Hi forum,

About two months ago I picked up a 1996 Cherokee. During that time, I have been doing some extensive reading and learning on various forums including CherokeeForum. I finally became a members after I broke my search button from extensive research. I am no stranger to enthusiasts forums- FT86club, Vwvortex, E46fanatics, z71Tahoe-Suburban etc etc

Here's what I know so far about my XJ

1996 Xj Cherokee Sport
One Owner 330k Miles
AMC 4.0 JTEC
AW4 Transmission
Dana 30 High Pinion
231 Transfer Case
Chrysler 8.25
Paid 750$

Intentions: Winter vehicle, weekend toy etc

From what I read, the engine is bulletproof, of course, anything we'll taken care of will run longer. 330k miles is a substantial amount, the previous owner claims religious oil changes and had records to show. He recently changed the water pump as we'll.

My plan is for 31" tires with 3" lift. I want to replace the control arms, ball joints, track bar, and steering stabilizer.

Before I add money to this XJ, will this engine make it another couple thousand miles?

The rear differential has fluid leaking- I don't think it's the pinion, but maybe it was over filled? I can replace the gasket and reseal the diff cover



Here is the transfer case oil:


Everything on the jeep works - brakes well, starts every time, transmission is quick, 4wd works including 4lo.

Only other issue is rust- frame is fine but the lower rear quarters are rotted, and the top corners of the roof are rusting

 

if it were me, before any lift and upgrades, I'd replace all fluids and filters, change out gaskets and clean it all up. Then go basic maintenance, brakes, etc. As for how long will the engine last? Absolutely no way to tell. But doing basic maintenance, fuel system cleaner and a tune up will give it the best chance.

 

I'm sure it will need tie rods and when you do make it an upgrade and use the one from a V8 GC mid-90's its under a $100 for all parts from AutoZone and 10x stronger than stock. The stock is a small rolled tube with small tie rods the V8 GC is a large solid steel with large tie rods, its a direct bolt-in also. Glad to see you plan on doing all the front end work "Before" a lift as some want to do later after serious problems arise with the steering.

Another thing you need to replace on about any XJ with 200k is the complete cooling system radiator ($100 AutoZone), Water Pump, Thermostat, Fan Clutch (from a WJ), new thermostat housing along with a really good as in several flushes of the system. Most all are in agreement with these replacements and needed ones.

Welcome to the board and good luck with your build. The engine may last longer than you might think the 4.0 does have a track record for that, but one never knows.

 

Perhaps a compression test on all 6 cylinders, compare those numbers. That would tell us a lot.

 

Yeah with that many miles I'd do a compression test and see where your at. I'd clean the mechanical parts up as much as possible to see where they are leaking.

 

First thing you want to do is clean everything so you can tell where the leaks are coming from! The usual culprits are the oil filter adapter O-ring, rear main seal, valve cover, oil pan and axles.
That crap all over your transfer case could be the RMS, or the oil filter adapter... but you won't know for sure until you clean it all up.
Ditto on ALL the fluids change first- oil, tranny and transfer case fluid, coolant flush, diff fluids.
Then start diagnosing all the noises you'll start hearing and go from there!

 

good suggestions on the tie rod upgrades!

 

Really enjoyed the responses as they were informative and welcoming. Thank you all


Thanks for the tip. Just to clarify: GC as in Grand Cherokee (ZJ) ?

Also, the water pump was just replaced along with some radiator hoses (upper and lower) I'm not going to assume the thermostat was replaced nor was the radiator- might add that to my list.

But first, definitely going to do a compression test


My a/c is shot- leaking some place, might remove it. Chances of me relocating and upgrading the alternator?

 

Yes that is a Grand Cherokee ZJ mid-90's V8 <$100 at AutoZone.

The alt. can be upgraded to one from a Durango with just a bit of grinding on the mount a stock one is 136 amps and can be rewound to 160 amps. These can be found at auto parts stores rebuilt reasonable also. You will need to change the plug, I did on mine as well as upgraded all my battery wiring.

 

The rear end leak is coming from the diff cover plug. Mine did the same and looked the same. Not the diff cover seal, the rubber diff cover plug is leaking.

 

with that mileage, I'd still say pull the cover and replace the gasket / fluid. Also a good time to think about yanking the rear shafts and installing new bearings & seals

 

On the wiring upgrade for the alt. here online this, board the member 5-90 offers these excellent kits, I have one of his.

 

Subscribed. I just recently bought a 96 cherokee with 0nly 118k on it. Just seeing what everyone has to say about things for you to change. I am tackling brakes wed. and then working on cooling hopefully thurs.

 

If it's running fine now, then probably, yeah. They aren't known for catastrophic failure.
IMHO the most common hard failure is a broken piston, occasionally leading to a rod going places it shouldn't. Often #6 for some reason. It usually starts with a cracked, then broken skirt. The noise is tough to ignore.
You can tell a lot by pulling the oil pan and looking around up there.
Agreed on the compression check.
Oil pressure good? Drop much when the engine warms? How noisy is the motor after a cold start?

The big problem (if you want to call it that) with the '96 is the unobtanium fuel pressure regulator. It was a one-year only part, out of production and stock is hard to find. The parts stores will try to sell you the '95 regulator (on the fuel rail). Unless yours is extremely early, that isn't what you have. '96 moved the regulator to the fuel pump ***'y.

 

do you have a part number for the 1996 model only?