patnok

Well taken care of & at 220,000 miles runs, drives, & feels like new.

MadMikeX3

Bought me a 98 5speed with 212,000 on it and my wife drives a 96 auto with 158,000. Both Running Strong as beast.

G_P

My 93 Country has 220k on the drivetrain and it runs like a champ. The dirvers side rocker is completely rusted away but other than that its not too bad.

OldsVistaCruiser

I'm new to this forum - I googled "4.0 Jeep engine longevity" and was directed here.

My '92 Cherokee Laredo (4-door, 4.0-liter, AW4 automatic and Selec-Trac), although it's a wannabe Limited (I've added nearly every XJ option that has ever been offered), has nearly 285,000 miles on it and still runs strong.

As others have posted, keep an eye on rocker panel rust, especially if you live in a Northern state - I have that problem with mine. If you take care of it, it will last over 300K easily. My favorite years are '92-'96.

If you live near Philadelphia, Jeff Daniel's Jeeps will hold their 6th-annual all-Jeep show on September 26, 2009 at their shop in Harleysville, PA. All Jeeps are encouraged to enter, but they are now charging $15 to register in advance, $20 at the gate. Until this year, it was free to enter.

Their website is at http://www.jeffdanielsjeeps.com . I have no affiliation with them other than as a show participant.

Bill Stephens
Sellersville, PA

xj4life!

i'm on my tird xj, and my 2000 has 156+ on it now. i bought it with 146 on it two years ago. like i said this is my third one and if i had to give advice it would be to get one that is a late enough model to have the radiator with a cap instead of the pressure bottle it seems to work much better! as far as what to look for i would listen to everyone else as far as the wheel wells. i bought mine from the atlanta area but after i had it awhile i noticed that several bolts, hinges, etc had rust and corrosion on them due to the jeep being originally from up north. my guess is they use salt on the roads in the winter time? after some checking i found some checkup logs that confirmed that it was from west va. anyway its still running strong in fact i just finished a 3 inch r/c lift today!

95Cherokee

Yea, mines "breaks" all the time, and when I go to fix it, I find 2 more things wrong with it.

What these guys mean by reliable is, they're reliable as long as you keep shoveling cash to em like coal to a steam engine.

I've had mine less than a year and it's a constant struggle to keep fixing stuff, not what I call "reliable" for an engine that only has 115,000 miles. I'm just waiting one day to turn the key and the engine explodes and blows the hood 3 doors down into the neighbors yard.

My buddies '88 Acura Integra never breaks down..........EVER, or leaks, or overheats.......or ANYTHING, I would't be seen driving that little car, but I envy his free weekends, mine are spent running to the parts store and busting knuckles fixing the Jeep.

I wouldn't have this if it was my only vehicle, I have a motorcycle, I need it for multiple trips to Autozone. I've been wanting to get rid of the bike, but I have to keep it as a parts runner\ back up transportation.

This Jeep has plowed my corn chute raw since day 1, but I can't get rid of it because I've got too much time and money invested in it, besides, a few more parts and it will basically be a new vehicle.

LongHornCherokeeMan

im betting the body will rust out before the drivetain goes to hell

dbmata

It's all about the maintenance. I bought my '92 Laredo used from an accountant, A/T, never been taken to the dirt, the guy didn't know how to even engage the 4 wheel. What he did give me is a stack of paperwork showing immaculate maintenance. This was back in '02. I just hit 211.5k, and the factory original water pump just went out.

My grand cost in maintenance and repair for the last two years is:
1x set of tires, $600.
1x used power window switches $15
1x Tune up, lubricating and diagnostic of window wiring, and a catback w/ install - $450 from a shop.
1x case of AMZoil - was a gift, no idea of the cost.

Water pump went out yesterday, so that's going to be an R/R of a t-stat, water pump, serpentine belt, radiator cap. Should be around $300 if I have the shop do it.

All in all, I think that's not bad at all.

Since moving to Mass, I've noticed that there is rust sprouting in places I've never seen it before, guess my jeep misses the desert. The biggest cost though is gas. I'm averaging 16.5mpg in mixed city/ highway driving after getting the new tires.

Oh, and I can pull an acura out of a ditch during winter.

atomic-xj

I have a 99 with 197k miles and its runs great! You will have to do some maintenance to keep it going forever, but its less than most other cars need. Most engines just physically can't go 300k miles without a rebuild, but the 4.0 can. Comparing it to an Acura is a bit of a stretch, sure the Jeep might need more work than an Acura, but if we wanted a crappy little import we would have bought one. If you are here, you probably want an awesome 4wd truck, and for a 4wd its pretty damn dependable and can last forever if you keep up with it. If you can do the work yourself, the parts are pretty cheap, and available. Mostly where you get hit is when you pay for labor. Looking back over receipts (they kept good files) from the previous owners of my 197k mile Jeep, they spent about $3500 on real maintenance (not including oil changes or tires) including parts and labor. That's not a bad deal. You could buy an import SUV for twice the price of the 4.0 XJ, but you probably wont come out ahead. Just make sure the maintenance has been done. Watch the fluids and it will treat you well.

Oh yeah and pulling Acuras Subarus ect. out of ditches in the winter is awesome.

c-loss

I have an 88 with the renix system in it. When I bought it it barely ran good enough to get it home. I spent a couple long weekends working on it constantly to get it back into decent shape. Now The only times I have a really big problem is when I do something completly retarded to it. The engine has under 200k which is awesome for how old it is. I prefer the older renix engines just for ease of working on them. But to each his own on the renix vs. H.O. battle. And this is my 3rd xj as well my first I had when I was 16 it was a 92 and I drove it like I was 16 and with 272xxx on it I finally blew the tranny up. My second I had was a 90 and I bought it just to have something around the farm to coyote hunt with and it ran great till we rolled it. If you notice I have a tough time being nice to my vehicles and jeeps are the vehicles I choose because they are easier to work on and you gotta be pretty mean to break one.

OldsVistaCruiser

I've taken mine to the dirt a couple of times, but that's because there's not much dirt around here where you can go without being arrested for trespassing.

Mine had 210K on it when I bought it from the second owner in February 2006, and has nearly 285K on it now. The original owner, who I have since spoken to, sold it at 205K. The most major thing he had done was to replace the rear main seal on the engine.

I have so far spent $350 on a set of new tires (P225/75R15 Uniroyal Liberator A/T's at Walmart) and it will need another set by winter.

I have also replaced the cat-back exhaust when I first bought it, and it will need it again before the inspection expires in February 2010 (Pennsylvania has one of the most-rigorous inspection programs in the nation, linked below - it makes a great guide for keeping your XJ in top shape)

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/06...5/s175.80.html

I have also replaced the battery (which was 7 years old when replaced) and probably will have to replace it again soon after nearly 4 years.

I have also replaced all the belt-driven accessories except for the A/C compressor in the last 3-1/2 years as well as the exhaust manifold, which is well-known to crack. The exhaust manifold bolts were actually very easy to remove, which makes me suspect that it wasn't the original manifold.

I have also replaced the brakes several times, but that is to be expected over that time period and 75K miles.

Overall, it's a very dependable vehicle, and it has only once left me stranded, when the alternator failed in western PA on my way home from Michigan with well over 200K on it. I fixed the problem and was on my way.

I pulled a stuck S-10 pickup out of a cornfield in "Full-Time" 4x4 - didn't even need 4-Low!

Bill S.
Sellersville, PA (between Philly & Allentown)

jinxfactory

Mine is an 2001 Cherokee Sport and right now it has 108k. It also runs extremely smooth. My old man has a Grand Cherokee and is slightly jealous of my 'boxy' Heep.
Haven't been through a winter yet, I just picked it up a few months ago.
I CANT WAIT!!!

xjjeep

I have been dumping more than usual lately into my 99 XJ with 140k on it (oil pressure sending unit, front u joints, front wheel bearings ....) and I now have a pretty sizable coolant leak. So what. People keep telling me, 'buy a Honda', or whatever. NEVER. If I wanted to be like everyone else, I wouldn't have a vehicle that could park park on top of theirs. This my 4th Jeep: 96 XJ, 84 CJ7, 94 YJ, 99 XJ. It's hard to explain to people, they just don't understand.

mike albo

mine is an 87 with just 260,000 on it.I have put alot of money into my lift and just done the basics to the motor.It runs really strong,doesn't get hot or leak anything.

Vindicator9000

lolyeah, my 2000 Civic has 217K on it (210K put on by me), and nothing has ever broken on it short of a power door lock actuator. 175HP Acura engine, and still gets 32mpg, and the original engine and transmission are still running strong in my bro-in-law's Civic at 189K with no rebuild.

I actually bought the Jeep because I needed something to drive in the snow and haul with, and I kinda wanted something cheap to work on. Can't work on the Civic because nothing ever breaks on it.

My Jeep however, is a 94 Sport with 193K on it. Picked up for $500 wrecked on both ends. Fixed all that, and it runs very strong. I estimate that the engine and transmission are definitely still good for at least another 100K, probably much more. I completely cannot fault AMC/Chrysler for the designs there... They seem amazingly stout compared to some GM crap I've seen. However, it's still got a lot of niggling little stuff that I'm fixing one thing at a time.

Next up is leaking front diff. Then leaking transmission cooler. Then U-joints. Then transmission pan gasket. Then rear leafs. Then rear shocks. Then steering balljoint thingy. Then undercarriage rust. Then rattling tailpipe... Then 394837629 other problems I'll find along the way.

My point is, go over your potential Cherokee with a fine-toothed comb. Mine was wrecked when I got it, so I didn't get the benefit of a test drive, plus it was so cheap that I expected a good deal of issues. If you're willing to spend $2k or a little more, you should be able to find one without all those problems.