Roxette Rose

Hi there,

Have owned Max for several years now, he's my 2000 XJ 2.5td. Only turned over 73k earlier this month. I'm pretty happy with that and a few other features, though very disappointed about the rest him which has left me wondering about finding him a new home. I'd love him to stay in the family, but I feel the 2.5, particularly this 2.5 is getting on unfortunately.

Alternatively, I considered a part swap(or sale) and buying a 4.0l, like an Orvis with an LPG conversion (which I'll get to later in the thread).


I've had the following problems with him, which I now know(I suppose is some consolation) are quite common:

• Consistent cold start/power issues (battery replaced)
• Corroded break lines (see notes below)
• Leaking steering damper (replaced)
• Binding brakes, which manifested itself as really tight fast reacting break power causing skids. It would only occur after a night of sitting in the cold or after a rain storm. Pumping the breaks would loosen them up( Some type of issue with the auto adjustment - see notes below)
• Front caliper failures(would bind to the disc, replaced front passenger)
• Front flexihose splits (replaced)
• Cylinder compression (tested low, no action taken)
• Creaking/crunching when turning somewhat sharply (never did resolve this, don't think it's sway bars, probably ball join - see notes below)
• Overall rust/sill rust

Here is a list of the Emissions/MOT results for the past several years going from newest to oldest:

• Oil leak (No mechanic seemed interested in finding the source as it's not very obvious from first glances - must be deeper in and they don't want to look unless I fork over hundreds for the 'full' diagnostic)
• Brake pipe slightly corroded front to rear (note it says slightly)
• Slight corrosion under vehicle (general rust. I haven't had it brushed or coated)
• Offside Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (I find this a result of the binding caliper issue, which I replaced. Hopefully it won't get worse)
• Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (Before I owned it, never showed up again)
• Service brake efficiency below requirements (Interesting? bit vague)
• Near side rear and near side front brakes binding slightly (Very interesting. This was an input by a mechanic separate to the system results/original tester. I guess he noticed the binding, but it never came up again in later tests)
• Nearside Front Front suspension has slight play in a upper suspension ball joint (remember my comment about creaking/crunching...)
• Nearside Front Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint
• Nearside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (note that this is the earliest entry and it states excessively corroded, where all the following years had it down as "slightly")
• Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded
• Nearside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded
• Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded

Other things I have noticed:

• A lot of transmission whine, and it gets worse at higher speeds, particularly around 60-70mph.
• Jeep standard mags/wheels are starting to rust so badly that they are becoming porous and are causing a slow air leak. I have to refill about every two weeks.
• Three of four internal speakers have stopped responding.
• Two of four cylinders had low compression.
• MPG seems lower than it should.
• The plastic trim that runs the length of the vehicle is starting to come unglued.

Having said all that, there are some good things about I believe:

• Low mileage
• Strong transmission that shifts well
• The paint overall condition (when you get past the rust on the sills, behind the doors and under the roof/door lips
• Even wearing tread

And just recently I have noticed a coolant fluid leak. It's dripping out the front splash guard(?) under the radiator on the passenger side so, it seems like it's the main rad hose, where it meets the radiator or the lower left quadrant of the radiator itself. My reservoir was near empty and for the third night, I went out to look a the dripping continues, about once every five seconds. Even from a cold cold start, the temperature hits the 103c mark and the fan goes wild within less than a few minutes of idling.

This started after taking a week off to make some decent mileage journeys that involved going back and forth a couple hundred miles daily. I supposed when turning him off and the coolant had nowhere to go, the lines expanded and maybe something split or failed. At this point I am hoping I can get away with refilling the reservoir as and when needed, while I figure out when I will be able to have him serviced. I checked the clamps and they seem to be snug, and where it's dripping, is too far forward to be a water pump issue I would have thought (fingers crossed it's not).

I think if that turns out to be something simple like a hose replacement, then the only real peeves I have left are the rust, the whining noise sound when at speed, the sluggishness in general and the porous wheels causing air leaks.

So here I am stuck between wondering if Max's positives make it still worthwhile hanging onto, or should I get rid of him.
In the meantime I did stumble across this sale. Unfortunately the guy seems unwilling to engage in any conversation and answer even the most basic questions. I noticed that in this history, it has some of the same issues I have, particularly with corroded break lines. They don't seem to show up on recent test results but ..that could be down to various things.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-Jeep-...0AAOSwr~lYqiSr

You can view the history here by inputting his reg number in the yellow box http://www.cardatachecks.co.uk/carcheck/lookup.php


Well, that's my story with Max.


Thanks for reading

StuckBuck

If your asking if we think you should keep your xj then yes I think you should keep it. Fortunately I think 90% of these problems are just basic maintenance and not really real issues. Cars are not made to last forever without maintenance. Its sounds like you must live in a salty, corrosive environment of some sort to be having such bad rust issues. The Cherokee is an excellent long lasting vehicle platform although it is fairly maintenance intensive.

For most of the issues you stated I believe mechanics/inspectors have kind of blown very slight issues way out of proportion. At the end of the day its not a brand new jeep, there is a thing called wear and tear and every car is gunna have its fair share.
As far as the wheels are concerned, maybe its time to consider some aftermarket wheels and new tires. You can find decent wheels for reasonably inexpensive. Tires suck to buy no matter what way you go about it lol. As far as the coolant leak, I would fix that soon. One of the major issues with cherokees is there coolant systems, they are very sensitive. When everything is in working order its fine but the slightest issue will cause overheating. Thankfully they are a simple system to understand/work on and even if its the water pump that is a cheap and easy fix. As far as low compression, I don't know what to tell you on that. Could be a major issue but it doesn't sound like you took it to the most honest shops so who knows if that's even a true issue. And I don't know what a brake pipe is lol I'm assuming brake line but I don't know lol.

Could you post some pictures? Exterior, Under carriage, engine bay, rusty spots, coolant leak, and your wheel/tire issue? Would help to get a better understanding of whats going on.
Good luck and welcome to the forum

Robert McColley

Cherokee's are awesome, but they aren't new cars. All of us struggle with mechanical problems but it's how you fix them that matters. Good luck with your Cherokee and post pictures! We want to see it lol.

Roxette Rose

EDIT: I really thought the site would auto adjust picture size. Well, be prepared for a wall of massive pictures. I put text above some of them as notes - though if you scroll fast you may miss them
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Thanks for the support. I do understand wear and tear, it's just when you get the same issues that others do on the same vehicle model, you feel torn between whether it's 'that time' to move on, or if it's a little consolation that they were expected. Then again, some expected issues like exploding gas tanks, aren't giving any consolation just because others may have that same problem.

There's also the consideration that when you've put more maintenance money into a vehicle than you spent to purchase it, or could spend on buying another one that is in better condition, you feel sad. Selling it now with 73k miles seems a lot more feasible than waiting five years and taking my chances.


Today was pretty windy and chilly, but not cold per se. There was some leak from sitting the night before, however keep in mind I did not drive it hard that day, so there was no excessive heat or pressure to force any heavy leaking like the previous week's adventures. I checked the reservoir and to the naked eye it did not seem to have gone down. I turned on the vehicle, and I drove away within under thirty seconds. I got about five miles to the grocery store at urban speeds, and then let him idle. He was at around 50-60c for most of the way, however after reaching the parking lot, he quickly got up to around 100c and within another two minutes he hit the mark and the fan ramped up pretty loud however the temperature did not exceed around 105c (don't always trust the gauge, never seen it go over 100sh degrees).

I will be travelling this coming week about one hundred miles round trip every day(fifty one way, fifty back, with about eight hours of rest in between). I am of the mind that while driving at speed Max should be ok, as he'll have cooling assistance from the wind. Though I suspect after that duration, he'll probably leak quite a bit so I've stocked up on anti-freeze/coolant and some water jugs.

This coming Saturday I can have it into the shop to find out what is going on.

StuckBuck

I don't see any pics? Well sorry to hear about your final decision. Good luck on the sale!

Roxette Rose

Click on the spoiler button

Any ways, the shop said that it's a blown head gasket, tear in the radiator hose and crack in the radiator itself. They said the parts (being we're overseas) were not readily available and he was also concerned that the head might be cracked. He'd have to send it off to another shop to check which would add more cost.

In the end it is going to cost around £1200 or $1500 which I can get two Cherokees for over here. I am going to sell it for parts and look for another vehicle to replace him.

StuckBuck

Ah I found them. Well sorry to hear about that. good luck on your next vehicle.