Hi guys,

I see possibly stupid questions are welcome so here goes...

I just bought a 1993 Jeep Cherokee XJ Limited, have been wanting one for ages. Thing is that it was super cheap (for NZ anyway) and there was lots of interest AND I am not remotely mechanical, so while I did have it inspected it was a rush inspection rather than a thorough one.

The guy told me that it there was power fluid leaking (something to which my driveway can attest to) but he wasn't sure if it was the hose or the reservoir(?). Anyway, at this point I was determined to get it (did I mention it is black with mirror tints, a tan leather interior, has only done 150 000 kms and was cheap?).

Turns out it is leaking quite a bit. Only problem is that I have spent most of $ on buying the Jeep. I have looked through this forum but am having trouble distinguishing exactly which model of Jeep is being talked about (and they all seem to have different power steering fluid requirements) so figured I'd ask here.

TL;DR, Questions: can I use Prestone Power Steering Fluid (rather Mopar, there isn't many types available here in NZ)? Do I need to completely drain and refill it or am I able to keep topping it up until I have the $ to repair it? Is there any other advice you could give me on how to cheaply limit the issue? Is replacing the reservoir a massive job? One of my friends is knowledgeable about cars and has a hoist in his garage.

Thanks so much for any help. Love my new Jeep and don't want it to grind to a halt.

Matt.

 

I can't help you pinpoint the cause of the leak, but replacing the reservoir is easy with basic hand tools if you end up needing to do it.

 

Clean everything thats power steering related, get it all bone dry, then run it for like a minute while turning the steering to and fro twice. Then check it to see where its coming from. My guess is the high pressure line. Mine had a pin hole in it and you would not believe the amount of fluid that came out.

 

I drilled a hole thru the bottom of my bell housing(?) by mistake. I tried to get a good picture of it. Any idea of what problems this might cause me?



I did this while trying to drill out the oil drain plug my mechanic over tightened and striped.

I'm not sure, but I may have drilled into a gasket.

 

Hahaha...nice one. I reread what I wrote and I guess I kinda walked right into that one.

 

Where in that picture is the hole you drilled?

 

Great, thanks for your help guys. Looks like I better book some time with my mate's hoist. Just spent the last three hours replacing stereo, putting my speakers and sub from my old car in, so I've got it sounding good but I'd better get it working well too.

 

Maybe this helps. I drilled into the rounded part of the transmission bell housing. In the 1st photo, it's almost directly above the oil drain bolt.

 

Anybody ever try those remote oil filter relocation kits?

 

So here's a question, I bought a 89 xj today, and when you turn the counter-clockwise when in off position turn signals and blower motor works, but when jeep is started, neither work.

Headlights work when on as well as high beams

 

Looks like I may bite the bullet and buy a reman. engine. Anyone have particulary good experience with a certain company, or warnings of who to stay away from? If you are worried about someone suing you for slander or whatever you can PM me. I heard of a lady getting sued for comments she made on AngiesList or whatever that site is. Sad. Thanks.

 

Sorry all, I just found the thread on this question.

 

Thats the bottom of the bellhousing. Theres no gasket there. Was that the hole that was stripped?

 

How does this pattern look guys? I've read threads where this is acceptable and I've read threads where it's not acceptable. This is my 8.8 and new g2 4.88 gears.

 

I've got one I've had for yrs that I never used on my '78 Power Wagon. Try as I might I can't find a place to mount the thing under the hood of my dd XJ. It's got 36" hoses. I believe I can still get the optional 48" ones but still no place for it to be conviently mounted. Maybe on a dedicated offroad or modified street rig XJ someone could come up with something. The o-rings on the oem adapter are fine for now so I've given up on the remote unit.