JRT1393

My 2001 XJ has a pulley yelling at me. It's the pulley that holds the mechanical fan on (I assume the bearing are going bad) and it's housed in the bracket that holds that pulley and the A/C compressor. My question is before I tear my Jeep apart, seeing that I drive it every day, is there any way to change the pulley bearings without changing the bracket that houses it?

Nakedginger

I have gone through this exact thing! Luckly for you, you saw this coming. I was driving around midnight when the bearings holding the mechanical fan blew out chewing up the plastic housings around the unit and leaving me stranded. I found two options when I was hit with this dilemma, and like you my XJ is my daily driver. I ended up going to the local u-pull it and went around to all the XJ's till I found a replacement bracket that had a good bearing in it. Its cost me $10 and my time. If you have a press and are careful/strategic with how you place the press, you can get the bearing assembly out. It will take some time to do, but after repairing my XJ with the new bracket, my dad and I just tried for kicks and grins to see if we could. Many people online say you cant.

JRT1393

Alright thanks! I actually went to Pull-A-Part in Charlotte to get the bracket, and I found one that felt perfect, but they closed before I was able to get it off if the motor. Sounds like for the trouble I'll just replace the whole freaking thing haha, thanks for your help!

Nakedginger

No problem! if I were you, and you are intending to have your XJ for a long time, maybe pick two of those brackets. I know Im going to get another one. Before I went to the junk yard I checked around and the only other company that sells that bracket is the dealer and they wanted $400 for a new one! The part is plentiful now, but my dad brought up a good fact that over time there will be less and less Cherokees to pull from. He speaks from how hard it is now to get Volts wagon beetle parts compared to how they use to be everywhere. Just a thought. Good luck with your replacement!

JRT1393

That's an extremely good point, I might go ahead and get 2, can't hurt to have extra parts for later down the road