Cobrasix

Okay, I'm sure this question has popped here before, but I didn't have much luck in the search function.

Quick back story. My 1991 Exploder is towards the end of it's life and will cost me more to get to pass inspection (body rot and exhaust rot) then it's worth. Additionally, my 98 volvo is starting to get to the point it needs a lot of new parts to keep in tip top shape. So, instead of having 2 cars to keep one running in the winter I thought about replacing both at the same time.

While I love the old Explorer body style, I can't get one with the options I now wish to have. 4 wheel ABS, Airbags, etc. My wife and I recently had a newborn and safety has become more of an issue for me. I looked at the 2nd gen explorers and I hate that style. Additionally, as much as I like the old body style, I hate the engine and transmission. Underpowered and the automatic tranny is garbage.

The other day I was driving down the road and I saw a 2001 'classic' and it got me thinking. My mother has had a Cherokee since 1985 so I grew up around them. I know the 4.0L is a dynamite engine. From what I remember, the 4WD system is still one of the best.

I'm not afraid of doing work on cars. I do 90% of all my work. The only thing I don't do is automatic tranny rebuilds and differential rebuilds. Everything else I've done and is fair game.

Here are my questions:

1) How does the automatic hold up? I've only driven manual tranny jeeps. I'd prefer a manual again but don't want to unfairly limit my selection.

2) Any problem areas or things I should look for when buying a 1999-2001? I know general how to shop for used cars but was wondering about any particular areas of the Jeep to look at.

I'm looking for a good daily driver that is still fun to hit some light to moderate trails on the weekends. No rock crawling for me.

Slade

tommy

Automatic tranny is decent. Jeep's man. transmission also tends to be really noisy when it gets old and the automatic doesnt do that. Make sure you are getting a good set of axles. Mine has the Dana 30/Chrysler 8.25 in it and they are decent for daily driver/ weekend vehicle. I would prefer a pair of dana 35's or even 44's tho. The only other thing to check is milage and the condition of the vehicle. If it's taken care of, the engine, tranny, transfercase and axles will give you 400,000 miles, but fuel injection sensors and other electronics tend to need to be replaced around 200,000

northline76

I have a 01 as my daily driver with the AW4 auto. I havent had any major problem with it and I love it to death. The only issue so far has been Ive had to replace the rear main seal once.

If you have a family and if your wife may be driving try and get the Np242 Select Trac. It has a nice 4x4 fulltime option and is comparable to an AWD. Before I got this jeep it was my moms and she loved driving it and often used the fulltime in crappy weather because you can use it on the road.

Jesse James

my 2000 Classic with an automatic tranny is holding up great at about 105,000 miles. only things that needed to be fixed/replaced were the rear pinion seal (the kid that owned the thing before me clearly got stuck and just sat spinnin the wheels and got stuff wrapped around the shaft which ruined the seal), the wiper fluid squirter motors had seized up so i spent a half hour and $60 to install new inline pumps, and my power windows are iffy. other than that no problems!

good luck with the search.

bsljacques

I have an 01 that I am the 3rd owner...and I got it with 150K on the clock and it was a police/security suv and has the service record with it....it has had a couple of headlight switch problems and another wiring problem...but I can't recall. Other than it being used for security by many folks...it had great body and engine and tranny and transfercase. I just did a few things...like adjust the steering box and replace bulbs inside and out. besides a really good cleaning....and my wife loves it! Super fun to drive and lots of power....going to work on brakes to improve them. We are happy with ours!

XJ?2010

Just throwing it out there no cherokees came w/ 4 wheel ABS at best you could get rear wheel ABS and that only came on the Dana 35 which is the weaker rear axle.

BudgetXJ

You don't want d35's. Period. The D30/8.25 combo is good. Some even run it with 35" tires locked.

The only real thing to watch out for on the XJ's the OP was inquiring about is cracked cylinder heads (they have a problem with that) and the fact that the '00 and '01's came with a low pinion d30 (not really a big deal for the average weekend warrior but not as good as high pinion).

Cobrasix

I'm less concerned about ABS then airbags. My summer daily driver is a 65 Mustang convertible...so ABS is a pipe dream. I can stop my 65 mustang as fast as I can stop my 98 Volvo (I measured it a few times). But, thanks for the heads up.

I'd love to go older, but I know I'd have a hard time convincing the wife to replace a 98 volvo with a 98 jeep. It's that whole "why get rid of an evil we know for an evil we don't know?" argument.

Thanks for the tips.

bsljacques

I have 4 wheel abs on my cherokee. Here is the info on a 2001 Jeep Cherokee info guide.

SPECIFICATIONS

JEEP® CHEROKEE PRODUCT INFORMATION 19

tommy

[quote=BudgetXJ;146217]You don't want d35's. Period. The D30/8.25 combo is good. Some even run it with 35" tires locked.

I wasn't aware the chrysler 8.25 is a stronger axle than the dana 35, although i'll admit i haven't done much research on them. Just for my personal information, why is the dana 35 such a week axle?

01LimitedXJ

the chrysler axle has thicker tubes...and the newer (95+ i believe) came with 29 spline shafts. D35, which is what you will get if you buy an ABS equiped cherokee, has 27 spline shafts, a weak housing, and tubes prone to flexing.

You should be pretty safe running 31" tires on a d35, but above that you are just waiting for something to break, especially if you get a locker for it.

The low pinion d30 front is something like 15-20 percent weaker than a high pinion from previous years. You can swap them easily, they are interchangeable.

My 01 limited was great. Loved the interior, handled great. Only problem i had was heat soak. after driving for awhile, if you stopped for a minute...then restarted the engine...it would run rough for a bit. The heat buildup around the engine would cause the fuel in the #3 injector to vaporize a bit...leading to a misfire. After a few minutes of running it would go away though.

I now have a 2000 sport. I already have a head from an older xj to replace this one (its not cracked yet, but i like to plan 'ahead' )

Cobrasix

My understanding from what I've found about the XJs is that those equiped with Selec-Trac have either 2 or 4 wheel ABS depending on the year and that the ABS stays active even with in 4WD.

Could be bum internet info though.

XJ?2010

No i have the select trac 242 and i have no ABS

bsljacques

Do you have a D35 or a 8.25 rear axle?

XJ?2010

8.25