Howdy all, new to Cherokee ownership and have a couple questions.

First off, some basic info; I, today, picked up a 1995 Sport, 2wd, 4.0 automatic, 4 door, 107K apparently original miles. Previous owner had bought it to flip and spent approx $1K on service and parts( belt, hoses, brakes. tune up. etc). On the drive home a couple things caught my eye; 1) oil pressure. At around 2K rpm the oil pressure gauge is showing 20-25 lbs of pressure. Is this normal? 2) temp gauge.Sitting in traffic the gauge is showing roughly 200 degrees. Once moving again it goes down to roughly 180-190. Is this also normal?

It also has a pretty pronounced "stumble" when accelerating from a stop. I'm hoping it's just from lack of use/"dirty" fuel as it sat for a while before being flipped. I'm thinking a can of injector cleaner additive and some decent fuel is worth a try. Any thoughts?

 

Ok, just to set the ball rolling - oil pressure seems a bit low, but no more than might be cause by low oil level; can't comment on the figures (as export/metric temp. gauges only have 3 values: basically, C, N & H) but that sort of variation is what I'd expect, especially in an XJ which seems to be less damped &, therefore, more volatile, than many vehicles.

Your theory about fuel degradation might well be right, but before incurring the cost of, possibly unnecessary, additive, I'd simply fill up with premium fuel, possibly a 2nd time, & see what sort of improvement that produces.

 

Bump

 

One these early model XJs, the gauges and everything else in the dash grounds to the metal structure of the dash, which then grounds through its mounting bolts. Adding a short piece of wire from the metal structure down to the kick panel greatly improves the situation, allowing the gauges to read more accurately, the lights to shine brighter, etc, etc.

20-25 psi is middle of the road. 13 psi is low, 37+ is factory spec. Until you've verified the pressure with an aftermarket gauge, who knows how accurate the measurement is. How bad do the valves tap once warmed up? That's the question...

The OEM thermostat opening temperature is 195F, so it won't go below that temperature once warmed up. 200F sitting still is very normal. When the electric fan kicks on while just sitting there, that's when you have a problem...

In addition to adding fresh gas and a bottle of injector cleaner, it's never a bad idea to clean the Throttle Body and the Idle Air Control valve bolted to it.

 

It's a new to you vehicle so don't assume too much re claimed maintenance.

- Change oil and get a good quality filter- if pressure still low, verify with a pressure gauge

- Clean up all engine bay grounds
- Clean up all engine bay connectors
- Do a tune-up regardless what the PO states they did
- Clean up your TPS, TB and IAC
- Have the battery load tested or when in doubt replace it

Just some basics in regards to solving running issues on 'new' vehicles. Flipped cars have had the absolute minimum in investment to get (or keep) it running enough to sell it.

 

Thanks for the input.I'll look into verifying the oil pressure with a different gauge.The engine is quiet, no knocks, no valve noise and has fresh oil, claimed to be 10W30. I'll give the throttle body and idle air control a cleaning.

 

Thanks for the advise. Oil is fresh and claimed to be 10W-30. I have the receipt from where the repairs were done and looking at the parts they appear new(clean and shiny). You're the second to mention grounding as a possible problem, so I'll definitely be checking/cleaning there. A lot of this is the same stuff I have gone thru with other make older vehicles I've bought so no big issue. I was mainly curious on the oil pressure as it seemed a bit low. Would hate to have to do a rebuild on an engine this soon.

 

Be careful what oil filter you run on these. The oil filter sits horizontal, so the drain-back prevention valve in the filter is critical. Wix or Napa Gold are commonly recommended. I've had good luck with the Purolator Boss filter. Whatever you do, avoid anything from Fram. It's worth handing the shop a quality filter and asking them to use that rather than the junk filter they're going to use...

From the sounds of it, you're a long way from a rebuilt. The flat tappet lifters in these 4.0s will let you know long before it's worn out... Speaking of which, if you want the engine to last, regular ol' oil doesn't cut it anymore as they've removed the zinc that prevented lifter wear to reduce fouling of catalytic converters. Rotella diesel oil still has enough zinc in it, or you can use a supplement. The whole topic probably warrants a thread to see what everyone's using now-a-days...

So, long story short, the filter and oil provided by any oil change place is not up to par with what you should be running in this engine, if you want it to last...

 

Thanks for the advice on the filter. The one on there looks to be a generic "store" brand filter. I'll replace it soon. As for oil, I use Rotella in my 2001 7.3 Ford but in my 1960 Studebaker (factory solid lifters) I use Lucas 10W-40. Both are around the same price wise, unless I catch a sale, so would one or the other be better?

 

A lot of people use a 10w-40 or a 15w-40 to keep the oil pressure up .

 

I don't know much about the subject, but looking through Lucas' website, they offer at least 4 different blends of oil, up to the Hot Rod and Classic Car offering, which states that it's not recommended for catalytic converters, Beyond that, I'm not much help. I think I'd stick with the Rotella...