrade path to go for a daily driver and possibly a mild off-roader.   The General consensus was to do a ZJ steering parts upgrade on an XJ. I gotta say, this alone was a huge improvement over stock.  The swap was pretty much easy to do.  The parts Lists needed were the following:

1. Moog DS1312 Tie Rod End
2. Moog ES2079S Tie Rod Adjusting Sleeve
3. Moog ES3096L Tie Rod End

Pretty much its direct bolt on. The Moog parts are highly recommended.  If I had to offer any tips its to place the zerk grease fittings after you have installed everything as to not damage them during the install.   Also, when you remove the old Tie-Rod, etc.  Measure the distance with the new one all put together so you don't have to worry too much about wheel alignment when your done. 

My 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ Project

Hi all, I created this Blog to start documenting things I fix and modify on my 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ. I purchased this XJ back in Jun of 2015 and have loved it so far. I think its a great all around SUV. Hope you enjoy checking out my blog for info and guide on some of the repairs I do.