willc86

hey guys i am looking at a 3000 price range and I am coming across an inline 6 cyl cherokee. what do you guys think about that inline 6 engine?

andrewmp6

The 99 and older ones are pretty much bullet proof and can run 300k+ no problem if taken care of.The 00-01 has a head that can crack but with the age of those jeeps most of them should have had a head replaced if it has cracked.

extrashaky

Unfortunately a lot of the 00-01s are hitting the market now because the 0331 heads have cracked and people are trying to unload them on unsuspecting buyers rather than sending them to the junk yard. We've had at least two pop up on the board in the past couple of months where someone bought one thinking he was getting the bulletproof 4.0L only to immediately start having symptoms of an 0331 head crack.

Willc86, if you stick with the 1999 and earlier model years, you avoid the 0331 head issue. The 1999 is the best year of all because it has the upgraded intake with none of the drawbacks of the 2000 and 2001 model years. 1996 was a weird transition year to OBDII but without the new body style, and some people have had issues finding the correct parts for that year. 1991 and earlier had a vacuum disconnect front axle that isn't quite as good as what came after. The best years in general are the 1997 to 1999, then 1992 to 1995, and keep in mind that many parts that improved in later XJs can be installed on the older ones to improve performance.

However, the biggest consideration should be rust. If you're going to look at an XJ, wear an old shirt and be prepared to climb underneath the Jeep with a flashlight to look around. Get all the way up under there and look for rust everywhere, even up in the transmission tunnel above the drive shaft. Even a rust-free 2000 can be a better deal than a rusted out '99.

Back to the 2000 and 2001 models, you don't have to completely rule them out IF you find a good deal. Before you buy one, however, you should thoroughly familiarized yourself with the 0331 head crack. There's plenty of discussion on it on this board that you can find with a search. Not all 0331s crack; one guy posted here recently that he got more than 400K out of his motor. Mine was gone after 160K miles. If you get one that hasn't cracked, you can preemptively swap out the head with an older 0630 or a new Clearwater head and bring the engine up to the full reliability of the 1999 and earlier engines.

In other words, if you do your research, the 2000 and 2001 doesn't have to be a bad deal. If you decide it's more than you'd like to worry about, just stick with 1999 and earlier.

willc86

wow thank you so much!! i was about to get a 2000. there is another one that i am looking that is a 1998.

so as long as i get a 97 - 99. i should be ok. Also, most of those models are still repairable with moth mechanics now and days? That is what I am scared of, that I wont be able to fix it because they are so old. I currently live in Colorado springs and a bunch of 4x4 trails are everywhere and I would really like to own a jeep.

Anyhow, most of the all come with solid axles?

i honestly was thinking of getting a rav4 for a normal drive and occasional trail riding. but if jeeps are easily repairable with mechanics, I would not mind a jeep


one more thing, what about the grand cherokees vs the cherokees sport

extrashaky

I wouldn't rule out the earlier ones. There are still good deals to be had on those, and they are very capable vehicles. If you can read a factory service manual and handle tools, you can fix them when they break. If you're not planning to work on it yourself, any mechanic worth a crap should be able to fix an XJ as long as you stay away from ripoff operations like Firestone. But if you're going to own an XJ (or any 15+ year old vehicle), you really ought to learn to work on it yourself.

The big advantage of '97+ is that they are OBDII vehicles. That means you can plug in a code scanner if you have a problem to help you diagnose issues. The computers in the '97+ trucks are remarkably good at keeping the 4.0L running long after many other vehicles would have stopped.

On the other hand, sometimes it's still easier to diagnose problems by sight, sound, smell and feel, and many people prefer working on the older ones for that reason. I personally will be in the market for an older model later in the year when I start looking for a Comanche.

ALL XJs came with solid front and rear axles. Even the 2WD XJs have a solid front axle. It just doesn't have a differential in it. The solid front axle is what gives the XJ platform so much flex off road.

The rear axles came in basically three flavors: Dana 44, Dana 35 and Chrysler 8.25. The D44 is pretty rare. Most you'll be looking at will have a D35 or 8.25. The 8.25 is a stronger axle, but it didn't come with anti-lock brakes. The D35 is okay under normal use but can't handle very large tires.

The front axle is almost always going to be a Dana 30, but the configuration changed over the years. Up to '91, it had a two piece shaft on the passenger side that could be disengaged (vacuum disconnect). The solid shaft axles starting in late '91 are preferable. In '95 or '96 the D30 went to bigger u-joints.

Up through '99 the front D30 was high pinion, meaning the front drive shaft connected at the top of the differential. In 2000 Chrysler switched to a low pinion D30 in the front, which is slightly weaker, sacrifices a little bit of ground clearance and can contribute to drive line issues if you lift it. This is another reason people often avoid the '00 and '01, but you can overcome that limitation if necessary. I have a HP D30 waiting to swap into mine.

So '96-'99 wins on best axles, but all of them are capable, so you shouldn't let that factor alone steer you away from any particular Jeep.

A Rav4 is not even in the same league as an XJ off road.

willc86

thank you for the reply!! What about mechanic shops? would you think they are still replaceable and they would know? lets say engine needs to be repaired, mechanic shops wont have any problems for a 98 99 jeep?

its seems the most common jeeps in CO are the 97 98 99 and a few 2000

Fred/N0AZZ

No they will not have any issues with 4.0 I6 engine working on it all parts are readily available for them.

willc86

Awesome! Thank you guys for all of your feed back!!

I was undecided with the grand cherokee or cherokee sport. I believe the cherokee sport that I am looking at is a 99! so, hopefully it is a good deal!

Anyhow, if you would have to pick between a 99 grand cherokee and cherokee sport, which one would you go for as far as off roading and a daily commuter?

Big David

My vote is for the Cherokee, if you plan to build it up. If it comes with a Dana 35 you can replace it easily with a 8.25.
Up until 2004, it doesn't matter what year Grand Cherokee you buy, ALL will come with a LP Dana 30 and craptastic Dana 35 or Dana 44a. Neither are not worth their weight in scrap.

extrashaky

I would go for the XJ. The Grand Cherokee was really designed for soccer moms. You have a lot more offroad support for the XJ Cherokee.

And to clarify, "Sport" is a trim level of the XJ Cherokee. There were other trim levels, including Classic and Limited for the '97+ years and some other trim levels for earlier years. The Sport gives you the basic Jeep XJ package. Classic and Limited add features, with Limited giving you the most creature comforts including leather seats, overhead console and six speaker sound system with an amp. But they all share the same basic body style.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I get the sense you are referring to all XJs as "Cherokee Sport" to distinguish them from the Grand Cherokees, and that's not correct. We usually refer to the real Cherokees as XJs to distinguish them from the parade of Grand Cherokee models.

andrewmp6

Sport is a trim level on the cherokee,If you haven't read this yet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Cherokee_%28XJ%29 take your time and read it about almost all the info you could want to know is listed on it from trim levels to hp over the years.

Bluelight

Probably not what ya had in mind, but your year range would also include an 80-83 SJ Cherokee with a 258 I6

willc86

ok so I should aim for 80-83 and 97-99

Should I stay away from the 2000? I found one with a really good deal. says no issue no ticking noise or anything

extrashaky

I'm pretty sure the '80 to '83 comment was a joke. That was the full size Cherokee that's about the size of a Suburban. They're cool trucks, but a completely different animal from what you're looking for.

It goes back to whether you're comfortable with the 0331 head, how to tell if it's cracked and what to do if it does. I normally would not recommend it to a newbie, but it really depends on your level of knowledge and comfort with it. Are you prepared to swap the head if it's no good?

Bluelight

Yes that was a joke. The Jeep Cherokee (SJ) was a full-size vehicle made from 1974-1983 and was initially a 2-door sport version of the Wagoneer, though a 4-door version became available in 1977. In 1984, the Cherokee name moved from the full-size SJ platform to the compact XJ platform that's most well known today. If you think finding an XJ in good shape is difficult, finding an SJ is going to be more so. They are also much more thirsty, being powered by either the 258 I6 or a couple of V8s. Another down side to the SJ is that those engines are all going to be wheezing along through carburetors and complicated malaise-era pollution control systems (that holds true for the first few years of the XJ too). Although I would love to get a hold of a clean 80s model SJ, a later model XJ would be much more practical and economical for day-to-day use.