Hey all,

I'm looking at possibly getting a 1994 Cherokee with high miles and a blown transfer case. PO says it has about 194k. He also said that he thinks that when the transfer case went, it "pulled a wire" and now he can't start it. Asking price is $500 or best. Body looks to be decent from the pics I received, but can't really tell. Also, I reside in upstate NY where they load everything with salt, so $500 may sound like a great deal, but things rust around these parts. I'd honestly talk him down without an issue, but my question is this-how difficult is it to replace the transfer case and how much am I going to end up spending on a transfer case to throw in there? I do light to moderate work on my GM sedan (92 pontiac grand am) and I work on motorcycles, but I've never done any heavy duty replacements or repairs on a car or truck. I have the ability to borrow a garage from a friend that is pretty well stocked with tools. I also have the ability to follow directions as long as they are clear.

So, what do you fine folks think? Worth it? Pass? This vehicle is going to be utilitarian all the way. I'm not really into cars/trucks and prefer motorcycles, but I often find myself needing to haul stuff or dogs or trailer something and I've always been fond of Jeeps even though I've never owned one. Any advice is much appreciated, and thanks!

 

Hi, replacing the T-case is not too hard to do, what went in it? and a new one in a j/y around me is about $250. IMO $500 is a decent price but make sure you check under the floor boards for rust...Tj

 

its probally not the T-case Might be a issue with the Tranny...How does he know it "went"?? because it wont start? the Neutral safety switch is located on the trans....this is probally why it wont start.

 

The PO said that the "transfer case blew out on the highway". He provided no more info regarding how he knows this or why he thinks it's that. My thought was tranny too considering the mileage. Today is when he said it couldn't start because "when the transfer case went, I think it might have pulled a wire loose". I dunno...I just sent him an e-mail asking why he thinks/how he knows it's the transfer case. I'll see what I get back.

If it is the tranny, I'm going to pass on that one. I don't want the headache and I'd be suspicious of the seller for being somewhat misleading about such a large problem.

 

i got my 87 waggy for 500 and it wouldnt run, cleaned the cps wiring and she started right up. that may be a deal where you are, but i've found way better deals. your jumping into something you dont know about, so be careful. be it the tranny or transfer case, you have some work ahead of you.

 

This may be worth looking into, it may be something real simple like the NSS or even the Transfer case in which case it would be a steal.

 

Hey again,

Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm going to go through with this one or not. I really don't have the time or knowledge to pull/rebuild a tranny at the moment so we'll see what happens. I'll let you folks know what his reasoning was for saying the tcase.

 

I say keep looking. I got my 90 with 150k miles for 400 bucks. Granted it needs a little bit of everything, but it moves under it's own power.

 

I havn't taken My T-case out yet but it doesnt seem like it would be too hard to take out from looking at it.

As far as No-start that could be so many things. Wow a wire pulled loose, Doubtful he may be hiding a ticking or blown motor by saying it won't start. I would pass to many unknowns. I bought a running cherokee also for only 700 so there are better deals out there. I searched for over a month on CL and Ebay for my waggy.

 

"i know its the transfer case because i went under it and looked and saw that it had cracked"

That's the answer I got back.

This is a craigslist poster who keeps posting the same two vehicles up over and over again to the point at which other posters are now making posts yelling at him about it. He hasn't lowered the price on either. He posts them multiple times a day. So..it's a gamble. I dunno. What do you guys think considering the mileage?

 

I honestly don't trust XJ's with under a 100K miles...
I think they finally "settle in" and hit their stride at about 150K...

Transfer Case is not all that hard, just a little bulky and odd to maneuver...

 

Then you'd be in love w/ my 218K mi thoroughly broken-in beast. Care to make an offer?

 

if the tc is cracked the whole trans may be shot.

 

I already got 2 problem children of my own, that keep me occupied enough... And their big brother still needs a ton of work too!!!

 

it all boils down to: is this the one you want to wrench on?