Newb Thanks!
08-29-2010, 09:36 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: West Chester, OH
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Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
Newb Thanks!
Quick note to say "Thanks!" to all who post problems, and the veterans who share their experience. I sold my '94 XJ last summer...bought it 2 years old with 110k on the vehicle! Apparently the guy who owned it was a sales rep and drove the western region extensively. I paid 10k and drove it until it reached 235k before she was retired...motor was still good...probably would have lasted forever 
Recently I purchased my 2nd XJ, a 2001 with ~126k. Based on the last one I'm not worried in the least...although this one is automatic so I'm gonna be learning in that department. Good paint, interior and great body. Minor rust around the bottoms of the doors where they contact the door seals. Was worried that it was swamped, but can't find any other rust (underbody is great, under dash and other hidden places show no rust). I'm thinking that it got wet, or the door seals wicked moisture to the base and the doors remained closed for long periods of time causing the corrosion. Relatively easy fix to sand / grind / prime / paint a non-visual area. Will replace the door seals. Did some test driving and nothing major...at first. Buying a used vehicle seems to always be Easter egg hunt of sorts...Here's what I've found, and how all of you have helped:
Headlights - Dim and yellow just like I remember. Great posts on various fixes, to include halogen upgrades and upgraded wiring. I'll be researching more, but my interim fix was some Silverstars and it was a huge difference..
Not being sure of the vehicle history, I followed some advice found here and bought some Seafoam...First tank of gas (untreated) I was 17.0mpg...1 can of Seafoam and I'm up to 17.7mpg. I'm on my 2nd can and I'll let you know how it works out long term. Vehicle is running smooth, so I'm debating the plugs / wires replacement. Since I don't know the history, I figure I'll baseline the vehicle and do a full tuneup. Probably Seafoam the crankcase as well. Thinking about a drain / flush / filter replacement on the tranny. However, I'm not sure if that will create probs for a 126k tranny? Fluid now appears slightly browned (not bright red) and a very slight burnt odor...slightly over-serviced as well. Thoughts?
Driver's side window / door lock controls operated only when door closed. Used the forum to determine possible causes / solutions. Found great advice from wiring harness replacement, to running wires myself. Just completed the troubleshooting today and found the ground wire completely broken. Just enough contact with the door closed to get the power controls to work. I ran a new ground and spliced it in...100% operational. The bonus was my keyless remote is working better...not sure if that was related.
The biggie - after 20 minutes of driving at freeway speeds, the automatic transmission would downshift randomly out of overdrive. Sometimes very hard and then pop back to OD. I was frustrated, but I didn't test drive it all day. Just the "usual" around the block and up to highway speeds. Found out that it only happened without a load...that is only while cruising and not accel / decelerating. At first, I thought I was a goat for buying another guy's transmission failure. Fortunately, I got a CEL with a code that indicated a bad Throttle Position Sensor (TPS). After reading several posts related to my symptoms, I learned that the TPS can cause the transmission symptoms I was experiencing...I was quite relieved! Replaced the TPS with a MOPAR TPS and she is smooth as silk! I chose the MOPAR OEM since I had received advice that some of the aftermarket TPS sensors didn't work out from time to time...
On to the next issue - Radiator leak as developed...this is frustrating since I was pretty thorough. I've decided that I'm not going to fight this one very long and I'll be replacing the radiator, hoses, pump, thermostat. Interim fix will be stop leak. Q: It appears the radiator has the transmission plumbed into it...not an aftermarket tranny cooler added. Was this standard with the '01? Also, does the 01 have 2 or 3 cores? I'll be researching but I thought I'd throw that out for a quick answer
Last on my list of troubleshooting - the "death wobble" or something similar. At 50-55mph, "intermittently", I will get a wobble from the front end. Usually minor, but if the road condition is rough, or I hit a pothole, then I will get a more pronounce wobble. Worst one I got was during moderate braking with a slight right turn and rough freeway and I got the wobble to shake the steering wheel. As best I can tell I have 100% stock equipment. I balanced the tires to start with the simple solution - minor improvement in overall ride, but the wobble still exists. The shocks have the plastic protective housing around them so I figure they are factory. I'm thinking I'll be replacing the steering stablizer to see if I fix the problem. After that, I'm going to replace the shocks, but I need to decide whether or not I'm going to lift the vehicle. It's my DD and my daughter has taken an interest in driving it when she turns 16 (1 year). I thought she didn't like my last XJ...and she didn't because it was "gold" and this one is kind of ice blue...jeesh...Anyway, if I do the lift, I don't want to go too high since that will increase the chance of roll-over for a young driver. Prob 3" max...thoughts?
Again, thanks to everyone and I look forward to sharing a thing or two in the future!
Mike
Recently I purchased my 2nd XJ, a 2001 with ~126k. Based on the last one I'm not worried in the least...although this one is automatic so I'm gonna be learning in that department. Good paint, interior and great body. Minor rust around the bottoms of the doors where they contact the door seals. Was worried that it was swamped, but can't find any other rust (underbody is great, under dash and other hidden places show no rust). I'm thinking that it got wet, or the door seals wicked moisture to the base and the doors remained closed for long periods of time causing the corrosion. Relatively easy fix to sand / grind / prime / paint a non-visual area. Will replace the door seals. Did some test driving and nothing major...at first. Buying a used vehicle seems to always be Easter egg hunt of sorts...Here's what I've found, and how all of you have helped:
Headlights - Dim and yellow just like I remember. Great posts on various fixes, to include halogen upgrades and upgraded wiring. I'll be researching more, but my interim fix was some Silverstars and it was a huge difference..
Not being sure of the vehicle history, I followed some advice found here and bought some Seafoam...First tank of gas (untreated) I was 17.0mpg...1 can of Seafoam and I'm up to 17.7mpg. I'm on my 2nd can and I'll let you know how it works out long term. Vehicle is running smooth, so I'm debating the plugs / wires replacement. Since I don't know the history, I figure I'll baseline the vehicle and do a full tuneup. Probably Seafoam the crankcase as well. Thinking about a drain / flush / filter replacement on the tranny. However, I'm not sure if that will create probs for a 126k tranny? Fluid now appears slightly browned (not bright red) and a very slight burnt odor...slightly over-serviced as well. Thoughts?
Driver's side window / door lock controls operated only when door closed. Used the forum to determine possible causes / solutions. Found great advice from wiring harness replacement, to running wires myself. Just completed the troubleshooting today and found the ground wire completely broken. Just enough contact with the door closed to get the power controls to work. I ran a new ground and spliced it in...100% operational. The bonus was my keyless remote is working better...not sure if that was related.
The biggie - after 20 minutes of driving at freeway speeds, the automatic transmission would downshift randomly out of overdrive. Sometimes very hard and then pop back to OD. I was frustrated, but I didn't test drive it all day. Just the "usual" around the block and up to highway speeds. Found out that it only happened without a load...that is only while cruising and not accel / decelerating. At first, I thought I was a goat for buying another guy's transmission failure. Fortunately, I got a CEL with a code that indicated a bad Throttle Position Sensor (TPS). After reading several posts related to my symptoms, I learned that the TPS can cause the transmission symptoms I was experiencing...I was quite relieved! Replaced the TPS with a MOPAR TPS and she is smooth as silk! I chose the MOPAR OEM since I had received advice that some of the aftermarket TPS sensors didn't work out from time to time...
On to the next issue - Radiator leak as developed...this is frustrating since I was pretty thorough. I've decided that I'm not going to fight this one very long and I'll be replacing the radiator, hoses, pump, thermostat. Interim fix will be stop leak. Q: It appears the radiator has the transmission plumbed into it...not an aftermarket tranny cooler added. Was this standard with the '01? Also, does the 01 have 2 or 3 cores? I'll be researching but I thought I'd throw that out for a quick answer
Last on my list of troubleshooting - the "death wobble" or something similar. At 50-55mph, "intermittently", I will get a wobble from the front end. Usually minor, but if the road condition is rough, or I hit a pothole, then I will get a more pronounce wobble. Worst one I got was during moderate braking with a slight right turn and rough freeway and I got the wobble to shake the steering wheel. As best I can tell I have 100% stock equipment. I balanced the tires to start with the simple solution - minor improvement in overall ride, but the wobble still exists. The shocks have the plastic protective housing around them so I figure they are factory. I'm thinking I'll be replacing the steering stablizer to see if I fix the problem. After that, I'm going to replace the shocks, but I need to decide whether or not I'm going to lift the vehicle. It's my DD and my daughter has taken an interest in driving it when she turns 16 (1 year). I thought she didn't like my last XJ...and she didn't because it was "gold" and this one is kind of ice blue...jeesh...Anyway, if I do the lift, I don't want to go too high since that will increase the chance of roll-over for a young driver. Prob 3" max...thoughts?
Again, thanks to everyone and I look forward to sharing a thing or two in the future!
Mike
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