School me on XJ's

"Snuze: Needs another Swede" (markg) 09/28/2016 at 11:48 • Filed to: None

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My friend wants me to go look at a 1995 Cherokee with him tomorrow night. He wants to use it for camping trips and as a winter beater. It’s got 222k miles, 4.0L I6 engine, 5 speed manual, 4x4, and otherwise pretty much your standard XJ. It has been upgraded with an Old Man Emu 3" lift kit, Hella H4 headlights, Borla cat back exhaust, and a ZJ rear axle with disc brakes.

It’s also had a lot of stuff done to it in the last 2 years including a new blower motor and heater resistor, brake lines, engine mounts, radiator, A/C condensor, expansion valve, and A/C lines, windshield, and floor pans & undercoating. The floor pans concern me slightly but I seem to recall pretty much all Jeeps end up with rust issues.

My wife had a 98 when we first met and I remember it being pretty awesome but it wasn’t around long enough for me to become very familiar with it. What else should I be looking for on this XJ?

HammerheadFistpunch > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 11:55

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222k is a lot for an XJ, even one with lots of parts replaced. I guess if he gets it for the right price and doesn’t mind changing the odd thing here and there it will be fine.

Cherry_man1 > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 11:56

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Make sure it has the V12 and the electricals are good. Those Jags man. Don’t know about the Cherokee modle though. Never knew the XJS has an off road variant.

Party-vi > HammerheadFistpunch 09/28/2016 at 12:00

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“222k is a lot for an XJ”

>.>

Snuze: Needs another Swede > HammerheadFistpunch 09/28/2016 at 12:02

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True, though 222k is a lot for almost any vehicle. I should have mentioned its been tuned up recently, got an alternator,serpentine belt, cap/wires/plugs, O2 sensor, and other miscellaneous bits. He’s a car guy too, we did Formula SAE together, so changing stuff and fixing little things isn’t a huge issue. But neither of us know much about Jeeps.

I’m just wondering if there are any serious, XJ specific issues that he should be wary of before buying. For example, do 4.0L engines commonly explode at 225k? Were they prone to serious frame issues with age? That sort of stuff.

ApexMoustache > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 12:03

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Old Man Emu is a quality lift kit. That is a lot of miles but that engine is known to be bullet proof, but it all depends on how it’s been taken care of. Even if you have to replace the engine, they aren’t crazy expensive, since they’ve been using it for a bazillion years. Look under it for rust and the usual stuff. I thought the ZJs had aluminum axles and weren’t as strong as the wrangler Dana 44s but I could be wrong. Also may not matter, depending on the tire size.

HammerheadFistpunch > Party-vi 09/28/2016 at 12:03

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Unibodies be all

yamahog > Party-vi 09/28/2016 at 12:05

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Mine had 250 when I sold it and I’ll stand by hhfp’s statement. Thing was a pile, blowing blue smoke, and miserable to work on with all the rust gluing it together. You get what you pay for :(

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ApexMoustache 09/28/2016 at 12:06

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Thanks! I didn’t know about the lift kit, so that’s a relief. And I’ll check for rust and rot. Like I said, it’s had floor pans put in, so that makes me think it had some rust before, so hopefully that’s been dealt with already.

I’ve always heard the 4.0L was a good engine. My wife’s ran like a top... a very slow top. I don’t know anything about the ZJ at all, but I don’t think he’s going to beat on it hard or do much offroading. It’s got like 31" or maybe 32" tires on it, and I doubt he’d go any bigger. I’ll mention this to him.

Party-vi > yamahog 09/28/2016 at 12:09

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With proper maintenance they should have been fine. Mine was cresting 300k miles and it too the back end of an ML500 to stop it.

Party-vi > HammerheadFistpunch 09/28/2016 at 12:09

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you are biased. I cannot trust you Mr. Land Cruiser person.

HammerheadFistpunch > Party-vi 09/28/2016 at 12:10

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(Former XJ driver)

yamahog > Party-vi 09/28/2016 at 12:11

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The thing is when you’re buying it at 222k you have no way of knowing how many of those miles can be considered “well maintained.”

yamahog > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 12:14

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Lots of sensor failures, especially throttle position sensor and cam position sensors. I think the 95's were free of the head issues that later engines had.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > yamahog 09/28/2016 at 12:17

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Thanks. I forgot that my wife’s needed a cam sensor. We fixed that, and then the transmission went a few months later.

It also needed an oil pressure sensor, but that was my fault...

rillweid - Now with more TRD and less TDI > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 12:34

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All the aftermarket stuff you have listed is really good qualty(I run OME stuff on my XJ). Three things I would check on upgrades - make sure it has all the 02 sensors still. Mine didn’t cause exhaust upgrades and that still is a PITA. Also check whether it has a ZJ axle or just a disc brake conversion. D44a’s out of ZJ’s are not the most well supported things but it’s still better than a D35/C 8.25 that’s in an XJ. Lastly, check the HID conversion as to whether it has hi/lo beams or not. Many do not so just be aware. Also if they have done LED turns signals at the same time check to see if load resistors were installed as well.

It’s sounds like engine wise it’s been pretty well gone through so that’s good. Check motor mount bolts cause they tend to come loose. Common oil leaks are from valve cover, PCV elbows, oil filter adapter, and rear main seal. Check that the electric fan still works cause they are a common failure point. As you may know XJ’s do like to run pretty hot so 210 is normal but anything higher that 220 is bad.

Also check for drive line vibrations caused by the changed driveshaft angles from lifiting it. If you feel them it is a pretty easy thing to fix so don’t be too worried about it. Also check the track bar mounting holes to see if they are wallowed out. XJs love death wobble and it can be a pain to fix. You should be ok though because OME lifts usually come with a new track bar. Also the steering box may leak if it’s been wheeled.

Body wise definitely pull up the carpet to check for rust. Check everywhere very thoroughly for rust. Also check the framerails to make sure there are no cracks. XJ’s will crack their rails if they face enough stress offroad.

Overall though from the info you’ve provided it sounds like you might have a decent XJ on your hands. If you have any other questions let me know. I may come back and add more to this if I think of any more.

ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 12:40

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1995 is a good year

Old Man Emu is the highest quality lift available for them. So if the owner ponied up for that, he’s taken care of it.

Unibody being “tired” depends on your rust situation. I sold my 96 with 223k miles on it, and there wasn’t a thing wrong with the unibody. But, it has lived its entire life in Alabama.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > rillweid - Now with more TRD and less TDI 09/28/2016 at 12:42

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Wow, thanks, that’s a ton of info. I appreciate it.

ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy > ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy 09/28/2016 at 12:43

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OH, and if he does buy it, by all means replace the motor mount bolts ASAP. The engine-side bolts are prone to loosening just a touch, which overloads the remaining bolts and causes them to break.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy 09/28/2016 at 12:43

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Thanks, that’s good to know. I’m a little concerned, we’re in the DC area, so we get a fair around of snow and they use salt in the winters. But it’s already had the floor pans replaced so I’m thinking the rust issues have been taken care of, but I will check it out.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 12:54

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My friends own 2

- awesome unkillable motor, so much character and very easy to work on

- seats are very comfy; american lounge chairs

- old man emu kits are the most expensive option out there for these trucks, they’re boss - we installed one in the spring and it’s been perfect so far

- look for rust on the floors. both of my friends’ jeeps had that issue and they’re in the 190k range.

- in general, like any very high mileage car, it’s all about how much preventative maintenance was done

- check the brake hard lines in the engine bay! If they’re bubbling with rust, that’s no good. We had to replace all of them in one of the XJs because they were leaking. The other was fine though.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Noah - Now with more boost. 09/28/2016 at 13:16

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This one had the floors replaced and the brake hardlines done already. Sounds like it might be a winner.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 13:44

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oh wow yeah if both have already been done that’s a good one, probably well maintained

adamftw > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 14:26

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The unibody will only get “tired” from abuse. If the thing is beat from being wheeled, you’ll know. The body starts getting dimples in weird places, like the D pillar.

adamftw > HammerheadFistpunch 09/28/2016 at 14:27

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Nah

adamftw > yamahog 09/28/2016 at 14:28

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Correct. TPSs are $30 though, so, there’s that.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > adamftw 09/28/2016 at 14:33

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Thanks. Something else to add to my list of stuff to look at.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 14:34

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Sounds like its pretty damn good. Check when the fluids were done, how the trans shifts ect. Clutch is heavy in these trucks for some reason, it’s normal. Make sure it shifts into all 4WD modes, otherwise just normal things to check on every car.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 09/28/2016 at 14:37

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Sounds like pretty straightforward stuff. With all the responses I’ve gotten I feel like we’re going to give this Cherokee the most intense inspection ever.

yamahog > adamftw 09/28/2016 at 14:54

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Yea, the TPS was easily the most painless thing I ever had to do to mine, but when it started crapping out it took me a while to figure out wtf was going on. IIRC the CPS would have been a bigger hassle but I didn’t have to deal with that.

adamftw > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 15:35

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You’ll know it’s beat well before you find any of those signs. I had dimples on both D pillars of mine, and a tear down the trans tunnel. They also can separate the A pillars from the engine side. But these are all extreme cases of XJs wheeled hard for a long time.

adamftw > yamahog 09/28/2016 at 15:36

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I knew a kid who swapped a trans because he didn’t check the TPS. He was not happy when I fixed it for him in 10 minutes after he spent the weekend swapping a trans.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/28/2016 at 15:45

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Yup. It sounds like a pretty good find. Good luck!

yamahog > adamftw 09/28/2016 at 16:31

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I’m feeling slightly better about myself now :)