Hey guys,

I picked up a 1987 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4x4 this Sunday for $800. It has 220k miles, got dents, the paints fading, and its fugly as hell, but it runs good, the 4wd works, and it stops.

It looks like it was the 'yuppie' version. It has plaid cloth paneling on the doors, plaid cloth and faux leather seats, power windows, power door locks cruise control, AC, etc.

It looks like it may have had some rough times (teenager/women drivers perhaps, who the hell knows) in the past and I'm trying to compile a list of things I need to check/replace/whatever to make sure it continues to run strong as well as a few other questions.

1. Besides plugs/wires, fuses, air filter, radiator flush, diff fluid, and oil change is there anything else I should replace right off the bat?
2. What weight diff fluid and motor oil does it need?
3. The door locks are all very difficult to rock back and forth so the lock actuators don't have enough power to lock/unlock the doors. Is this something I can just lubricate?
4. I want to eventually run 32"s, what would the cheapest/lowest lift I could get to do this keeping in mind I will be trimming the fenders a bit or at the very least removing the flairs.
5. I thought my list was a bit longer, but that's all I can think of right now. Any other tips or advice is greatly appreciated

 

1 distributor cap and rotor and some new wires
2 10w 30 most likely for motor and 75w 90 or 85w 90 for the diffs
3 idk
4 roughcountry 4.5 lift you could probably do a smaller lift with some trimming
5. fuel filter, maybe some new u joints , run some seafoam through her. tranny filter, put a magnetic oil filter on it so see if you are getting metal shavings next time you change the oil filter, lube ball joints and driveshafts and everything else

 

Thanks for the quick and concise reply.

 

3. They all get like that sooner or later, just pull the door panels and clean up/lube everything in sight. The actuators may also be bad, but having all 2/4/5 go at once is more of a clean & lube issue.

 

I use 10-40, but I have 190,00 miles on mine. I find that when you get over 150,000 miles, a little thicker oil keeps em happier. HTH!!

 

Thanks


Oh I remembered what question number 5 was. The steering wheel is off center about 45 degrees. On the JK you can adjust the steering wheel easily by loosening 2 bolts on the drag link and rotating the connector. Is there a similar easy way to adjust the steering wheel in the XJ? I don't think it needs a total alignment, drives straight down the road just fine.

 

Yep, same way.

 

I have a junk 87 sitting in the driveway. I am beginning the process of stripping it for parts and will be selling them dirt cheap to get it out of my way. Let me know if you need anything and I will check to see if it is intact and functional.

 

Awesome thanks, PM sent.

 

where are you located? if your in the northern sector where the roads get salted, you might want to see if the floorboards are still there

 

lol, thanks :P I'm actually in florida. Not sure where the Jeep used to live, but I bought it in FL.