Hello everyone,

Need advice for the first time jeep owner. Purchased a 1999 Cherokee (4.0) yesterday, mainly for the winter and hopefully some off-road fun later on. Never owner a Jeep, but had some 4x4s before. Paid $2200. The engine and transmission are in good shape it seems (140K miles), the transfer case works well too I think (shifts through 2h-4h-N-2l without any problem). It does need work, the muffler is shot, the front end is loose (a lot of play in the steering), the interior was abused - loose plastic, missing trim, etc. So, here are some questions to begin with:

1) What should I look at immediately to avoid any problems later on?
2) What is a good source for parts (like an online place) both mechanical and interior?
3) Anything else that anyone can think of

Thanks in advance,
Art

 

1) If it's a late '99 with the 0331 head, keep an eye on that. Never overheat it, or you will crack it. Other than that, later XJ's aren't my specialty. I'd imagine it's the same preliminaries though; make sure oil isn't milky, no rough idle/stumble, check suspension parts for play, etc..

2) Believe it or not, the forum here is great for those needs. Check the classifieds. Guys are always parting out every year XJ's. See if anyone is close or work out shipping. Otherwise, I think Quadratec has some interior pieces. Be prepared for a decent price tag though.

3) Change all the fluids, check everything (as mentioned above), get an alignment and tire balance (see if the alignment cleans up the steering slop any), and just treat her good. She'll serve you well!

 

By the way, Welcome to the Forum!

 

Thank you for the reply. I actually plan on replacing all four tires, so I will get an alignment done too. What are the fluids on the Jeep that should be replaced besides the oil and transfer case?

Something else I remembered, while checking out the 4x4 system, I had noticed that it doesn't disengage right away (stopped, put in N, switched from 4H to 2H) , it kept going in 4x4 for a about 200 feet and then disengaged with a loud bang (like a sledgehammer under the front). Is that normal?

 

You didn't try using the 4x4 on dry pavement did you?

As for fluids, check the differential fluids. Also give the transmission fluid a check (should be red in color, and not smell burnt). Pop off the radiator cap WHEN COOL and make sure coolant is nice and green with no sludge in the cap or fill neck. Might as well give the power steering fluid a moment to check.

If any of those fluids are bad, they need replacing. All can be done fairly easily. However, I would change the oil irregardless. Depending on how cold it gets where you live, the factory 10w30 can be replaced with a 5w30. If you burn any oil or notice any engine noise, like my '91 with 206k miles started to do, I am now running Rotella T6 full synthetic 5w40. I love it, however, choose your preference of oil and stick with what you like. As for oil filter, use a brand name. I prefer Wix/Napa gold (same thing), but again, it's all preference. But don't go cheap. Cheap = crap.

 

I sure did, on dry pavement. I was planning on doing the oil and coolant flush anyway. Will check on the rest as you had suggested. Thank you, I really appreciate your advice.

 

Welcome to the Forum.. as a new XJ owner it's been an excellent resource for me as well!! Spends some time and read through the posts you will learn allot!

I would check all your fluids and replace them and as starting base for your maintenance routine. The first I did were my Engine Oil, and Coolent... Next I will do my trans, axles, and transfer case.

A good resource for parts for me has been RockAuto.com prices seem to be really good!

There's also a guy in the Vendor Showcase thread selling Muffler/Tailpipe exhaust systems for the do-it-yourselfer... Check it out. I may be going that route soon too.

 

Ok, that's probably where your bang came from. I imagine you have the NP231 transfer case (2HI - 4HI - N - 4LO). If so, NEVER use 4x4 on anything other than snow, dirt, grass, mud, heavy rain, anything but dry hard surface and pavement.

What happens is, IIRC, the system binds itself since when in 4x4, the NP231 locks the front and rear wheels so they turn in tandem. Dry pavement is not ideal for this setup, and will make it bind up. If you are able to, find a good patch of dirt/grass/mud and take your Jeep in it. Put her 4 wheel hi, and see how she does, whene you're ready to shift back to 2hi, go to neutral, to 2hi, back to drive, then drive (make sure you're still on the dirt). If you still get a bang or loud noise/ movement, then something else is binding up in the transfer case.

 

If you're talking about mudfrog, I recommend him 110%. I ordered my setup from him, and love it. High flow cat, Flowmaster Super 44 muffler, and 2.5" stainless tailpipe. Sounds good, and gave a def performance increase.

 

Aside for the basic general vehicle maintenance mentioned above, I'd add:
-Tow points front and read are a must.
-Never wheel alone, always have someone there to help extract you or help you go fetch replacement parts if you don't have them with you.
-Buy decent recovery gear. Strap(s), tree saver, winch, etc...
-Armor. Armor everything! it saves a lot of breaking and unnecessary part replacement down the road. It's worth it's weight in gold!

LSD or lockers are very helpful.
A good set of tires is a must. No one wheels on street tires and gets far for long.
sub note - air down! You can always put air back in later. airing down gives you a better footprint and helps grab terrain

From there, look at lifts or bigger tires, etc...
All the stuff mentioned in my post and above should be done before you even consider a lift in most veteran's opinion.

The best advice anyone can give - Get out there and do it! Learning to pick the best line and knowing your rig's capabilities so you know what to upgrade or change cannot be done on the internet. You need experience. Go getcha some.

 

Yep that's who I was talking about..waiting on getting a few more questions answered! I may need to replace everything including the down pipe!