jb1023

Hey all, I'm looking for a weekend vehicle and the XJ is one of the vehicles I am considering, the other being an FSB. My primary use is just to get to/from my shooting spots and fishing holes. No serious off-roading, no mud bogging, no rock climbing/hopping. Just dirt roads with lots of washboard and some ruts, I used to drive a Hyundai Elantra to my fishing spots if that helps. I just need something so I'm not putting added wear on my daily commuter, a '17 Cherokee Limited. One of my criteria is ease of maintenance. I want to keep the electronics to a minimum, especially in the engine compartment. I am having a hard time figuring out what years I should set as my max as I just can't tell from the CL ads when things started to get cluttered under the hood. I know that I want the 4.0L and won't even look at the 2.4 or 2.8. I have read that the trans/differentials changed over the years and some are better than others but not sure what years have the good ones.

Another question I have, and this will be a bit odd, but what is the height in the cargo area from the carpet to the headliner? I want to be able to setup a mobile reloading station in the back of whatever I buy. I cannot do this comfortably in my '17. I know I can do this easily in a FSB but not sure about an XJ.

I'm sure I will have others but these should get me started in a search.

RockinRonnie

Welcome to the site jb1023 !
I would think 97 thru 01 would be a good choice 97 thru 99 to get the better front axle but then again if you don't plan on lifting it or anything the high pinion axle would be of no issue for you so just look for a good running and driving XJ and enjoy!

SatiricalHen

If you're looking for less electronics you could go with a manual transmission too. With having worked on renix (86-90), obd1 (91-95) and obd2 (96+) my favorite range to work with is 97-99 (96 was a weird year with a lot of one year only parts and 2000-2001 had a low pinion front axle instead of a high pinion, and they have the 0331 head which is more prone to cracking) my 99 has been pretty good to me and it can tell me when things are wrong (yes I know there are people out there that say all you need is a multimeter to diagnose a renix, but it's nice to plug a scanner in and be able to read off data in the cab) so for absolute best I would look for a 99 with a manual transmission, and as many manual options as you can find.

00t444e

91-99 are the best years in my opinion, the later ones have the weaker low pinion Dana 30 front and the 331 head that is known to crack. Also look for one that has the Chrysler 8.25 rear instead of the Dana 35.

jordan96xj

I have a late year 96 with no power options (manual windows, locks, mirrors). It has an electrical system that is more like the 95 (relatively simpler), but has many of the 97+ upgraded electrical connectors. The only one-year part of concern is the fuel pump assembly. The trade off is that it has the older style fuel tank where the fuel pump can be removed/serviced without dropping the tank. But being late 96, it also has the benefit of OBD2 and help that can be when you have a $20 scanner that can show you what the computer is seeing and doing.

Am I biased? Maybe, but I would do it again.

SatiricalHen

I don't remember which sensors are 1 year only, but I know there are some that people get off of the 96 to put a newer TB on renix Cherokees. The sensors they used were reverse of the later obd2 sensors.

SatiricalHen

The 00-01 have LOW PINION dana 30s which are the weaker ones. The 86-95 Cherokees had small u joints in the front axle unless they had ABS. The 8.25 is only better if it is a 97+ (29 spline shaft vs the 27 spline shaft of the other 8.25) if the Jeep has ABS it does not have an 8.25 in the rear.

jb1023

This is some great info, thanks all. Please keep it coming.
Also, if someone wouldn't mind I would really appreciate a measurement of the cargo height as well.

boxburn

Approx:
32.5" tall with overhead speaker + cargo light unit
37" tall with above removed
44" wide with full sized spare tyre
53" wide with trye removed

For some reason I didn't measure depth but can if required.

95 XJ RHD

downs

They started putting the 760X (stronger) U-joints in the D30 even without ABS in 95.

Also the 95 and 96 XJs had the square center Chrysler steering wheel with the mechanical airbag. It's the same steering wheel many other Chrysler's used in the mid 90s. For many this is a turn off. I agree the 94 and down steering wheels are much nicer.

SatiricalHen

I guess the way I said it in my head I was thinking that it was implied the bigger u joints were in all shafts after 95 the way I worded it, but they are in fact 297 u joints that can be upgraded to 760x either way the 297 u joint is still stronger than the older factory joint.

00t444e

Yes low pinion Dana 30 on the 00 and 01 high pinion is on the 99 and older Cherokees. A 27 spline Chrysler 8.25 is still much stronger than a Dana 35 rear and can be easily upgraded to a 29 spline carrier and axleshafts. Also newer you can put newer Dana 30 shafts in the older ones that had the smaller u-joints.

Idunno

In August I picked up a (free) non-running 98 Classic 2WD with 185,250 original miles. The original owner stripped the entire interior out to effect various required repairs, not to mention it would not start. After the strip down he did not have the time, nor much of the required skills to proceed further. He lost heart and gifted it to me. I considered it a challenge worth taking.

This vehicle was bought and operated in south Florida, and from my inspection probably saw some salt water beach driving without a follow-up wash down.

What I found after taking ownership

1. Heavily rusted through floor boards on driver's and front passenger's pans, and the right rear fender rusted through under the exterior trim. (repaired)
2. Holes rusted through in the roof. Two large holes in both rear corners and a couple about midway from front to back at the rain gutter. (repaired)
3. Failed fuel pump (replaced)
4. Failed IAC and contaminated seat in the throttle body preventing proper seating (replaced IAC, reconditioned seat)
5. Failed O2 sensors front/rear (replaced)
6. Failed left front hub bearing (both sides replaced)
7. Cracked right front steering knuckle (replaced)
8. Working upper/lower ball joints both sides (replaced)
9. Failed rubber bushings and cushions in sway bar and L/R links (replaced)
10. Failed front brake rotors due to extent of surface corrosion pitting typical of long-term disuse (replaced)
11. Failed transmission extension housing bushing and seal (*reworked bushing, replaced seal)
12. Drive shaft u-joints tight but replaced as part of work on (11), above
13. Failed right front caliper from water contamination (replaced, flushed system)
14. External rust on top leading edge of lift gate working under the paint (repainted roof and lift gate)
15. Four dry rotted tires (replaced)
16. Dead battery (replaced)
17. Leaking windshield seal (repaired)
18. All passenger windows failed to function. Traced to broken wires in driver's door harness (removed and splice-repaired) To be expected after 20 years of 2-way bending of that harness.
19. Myriad other small maintenance items - clamps, hardware, serpentine belt, CPS, etc.

I'm a mechanic and discounting my labor my parts receipts totaled about $1200.00. The roof and lift gate paint (gunmetal pearl) were a close match so no unacceptable external aesthetics to gripe about. I sold the truck to my 20 y/o son for the cost of his labor wherever/whenever needed.

*The transmission extension housing bushing is not obtainable. It was originally made an integral part of the housing and once it fails the entire housing must be replaced. But, the seal is obtainable. That's not a logical design considering the seal fails as an indicator that the bushing is run-out, so why not create a replaceable bushing? Who knows? I pressed out the bushing, indicated it on a lathe at work, bored the worn material in the ID out, brazed in new material and then opened it up to the same size as my yoke OD. Then I stress relieved it in an oven at 350°F for a couple hours. Then I cut the oil channels the original bushing had back in. Pressed into the extension housing it compressed to a 0.00010" interference fit. I milled and polished it to 1.4992". The yoke mic'd at 1.4990". The service manual gives a maximum wear diameter of 1.4996". This rework was the only critical job. Any other sane person would have sourced a new extension housing or a place to do the work. I considered the job a fun challenge and everyone knows sanity does not visit a Jeep hobbyist. I did find one new housing but the owner was too proud of it ($600.00).

I now have 185,853 on the odometer after road testing the truck as a daily runner since completing repairs. I consider it safe for my son to take possession of.

arto_wa

Wow that's lot of work, I am impressed!


Sorry, not trying to hijack OP's thread, but I have been reviving rust free $200 89 XJ 4x4 which has just over 190,000 miles and has been parked in my garage for 15 years just waiting for it's turn to be worked on.

So far we have:

1. Replaced engine with newly rebuilt one I had from our totaled 90 XJ :-(
2. New gas tank & fuel pump assy.
3. Set of tires & wheels from the 90 XJ
4. New front brake calipers, flex hoses, pads & rotors.
5. New rear brake cylinders & flex hose.
6. Practically new exhaust pipe form the 90 XJ (it was slightly bent due to rear ending of the 90 XJ).
7. Few small bits and pieces form the 90 XJ as needed.

Still to do:

1. Front axle U-joints later this week.
2. Window regulator mechanism cleaning & lube.
3. New speakers.
4. Repair headliner.
5. Repaint the XJ one of these days maybe...🤔
   

Cheers

PatHenry

I feel I could comfortably set up a nice "field service" reloading setup in the cargo bay of my 95. (The setup is pretty much the same for all years) The cargo area is nice and flat and spacious - I routinely put my XL size adult goalie equipment (2 large leg pads and a large bag plus two sticks) in the trunk, (with a full size spare) with room to spare and without obstructing the rear window. If I try to squeeze that set of equipment in my other car (2010 Corolla) it requires the entire trunk, 65% of the rear seats and if I don't remove the kid's car seats (as I'm loathe to do) obstructs the rear passenger windows quite a bit.

What is a "FSB" - Full size bronco?

As I recall, I'd consider the XJ cargo space to rival, if not exceed, the space in 70-something bronco or blazer (I don't remember which, only that it had the big block v8) that a buddy had back in high school.