XJ General

I'm looking to buy an XJ here soon, are there any tips/pointers I should look out for? Anything I should know?

Also, XJ General. Feel free to post anything and everything XJ related.

Check for rust, thats the major thing. Otherwise the I6 4.0, the automatic and manual are both great, the stock tcase provides a good Lo.

What are your plans for it?

97-98 are the best years to look for. 99-01 had a run of bad heads that like t crack. The older ones are fine too just more outdated

I had a 97 4.0 5 speed 4x4 that was great. As the suspension aged it got wobbles. The water pump failed at 190k miles. That was the only time it left us stranded. My wife traded it for an 05 Cherokee which is absolute shit.

05 grand Cherokee that is

Definitely for the newer body and interior styling those years, but the old body still isnt bad either just no cup holders and well aged interior looks.

I had a 96 I6 aw4 and it went to 236k miles with no problems.

Does the GC have the 4.7? That's an iffy engine, they either run forever or need constant maintenance it seems.

Mine's a 98, only issues so far are I had to replace the rear pinion seal and oil filter adapter o-ring. Otherwise it's been perfect for ~40k that I've owned it

Back in the day my friend's mom had a 04(?) grand cherokee.
Thing was the biggest piece of shit, always in the shop for something. They're not even good at anything.

It was funny, because my sister got an 04 CR-V and never had a single problem, friend's mom had some serious buyer's remorse.

Camping vehicle, lot of trails out here (CO) that aren't really accessible with my sedan.

Also need something with some hauling capability.

>My wife traded it for an 05 Cherokee which is absolute shit.
Oh god no.
mfw somebody tried to tell me the WJ was a better truck than the Xj

How much towing/hauling do you want to do? Weight wise.

Definitely a good beginner offroading vehicle. but with lifts and what not you can do trails. I'm actualing going to CO to do a trail in a few weeks.

I've got a '95 with 325k miles

Yep 4.7. the engine isn't so bad, it did overheat and warp a head at 165k. There were alot of issues before then, rear diff went every 75k. Small electronic issues. The interior is aweful.

We still have it, it has 350k on the original transmission, diff howls line mad now,. One cylinder is filling with oil, might be a bad Vale stem seal, I will go ahead and replace it, if that fixes it I'm going to abuse that fucking pig. If it is more serious I'll scrap it.

Not a lot of weight, more so furniture items and stuff on craigslist that don't fit in my civic.
I recently drove on a forest road in my civic, and that convinced me to buy something higher up. Going 10mph and bottoming out is not optimal when SUVs are passing you going 30.

>325k
Hot damn

05 was the WK, it has IFS. WJs have solid axles front and rear, and are actual pretty sweet with the 4.7 HO, 545RFE, with an upgraded 231HD tcase. Just avoid the WJ and ZJ i6s they are super sad.

>truck

Yeah the ZJs weren't too bad, pretty much an XJ with different clothes and more electronic shit to break. WJs were pretty meh overall and not nearly as reliable.

An XJ can accomplish that towing and hauling wise.

As for ride, well its a solid axle vehicle. You will feel bumps but can do 25 mph down a washboarded road no problem. But max comfort is aired down and disconnected then its like riding on a cloud of solid axles.

Wj .. the 4.7 is still hit and miss and far from super tough or easy to repair.
A sohc v8 vs a pushrod straight 6. The 545rfe is pretty great.

The xj is still better imho as it's light, you can get a 5speed, simpler.

The 5.9 zj was pretty neat.

99 did not have that head, that was exclusive to the 00s and many of the 01s. The head will not crack from normal use, only if the engine is frequently overheated. If you have one with a well maintained cooling system you'll be fine. The catch is you have no way of knowing how the previous owner took care of the cooling system, so pay extra close attention to that. If it's over 150k and they haven't done the waterpump walk away. I've daily driven my 00 for close to 10 years now and would highly recommend it.

Any specific questions OP?

Have 00 WJ with the 4.0, can confirm, it's a huge turd.

I feel bad for your highway acceleration and top speed.

>But max comfort is aired down and disconnected then its like riding on a cloud of solid axles.
This, just ditch the rear sway bar. The front disconnects with a 12mm socket in a minute or two [my inner fenders are removed so it's easy access]. Leave the front connected for on-road stuff though especially towing.

>XJ general

OP, you can never go wrong with a good XJ. Comfort, luxurious, good looking, and they handle pretty damn well.

I mean theres more that can go wrong with that engine because its more complicated all the way around but its a solid the engine the HO that is.

I almost bought a ZJ a year ago with the 5.9, but thats only in the 98 limited. I've seen some 5.9s in 1500 Dodge rams and by god they dont do well.

You dont need the rear sway bar/tracking bar because its leafs. I didnt have a track bar on my YJ rear either. But left the front sway bar on (for on road) because mistakes happen.

I thought it was a casting issue with the heads? Not trying to spread misinformation, just what I remembered hearing.

If only those were the worst of its problems...

It was, but overheating causes it to crack at the defect.

It is a casting issue but when overheated will crack the head. Most of our heads can take some overheating, even like boiling over the radiator. But the 0331 casting is particularly weaker in this regard.

How does it do at high speeds, like 85+?

Not trying to be sonic here, but the average speed on the interstate from denver to cs is like 85 or 90.

...

Is that a dog or Richard Stallman in your backseat?

I'd say he's more of a Howard Stern lol, and he was turning his head as the pic was happening so he looks like a hair ball

Much better than a wrangler, but I wouldn't say it's comfortable at high speeds. It steers and handles well but it's loud and vibrates. Still, it can handle passing people at 90 quite well.

>not a truck

Uncomfortable is OK, what matters is that it will safely go that fast (my Ranger wouldn't).

That's pretty encouraging to see that your's has lasted that long.

I would definitely say it's safe at those speeds. It can get there surprisingly quickly too. I've upgraded my injectors, exhaust, and added a cowl intake. The throttle response is impressive.

It'll get there, but you gotta give it some time. It's happy cruising around 70-75, once you get faster than that you can feel the fact that you are pretty much pushing a brick down the highway

Yeah and it's showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon either, I hope to hit 400k (500k if I own it long enough)

93 XJ owner here. Rockers and floor panels are rusty as fuck but other than that the thing is a dream.

As long as it eventually gets there... my 3.0 ranger would kinda top out around 75

My rockers completely rusted out and had to be replaced. I put bedliner over the new ones. I also replaced the flooring around both drains in the front. Now I blast the whole underside with fluidfilm every year. Vermont winters are a bitch. Here is a crappy pic I took after washing it the other day.

I'd recommend spadano enterprises, they have full rocker replacement sliders with and without rock rails, kinda awesome.

Had I thought about it at the time I would have gone with something like that. I mainly play in the mud and snow though, not much for rocks around here.

why would anyone in their right mind buy this heap of shit

What would you buy instead?

...

4runner, etc. there are loads of compact suvs better
no, everything that you disagree with isn't bait
>>>/reddit/

Oh wow it's not b&, he's just retarded. What's wrong with them?
Inb4 that guy that was shitposting about steering columns

care to explain why I am retarded?

Care to explain what you have against Cherokees?

I can smell your shit posting from the toyota ifs threads. get gud.

seems like you all are a little upset about toyota's superiority
hmmmm

Nah, I just know how toyota people talk. I mean go have fun with your ifs in dunes and with your 2.42:1 lo.

and what about toyotas that do not have ifs and 2.42:1 lo?

Aftermarket, if it has solid axles its 1985 and older, also which is the first year of EFI. Everything before that is carbed and everything after is ifs. Unless its a j80 or before. That being said 22re is okay, 2.7 is okay, 3.0 is not good, 3.4 is your best engine (without being a v8) which produces the same power as an I6. Speaking of which the R150 is the Ax-15, your automatic in your 1st gen V8 Tundra is the AW4. Need I go on?

go on, would still prefer a tundra over a cherokee

The 1st gen tundras are good. I like the V8 in it, the 3.4 is okay in it, since theres more weight. But the Auto for the 3.4 is prone to problems. The manual is a better option for the 3.4. However it is IFS and It's not something I'm super excited about. I've replaced enough CVs and ball joints on toyota IFSs to know that its just blows, especially under a torque load.

Going further a cherokee with half as many miles as any tundra will cost half as much. I can go pick up an XJ with 150k miles for 3k, right now a tundra costs about ~6.5k with 185k miles on it. Both will go 300k miles, depending on the drive train options you pick. Also solid axles are easier to maintain than IFS bar none.

>unibody

Also OP is looking for suggestions when buying an XJ. He's made his mind up. He just wants to know what to look for.

It's somewhere in between unibody and body on frame. You clearly don't know shit.

Pretty much he doesn't. Theres a subframe and bits of actual frame. I would say though the WJ has a better unibody structure, also you can buy XJ frame stiffeners.

>It's somewhere in between unibody and body on frame.

No it's not. It's a "reinforced" unibody. Not even close to b-o-f. Though, if you're retarded like many Jeep owners, you might see these reinforcement rails and think they are some kind of frame.

What's a reasonable price to pay for one of these? I'm seeing prices all over the place on Craigslist.

I paid $5000 for mine and it was in perfect condition with 90k miles. These days probably somewhere around $3000 for one in fair shape.

Just got back from going shooting with my XJ. I love this thing.

I bought one with 233k miles on it for 2.4k. You get one with about 180k miles on it for 3.5k.

Arizona?

New Mexico

Ah I was close, Im in AZ. The sunsets are how I tell lol.

Kek, where at in AZ?

Anyone have tire size suggestions. I've currently got 33" Wrangler MTRs on my '94 XJ wagon and they rub like crazy.

Have you lifted or trimmed the fenders?

I've got a 5" lift in the front and rear and I've trimmed the fenders back on all corners.
The rear rubs a lot going over rocks and big bumps offroad, and the front rubs while turning.

Hot damn. I'd go down to 31s then.

I'm thinking about it desu, but it'd be a lot of wasted money

Could try wheels with more negative offset

Flag

Wheel spacers, because you probably dont have too much back spacing. Because my firend just put on a 6 inch with long arms and has 35s.

Odd that much lift and can't fit 33s. I'm on 30s cut fenders and only rub in the rear at almost full flex

Sorry meant you probably have too much back spacing.

Damn I'm kinda jelly. I really like Flagstaff

Its pretty sick, lots of places to go wheeling.