Hi everyone,
I would like to draw on your experience in regards to buying a Cherokee.
What are some issue / problem areas to look at before buying ?

 

Easy: if it's an '00 or '01 they are problem areas!

I don't want to come off as a **** since you're new here and we like fresh blo- errrr... new members but this is covered pretty frequently. Rust is the biggest problem. If someone says it's rust free they are LYING. Do NOT believe them. Find it and find how bad it is. Everything on an XJ can be replaced but the body and frame ("uniframe").

Also XJs are pretty rugged and well priced. On today's used market that means most of them will have been winter beaters or hunting rigs with little maintenance performed. Expect to do some work. How much work depends on how thoroughly you vet potentials, but don't think you'll be able to find a perfect 15 year old Jeep!

 

IMHO 99 is one of the better years. And yeah, you are in CT where there is "winter" which means a lot of XJ's are going to be missing their floorpans.

 

+1, i hope you like fixing stuff... lol... but I wouldn't have it any other way

 

Yes the 99 was a good year for the XJ's quite a few improvements over older models and not the problems of 2000-01.

 

Thanks,
From what I can tell the most common rust areas are;
Rockers
Lower rear quarter

As far as the floor pans go which are more common areas?
1.Front
2.Passenger
3.Cargo area
4.Unibody Frame Rails

2000-2001 cylinder head (331 casting) seems to be an issue but, I can't imagine this is so unless there's been an overheat situation.

Are any years more prone for Exh. manifold cracking?

Are there any tell tale signs of transmission troubles or common transmission issues?

Thanks again,
Bob

 

00-01 have a low pinion D30, 99 and under have a high pinion D30

00-01 have coil pacs, 99 and under have a distributor

00-01 have pre-cats, 99 and under do not.

Cracks in the collectors can be easily avoided by using a flex-connector on the exhaust pipe down stream of the collector but before the cat.

 

It ís an issue and you really do not want to overheat the 0331 head

Cant speak for manual trans, but the AW4 is a pretty sturdy trans that can handle some abuse. Check the fluid for level and color (rough indication, since they can always change fluids just before a sale) and pay attention to the way it shifts when you test drive. Also test all 4wd modes.

 

Fixed for ya.

Some scumbag owners will slap new rockers on just to make the sale. I fell for this when I was young and stupid. Turns out the old rot is underneath, the inner rocker backing panel is totally shot and the floors are a nightmare.

Not quite. There are many cases of 0331 heads cracking without having been overheated. Some people believe it's not a matter of "if" it will happen, but "when". What I said before about maintenance and winter beats exacerbates this problem - most XJs have little maintenance so the likelihood goes up that an overheat will occur and the head will crack. The typical thing to do after a cracked head is to dump a ton of Lucas into the oil to fake a high pressure reading and sell it immediately. Generally if the coolant has wiped the bearings that badly it's time for a new engine...

Funny enough 2000+ with the miniature catalytic converters have almost no cracks. This is because the design to accommodate these mini cats allows flex at joints and not so much on the welds of the earlier versions. Any of the "standard" versions will crack just the same, poor engine and transmission mounts contribute to this. Like Serious said, a flex pipe will help a lot to prevent this from recurring.

The big things about XJ transmissions are fluid changes, both in a stick and slushbox. Keep it cleaned and they last almost forever. The autos are particularly sensitive to heat so burnt fluid doesn't do anybody any favours. This is pretty easy to check for on the dipstick. A few other things can impact tranny performance too, commonly the throttle valve cable is out of adjustment, and the TPS could be shot. Very cheap fixes and very common.

 

So... Back in September of 2013, I decided to buy an xj... I did a ton of research, much of which was on this forum. I figure I will give you a brief summary of what I gleamed from this amazing group of guys. I had no experience (NONE) working on cars/trucks, nor any mechanical skills.

Look for a 99... everyone seems to agree about. Don't be scared of oil leaks from valve cover, oil pan, or from the oil filter (Oil filter leak caused generally when O rings perish, this one might involve a little creativity and strength to do, but relatively easy); anyone with a basic set of sockets and a few wrenches can fix these leaks (I would add that a leak from Rear Main Seal is not horrible to resolve, but it is a little tricky). In general the leaks will lower the price of the XJ, but are easy to resolve. Rust on the floor is a given. Buy a stock one. If it has been wheeled, you will need lots of cash to fix the "upgrades" and home brew solutions. (take a quick note related to leaks, oil leaks that are not resolved, can plug up the starter and alternator)

Brake lines, bleed nipples, and vent lines (especially from and around the gas tank should be inspected). All of these things can be fixed by doing a little research and spending a few hours on your back, but sometimes people try and fix stuff, fix it wrong (or seriously damage it), and then sell the XJ without getting it back to 100%. In any case, if these things are in bad shape, work the price down.

When you go to look at the xj, start it. leave it running and start doing your rust check, listen for any odd knocks, look for smoke coming from exhaust, is there rust on the catalytic converter and muffler (does it have a cat? if not, someone might have taken a shortcut), has it passed emissions (if that is applicable in your state), lift the hood... carefully (FINGER EATERS EVERYWHERE) look at the battery and connections for corrosion, look at the valve cover for oil leaks, look for home brew wiring, look for rust, smell for emissions under the hood (Exhaust manifold cracks are common; I will be honest, this meant nothing to me when I went and looked at the first xj I test drove, by the 8th I was catching on), and (now that it has been running for ten minutes or so, look underneath (do not crawl under there, just look!! finger eaters are now HEAD HUNTERS!! ANy leaks, drips, ect?...

Before jumping back in the drivers seat, go over to the driver side rear quarter panel and take off the gas cap... look for and smell underneath the rig for gas leaks.

If you are still interested in the rig, start checking every **** and electrical switch... for the ones on the doors, (turn the radio on), test them with the door open and closed. Listed to hear if the speakers cut out (If the locks or windows don not work, this should not be a deal breaker, they are just more easy fixes, but we are trying to lower the price).

Now go for a ride, you want to get up to at least 55 -60 to listen for the transmission getting through all the gears (do a little research on how to put the XJ in its various 4 h and 4 low and what speeds they can safely be driven at, do not take any tight turns on the road in 4 wd)... test the 4 h and 4 low, was it smooth, any odd noises? If everything is still looking good, on your way back to the dealership, find a safe area (no one in front or behind you), pump the brakes 4 or 5 times (to make sure that the brakes are working), then get the xj going about 45 and brake with some force (not slam on the brakes and squeal the tires hard, just get it down to a stop quickly; again first time you do this, it will not make sense, but by the 5th or 6th time you do this in different XJ's, you'll start to feel the differences), hopefully the brakes do not fail (the xj i ended up buying... the brakes line burst doing this and I had to limp it back using the e brake, saved me $500 on the end price!!)

Options you may want to think about, does it have a stock trailer hitch, cruise control, fog lights, ect...

In any case, if you find ones with the right problems, you can really get the price down! You can probably find a perfect and stock (remember its 15 years old) XJ for around $7-$8k or you can find one like this, for around $2500 (with all the leaks, electrical issues, and rusted cat and muffler). After just over five months, she now looks like this, and has no leaks, no electrical issues, no vac line leaks, and runs sweet. All the info you need to fix an XJ is on this forum. I have found that unless you are upgrading something (Like re-gearing an axle), working on the internal components of the engine or transmission, or just don't have time, this forum will provide you with enough guidance to do it yourself.

Also (if you have made it to this point), use google search before you ask any question on the site, type "site:cherokeeforum.com" then your question/issue.

As a quick example, typing this into your browser, "site:cherokeeforum.com what year xj to buy" you get 137,000 hits. Hopefully, this was helpful and I didn't screw up and write something ridiculous. if I did, please tell me.

Good luck.

 

Fixed for ya.