Calling All Jeep Guys/Gals

[Levey]

I am thinking that the easiest way to transition out of my Camaro and into a Corvette will be by picking up a cheap second vehicle. That's where a 97-01 XJ comes in. I found a 99 with 117k miles and a smaller lift that was super clean for 5k but the guy sold it before I could get my hands on it.

What do I need to know? Are the 4.0s as bullet proof as people make them sound? Should I stay away from ones with a certain level of mileage if I am going to potentially daily it?

[Levey]

Also found a 2001 with 150k miles for $3.5k. Bone stock in good shape. Not really sure what would be considered a good deal with these.

[Goodspeed]

Welp, I'll contribute my thoughts as a XJ owner of 3 years this month. XJs as we all know are damn near bulletproof - they'll get you home after a direct meteor strike, but that doesn't mean there aren't things that go wrong with them.

Off the top of my head/personal experience, a few things to look for:

- Rust. Look around/under the doors, floorpans, the usual spots.
- The AC - the system in the XJ is not the world's finest - check if its cold, if the condensor is dead, its an expensive PITA to fix.
- Some years have problems with the exhaust manifold cracking, I think it was pre '00 XJ's.
- Check for oil leaks - the 4.0 has a multi-piece rear main seal that is notorious for leaking, as well as the usual gaskets and seals. Its an old-ass motor, each of which has likely spent its entire life on conventional dino, so if you or a PO put in synthetic the earl starts flowing...out.
- Make sure 4WD works.
- Test all the window switches, they like to fail on these.
- Check the door hinges, mine were creaky and one of the hinge pins was busted. Apparently more common on the 2D models.

Bam: http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/used-xj-...ok-161961/

In all, its been a great steed. The brakes suck, I've calculated 15.7 avg MPG a few times, and the factory headlights will lead to your nighttime demise (fix those right quick - HD harness and E-codes), but its been dead nuts reliable, it'll carry whatever you need it to, and it saved my ass during one of those mondo-winters we had a while back. I'm getting a bit tired of the antiqueness of it for a DD (riding in a 2008 Camry now feels like being in a Maybach) but until I move on I'm sure it'll keep serving me well.

[fiveoh2go]

Get a TJ.

No power equipment to go bad, sledgehammer reliability with the 4.0, a convertible top for the beach aaand nice people wave at you all the time. :lol:

[Levey]

How concerned should I be with the infamous curse of the 0331 cylinder head?

[premiershine9]

Get a TJ.

No power equipment to go bad, sledgehammer reliability with the 4.0, a convertible top for the beach aaand nice people wave at you all the time. :lol:

My vote as well

[V1GiLaNtE]

Go for 97-98.

Best years in my opinion. No worries about the head issues and no dealing with that coil pack nonsense. Plus, if you're intending on wheelin' it you're getting the High Pinion (HP) Dana 30 as opposed to the weaker and less desirable D30 Low Pinion (LP) in the 99+ models.

Ideal combo you're looking for is a 4.0, AW4 (AT), NP231 (Tcase) D30, C8.25.

Look for rust around the rockers, floor pans, etc.

Don't let mileage scare you. My last one had ~200k on the body when I got it. Engine was newer, but the rest of the drive train was still original and just fine. My latest one I picked up for about $3k and it had 144k. I'm at about 154k and so far no major issues.

Widow switch dead is an easy fix. Just need to jump two wires.

I like TJ's and all but I still just can't swallow the lack of people/gear space. I've put so much crap in my XJ and hauled so much crap with my XJ it's ridiculous.

List of mods I would do for a dead nuts DD?

-Full tune up (cap, rotor, distributor, plugs, wire, ALL fluids, filters, etc)
- Upgraded Headlight Harness
- Autopal Ebay e-code headlights
- External transmission cooler
- Throw on a set of General Grabber AT's or BFG AT's and you'll have a zombie apocalypse capable DD

[V1GiLaNtE]

I'm getting a bit tired of the antiqueness of it for a DD (riding in a 2008 Camry now feels like being in a Maybach)

:lol:

Truth be told. At the end of the day it is still just a Jeep. I'm hoping to retire mine to weekend duty only within the next year.

[Kaan]

I'd add that you shouldnt buy a lifted/wheeled one unless thats what you really want to do. as a unibody jeep they have a limited life span when offroaded... if you arent doing it, if you didnt mod it, you wont understand whats wrong with it.

if you dont mind a truckish ride... slowish ride... XJs are great. Its not a fuck'n bently!

Also anyone voting TJ right now needs to look at the used TJ market and how expensive they are.

[Levey]

All good info.

My last "cheap second vehicle" adventure ended in me buying a 2001 Blazer with the "bulletproof" 4.3 Vortec. Pretty sure it had the very common intake manifold gasket issue leading to disappearing coolant much like this 4.0 cracked head issue. I sold it as the oil pressure was looking lower every week. I would rather just buy an older than 99 jeep than have to unload it in a hurry or invest $100s.

[JustinG]

Rust. Look around/under the doors, floorpans, the usual spots.

Front floor pans, specifically passenger side, Cargo floor, and rockers under rear doors near the rear wheel well. If the rockers are rusted, its a good time to cut em out and weld in some square tubing in their place for sliders.

The AC - the system in the XJ is not the world's finest - check if its cold, if the Evaporator is dead, its an expensive PITA to fix.

Not that big of a PITA or expensive, I changed out my heater core ($65) and evaporator ($100) after buying mine. Could have had it done in a weekend if I wasnt fixing floor board rust. Remove front seats/console/dash. Sounds daunting, but it really wasnt. Can be done with a basic tool set.

Check for oil leaks - the 4.0 has a multi-piece rear main seal that is notorious for leaking, as well as the usual gaskets and seals. Its an old-ass motor, each of which has likely spent its entire life on conventional dino, so if you or a PO put in synthetic the earl starts flowing...out.

VC gasket, Oil Filter gasket, Rear Main, and Diff seals. Keep in mind the Rear Main seal can be replaced without dropping the transmission.

I had an 01, bought with 135k. Loved it for the 3 years I had it, was a tank, and never left me stranded. Changed the oil twice in the 3 years. Only use Dino oil, cheapest stuff you can buy. Synthetic is a waste on these things. Highly recommend buying one. Junkyards will be your friend. Id stick to a 97+, the updated interior is worth it.

[V1GiLaNtE]

Also anyone voting TJ right now needs to look at the used TJ market and how expensive they are.

TJ and cheap DD don't go in the same sentence.

[fiveoh2go]

Also anyone voting TJ right now needs to look at the used TJ market and how expensive they are.

What is expensive?

[Kaan]

An expensive XJ = $5k for a minty fresh 5 speed 2 door with a 4.0, 8.25 rear, etc.

A cheap TJ = $5k and you should walk FAR FAR away from it... its probably the 2.5L 4 banger, slipping trans, broken this and that, with 200k miles on it.

the price point of the JK (from 2007 until now) have been so high that the TJs have held their value. Rubicon TJs and regular LJs have gone up in price from what i have seen... and Rubicon LJs are harder to find and the most expensive wheel-able non JK (or commander) you'll find

[V1GiLaNtE]

An expensive XJ = $5k for a minty fresh 5 speed 2 door with a 4.0, 8.25 rear, etc.

A cheap TJ = $5k and you should walk FAR FAR away from it... its probably the 2.5L 4 banger, slipping trans, broken this and that, with 200k miles on it.

the price point of the JK (from 2007 until now) have been so high that the TJs have held their value. Rubicon TJs and regular LJs have gone up in price from what i have seen... and Rubicon LJs are harder to find and the most expensive wheel-able non JK (or commander) you'll find

Rubicon LJ... Those suckers are in the 20k range. And damn near impossible to find.

But seriously, if you spend $5k on an XJ it's probably going to be flawless. The scary part is they're getting harder and harder to find too..

[fiveoh2go]

An expensive XJ = $5k for a minty fresh 5 speed 2 door with a 4.0, 8.25 rear, etc.

A cheap TJ = $5k and you should walk FAR FAR away from it... its probably the 2.5L 4 banger, slipping trans, broken this and that, with 200k miles on it.

the price point of the JK (from 2007 until now) have been so high that the TJs have held their value. Rubicon TJs and regular LJs have gone up in price from what i have seen... and Rubicon LJs are harder to find and the most expensive wheel-able non JK (or commander) you'll find

Hmm, kinda surprised at how high KBB still values mine (although it hasn't cracked 50K miles yet). In 18 months it hasn't lost any value according to their site.

[Evan]

Get a TJ.

No power equipment to go bad, sledgehammer reliability with the 4.0, a convertible top for the beach aaand nice people wave at you all the time. :lol:

and, as a bonus, its the absolute worst POS vehicle on the road!
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570">viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570</a><!-- l -->

hey, but at least they are really expensive!

[Kaan]

Get a TJ.

No power equipment to go bad, sledgehammer reliability with the 4.0, a convertible top for the beach aaand nice people wave at you all the time. :lol:

and, as a bonus, its the absolute worst POS vehicle on the road!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570">http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php ... 70#p232570</a><!-- m -->

hey, but at least they are really expensive!

Thats not a TJ... thats a JK. TJs ride more like trucks... JKs want to be tall mini vans.

[fiveoh2go]

Get a TJ.

No power equipment to go bad, sledgehammer reliability with the 4.0, a convertible top for the beach aaand nice people wave at you all the time. :lol:

and, as a bonus, its the absolute worst POS vehicle on the road!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570">http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php ... 70#p232570</a><!-- m -->

hey, but at least they are really expensive!

Not even the same platform, but the hate you spew does provide the lulz. Thanks! :thumbup:

[D_Eclipse9916]

Get a TJ.

No power equipment to go bad, sledgehammer reliability with the 4.0, a convertible top for the beach aaand nice people wave at you all the time. :lol:

and, as a bonus, its the absolute worst POS vehicle on the road!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570">http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php ... 70#p232570</a><!-- m -->

hey, but at least they are really expensive!

Not even the same platform, but the hate you spew does provide the lulz. Thanks! :thumbup:

Terrible gas mileage, bad ride, spartan interior, expensive....

They look fun as hell in a beach bum environment, but they ARE garbage. Driven most generations and don't understand the love unless you actually go offroad