SCHuntXJ

Hi Group. I am new to the forum. Found this 1991 XJ that I think I stole for $750. Here is what I was told about the XJ:

She had a crate 4.0 installed around 20k miles ago.
Was parked in late 2016 and never touched again.
Key was lost in early 2016 and a locksmith rekeyed ignition. Now when it is cranked the horn will blow most of the time. Horn is currently unplugged.
Inside is very clean but dash is pretty bad cracked. Door panel for lock is coming off. Glove compartment had water in it and water in carpet on passenger front floor. Seemed to be a new leak as owner seemed to know everything about the XJ decay despite not driving it. Also no weird smells or anything. Not sure if it is from window or door seal, or maybe vacuum system in engine bay.
All original paperwork including 2016 registration.

I am going to pick it up on a flatbed hopefully this weekend. Do not want to try and crank and drive it.

Any suggestions on where I should start? If taking it to a local mechanic and ask for all fluids and filters to be drained and replaced, how much would you think this would cost? Obviously I am not just talking about an oil change here. Also, would just alcohol to the gas tank be good enough or should I drop and empty the tank that way?

Any advice and suggestions much appreciated. I looked at the suggested Pacific coast manuals....did not see a 91....would another be very similar?

Thanks

Ryan

SCHuntXJ

RockinRonnie

Welcome to the site SCHuntXJ !

looks like a nice find the fluids would be a great start and brake lines and fuel lines I would pump out fuel tank and start with fresh gas and filter also look at tires make sure no dry rot also belts and hose's
Whats your plans with it ?

SCHuntXJ

Thanks man!

This will be a hunting rig for me. I'm going to put, I think, the 4.5" RE lift on it with the 2016 rubicon grey wheels and BFGs. Planning on putting rust preventative on it then spraying entire body outside with raptor liner. Finish it off with a nice set of lights and maybe a replacement bumper with winch.

arto_wa

I hope it's not against the rules to say here:

I have three very little used paper 1991 Jeep factory service manuals: 1. Engine, Chassis & Body, 2. Electrical, Heating - A/C & Emissions, 3. Wiring Diagrams.

Send me a private message if interested.

GreaseMonkey17

papablista

Look at all the seals Tranny, rear main, basically anything rubber. they tend to get dry over time looks like a good deal. Also don't rule out the heater core for the leak but the water in the glove box sounds more like a windshield seal or such. The crate engine is worth twice what you paid. Good luck glad to have you aboard. EDIT : that paint doesn't look to bad from the pic , I bet it would buff out pretty nicely.

smooth move

i'd pull the plugs and squirt some marvel mystery oil in each cylinder, drain gas tank as best as i could and put about 10 gal in there and crank that dude up. start using it. you'll start finding what's wrong soon enough. my 92 xj is a hunting rig and i don't use it very much during the rest of the year. every year i have to repair a couple things like gas line leaks, transmission line leaks, elec issues and the famous TPS/air idle slide thingy on the throttle body.

Red1992XJ

Nice find. I would check that water leak first thing. If it has been leaking into the glove box and wet the carpet, I would say to pull up the carpet and take a look at the floors to see about rust before you sink too much money into it. It doesn't look too bad for $750. Before you jump into it come up with a plan and a budget. See if a mechanic can give it a good once over to tell you what it will need before starting all the work. I know from working on mine, it can get expensive real quick.

SCHuntXJ

..Hi all. Thanks for the advice. Not planning on taking to a mechanic for fluids and filters, more curious than anything. I change my own fluids on my truck now, but for time sake I was wondering what it would cost. I still may take it to a local trusted guy to inspect after I change all the fluids to see if he sees anything I should address now. I am concerned about electrical components having not moved for a while and being outside. There was a nest of some sort in left front fender. Will start it up Saturday and see what happens.

I have rebuilt a couple older K5s. Never had a jeep. I pick it up Saturday and looking forward to start everything. Thanks to Arturo for scoring me some sweet original manuals including supplemental electrical .

papablista

I wouldn't worry much likely less than $100 bucks to change all the fluids including differentials. No worrys on electrical unless you have a mouse that liked to eat wires not so common, squirrels maybe but i haven't seen where many squirrels take up residency in vehicles there's not much under the front fender to eat except maybe the antenna wire on the passenger side. It sounds like a steal @ $750. You could part it out and make a lot of money. (By the way where is this JeeP located LoL) If your smart you won't answer that question.

Idunno

I had a similar experience with a 98. The front brake rotors were so rusted they were not anything I would attempt to burn off with some hard braking. I changed them, the pads, and the right front caliper because the piston cylinder had corroded and the piston would not fully disengage the rotor. I ended up flushing the brake system out as well.

Jeep water incursion is common. Mine had both front pans holed in many places but grinding that out and fiberglassing above and below is pretty simple stuff. And, it's pretty much a guarantee that no future water incursion will affect those pans. But, the leak has to be found. I sealed the rubber seals surrounding the windshield and liftgate window with black 100% silicone. The liftgate latch bolted to the cargo sill on mine was engaging the liftgate before the seal surrounding the opening was engaging the liftgate. Water was definitely entering there and wicking forward, which is the downhill run in an XJ. I removed the latch on the sill and elongated the holes where it's normally bolted so I could slide it forward a bit and torque it down where I could feel the liftgate engaging the seal just before latching. I used a die grinder and a 1/4" carbide burr. After some heavy dowsing of the seal area with a water hose the inside of the cargo floor stays dry.

SCHuntXJ

Great advice. Thanks!

Turbo X_J

I'd perform a compression test before getting my hopes up and dumping any money in it. Peeps don't just park serviceable vehicles, it was run off into the woods for a reason.

papablista

Buy the JeeP
I take it back, if you aren't going to buy this vehicle tell me where it is I WILL BUY IT....