CleptoLeptic's Long Winded MisAdventure ...
03-18-2011, 11:40 AM
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Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
CleptoLeptic's Long Winded MisAdventure ...
Well, at the first of the year I traded in my 1998 Ford Ranger ( 2wd ) for a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport. 
Within the first 2 days of having the vehicle the heater stopped working. Was blowing plenty of air but none of that air was warm. So, dealership I bought it from reluctantly replaced the thermostat and the heater worked ( decently ) after that.
2 days later, the check engine light comes on. Back to the dealership for a new gas cap which takes care of the check engine light.
At this time ( due to some financing issues ) I still had the ability to back out of the deal but of course I had already found this website and seen the potential of these rigs and was hooked ..... So against my better judgement I signed the final paperwork and all was well; for about 2 weeks ...
A week ago, I noticed the temp briefly went above the 210 mark. As soon as i got to work that morning, I checked my fluids to find that I was 1 gallon low on coolant .... Called the dealership since I have owned it less than 30 days and was told, too bad, so sad ! But they did wish me luck figuring it out.
The only thing I found was a small leak in the bottom drivers side corner of the radiator. I did not think this was the problem but the oil looked, tasted and smelled just fine, the coolant looked and smelled just fine, water pump felt ok ( removed belt and spun by hand with decent amount of resistance ) and I was able to spray WD-40 all around the engine with no effect on idle at all.
So I replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat .... here are the pics from that.
Within the first 2 days of having the vehicle the heater stopped working. Was blowing plenty of air but none of that air was warm. So, dealership I bought it from reluctantly replaced the thermostat and the heater worked ( decently ) after that.
2 days later, the check engine light comes on. Back to the dealership for a new gas cap which takes care of the check engine light.
At this time ( due to some financing issues ) I still had the ability to back out of the deal but of course I had already found this website and seen the potential of these rigs and was hooked ..... So against my better judgement I signed the final paperwork and all was well; for about 2 weeks ...
A week ago, I noticed the temp briefly went above the 210 mark. As soon as i got to work that morning, I checked my fluids to find that I was 1 gallon low on coolant .... Called the dealership since I have owned it less than 30 days and was told, too bad, so sad ! But they did wish me luck figuring it out.
The only thing I found was a small leak in the bottom drivers side corner of the radiator. I did not think this was the problem but the oil looked, tasted and smelled just fine, the coolant looked and smelled just fine, water pump felt ok ( removed belt and spun by hand with decent amount of resistance ) and I was able to spray WD-40 all around the engine with no effect on idle at all.
So I replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat .... here are the pics from that.
Last edited by CleptoLeptic; 03-18-2011 at 12:02 PM.
03-18-2011, 11:45 AM
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Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Well, at the first of the year I traded in my 1998 Ford Ranger ( 2wd ) for a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport.
Within the first 2 days of having the vehicle the heater stopped working. Was blowing plenty of air but none of that air was warm. So, dealership I bought it from reluctantly replaced the thermostat and the heater worked ( decently ) after that.
2 days later, the check engine light comes on. Back to the dealership for a new gas cap which takes care of the check engine light.
At this time ( due to some financing issues ) I still had the ability to back out of the deal but of course I had already found this website and seen the potential of these rigs and was hooked ..... So against my better judgement I signed the final paperwork and all was well; for about 2 weeks ...
A week ago, I noticed the temp briefly went above the 210 mark. As soon as i got to work that morning, I checked my fluids to find that I was 1 gallon low on coolant .... Called the dealership since I have owned it less than 30 days and was told, too bad, so sad ! But they did wish me luck figuring it out.
The only thing I found was a small leak in the bottom drivers side corner of the radiator. I did not think this was the problem but the oil looked, tasted and smelled just fine, the coolant looked and smelled just fine, water pump felt ok ( removed belt and spun by hand with decent amount of resistance ) and I was able to spray WD-40 all around the engine with no effect on idle at all.
So I replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat .... here are the pics from that.
Within the first 2 days of having the vehicle the heater stopped working. Was blowing plenty of air but none of that air was warm. So, dealership I bought it from reluctantly replaced the thermostat and the heater worked ( decently ) after that.
2 days later, the check engine light comes on. Back to the dealership for a new gas cap which takes care of the check engine light.
At this time ( due to some financing issues ) I still had the ability to back out of the deal but of course I had already found this website and seen the potential of these rigs and was hooked ..... So against my better judgement I signed the final paperwork and all was well; for about 2 weeks ...
A week ago, I noticed the temp briefly went above the 210 mark. As soon as i got to work that morning, I checked my fluids to find that I was 1 gallon low on coolant .... Called the dealership since I have owned it less than 30 days and was told, too bad, so sad ! But they did wish me luck figuring it out.
The only thing I found was a small leak in the bottom drivers side corner of the radiator. I did not think this was the problem but the oil looked, tasted and smelled just fine, the coolant looked and smelled just fine, water pump felt ok ( removed belt and spun by hand with decent amount of resistance ) and I was able to spray WD-40 all around the engine with no effect on idle at all.
So I replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat .... here are the pics from that.
03-18-2011, 12:09 PM
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Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Heater Core Flush
While I had everything apart, I figured I would flush the heater core as well. Here are some pictures of how I set up to do this. ( thank you to Eric the car guys video for info on this ) Sorry dont have the link handy, jus search if you need more info. The red rubber piece came in a set my wife bought when she had to replace the battery on her xterra. It fit perfectly over my "blower nozel" to give me a good enough seal around the hose to make the flush work. I did a combination of water and air 4 times before the water started looking clearish ... did it a couple more times just for good measure.
Last edited by CleptoLeptic; 03-18-2011 at 12:17 PM.
03-18-2011, 12:45 PM
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Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I got busy working and forgot to take pictures of the new installation ... 
Once everything was installed and buttoned back up I took it for a drive and no leaks, ran good. Treated myself to a stiff Jack and Coke to finish the night.
Over the course of the next week, I had to keep adding fluid .... can anyone guess where this is going ....
After a week of dead ends and constantly missing coolant, I finally did a closer inspection of my valve cover and with my little flash light looking straight down into the oil filler hole guess what I saw .... GREEN
To make an already long storry a little shorter, the jeep is in the shop getting the cracked 0331 head replaced. I was able to talk the dealership into covering half the cost. To anyone looking at buying a 99 + cherokee, make sure you check for ANY signs of a cracked head / blown head gasket.
Once everything was installed and buttoned back up I took it for a drive and no leaks, ran good. Treated myself to a stiff Jack and Coke to finish the night.
Over the course of the next week, I had to keep adding fluid .... can anyone guess where this is going ....
After a week of dead ends and constantly missing coolant, I finally did a closer inspection of my valve cover and with my little flash light looking straight down into the oil filler hole guess what I saw .... GREEN
To make an already long storry a little shorter, the jeep is in the shop getting the cracked 0331 head replaced. I was able to talk the dealership into covering half the cost. To anyone looking at buying a 99 + cherokee, make sure you check for ANY signs of a cracked head / blown head gasket.
Last edited by CleptoLeptic; 03-18-2011 at 12:56 PM.
04-04-2011, 01:42 PM
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Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
About Time !!!
What a complete PITA !!
Dropped the jeep off to have the head / head gasket replaced. The mechanic assured me the head was not cracked but was warped and only needed machined ....
Picked up the Jeep on Friday and had to keep adding coolant to it. Took it back to the mechanic, they tore it back down and sure enough .... Cracked head right between the #3 and #4 cylinders ...
exactly where I told them to check for it .... Here are a couple of pics that I took. sorry they are crappy cell phone picks.
Dropped the jeep off to have the head / head gasket replaced. The mechanic assured me the head was not cracked but was warped and only needed machined ....
Picked up the Jeep on Friday and had to keep adding coolant to it. Took it back to the mechanic, they tore it back down and sure enough .... Cracked head right between the #3 and #4 cylinders ...
exactly where I told them to check for it .... Here are a couple of pics that I took. sorry they are crappy cell phone picks.
04-04-2011, 01:48 PM
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Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0l
Well, at the first of the year I traded in my 1998 Ford Ranger ( 2wd ) for a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport.
Within the first 2 days of having the vehicle the heater stopped working. Was blowing plenty of air but none of that air was warm. So, dealership I bought it from reluctantly replaced the thermostat and the heater worked ( decently ) after that.
2 days later, the check engine light comes on. Back to the dealership for a new gas cap which takes care of the check engine light.
At this time ( due to some financing issues ) I still had the ability to back out of the deal but of course I had already found this website and seen the potential of these rigs and was hooked ..... So against my better judgement I signed the final paperwork and all was well; for about 2 weeks ...
A week ago, I noticed the temp briefly went above the 210 mark. As soon as i got to work that morning, I checked my fluids to find that I was 1 gallon low on coolant .... Called the dealership since I have owned it less than 30 days and was told, too bad, so sad ! But they did wish me luck figuring it out.
The only thing I found was a small leak in the bottom drivers side corner of the radiator. I did not think this was the problem but the oil looked, tasted and smelled just fine, the coolant looked and smelled just fine, water pump felt ok ( removed belt and spun by hand with decent amount of resistance ) and I was able to spray WD-40 all around the engine with no effect on idle at all.
So I replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat .... here are the pics from that.
Within the first 2 days of having the vehicle the heater stopped working. Was blowing plenty of air but none of that air was warm. So, dealership I bought it from reluctantly replaced the thermostat and the heater worked ( decently ) after that.
2 days later, the check engine light comes on. Back to the dealership for a new gas cap which takes care of the check engine light.
At this time ( due to some financing issues ) I still had the ability to back out of the deal but of course I had already found this website and seen the potential of these rigs and was hooked ..... So against my better judgement I signed the final paperwork and all was well; for about 2 weeks ...
A week ago, I noticed the temp briefly went above the 210 mark. As soon as i got to work that morning, I checked my fluids to find that I was 1 gallon low on coolant .... Called the dealership since I have owned it less than 30 days and was told, too bad, so sad ! But they did wish me luck figuring it out.
The only thing I found was a small leak in the bottom drivers side corner of the radiator. I did not think this was the problem but the oil looked, tasted and smelled just fine, the coolant looked and smelled just fine, water pump felt ok ( removed belt and spun by hand with decent amount of resistance ) and I was able to spray WD-40 all around the engine with no effect on idle at all.
So I replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat .... here are the pics from that.
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04-04-2011, 02:04 PM
#8
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Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
They finally replaced the cracked 0331 head with a 7120 (?) head ... To the best of my knowledge nothing else has been done to this jeep, I believe I read somewhere that the 7120 head has larger ports ( intake and exhaust maybe ?? ) my question is ... am I going to run into a problem using this head with all the rest of my stock equipment ? Any insight to this would be great.
I am really hoping this issue is resolved and I can start saving up for the fun stuff that was planned before this large monkey wrench was tossed into my gears .....
I am really hoping this issue is resolved and I can start saving up for the fun stuff that was planned before this large monkey wrench was tossed into my gears .....
04-04-2011, 02:15 PM
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Year: 2001
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04-04-2011, 07:41 PM
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Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
Sorry to read about all your miss fortune with your newly purchased XJ, but on the bright side you should be able to get alot of miles out of it now with the new head and all. I don't believe you ever posted the mileage on it, just curious..Well now that the engine work is done time to do the fun stuff like suspension and tires..Keep posting on your build.
04-05-2011, 08:45 AM
#11
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Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
It has 120,000 miles currently.
*knocking on wood*
this is the longest I have been able to go without putting coolant in .... 3 days and counting.
*knocking on wood*
this is the longest I have been able to go without putting coolant in .... 3 days and counting.
04-24-2011, 06:34 PM
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Year: 2001
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So I have been chasing a rogue vibration since I bought my jeep. There is a vibration / straining sound that you can feel under your feet on both sides of the vehicle when under hard acceleration. This only happens under 45 mph and only when I put the hammer down. I changed the rear u-joints and it didn't help. the only source of play I can find in the drive train is at the t-case. More specifically, where the slip yoke slides in and out. I can grab the drive shaft and wiggle it enough to produce a sound. Is this normal ?
Last edited by CleptoLeptic; 04-25-2011 at 12:17 PM.
12-07-2011, 03:18 PM
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Year: 2001
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Update 12/07/2011
So its been a really busy summer in my world. I did get to take the jeep out a couple of times for some very light trail runs. Pics and breakdown can be found in the trip reports section if anyone is interested.
On with the mis-adventure ...
I was able to drive the Jeep almost all summer with no issues. I still have the vibration mentioned above but none of my mechanically inclined friends or professionials I have consulted have been able to tell me what it is so ... I will just drive it til something breaks.
Remember the new Radiator that was put in a few posts up. Well as it turns out, about a month ago the radiator had to be swapped again because it developed a leak. Lifetime warranty !!
I drive approximately 15 miles to work every day. A couple weeks ago at mile 14.5-1/2 my check engine light come on solid, and then started blinking ... Now I know that a solid check engine light is no big deal but was always under the impression that a blinking light was a sign of major problems. Luckily for me, by the time I got into the parking spot at work, the light was on solid again. I did find out later that a blinking check engine light simply means whatever the problem is, it is bad enough that it could start effecting the catalytic converter. Nothing more, nothing less. So, at lunch I went to the local O'rielly and pulled the codes. I got a 305 ( severe misfire in cylinder #5 ) and a 205 ( open injector in cylinder #5 )
After a quick search i found https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f11/78...ectors-110829/ and ordered up a set of injectors. Programbo is a great guy to deal with and the new injectors work flawlessly. Highly recommended. I went to the local upullandpay for a single injector to get me by until the new ones came in the mail which only took 3 days !!
On with the mis-adventure ...
I was able to drive the Jeep almost all summer with no issues. I still have the vibration mentioned above but none of my mechanically inclined friends or professionials I have consulted have been able to tell me what it is so ... I will just drive it til something breaks.
Remember the new Radiator that was put in a few posts up. Well as it turns out, about a month ago the radiator had to be swapped again because it developed a leak. Lifetime warranty !!
I drive approximately 15 miles to work every day. A couple weeks ago at mile 14.5-1/2 my check engine light come on solid, and then started blinking
... Now I know that a solid check engine light is no big deal but was always under the impression that a blinking light was a sign of major problems. Luckily for me, by the time I got into the parking spot at work, the light was on solid again. I did find out later that a blinking check engine light simply means whatever the problem is, it is bad enough that it could start effecting the catalytic converter. Nothing more, nothing less. So, at lunch I went to the local O'rielly and pulled the codes. I got a 305 ( severe misfire in cylinder #5 ) and a 205 ( open injector in cylinder #5 )After a quick search i found https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f11/78...ectors-110829/ and ordered up a set of injectors. Programbo is a great guy to deal with and the new injectors work flawlessly. Highly recommended. I went to the local upullandpay for a single injector to get me by until the new ones came in the mail which only took 3 days !!
Last edited by CleptoLeptic; 12-07-2011 at 03:23 PM.
12-08-2011, 01:00 PM
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Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
12/08/2011
So I have finally set myself some goals for my Jeep. First and foremost, this will not be an extreme rock killer. This will be a daily driver when I can not ride the bike and a weekend wheeler. As stated on this forum a thousand times, any good weekend wheeler needs 3 things.
Recovery options (D-rings front and back)
Armor (gas tank skid, ect ...)
Traction (Rear locker at least)
So, I am going to start with recovery. Since this is not an extreme trail rig, I want to keep the stock look as much as possible. First product I found was the Detours Backbone bumper which looks good and is functional but I have no need for a winch at this point.
What I am looking for is a unibody tie-in with d-ring shackles that can protrude through the factory bumper "skin" so that it looks like someone just welded d-rings to the factory bumper but in fact they are reinforced and fully functional. Here are a couple of REALLY quick drawings ( not to scale and not dimensioned properly ) just to give an idea of what i am looking for.
Recovery options (D-rings front and back)
Armor (gas tank skid, ect ...)
Traction (Rear locker at least)
So, I am going to start with recovery. Since this is not an extreme trail rig, I want to keep the stock look as much as possible. First product I found was the Detours Backbone bumper which looks good and is functional but I have no need for a winch at this point.
What I am looking for is a unibody tie-in with d-ring shackles that can protrude through the factory bumper "skin" so that it looks like someone just welded d-rings to the factory bumper but in fact they are reinforced and fully functional. Here are a couple of REALLY quick drawings ( not to scale and not dimensioned properly ) just to give an idea of what i am looking for.
12-08-2011, 01:13 PM
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Year: 2001
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I contacted a couple of local fab shops that without seeing my drawings, gave me a quote of $300 plus, even though their regular full bumpers go for under $300 ... 
... Because its a "custom" piece maybe ? I want this made out of 3/16" plate and my puny little 90 amp wire feed will only do 1/8" steel on a its best day with me running it, so it looks like I need to find someone to fab this form me.
It would be nice to incorporate JCR's unibody tie-ins but I still need to figure out a way to make the "box" with the shackle tabs.
Not having proper equipment sucks ! where did I put that lotto ticket 
... Because its a "custom" piece maybe ? I want this made out of 3/16" plate and my puny little 90 amp wire feed will only do 1/8" steel on a its best day with me running it, so it looks like I need to find someone to fab this form me.It would be nice to incorporate JCR's unibody tie-ins but I still need to figure out a way to make the "box" with the shackle tabs.
Not having proper equipment sucks !
where did I put that lotto ticket
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