searcherrr

1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport Utility SE 4D 4x4 6cyl
I went with my Dad today to look at one of these to buy for the sole purpose of a "dog walk" vehicle. For a mere $3000 he could have a 4x4 to go in the spillway with. Anyway, I basically wanted to get some comments from people on what the weak points are and/or what something could be from my descriptions.

1. It has 140k miles on it.
2. Its automatic with the 4x4L and H drive.
3. The front windows are roll up manuals and the rears are electric which is strange to me.
4. The gas and speedo gauges seem to intermittently work. Cause?
5. Steering it feels like steering a boat. The response is pretty late. Is this typical/normal? Just alignment? Steering wheel? Just new struts/shocks?
6. Does it normally shift harsh in 2W or 4W drive? I have never driven one like this before so I don't know, but it seemed abnormally harsh to me from other cars/suv's I've driven.
7. What does "PART TIME" mean when the 4W drive is engaged? Shows up on the dash.
8. What is involved in fixing the Oil Leak if its the rear main seal? What are typical leak points for this vehicle? What other gaskets or whatevers would need to be bought and replaced during this repair if its the rear main?
9. Whats the tire pressure supposed to be? Why'd it seem like the rear tires (on concrete) were making a lot of noise when going slow turning in parking lots?
10. A/C seemed barely cool enough.
11. BIG TIME.... BIG TIME.... OIL LEAK all over the bottom? Typical? Rear main seal? Oil pan? Whats do most of you see?
12. Brakes seem to respond late, but I'd imagine seeing as the brake fluid looks like muddy water its never been flushed and probably needs new pads/rotors.
13. Probably leave the transmission alone right? Probably never been flushed and would lose it if I flush the fluid? Does this thing have a special fluid setup in the back and front since its 4 wheel?

For the problems mentioned assuming those are "all" and knowing this will not be a vehicle driven anywhere else, but the spillway for walks with the dog would this be a reasonable investment?

Thanks so much !

Kyle

The oil leak you are describing im 99% sure that it is the rear main seal. It is a very common problem that the XJ has and is a PITA to replace but can be done. The gage problem is probably a result of faulty wiring, my recommendation would be to take apart the dash and clean up all of the connections making sure you put them back on firmly.

Do the brakes and get new brake fluid in the system.

For the tranny I would not flush it but rather drain it and refill it.

searcherrr

So this vehicle is known as an XJ ? Whats that stand for?

What are the odds the tranny would fail with a simple drain and refill?

Gotcha on the 'no flush'. I'd never thought about it like that, but it makes sense....... if it hasn't been flushed ever it would push metal shards around in there into places it may not have had before. At least thats what I think.

I wonder though if you could put a strong vacuum flush on the system if that would help to suck all the stuff out of there.

Kyle

I drained and filled my tranny after 100k and have yet to have a problem.

All jeep vehicles have an acronym the jeep cherokee 87-01 is known otherwise as the XJ.

prerunner1982

1. It has 140k miles on it. Thats ok, mine has almost 200K, the 4.0ltrs are good engines.
2. Its automatic with the 4x4L and H drive.
3. The front windows are roll up manuals and the rears are electric which is strange to me.That does sound odd, I only have a 2 door with manual windows, would like to see who else might have this option.
4. The gas and speedo gauges seem to intermittently work. Cause? I agree check the plug, infact the dealer may have an update part to fix the problem, I dont remember what years my father (Jeep parts salesman) said the updated part was for. My entire cluster doesnt work. I plan on doing custom gauges.
5. Steering it feels like steering a boat. The response is pretty late. Is this typical/normal? Just alignment? Steering wheel? Just new struts/shocks? Check the tie rods and steering box ("frame" where steering box mounts), etc
6. Does it normally shift harsh in 2W or 4W drive? I have never driven one like this before so I don't know, but it seemed abnormally harsh to me from other cars/suv's I've driven. My 91 XJ shifts very smooth from 2wd to 4wd, how fast are you going when you engage 4wd? I keep it about 10mph or so..
7. What does "PART TIME" mean when the 4W drive is engaged? Shows up on the dash. You have the NP242 which gives you a full time option to run 4wd all the time, or 4w Lock (I believe) for off road use (locks front and rear together), or 2wd. But not having the NP 242 myself I dont know first hand.
8. What is involved in fixing the Oil Leak if its the rear main seal? What are typical leak points for this vehicle? What other gaskets or whatevers would need to be bought and replaced during this repair if its the rear main?
9. Whats the tire pressure supposed to be? Why'd it seem like the rear tires (on concrete) were making a lot of noise when going slow turning in parking lots? Check the sticker in the edge of the driver's door. It should have the recommended tire pressure. You cant always go by the tire sidewall. Depends alot on the weight of the vehicle.
10. A/C seemed barely cool enough.
11. BIG TIME.... BIG TIME.... OIL LEAK all over the bottom? Typical? Rear main seal? Oil pan? Whats do most of you see?
12. Brakes seem to respond late, but I'd imagine seeing as the brake fluid looks like muddy water its never been flushed and probably needs new pads/rotors.
13. Probably leave the transmission alone right? Probably never been flushed and would lose it if I flush the fluid? Does this thing have a special fluid setup in the back and front since its 4 wheel?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Cherokee_%28XJ%29

BlueXJ

I can address the manual/elictric window option thing. Cop vehicle or fleet vehicle.

searcherrr

It was a cop vehicle. Guy said so. Why would a cop want manual front windows and power rears? There's also a big *** gaudy dome light at the front center ceiling too.

Completely new to 4WD: When can I shift into 4WD? Only when in neutral stopped?

Are all manual shift 4WD's considered part-time? I never attempted to shift into 4WD while driving. I stopped and put in neutral first.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that it won't start in Park unless I pull the shift lever to the back-side of the "P" range. It starts fine in Neutral too. Isn't that the neutral safety switch (called other things on other vehicles)?

The drive back to the car lot was done in 2WD and drove the same as it did off the lot. I didn't have it in 4WD very long, but from the very beginning off the lot in 2WD it seemed herky jerky.

I had read something about the steering bolts breaking on some of these. Is this the year for that?

Kyle

Part time means that it should only be used part of the time which means you should only use it in situations that you have limited traction in.

Some XJ's have a full time option which you can use on road.

A cop would want to have auto roll up in the rear so that when he has people in the back he can make it so they dont roll the windows down.

BlueXJ

All years were subject to steering box bolts tearing through the frame. Most serious 4X4 users will reinforce that area of the frame and change the aluminum spacer for a steel one. Check to see if that is your problem. As for the jerky shifting, it may be TPS related. Or it could be faulty servos in the tranny. Never seen that in an AW4 but in theory it is possible. Yes the not starting without the shifter being in N is a NSS symptom. In the Cherokee they are rebuild-able. New ones are around $150 so rebuilding them is less than $10 so that is what most XJ owners do.

searcherrr

All years huh... thats a shame. Did Jeep address this steering box issue with a revised box and/or frame upgrades?

Jerky shifting probably was when I had it in 4x4 mode on pavement and didn't know I wasn't supposed to. The loose steering and apparent need for new shocks/struts also played with my mind. Could've just been the chassis shifting back and forth at accel/decel.

Is the NSS on the driver side visible just by peeping underneath on the left?

Rebuild procedure somewhere for the NSS? Part numbers or tool store stuff?

BlueXJ

Steering box bolt is not to much of an issue except many use larger tires and drive in less than ideal conditions. XJs have no real frame since they are unibody vehicles. The steering box tends to work at the "frame" in that area with the additional leverage of larger tires, rocks (boulders) and mud which try to flex the sheet-metal type frame which is the place that the steering box is mounted. Reinforcement plates are the solution if you use the XJ in those above listed conditions. If you just use it for a daily driver and the occasional light trail ride then the "frame" is fine.

NSS link to NAPA but this price seems a bit high.
http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPage...+Safety+Switch

searcherrr

Thanks for the particulars on the steering box. I didn't know it was a unibody build with no real frame. So I guess if one did want to reinforce it they'd just go out and buy some .5" or 1" thick steel squares or rectangles and drill through them and put'em between the steering box and the unibody? or would you first weld the new metal to the unibody, then drill, then bolt up?

Confirm for me please: There are no 4x4 Jeeps with 4 cylinders right?
4 cylinders are always 2WD? I ask cause we're going to see another Jeep tomorrow.

Whats involved in rebuilding the NSS? Just take it apart, clean it, and rebuild?

bdferber

That is very interesting about the windows, But sounds like what Kyle said is right!

drakan1908

Check these out for supporting the steering box:
http://www.quadratec.com/products/22518_700.htm
http://www.c-rok.com/sb.html

biztyke

rebuilding the NSS is real easy, hardest part is getting it off the tranny. did it on my buddy's jeep and its like a brand new unit. heres a write up:
http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoNSSrebuild.htm