Hello everyone,

I am a college student from Naples, FL who is about to graduate at the end of the month. I've always wanted a Jeep Cherokee so I figured I'd buy myself a project car as an early graduation present. It's been giving me a lot of problems so I decided to make a post to get advice/opinions.

I have been using this site as my biggest resource after purchasing my '99 Jeep Cherokee XJ last month. I bought it up in VA where my girlfriend lives and brought it down to Naples, FL (which was an insane story as many issues manifested themselves... death wobble nearly gave me a heart attack and a radiator hose burst right outside a court house ). This is actually only the second car I've ever had (the first one being a '94 Chevy Silverado) so I am looking for general mechanical as well as Jeep specific advice. I'd like to say I know a fair bit about motors in general having worked for a commercial fishing vessel for a few years, but those are marine diesel engines and the set up is a lot different than cars. Anyways, I thought I would start a thread that contained all of my work in which I could ask for advice and obtain feedback. My main concern right now is with the death wobble that my Jeep is experiencing, some hard shifting that I am feeling, and the radiator issue which I will all explain in a list below.

• When I first got the car I would experience death wobble with the slightest bump going anything over 50mph. I changed out the brakes after realizing that one of the calipers was stuck and this problem has been significantly reduced, but in the last 500 miles I put on the car it still has happened twice at about 70mph and 65mph. Again, this is much better than it was before the brake change, but I want to figure out how to eliminate it if possible. What is the most likely culprit and where should I start? I took my car to a mechanic who told me he would not align my vehicle unless I allowed him to replace the steering box. The steering does have some play and the box has a very slight leak, but he made it way more dramatic than it was. Can you really not align a vehicle with a loose steering box, and can a loose steering box be a cause for death wobble?
• The Jeep also has some strange shifting noises. For some reason when I am accelerating between 25 to 35mph, the car will almost shudder three times as it tries to shift into the next gear. It is very gentle shuddering, and almost feels like the car is being gently rocked; not harsh at all. Then, going from 55mph to 65mph, there is another hard shift which is a single jolt. This jolt is quite hard and does not feel very good. Interestingly, this one only occurs if I accelerate slowly from 55 to 65. If I am accelerating fast, there is no jolt. Something else I noticed is that there seems to be almost a zipping noise whenever I press the gas. I say zipping because that's exactly what it sounds like; someone zipping up a coat. Not sure if that's a connected concern or just a natural noise the car makes when accelerating.
• I also had a radiator hose pop off when the car overheated. I had driven from Richmond to Savannah with no overheating problems but when I was in Savannah, I got stuck in some really bad traffic in which my car was going under 10mph for about 20 minutes. That's when it overheated and the hose popped off. This made me believe that there was something wrong with the car's cooling mechanism while it was going at low speeds with low airflow, but when I tested the electric fan, it ran when jumped. The relay was also fine. However, it seems that the outlet the relay plugs into has a bad ground. Not sure what I would do to replace that. Any ideas to get that electric fan working again? It will not throw on unless jumped so I am fairly certain that is the problem.
• Finally some minor issues, the speakers do not work. My radio is fine and turns on but no volume comes out of the speakers. All the fuses are fine, is it just blown speakers?

Thanks so much guys I look forward to your feedback and becoming a part of the community!

 

I just figured out that there is also a leak in my windshield. Does anyone have reccomendations for sealant that I should use? There is rust at the top of the car and I've read on this forum that I might need to remove the whole windshield but I am not sure I am ready to handle a project like that.

 

Death wobble can be caused by worn front suspension pieces. Tie rod ends, ball joints. I would start by checking the track bar and where it mounts to the frame on the passengers side. The hole where the bolt goes through often ovals out. The mounting bolt needs to be very tight. If the condition is in doubt, I would replace it. Here is a good image of all the suspension parts and discussion on what each does.
On the overheating in traffic, I would check the fan clutch. If the fan clutch is not engaging correctly, it will not provide airflow when not moving or moving very slowly.

 

Actually, it's not a difficult project. I was quite intimidated by it until I tackled it. Turns out it's really not difficult. You can handle the removal, and you can handle the installation. Anybody who is the least bit handy can do it.

There is no sealant that will help you if the leak is around the windshield. It's getting in through rust holes. That rubber "gasket" is purely cosmetic - it does not provide the seal. You must get the windshield out, clean out the old glue, and repair the rust holes. You can hide the problem for a while with a sealant, but the rust will be getting worse while you pretend it's not there.


Here's some reading for you:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/lea...9/#post3583849

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/wat...0/#post3626154

 

Well that is great to hear! I live in Florida and the rains are coming quick so the leak is starting to hover on my mind a lot. When you did yours did you have someone helping you or were you able to manage it solo?

 

I have not had the chance to look over the track bar but thanks for the tip. For the fan clutch, my mechanical fan does still rotate when the car turns on. Would a bad clutch just mean that it wasn't operating at the right RPM's?

 

I did have a helper to lift it into place. With a couple of suction cups, one person can do it, but I think that is best handled by a pro. A helper is a good thing, and it only takes a few minutes to put it in.