advice on cherokees

[t68]

Hi guys

I have been looking at buying another 4wd again; I have been going over in my mind on what to buy dual cab or a seven seat wagon, the wagon won out

I have been looking at the usual Nissan/Toyota but only found stuff with high kilometers on them in my price range; I came across a Cherokee with reasonable kilometers on the clock and I am warming to the idea of the jeep .

I am do a little bit of research into the jeeps to see what they are like , what there weakness are ,what to look for and what type of accessories out there.

If there is some one who can tell me about them, different models of Cherokees, motors auto or manual etc


Thanks in advance your help will be much appreciated

Regards,
Tom

[tasar]

XJ cherokee - 96 -2001 - tough tough great off road i6 4l is as tough as nails - 2.5l diesel is good but expensive too fix - tend to overheat

KJ cherokee - 2002 - 2007 - better road handling - lacks clearance of the XJ - still a good off roader(not extreme) due to ifs suspension
3.7 l v6 - excellent motor
2.5l crd - don't bother
2.8l crd - only issue is the turbo hose blows

All best in an auto - 6spd has some limitations 1500kg towing vs 2.5 t in the auto
6spd better on fuel though

the xj is extremely affordable now
the KJ is about to be as KK is being released in the next few weeks

[LSE3.9]

t68. google AUSJEEPOFFROAD.COM. [AJOR]
All your questions will be answered there. Cheers.

[hillsjeep]

I assume you're looking at an XJ from your post in TassieXJ's thread. If so, like Tasar said' I'd stick to the 4l petrol motor. These are all automatics unlike the diesels which are all manual. A few people have been stung by huge repair bills on their diesels.

If you get one a few weaknesses are:

Original radiator has plastic tanks, budget about $600 to put in an after market one.

Original headers tend to crack, so budget about $1k to have S/S extractors fitted or put up with the slight farting sound ;)

The rear main seal tends to seep, but usually if you don't mind a few drops on your driveway it won't get any worse than that. If its too bad, its a really messy but quite fun job to fix or about $500 to get it done. Leaving it as it is means you can reverse the Jeep out and play connect the dots on quiet weekends.

Jeeping is really addictive and the Jeep community is more of a cult than a group of vehicle enthusiests. Its a Jeep thing, you'll understand once you get one ;)

Other than those things nothing else is really predictable other than what affects all cars with age.

As I said in the other thread, I love mine and can't see myself upgrading it until the second hand JK Unlimited come down in price.

EDIT: BTW as Jeeps are so huge in the US, there is a huge selection of accessories for them. Once you get one, you'll get to know Wooders Garage quite well!!

[cac]

hillsjeep, when the mag did a write up on the XJ cherokees as a used buy, one thing they said to watch out for was that the 4L six was a bit prone to overheating (too big for the engine bay apparently)

is this a problem fixed by the radiator upgrade you mentioned in your post, as their fix was an old circuit racers trick of lifting the rear of the bonnet a few mms...

[hillsjeep]

The engine bay does get very hot, but at least you've got somewhere to cook your bacon and eggs! ;) Some people fit vents or as you said put a couple of washers under the hinges to raise the back a couple of mm. I haven't done anything myself.

I think that's a different issue to the engine itself overheating. Some people have had problems with overheating, but that is usually caused by the fan clutch failing, the water pump impellors corroding off or the radiator/cooling system being in poor condition.

If this is all ok and it still overheats, usually only in low range 4wd on sand, some people have replaced the original fan with an electric one, or put a switch on the existing electric A/C fan so they can turn that on. Some have also put a restrictor in the flow to slow it down so that the coolant spends more time in the radiator.

I (touch wood) have never had a problem, even towing a 2t poptop uphill in summer, but I have replaced my radiator, my water pump, removed a small plate in front of the air intake that allows air to feed directly from the front and kept it very well maintained. (the plate can go back in for water crossings)

The 2.5ltr Diesel however has had big overheating issues.

[cac]

thx for the reply hills...clears most of that up for me...

[CHRISMAV]

All the guy's have covered most of the common issues I am aware off.
Just make sure the cooling system has a good service history, is very common to do radiators, water pumps and at worst a heater core (dash out). Viscous fans dont like mud and can cause overheating.
If you see any that you think may have a rear main leak, get it double checked by a jeep specialist as oil filter housing o-rings have a habit of leaking, and to the untrained eye can look just like a expensive rear main leak.
The auto tranies bullet proof but can set trans-over-temp warning after hard 4wding (nothing to worry about though).
Check that 4wd system is working ok, if the transfer case stays in 4wd lock after shifting the lever, it is more than likely that the tyre pressures are un-even or there is un-usual tyre wear.
I would stay away from the XJ diesel, not a bad vehicle but not many around so not many people have much experiance with them. As the other guys said, they can run hot and blow head gaskets.

[t68]

Hi guys

Thanks for all your advice on the jeep.
You are right am looking at a 95 XJ for six grand looks pretty well stock I have had a bit of look at seems all right ,only 130 thousand kilometers on it .

Can you recommend any one who knows there stuff two check it out for me, the cars in the Liverpool nsw area?


Regards
Tom

[tasar]

ASk the guys on AUSJEEPOFFROAD.COM (http://www.AUSjeepoffroad.com) more chance of getting help

[locoman]

I have had my '96 XJ sport for just on a year now and have had the diff rebuilt, axles and bearings replaced, new brass radiator, new water pump and hoses, and now the welsh plugs under the manifold have started seeping. Its got heaps of towing power as I tow a full height 8'6 wide, 17'6 Franklin Caravan fully loaded and it will sit on 100kmh with relative ease. It does tend to still get hot, even when not towing, in summer through the hills.
Our biggest beef is if you want to take your lunch and a drink with you in the car......forget it, as there is NO room to put anything, NO cupholders, and the rear boot space is tiny.
I am going the other way and have just bought a new 2008 Patrol diesel turbo ST manual, and the Jeep will be on the market soon.

cheers

[wooders]

If you see any that you think may have a rear main leak, get it double checked by a jeep specialist as oil filter housing o-rings have a habit of leaking, and to the untrained eye can look just like a expensive rear main leak.

Contrary to what most poeple think the rear main oil seal is a very easy job and should not be expensive. They are a very common problem, but the sela is a 2 peice seal and can be replaced with everything in place except the sump ;)

[Dan96XJ]

...NO cupholders...



LOL, you get that in cars designed in the 70s ...didnt really change for almost 20yrs...love how cup holders are a selling point these days...

[wooders]

NO cupholders,

That's EASY fixed ;)

[Jeep012]

by the looks of these posts, there not as big as the look?

[vk2icj]

Well they are bigger than the Wrangler Jeep012 haha. I have a 97 Cherokee for sale now because my girlfriend and I along with our 4 teenage kids can't fit into the Cherokee. So they are not as large as a 7 seat Patrol or Troopy for that matter. For 1 person or 2 person 4wd touring I'd say the size is acceptable. In fact I took mine on several camping trips (along with my partners Subaru) loaded to the teeth, roof rack and all and had no dramas sitting on 110 all the way. Jeeps are really under rated here in Oz. Power to weight ratio is heaps better than any trol or cruiser (stock standard) With relatively small improvements the cherokee will go just about anywhere. Mechanics balk at the jeep when you take it to them because they are used to toyotas and Nissans. Jeep parts from Jeep are pricey but I've been building up and older GQ and have found in reality the Jeep parts were no more expensive than the Nissan's maybe a bit but nothing horrifying. If you go to the right places like "Wooders" or others you can get just about anything for your Cherokee. The straight 6 inline petrol is a fairly simple motor compared to the new wiz bang toyotas or Nissans. Something that the XJ Cherokees have that is really nice compared to other 4x4's is the ability to do Full time 4wd Hi Part time 4wd Hi and 4 low along with 2wd. I really love my jeep. I've had some offers that were just in my mind rediculously low and I've refused to sell because she is worth more than that. Jeep Cherokees for equivalent years and K's seem to run on price wise cheaper than passenger cars. I bet that soon the secret will get out and people will start snatching up these little beuts left right and center, especially for what you pay and get a good one for. I could go on and on but you get the idea. In fact someone is comming to look at my Cherokee today I hope he doesn't buy it. I still want to keep it and tell my lady that it just wont sell. lol

[MatMan]

how do they go for lift kits, what suspension do they run standard? And could i mount a lpg tank under the body? I dont want too put it in the back behind the rear seats as it would take up a whole chunk of space. I have always loved them and in the last few days the thought of putting one on gas has popped into my head. Sounds to me like a simple bonnet scoop (subtle one) would sort the overheating out.

Last question, are they big enough too sleep in the back of if needed? i am 170 cms or a tad under 6 foot...

[Dan96XJ]

how do they go for lift kits, what suspension do they run standard? And could i mount a lpg tank under the body? I dont want too put it in the back behind the rear seats as it would take up a whole chunk of space. I have always loved them and in the last few days the thought of putting one on gas has popped into my head. Sounds to me like a simple bonnet scoop (subtle one) would sort the overheating out.

Last question, are they big enough too sleep in the back of if needed? i am 170 cms or a tad under 6 foot...

Tonnes of lift kits available from many different brands...from budget 2" to 6" long arms...how big is your budget?

lpg tanks can fit under but compromise petrol tank ..dont know much bout that one...not interested in it either...(despite the price of petrol)

big enuff to sleep in?...Do you like feotal position?

[MatMan]

big enuff to sleep in?...Do you like feotal position?

nah gave that up about 22 years ago...

Sounding like a pretty decent option for my next 4by

[junglejuice]

They run coils in the front and leaves in the rear, easy to lift but too small for me to sleep in (178cms), they do run quite warm but that is the way they were designed, mine hardly changes in the temp department even towing my camper trailer (1t) up Castle hill in Townsville though it did creep up a little up the Toowoomba range but nothing too much.....