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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
Finally got the last few little bits sorted out on tubthumper. The first electric fan I got didn't work, so had to order a replacement (ended up getting a used OEM on ebay). I have 2 spare motors now, just have to figure out how to get the fan off without breaking it if needed. AC is blowing really cold. Have the fenders fitted up, washer fluid reservoir replaced. Had some trouble getting the steering wheel off to replace the clock spring, but finally managed that. Got the passenger and driver side airbag replaced. No dash lights anymore!
Pretty much back to where it was before the 2nd accident. Next up is the windhshield shop/body shop. Going to have to order the tubtumper magnetic sticker.
Been a really long time with no updates. Had several sports seasons and other things between last November and now. Finally took it to the body shop to get the a pillar and windshield fixed. they did a really amazing job on the a-pillar. Looks like they put a skin of metal over it. Got a new windshield too. Last step will be to swap the fenders , hood and header panel with the other Chili pepper red XJ I rebuilt and then repaint those parts. I might just sand them down and have the body shop paint them. I asked about their paint rates and they are really reasonable.
wow you dont give up easily lol i woulda been so disgusted after the second crash. glad to see your jeep is still kicking, how much miles does it have?
It has ~225k now (I think). It is my wife's Cherokee that she owned since new. Since I was the one that crashed it, I pretty much couldn't give up on it. Hard to beat the attachment of owning something like this since new. We looked at some replacement candidates and they just didn't feel right. This one is defintiely due for an engine rebuild or swap very soon. I would prefer to rebuild this one. I have done a ton of stuff to all of our jeeps, but I have not done a complete engine rebuild yet. this one had the pistons and rings replaced with the engine still in due to a cracked piston skirt. Has a tick at idle that goes away at higher RPMs. Just gets annoying.
lol love my noisy engine, it means its reliable *in jeep terms* 203k miles on mine after a very rough life it still lives on loud and proud. and yeah i never hear my tick until i either turn my radio down or turn the ac down to speed 1 then i hear the engine more. guess a slight tick is common and nothing to be afraid of. what makes you want to rebuild your engine? im just curious.
The tick is very annoying. IT didn't bother me as much until we got the 2nd XJ and I had to replace that motor. You forget how nice a quiet 4.0 I6 sounds. It's also because I want to. On the 2nd XK, I put a used motor in which just wasn't as satisfying as rebuilding one, but I was in a time crunch. This XJ is going to survive for many more years. After what it has been through a rebuilt engine is the least I can do for it. I have done a lot o major mechanical things on various cars: MGs, Triumph, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Audi but have yet to rebuild a motor myself.
Happy to say that this Cherokee got some new shoes and a VA state inspection today. It is finally completely road legal again. After all this, I had not ever taken it to a frame shop since it seemed to drive perfectly fine. I was shocked when the alignment numbers came back and all that was adjusted was the front toe in. It was .05 degrees out of spec. Last thing to do is paint and tub thumper will have all it's pride back and proudly be on the road again.
Hello, I dont know if you're still active on here but I got into an accident a week ago and have the same damage you had on your jeep. I'm trying to replace the fender apron And find any parts online how to do it. Can you give me any advice? It'd be much appreciated. You can text me too 9413768885
Wow. Jut happened to check cherokeeforum tonight and saw this thread at the top. Having flashbacks now . I am still very active here and my wife drives that cherokee everyday. I still have the 99 from this thread and a 98 that has a different rebuild thread. I doubt you will find that inner apron part online. It does not have a separate part number. It is not an easy part for a breaker to take out and I highly doubt any place would go through that effort. For a DIY in the junk yard, it's doable. Take off the fender (at least the top bolts), all the junk attached to it on the top of the apron, then drill out the spot welds from underneath the wheel well. Took me 2-3 hours the first time, 2.5 the second, 2 the 3rd, 1 hour the last time (since I had to do both sides).
Once you find a pick a part, plan on taking at least 2 spot weld bits (I got mine at harbor freight) in case 1 breaks, hammer and chisel (or flat blade screwdriver) to completely separate the metal pieces, socket set (to remove all the junk attached to it). The fenders are attached with a rivet that can be a pain to deal with. A hammer and chisel makes quick work out of that or you can remove the bracket piece from the fender (10mm bolt that will most likely shear off from rust).
IF you can't find any local pick a part places, you may want to look for LKQ. They actually have a national presence and I believe are buying up some pick a part places. May be able to find an actual person to talk to about getting that part. Let me know if you need more help and I can text you.
Glad to see you are still active. Just out of curiosity, did you ever go through insurance for either accident? Wondering if they would've totaled it and how much to buy back from them.
I did not go through insurance for either. At the time, I just had collision. I have since switched companies and now have comprehensive on all 3 old Jeeps (98 and 99 XJ and 95 YJ). If you have comprehensive insurance, I have no doubt it would be totaled and you could buy it back. For the first accident, it was my daughter and it seemed better to just fix it vs. putting a claim in and dealing with whatever the long term ramifications would have been. If it were to happen now, I would definitely check through insurance first, get it totaled, buy it back and fix it myself.
I have hit a deer 3 times in my Audi's (3 different A6's). The last one was tempting to take the total payout and buy it back. Got close, but didn't want to mess with it. With an older car like these XJs, definitely makes a lot of sense so the insurance company does not have to dispose of it. I was more worried about the long term effect on my daughters driving record and insurance premiums. In the end, it may not have made a difference, but I don't know for sure. Kelley blue book on a 20 year old Jeep with 200k+ miles has to be $1000 max anyway. It just didn't seem worth the hassle.
I did not go through insurance for either. At the time, I just had collision. I have since switched companies and now have comprehensive on all 3 old Jeeps (98 and 99 XJ and 95 YJ). If you have comprehensive insurance, I have no doubt it would be totaled and you could buy it back. For the first accident, it was my daughter and it seemed better to just fix it vs. putting a claim in and dealing with whatever the long term ramifications would have been. If it were to happen now, I would definitely check through insurance first, get it totaled, buy it back and fix it myself.
I have hit a deer 3 times in my Audi's (3 different A6's). The last one was tempting to take the total payout and buy it back. Got close, but didn't want to mess with it. With an older car like these XJs, definitely makes a lot of sense so the insurance company does not have to dispose of it. I was more worried about the long term effect on my daughters driving record and insurance premiums. In the end, it may not have made a difference, but I don't know for sure. Kelley blue book on a 20 year old Jeep with 200k+ miles has to be $1000 max anyway. It just didn't seem worth the hassle.
yeah I assumed it wouldn’t have been worth messing with her record or insurance prices. Thanks for the reply.
Tub Thumper is getting a lift! Tub Thumper has 225k miles and still on the original rear leafs. My wife really likes the lifted 98 so decided to go ahead and put the same lift on her '99. Old man Emu 2.5" hybrid kit from Dirk at DPG: https://dpgoffroad.com/product/2-5-u...mu-hybrid-kit/. I had rebuilt the suspension 6-7 years ago so everything in the front came apart pretty easily. I do dread the front leaf spring eye bolt in the back though. Lot's of heat and patience needed there. That's the projec tfor next weekend.
tub thumper is getting a lift! Tub thumper has 225k miles and still on the original rear leafs. My wife really likes the lifted 98 so decided to go ahead and put the same lift on her '99. Old man emu 2.5" hybrid kit from dirk at dpg: https://dpgoffroad.com/product/2-5-u...mu-hybrid-kit/. I had rebuilt the suspension 6-7 years ago so everything in the front came apart pretty easily. I do dread the front leaf spring eye bolt in the back though. Lot's of heat and patience needed there. That's the projec tfor next weekend.
09-25-2016, 08:38 PM
. I am still very active here and my wife drives that cherokee everyday. I still have the 99 from this thread and a 98 that has a different rebuild thread. I doubt you will find that inner apron part online. It does not have a separate part number. It is not an easy part for a breaker to take out and I highly doubt any place would go through that effort. For a DIY in the junk yard, it's doable. Take off the fender (at least the top bolts), all the junk attached to it on the top of the apron, then drill out the spot welds from underneath the wheel well. Took me 2-3 hours the first time, 2.5 the second, 2 the 3rd, 1 hour the last time (since I had to do both sides).
