[GTO]

Originally Posted by yamaniac

To resist heat Probably we could cover the ingine bay area with foam from letting the heat of the engine entering the cabin? Any Ideas?

High-quality insulation will do the trick. I got a double-layer in the cabin area of my Jeep. Even the floor stays cool from drivetrain heat.

@ TerrainSnooper : Congrats on the buy! I see you are getting an orientation to Jeep ownership with the little niggling problems. Already.

@terrainsnooper- your jeep sounds lovely. kerala to pune in a 2nd hand jeep costing less than 1 lakh? that too on its first drive?
You're not taking it easy on the old lady. good!

[akeel]

@terrainsnooper,

congrats buddy

[whitemm550]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I am not sure how to recognize the difference between both engines since they are very similar. Maybe some of the experts in the forum can help.

The RC book generally gives the cc of the engine but I am not sure how much you can trust the RC book unless it is the original one and the jeep hasn't been registered in different states etc.

Mahindra did offer 2.5 ltr XDP in 96, but the difference will be in the placement of the air filter, and 2.5 ltr will ideally have servo assisted brakes.

[Terrainsnooper]

Thanks for the info, Whitemm540... however, I was not that lucky...this happens to be a MM540-DP,as per the plate inside the engine bay. Which means that the engine is a 2112cc Puegeot(anyone knows the power output for this engine?)

The engine is in good shape, my uneventful drive back from Manglore to Pune almost non-stop is testimony to this.

My concern is that now when i dip my finger in the radiator, it comes out black... so there is oil in the radiator. I have drained out the water by making it overflow from the top of the radiator so that the floating oil drains out, but after running the engine for a while, the oil traces return. The engine oil in the dip-stick looks good, cannot see any white traces of water in it. The engine does not overheat in peak traffic, neither does the oil pressure go below 4. The exhaust smoke too is a healthy colour. The next step is to drain the engine oil(which has turned completly black by the way and i hope thats normal for diesel engines) and see if there's water in it.
I hope and pray that its only as bad as a leaking head gasket and not a busted water sleeve within the cylinder. Dont have time this week, but will keep you folks updated on my findings.
'Later!

[4x4addict]

Terrainsnooper:

The Peugot 2.1 liter engine typically needs a top end job at about 80K kms. I have posted elsewhere the symptoms to look for when you know when you need the top end overhauled.

[svsantosh]

Akeel,

(this is the right place to post my experience)

Thanks a lot for letting me have a test drive of your MM540. It was fun and truly a eye-opener. After driving a Alto(5yrs) and now a Indigo CS, A JEEP was a whole new world to me. Agreed the controls were hard like a coconut - but a man's toy for sure.

PS - After you dropped me off and drove away in your jeep, my Indigo CS felt so Nimble!!! I was under the impression my foot controls have dropped/sagged by a good 1 FEET!!!

thanks a lot friend

Regds
San

[akeel]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Akeel,

(this is the right place to post my experience)

Thanks a lot for letting me have a test drive of your MM540. It was fun and truly a eye-opener. After driving a Alto(5yrs) and now a Indigo CS, A JEEP was a whole new world to me. Agreed the controls were hard like a coconut - but a man's toy for sure.

PS - After you dropped me off and drove away in your jeep, my Indigo CS felt so Nimble!!! I was under the impression my foot controls have dropped/sagged by a good 1 FEET!!!

thanks a lot friend

Regds
San

Hey santosh,

Sure any time not a problem, its very had to let this jeep of but what to do the other one (MM550) is much better than this one so letting it go :(

[yamaniac]

Originally Posted by Terrainsnooper

Hi Guys,
The only issue is with the 2nd gear, it slips back to Neutral on its own, so you need to hold the gear in position till you shift to 3rd.

Congratulations mate!! Welcome to the club!! I have this same issue with my jeep too. I asked my mechanic about this and he said that Some parts have to be changed inside the gear box. This probably happens due to wear n tear. Otherwise she is fine. Hope to look at the pics soon.

[alabjarus]

Have been on the hunt for a CJ3B or MM540 (4X4 version) since a while and chanced upon this piece yesterday. This is 1988 model and odo reads 38K ???). I did a test drive and the vehicle seems to be in good shape, except for the vague steering and dangerously low brakes.

Owner wants to get himself a Bolero and is looking to pop this off. He apparently bought this 5 months ago for 1.6L and spent close to 50K repairs. His asking price is 2.0L.

Request your inputs for the following:

1. Is the asking price in line with the market rate. If not, what should be ideal price.
2. Though this might sound weird, what are the likely technical issues a jeep of this vintage likely to have. Clearly, I do not want to spend my weekends perpetually in garage and definitely do not want a while elephant.
3. I intent to use this as a weekend drive in and round town and not so extensive off-roading.

Gurus's pls advice.

[ArunV]

2L seems to be on the higher side.
But the vehicle looks to be in a very good condition.

I know few people who bought a 97 model 540 for 1.4L. But the condition was nowhere comparable to this. He had to spend a lot to bring it to a good condition.

BTW is this a T-BHPian's vehicle?

[Jaggu]

Look wise vehicle seems to be good, steering and brake problems can be set in this vehicle without much trouble.

My only gripe is 540's are underpowered and not really what i would prefer if am buying it for offroading. But if you are looking more at trail driving and comfortable travel, its a very good choice. Try for a 550 they give you best of both worlds

[jeeva]

Going by the way it looks, its a well maintained 540. The tow hook and the free wheeling hubs indicate that the owner knows his machine well.
Cant comment on the pricing part. We sold our 95 model mm540 in 2003 for a meager 55k. In the recent times, a good 540 (regardless of the model year) commands more than a lakh for sure.
From your post, you are relatively new to Jeeps. Correct me if I am wrong.
Owning a jeep is a different love affair altogether. Be prepared to find a good mechanic and make him your best friend, if in case you need to get a power steering and vaccum booster. Its a very capable machine and a good 4 WD 540 like this is very hard to come by these days. No offence meant, but if off-roading/OTRs does not fall in your line of interest, please look at an alternative.

[alabjarus]

Originally Posted by jeeva

From your post, you are relatively new to Jeeps. Correct me if I am wrong. Owning a jeep is a different love affair altogether. Be prepared to find a good mechanic and make him your best friend, if in case you need to get a power steering and vaccum booster.

Thats my worry, ending up in garage during week ends...!

Originally Posted by jeeva

No offence meant, but if off-roading/OTRs does not fall in your line of interest, please look at an alternative.

Have been holding back on a jeep until now as all specimens I saw till now have been horror stories. This is the best piece I have seen so far.

Originally Posted by ArunV

2L seems to be on the higher side. But the vehicle looks to be in a very good condition. I know few people who bought a 97 model 540 for 1.4L. But the condition was nowhere comparable to this. He had to spend a lot to bring it to a good condition.

Thats the issue, I am a little reluctant to let this go....

Originally Posted by ArunV

BTW is this a T-BHPian's vehicle?

Nope, to the best of my knowledge.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by alabjarus

Thats my worry, ending up in garage during week ends...!

If you are not doing OTR's and stuff this shouldn't happen often, once you set it upto your licking standards,