Hi all,

I've had an '01 XJ Sport 4wd for about 11 years that was my primary vehicle until about 4 years ago when I bought a house a long way from work and leased a little Mazda for the commute. That lease is up next month and I'm prepping the jeep to become my daily driver again and hoping for input on what I should probably fix/inspect/replace. I work on it myself when not too complicated, though I'm a little out of practice since the commute car didn't need anything other than oil changes. I'll try and remember any major things I've done and roughly when that occurred.

Currently 130,000 miles. Has been driven very little over the last four years, with just a brief stint that I let a roommate use it for ~8 months ending 18 months ago.

Stuff I can remember:
Dec 2008: Cylinder head and gasket replaced, water pump as well (shop work)
Replaced the radiator around the same time (did myself)
Dec 2009: Heater & evap core replaced (shop work)
Oct 2012: Pulled the a/c compressor (and hoses) when it went out, replaced with bypass pulley (did myself)
Oct 2012: Replaced water pump and serp belt (did myself)

And just for the memories: Christmas '06 there was some catastrophic failure of the camshaft position sensor and something related to it while doing 85mph on I-95 on a road trip ~2000 miles from home. Had to leave the poor thing behind with Firestone for a week and fly back to get it after parts were ordered (holiday closings!).

Also done routine brake replacements, oil changes, coolant flushes, but feel free to assume I'm an idiot and that I could've missed or forgotten something. I'll need to get the a/c back in order before summer (I live in Austin, TX and still have the commute), and currently have the headliner pulled to replace it along with a few other cosmetic things.

Beyond that, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Nothing will illustrate a vehicle's weak points like suddenly pressing it into daily service after a long hiatus, the best practice is to be prepared.

It certainly sounds like you've covered a lot of major bases. The only things I can suggest to add to your list are crawling underneath with a grease gun and hitting all the lubrication points and if there is any doubt surrounding the condition of your alternator and battery, I'd replace it. Same for rubber parts... Belts, hoses, etc. stick new ones on and toss the old ones in a ditty bag in the back for road spares.

How is your spare tire? Finding out that's bad or flat when you need it is one of the single most infuriating things I've ever experienced.

What shape are your shocks in? Mine were shot and the day I replaced them was the day my XJ became my daily driver, it made such a huge difference in driveability and comfort, especially if you have a long commute.

I'm still going through mine and replacing the stuff I know has 180k+ on it that can leave me on the side of the road if it fails. Other things I carry and do to keep the odds in my favor: a small toolkit in the back; light sources; extra water (for you as well as your Jeep); carry an assortment of fuses and relays relevant to the vehicle; zip ties are your friend; keep a spare key well-concealed somewhere on the outside of the vehicle (securely... Those black plastic magnet boxes are garbage. Mine is safety-wired to a hard drive magnet... Could almost double as a recovery point)

I used to commute 130 or more miles round-trip every day (to Austin, as a matter of fact,) and these are some of the things that immediately spring to mind from fond memories and learning lessons the hard way.

Good luck!

Really appreciate the response! Your commute makes mine seem silly (only about 45 miles round trip), but the issue was traffic. Each way was taking over an hour sometimes and when the jeep started over heating (again) at the apex of a flyover onto I-35 in stopped traffic one August afternoon, I lost the desire to risk it anymore.

Getting the battery checked today and will tend to the spare. Didn't think about the shocks and imagine that would help a lot. Also need to decide whether to put the rear seat back in (considering some leftover bamboo flooring instead to pretty up the whole cargo area).

Thanks again, really appreciate it!

Check the entire front end and differential I'm sure you will find worn items there that need to be replaced/upgraded, same for the rear along with the exhaust.

After sitting that long I would replace all the sensors with OEM ones not aftermarket. It may well be time for a complete tune up plugs/wires/rotor/cap a DD requires good parts in it as its your bread and butter so to speak.