Planning on taking my 2000 xj 4.0 from Delaware to West Virginia in about a month.

Oil change, brakes, bushings for my stabilizer bar...

Anything else I should be doing? Have a zillion things to think about all at once.

 

Coolant system for one. The notorious 0331 head and all.. When/what was last maintenance on it? Other than that, how many miles on it? Have you done any other fluid changes like tranny, TC, diffs? How's the alignment? You mentioned stabilizer bar bushings. What is a stabilizer bar? Sway bar maybe? That would be good to do.

 

Yea sway bar.
I guess the mechanic I last went to called it a stabilizer bar.

I'll prob get all the fluids done. I've only had it for about 4 months. Been keeping up on a regular oil change.

It has about 168k on it.

 

Generally in this community they are referred to as sway bars. That's how you would want to search them online. Otherwise there might be some confusion with the steering stabilizer (dampener). The shock that connects from axle to steering to "help" reduce wheel jerk.

 

Thanks! Sway bar makes much more sense to me anyway.

 

All new fluids as mentioned above. I drove mine across the country when it had 160000 on it and I changed all the fluids before leaving. Didn't have any issues on the road. You know your Jeep best, take care of anything you think seems worn out or needs replacing. 1000 miles from home is not a convenient place to replace parts.

 

I getting ready for a 3K round trip late this month from SW MI to the Rio Grande valley of central Texas McAllen area. My 96 XJ 2 door just rolled over 220K miles. Four or 5 months ago the plastic end cap completely blew out on my radiator, while I was on my regular "on the road work". The tow-in bill and cost of having a new radiator installed was a 550$ setback that day. I had the engine completely flushed and and rinsed and all new 50/50 coolent put in.
I have also had my water pump very carefully checked and a new serpentine belt installed and had the fuel pump professionally checked and tested and all lines inspected for wear.
I had all the various pumps. pulleys, etc etc. Had to have a new AC pump put in. engine has been tuned and mildly upgraded---new injector upgrade, new cold air induction, new plugs, 8.8mm wires,dist cap, and a new high power coil.
I also put in a new big-as-I-could-fit-in battery I Have a new-mfg J/C 62mm throttle body I hope I have time to install before I leave.
I'll have the transmission serviced and an oil change with an oversize oil filter. (not sure yet on which replacement oil I'll use----3000 miles of freeway running and a LOT of high temp driving. I"m hoping to get a set of hood heat exhaust vents and get them installed before I leave too. and a new high efficiency cat/muffler system installed about 10K ago (less than 6 months at my normal driving rate) it was checked too and its all good and solid.
Since I'll be hauling a load of building tools, I'm having a new set of rear heavy duty springs installed. They are a locally made modern version of the factory heavy duty ones (about 200 pounds more deflection per side that standard production) plus they are adding another extra arched spring. the total pack should restore factory ride attitude plus give 3-4 inches lift. Also a basket roof rack should be arriving this coming weekend.
I have had brakes worked on and rechecked, as well as all the u-joints and the steering & suspension, bearings checked. I have had the wheels & tires inspected and balanced (including the spare) I keep them filled with nitrogen for cooler running and almost no "slow leakage".
I have some other more or less comfort stuff, later model outside mirrors, later model "GrandCherk" Larado seats and cupholder console new amplified radio antenna etc etc. some may get done before the trip, some may not.

I'm mostly concerned with safe efficient freeway driving on an extended trip in high summer texas heat. I don't want any schedule and wallet busting breakdowns and tow-in bills or out-of-stater repairs in some small town along the way. I'll make sure my CC bills are paid down, insurance is up today. checked to be sure my CCW is recognized in all the states I go through and all that related "stuff" is "ready to rock 'n roll' I'll update my GPS next week and down-load construction and detour data sites on my dash mounted iPad the night before I take off. I'll also be updating my computer iPad and cellphone' OS and reference data bases. Oh yeah, I finally picked up an up to date radar detector and replaced my power adapter for plugins and USB ports Got a small 12v plug in cooler big enough to hold 2 6packs at Costco a couple months back it really improves the quality of life for a road-warrior. I may pick up a new ECM and cary it as a spare--just in case---had that problem before too on my 87 full-size GW.

Probably some other stuff I've forgotten.

I'm not sure how much of this is relative to your specific trip needs; but think about what wear items on an old high mileage Jeep could be about to give up the ghost stuff that could cause a real trip disaster breakdown out in the lonesome expensive end of nowhere in the middle of the night. (BTDT with a 78 grandwagoneer--learned MY lesson for sure)

Remember that Murphy will be riding with you.

 

Haven't seen either of y'all mention an upgrade to your headlights. I don't know how they are on a 2000 XJ but the ones on my '96 were the pits. I would hate to think of doing any lengthy trips with the lights the way they were. I did the Putco harness and SilverStar upgrade.


Forgot to mention that some type of grill/headlight guard wouldn't hurt either.

 

Thanks guys, this is great info.
My entire trip there and back is about 850 miles, but I do a lot of driving while there. It's the new river gorge area in Fayetteville WVA. I go every year but have a boat this time. Just a little one. I can drag it around by myself but rental car places are serious about not letting you tow things.
Honestly I'd rather put the money into my jeep anyway than spend $600 on a rental.
Sure it's nice, but not as fun.

 

Pack a small tool bag with the basics too.

 

A first aid kit a fire extinguisher and have triple A or something like that just in case you need a tow.

 

How enlightening! Seriously though, that's a great idea. My 99's sucked. Did H4 and Putco harness upgrade and wow! Just a point of reference, I ordered my lights from Susquehanna Motorsports. Not super thrilled with them.

 

With stats like this I needed all the help I can get. If and when the SilverStars fail I'll do the H4 upgrade. Cruiser54 recommended certain ones on Amazon but I lost the info in a computer crash. I'll find it when I need it. What's the issue with your lights?

 

Definitely getting new headlights. It's pitch black on them roads at night.
Great advice on driving in low gear too. Once you get close to WVA there is no such thing as a flat straight road. Nowhere.
But that's why I love it.

 

Does the putco upgrade come with the bulbs?
I'm seeing some stuff on google that says "bulbs" but they aren't pictured.
Anyone with links would be great.