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It was a disappointment for me and Dr. Bert that we had to exit early but then we realized on the way it was a good call or we would have ended up by giving you all a hard time with the Cherokee XJ in middle of no where as it was getting unpredictable that we might have ended up towing it !! I totally agree with @Srikumar its interesting and fun to read the reports (its like catching up with old friends) , I was sure that I'm going to miss the remaining best part of the night off-road drive, Though my initial plan was to exit with Dr. Bert and return with my Pajero. Unfortunately things changed, We had a lot of refusals with the Jeep due to 4wd gear not engaging at times, heating issues, fan not working, couple of fuses broke etc. As I had invited him to somehow make it to this iftar to experience the joy of Carnity off-road club, getting to meet different kinds of people from all over the world in one accordance, I'm glad that he was able to join after his late shifts, Considering the reason I did not want to leave him alone so we decided to drive back together thinking we can leave the Jeep somewhere safe on the way if it fails and come back later next day to pick it up However, by Gods grace - We managed to reach Al Ain safely without any difficulties on the highway I thank @Emmanuel@Asif Hussain @Rahimdad@Gaurav and each and every one of you who were able to participate by making this event a great success with memories, good varieties of tasty food along with the Filli chai which I enjoyed very much ! Looking forward to the next drive soon and also looks like we will have a new topic from @bvmbics for the Cherokee XJ, workshop suggestions/ major service requirements and overhauling Have a good week ahead, Cheers !!

This drive was indeed a special one as is most drives with this group because there’s always a unique take away from each drive. I reached late but I realized there was a “late latheefs” convoy which I happily joined with a little less guilt. @GauravBhai led us to the spot which he had already picked prior to us reaching there and although this was a short drive, I enjoyed every bit of it because I realized how much I had missed driving during daytime. We reached the spot, broke our fast, prayed and relaxed for a bit after which I was tempted to attempt the much talked about - iftar bowl climb. This was the height of dune bashing(pun intended) in my point of view and I knew although I may not be that experienced, I should give it a try nonetheless. I told @Rahimdad Bhai and @Gaurav Bhai that I would like to attempt but I’ll need a little hand holding. @Rahimdad Bhai came along with me and showed me a couple of times the right technique to do this climb. When I however attempted, despite trying to do everything that @RahimdadBhai showed me, I was not successful. Whilst he was teaching me, we climbed the dune from the right side which was the steep side and that was probably one of the most exhilarating experiences ever. After this, when we descended and decided to proceed with the convoy drive is when we realized that one of my tires tore from the inside. @RahimdadBhai and @Gaurav Bhai rightfully assessed the situation and helped in replacing the tire like superheroes whilst I stood there scratching my head. It was then decided, that it would be in my best interest if I exited as the condition of my spare tire was compromised. @Emmanuel very kindly guided me to exit and that pretty much concluded an unforgettable drive with this amazing group.

great write up doc!!! although couldn't stay for the night drive had a wonderful time just watching people in action at the iftar bowl. Thank you guys for an amazing time

I only changed the engine and gear mounts to the OEM. Have not changed any of the bushes and I do have a slight leak as well. My driver side window ocassionally works. Never had central lock. Doors don't close on the first attempt. Need to bang it a bit. But I have come to accept the car for what it can do and have started to ignore the other smaller bits which don't affect it's performance.

I faced the same issue with my Cherokee XJ after the 3" lift. It never went into 4H or 4L smoothly. This is because of the change in angle after the lift which would wear out the rubber bushings. I finally installed the Boostwerks linkage and I am currently having smooth and firm linkage. The only issue s that on some really bumpy terrains the transfer linkage very occasionally shifts from 4H to 2H. But this issue would be less if you have the NP242 transfer case as you have a part time and full time 4H. My feedback is mentioned in the below post. Just be sure to buy the right linkage for your transfer case. Do you have the NP231 or NP242 transfer case? Also it would be better to buy the linkage for the transfer case drop. Regarding your radiator fan not working, did you check the wiring of the LED Light bar and whether the wires are touching each other. I have very limited knowledge on electrical work, but it seems you have a short circuit somewhere causing the fuses to blow up. Put a rated wire with a proper fuse. Also it would be good to have two additional aux fans infront of your radiator, to provide additional cooling while driving in the desert. And go for JGC 😉. You can take the man out of the Jeep , but you can't take the Jeep out of the man.

We are getting some excellent trip reports from various perspectives. Good fun to read it. @Shamil I completely agree that the right side climb of Iftar bowl is one of the most exhilarating climb. With little more experience I m pretty sure you would be climbing the iftar bowl from all sides with your Xterra.

Great write up Dr @srini62 you do have an excellent flavour of writhing which cannot be matched. It's always a challenge heading to the deflation point with the family and packing up the car with equipment and food. This Friday was no different. As a result I got a bit delayed reaching the meeting point. I received a call from @Gaurav bhai that he has 8 cars and a few more people running late, so not to miss a good spot he will head in with the 8 cars and block a space for us. As I reached I saw @Asif Hussain drive in with his white Pathy for the first time, @Praveenmp was next in with @Shamil to be the last to join. As we deflated we were joined by @Gaurav bhai who lead us to the spot. @Gaurav bhai strategy had worked out wonders as we got a great spot and soon we were trying to arrange our cars to block the idiots throwing sand in that area as well as make space for us to lay our spread. The conditions were not the best though as the sands kept shifting which was later evident by the amount of sand gathered on the mats. As everyone started to put their offerings on the mat it was full of goodies which made us watch every second go by to break our fast and sink our teeth into the goodies. The variety was amazing and although we did not discuss over the forum what each one of us will be bringing but there was no duplication. As it was time for Azaan and we broke pur fast, one great treat after another awaited to wet our appetite for more. We took a break from eating to offer our Maghrib prayers behind Imam @Asif Hussain. We slowly continued to munch and drink to fill ourselves. @Shamil at this point discussed his bucket list which included a climb on the Iftaar bowl. I suggested I have a go first before he tries to give him an idea which he agreed to. This was later approved with a smile from @Gaurav bhai who was walking our way to suggest the same. For the initial drive to the base of the bowl I just was trying to get a feel for the Xterra. With the way clearing out I made a dash for the approach and soon we were riding the ridge on the left side. The Xterra with a never say die attitude kept climbing the dune like it would treat a highway. Soon we had reached the tip and I made our way back to the bottom. @Shamil was feeling confident that he knew what was to be done. However being fairly new to off roading his timing to accelerate and approach angle were a bit off due to which he had a few failed attempts. I tried to show him once again what he has to do and once again it climbed all the way without breaking a sweat. Coming down at an angle where I could build the kind of angle and momentum to approach the right side. Successfully but slightly more difficulty the Xterra made it to the top from the right side as well. At this point @Shamil knew he had it and tried once again, thinking about it now I feel the lack of light might be a reason for him not to get his timing and angle right. One last time up from the left side and we headed back to the convoy. I heard a slight wobble and stopped to notice the rear right tire deflated. It was not a pop out so we tried refilling the air but to no avail. By this time @Gaurav bhai had made it to the scene, we decided to Jack it up as the load on the tire might be creating a gap for the air to escape. Next it was the valve to be removed but after several attempts we decided to remove the tire to try and remove any sand sticking between the rim and the tire sidewall. Upon closer inspection we discovered that the rubber inside the rim had torn away not allowing the air to stay in the tire. At tis point we had to use the spare and due to its condition we had no choice but to exit him. @Emmanuel also announced on the radio that @srini62 was facing a similar issue and by the time we headed back that situation was also under control. Some of the cars had decided to head back led by @Emmanuel. As @Gaurav, @Asif Hussain, @yogic72, @srini62 and myself decided to have a quick drive. It was a challenging drive with some refusals and stucks, but we kept marching on. As soon as we made our way out we headed to the pump. Here we inflated our tires and after some heartfelt hugs headed back home. This is one of the best Grand Iftaar we had in a long time all thanks to the people who made it for the drive.

Where can I start- what a night! super duper! lets start right at the beginning. we deflated and moved to the start of the track and fixed our flags. Right after the start I had a refusal! Mmmm I thought... not such a great beginning. we then stopped at a great point overlooking the iftat bowl and could see many more clubs all around. gaurav bhai, rahimbhai ,Emmanuel, shamil all tried their hand successfully to climb thee bowl. The sheer number of suvs climbing the bowl at the same time was incredible. the site where we had camped-so to speak- was a hot bed of sand dunes and up and downs and the number of suvs going around here was unbelievable. At one point it looked like the Dubai Sharjah highway peak hour- seriously. it really was a wonder that there were no accidents. we broke the fast and as usually the food spread was just super- chick peas Sunday, biriyani varieties, aloo & chicken sandwich, chicken bites, meat, and emmanuel’s sweets and many more. I thought I ate very little but 1/2 hour later I was so full I wanted to just lie down and take a nap. then the drama started as we were getting ready to leave. shamil had a pop out at the foothills of the iftarbowl. Not to be outdone my left front was flat and I could not inflate it. thankfully asif bhai, Emmanuel and Aaquil helped me ( meaning they did all the work- as I had no clue of what to do- finding the leak from inside rim, jacking up the car and inflating. Thankfully it worked. so after some folks left for the exit gaurav bhai as lead and asif bhai followed by Mirza and yours truly with rahimbhai as sweep we started the drive. man o man o man- was it exciting. I was driving near blind and having the lights on low beam did not help- must have been dreaming when gaurav bhai told us on the radio to switch to high beam- anyway what is a drive without getting stuck. I did that so many times. Gaurav bhai,asif bhai and rahimbhai bhai were patient and helped me self extricate with constant tips and a shed load of shovelling sand by them/ thanks a lot. the left right twisting the wheel just doubled my biceps in that drive. it was awesome to drive at night and pretty scary- had atleast 3 hard lands after creating and a hard hit of smaller dune I did not see as I came down off one. my fjc earned its money last night. close to the end a shovel in rahimbhai’S suv got loose - probably the number of time he took it out to help me- and smacked his daughter’s head. Thankfully no major injury. we exited the desert but not without one final hard drop after a crest right near the exit. aaquil had joined me as passenger and must still be having nightmares of why he joined me. But boy, that man knows his cars. He was telling me so much about my fjc that I had no idea. Thanks a lot buddy. i am the type of guy who gets into the car starts it and point to where I go and then get lost in my thoughts. My wife says that red lights for me is just a suggestion to consider if I want to stop as apparently I sometimes ignore them. these drives with this group is teaching me so much I wish I could join on the drives each anyway, super night. I reached home by 2 am. i look forward to the next drive- probably July for me. thanks again everybody for such a memorable night

Any accessory such as light bars should be connected through its own relay, dedicated power supply cable and own fuse to avoid such occurrences. Not sure who connected yours but it’s really a bad idea to hook that up to essential components.

What i learn from my experience. If a Jeep already dead you cant fix it easily. You need to make full restoration which will be expensive and it is just not worth it. So better to buy a nice Jeep and keep it nice and good condition.

Just sell it. Believe me best solution.

actually when i got the jeep it the led was wired directly.The switches to them could be turned on accidentally leaving them to drain the battery.It probably happened once i guess i was more paranoid about it after that.so i just got it attached on to a relay (so the power would cut off once the key is turned off) which happened to be the cooling fan one.not a good idea i think.i will try to wire it through its own relay.

Hi, can you explain what problem you are facing. Cherokee XJs are more common in the Northern Emirates and I get mine checked in Ajman.

HI MEMBERS, CAN ANYONE SUGGEST A GOOD RELIABLE WORKSHOP IN AL AIN OR DUBAI FOR THE JEEP CHEROKEE XJ.A PLACE WHERE THEY DO TRASMISSION CHECK ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL STUFFS. THANK YOU GUYS IN ADVANCE.

Then you have a NP231. You can select from the website. Since you are driving an automatic you have to select automatic transmission along with transfer case drop. http://www.boostwerksengineering.com/231-HD-Shift-Linkage-Auto-Trans-V20_p_25.html you can take this linkage to Saleem. He installed mine and is aware how it's to be done.

Can you send me the picture of the transfer case linkage taken from inside your car cabin clearly showing the description. I have attached one picture from the internet. The one on the left is NP231 and one on the right is NP242. I changed these parts by studying various forums. Not sure which workshop guy would have the right knowledge. They can help you fix the linkage once you buy it, but till that point you have to do it yourself.

When you are on the Boostwerks site, it gives you two options, one with lift and one without. The difference between the two is that there is an extension linkage for the lifted vehicles. So better to buy that one. That guy does international shipment if you send him an email. Would cost you approx USD 100 landed, but it's definitely worth it.

thanks sreekumar will look in this.looks like a better option to get the linkage.If i order this will it fit stock or it need some adjustments due to the lift.

One more point. The best thing about the XJ is that you can crawl below it and manually shift the vehicle from 2H to 4H and to 4L. So incase if your linkage has failed in the desert, do that. Agree. Getting a clean one is most importand and it's a big challenge. But the issues that the OP has raised are minor ones and can easily get fixed. In your case, you spent more money fixing the AC than the value of the car.

I was looking for this everywhere. Specially with Max strength for Idiots. Hahahaha.

Can you share some more details: 1. Amount of lift? 2. Transfer Case drop if any?

HI SRIKUMAR, THE 4H FAILS TO ENGAGE AT TIMES I BELIEVE THAT LIFT CAUSE THE DRIVETRAIN TO BE AT AN ANGLE.THE SHIFT LEVER FOR THE 4X4 ALSO DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE AT TIMES.THE DAY OF THE IFTAR BOWL ON THE WAY BACK IF FELT AS IF THE REAR WHEEL WAS ONLY SPINING OR DECREASE IN POWER ?? ,HAD DIFFICULTY GETTING ACROSS THE DESERT.ON THE WAY TO THE BOWL IT FELT NORMAL. THE FUSE FOR THE RADIATOR FAN BLEW AND AC DID NOT WORK (AS THE LED BAR LIGHT WAS CONNECTED TO THE COOLING FAN RELAY ,AN OVERLOAD PROBABLY CAUSED THE FUSE TO BLOW) SO THE COOLING FAN DIDNT WORK ON THE WAY BACK.LUCKILY ON THE HIGHWAY IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM.(THIS IS THE FAN THAT WORK WHEN YOU TURN ON THE AC OR THE ENGINE TEMP CLIMBS ABOVE 215)

It's the same car BMW and Toyota worked together on this. One will call it Supra and the other Z4.

Great write up @srini62 and @Rahimdad. 👏 👏

Trip report- It's always a challenge heading to the deflation point with the family and packing up the car with equipment and food. This Friday was no different. As a result I got a bit delayed reaching the meeting point. I received a call from @Gaurav bhai that he has 8 cars and a few more people running late, so not to miss a good spot he will head in with the 8 cars and block a space for us. As I reached I saw @Asif Hussain drive in with his white Pathy for the first time, @Praveenmp was next in with @Shamil to be the last to join. As we deflated we were joined by @Gaurav bhai who lead us to the spot. @Gaurav bhai strategy had worked out wonders as we got a great spot and soon we were trying to arrange our cars to block the idiots throwing sand in that area as well as make space for us to lay our spread. The conditions were not the best though as the sands kept shifting which was later evident by the amount of sand gathered on the mats. As everyone started to put their offerings on the mat it was full of goodies which made us watch every second go by to break our fast and sink our teeth into the goodies. The variety was amazing and although we did not discuss over the forum what each one of us will be bringing but there was no duplication. As it was time for Azaan and we broke pur fast, one great treat after another awaited to wet our appetite for more. We took a break from eating to offer our Maghrib prayers behind Imam @Asif Hussain. We slowly continued to munch and drink to fill ourselves. @Shamil at this point discussed his bucket list which included a climb on the Iftaar bowl. I suggested I have a go first before he tries to give him an idea which he agreed to. This was later approved with a smile from @Gaurav bhai who was walking our way to suggest the same. For the initial drive to the base of the bowl I just was trying to get a feel for the Xterra. With the way clearing out I made a dash for the approach and soon we were riding the ridge on the left side. The Xterra with a never say die attitude kept climbing the dune like it would treat a highway. Soon we had reached the tip and I made our way back to the bottom. @Shamil was feeling confident that he knew what was to be done. However being fairly new to off roading his timing to accelerate and approach angle were a bit off due to which he had a few failed attempts. I tried to show him once again what he has to do and once again it climbed all the way without breaking a sweat. Coming down at an angle where I could build the kind of angle and momentum to approach the right side. Successfully but slightly more difficulty the Xterra made it to the top from the right side as well. At this point @Shamil knew he had it and tried once again, thinking about it now I feel the lack of light might be a reason for him not to get his timing and angle right. One last time up from the left side and we headed back to the convoy. I heard a slight wobble and stopped to notice the rear right tire deflated. It was not a pop out so we tried refilling the air but to no avail. By this time @Gaurav bhai had made it to the scene, we decided to Jack it up as the load on the tire might be creating a gap for the air to escape. Next it was the valve to be removed but after several attempts we decided to remove the tire to try and remove any sand sticking between the rim and the tire sidewall. Upon closer inspection we discovered that the rubber inside the rim had torn away not allowing the air to stay in the tire. At tis point we had to use the spare and due to its condition we had no choice but to exit him. @Emmanuel also announced on the radio that @srini62 was facing a similar issue and by the time we headed back that situation was also under control. Some of the cars had decided to head back led by @Emmanuel. As @Gaurav, @Asif Hussain, @yogic72, @srini62 and myself decided to have a quick drive. It was a challenging drive with some refusals and stucks, but we kept marching on. As soon as we made our way out we headed to the pump. Here we inflated our tires and after some heartfelt hugs headed back home. This is one of the best Grand Iftaar we had in a long time all thanks to the people who made it for the drive.

Thank you Dr. Srini. Will be back from the next drive onwards.

Very well written trip report @srini62 you are giving some serious competition to @Rahimdad.

Since i am having my SLK200 i am hearing many horror stories regarding the cabriolet cars. Like they are leaking water and when the car get old system is not working properly etc. There are 2 points you need to take care with your cabriolet to avoid these problems; 1-Use gummi pflege to keep your rubber seals maintained. There are many product you can use for that. As SLKWORLD forum members recomend best thing to use is gummi pflege https://www.amazon.com/nextzett-91480615-Gummi-Pflege-Rubber/dp/B004B8GTQG I couldnt manage to find this product in UAE(i just search online) so i start looking for alternatives and i find the product of Sonax https://www.ramyautomotive.com/all-products/car-care/diy-and-resellers/sonax-rubber-protectant-300-ml.html Since it is sprey it is not ideal but you can sprey it to a cloth and than you can apply it to rubber seals all around the roof. Also it is better to apply this product all rubber seals around the car like doors and trunk to keep them in better condition. 2-Use lithium grease to keep your roof system move free. You need to apply lithium grease to every moving part of your roof system. There are many moving part in the roof system. If they wont move free they will cause your roof to be stuck. I bought the grease from carrefour. With this 2 easy step you can have a healty convertible car.

Is it necessary to switch on the car engine and keep it ON in neutral mode for sometimes before we drive ( like morning car startups). Can we go with rpm which will be initially 1500 when we switch on and later reduces to 500? Does it impact the engine if we dont wait and just drive ?

I’ve fitted a few turbo timers but I’ve never seen one fitted as standard on a car. What cars have them?

Give it 30 to 90 seconds for oil pump to lubricant the engine and off you go in normal driving if you are going to push it hard as soon as it starts then it's better to wait for the engine to reach operating temperature so you can be throttle happy and enjoy the performance Most turbo cars have a delay timer which leaves the engine running even after ignition switched off and doors locked which will turn off the engine after reaching it's required temperature

Thanks for the clarity @Barrymine is petrol ⛽️

Just start it. You only need to wait for the glow plug light to go out if it’s a diesel.

I use to follow both as @Gauravand @Barry technics to start and stop the car use to give about 10-15 sec start and stop after 10-15sec it’s usually more not less, I have a question to ask do we need to switch the electronics for few seconds till the lights go off or we can start immediately without waiting.... I use to wait till the lights go off but seen many use to start immediately

Basically its for old Carb engines, newer ones not so much. Try driving away in my buddys 1991 Toyota carb and it will keep splattering and shaking until it gets up to temp. Even worse on a cold morning. Might even take two or three tries to keep it started. And since it has no choke you have to hold the gas pedal down.

For me, if it’s modern, start it, wait 5 seconds for the oil pump then drive it. The ECU will take care of the fuelling. Old stuff is a faff if you’re not used to manual choke and carbs. Shutoff is more important than startup, especially if you have a turbo car. If you have been driving hard, let the car idle for a minute before you switch it off. Let’s the coolant circulate. If you just switch it off it can create hotspots.

Revs are high at start as in older cars there used to be a choke button. On days when it was difficult to start cars due to cold weather or long stops, the choke button used to up the revs for an easier start. Modern cars comes with the choke as an automatic option which increases the revs on start and as the car comes closer to operating temperatures the revs ease of to normal. I usually start the car and light a cigarette, this gives me about 5 minutes, as Gaurav bhai says I switch on the AC after 2 or 3 minutes warm up and open all windows for heat and other chemicals to escape. Once I finish smoking I belt up, close the windows and move. Hope this helps.

I follow 2 min rule for my Pajero and 30 secs for Range. Newer engineering drops rpm to idle rev faster and hence following that is also a good idea.

I follow 1 minute rule from ignition to gear. Just to ensure rpm levels are back to normal from high revs as soon as we start cold engines.

Thank you Sir.

No matter what modern engineering says that you can start the car and drive off immediately for better fuel efficiency. PLEASE DON'T DO IT. Give at least 20-30 seconds to let all the fluids reach the critical components for a better life of Engine, Gear, 4x4, AC, Power steering etc. Gone are the days when you start the car and wait for 5 minutes to let it fully warm, but still few seconds delay goes a long way. I always start my car, before I get in so that by the time I sit and fasten the belt and roll down the windows its good enough 20-30 seconds. Also, make sure to start AC after these 20-30 seconds delay and not immediately to put additional load on the cold and dry engine.

Same mistake I made, my brother asked me to buy a Jeep and I ended up buying the Commander, my brother was like 😳

A Must Refuelling Can in all off roading cars.