I *may* be able to talk my mom out of her old Cherokee Sport(?) that has been sitting in her garage for the last 5 or so years. I think it's maybe a '93-'96 model. Obviously, it hasn't run for a good long time - several years, at least. I believe it was running fine when she quit driving it.

What advice do you guys have on getting it up and running again, should I get it? Would you expect that there are any megabuck parts that would need to be replaced, assuming it was in good working order when she hung it up? Or can I just drop in a new battery, fire her up, and sputter to the nearest gas station?

I really don't *need* the truck, but if I can get it running cheap then I have a toy to mod out. I hate to haul it from Ohio to Fla only to have to spend (an easily anticipatable [is that a word? ] fortune on the thing...)

Although I don't know much about it, I do know it has the 4.0/6. And, it's black.

 

hey, i would change the fuel and oil then fire it up, the oil is prolly minging and the fuel off. just to be safe.

 

what he said ^ and check for any obvious problems like chewed up hose, wires, or even rats living in the the air box lol

also i can tell you right now you WILL spend a fortune on it. its just one of those jeep things.

 

Aint that the truth. Right now I'm personally learning how much an 800 dollar XJ really costs.

 

yep, letting a vehicle sit is the worst thing for it. do what has been said, i'd also change the fuel filter before you start it also, new battery, oil and filter, fuel filter, and drain and refill gas. check for junk in the air box. brakes probably will not work. once it gets running, it needs all new fluids, trans, both diffs, t case and brake fluid for sure. even if the tires have tread, they are not very reliable and safe for daily driving after sitting like that. the rubber dry rots and cracks, and the tread starts to seperate.

brake and fuel lines will be rusty, and if they aren't broke yet, they will depending on where you live.

it would be a really good experience on maintenance and how to keep something running and what happens when you don't.

 

I say get it try to get it running with limited budget and if it doesn't work after that sell it on the forum for parts. I am sure someone would like some of the parts.

 

Well, this sounds more positive than I expected. Sounds pretty much like what you would have always done to get an old car running. I was worried people would be telling me about new computers and siezed
engines...

Thanks!

We'll see if I really get it. I'm not holding my breath, but with her impending Alzheimer's, our historically rocky relationship, and a 1,200 mile tow to get it home, it wouldn't have been worth it if there was too much to worry about dollar-wise. Fluids, belts, and hoses I can deal with.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I guess I'll push a bit harder for this now...

 

as long as it was in a garage you should be ok. cherokees are very easy to keep on the road for cheap. they literally made like 2 million of them lol. the parts are everywhere and super cheap

 

HAHAAHAHA! I couldn't have said it any better

 

Don't forget the stuff you would normally do for a tune up. In addition to all new fluids (don't forget to flush the radiator and put in new coolant), you'll want to change the plugs, plug wires, cap and rotor. Although plugs, wires, cap and rotor may look ok, they are relatively cheap to replace with new.

 

I found the best way to test the plug wires, rotor and coil - turn off the lights and pour water over that area of the engine. If you see glowing light it means that whatever is glowing is damaged. I used to do it on my Dodge Durango when I was trying to track down spontaneous engine problems (turned out I had a bad coil)

 

haha, I had a 52 ****** wagon that I found in a field. All I did was put a butter container of fuel in place of the tank then fired it up.....and what do you believe.....it purred like a kitten. I couldnt believe it. Be glad it was sitting inside but you may have some dried out seals to keep an eye on. Otherwise the fuel and oil are all I would change for now.