I'm planning on taking my 98 XJ to colorado springs in a few weeks, my main concern is of course making it to and from colorado. My jeep is mechanically sound with 170K on it but I don't want to take any chances.

I'm going to changing the following fluids
- coolant
-Oil
-rear gear fluid
- Transfer case fluid
- topping off the transmission fluid

I'm planning on purchasing new Falken Wildpeak AT3 tires and will be recharging the AC, what other spare parts would you guys recommend to have just in case?

 

Spare belt, or replace your current belt with a new one, then use the old belt as a spare.

 

I just drove from CO to FL trailering about ~3500lbs. My rig is in good shape, all fluids were completely fresh and I had done some upgrades right before the trip (gears, new tires, other stuff)

I did have my entire garage in the trailer though, so barring a full engine rebuild I could have probably gotten it done at a truck stop or on the side of the road, lol

Does your Jeep have any chronic issues? Anything need replacing? When I say mine is in "good" condition, I mean everything is basically brand new and I didn't have any doubts about the mechanical condition of anything.

If you DO have any doubts, fix them before you leave because it's much easier at home than on the side of a highway. Might as well install a good trans cooler if you have an automatic. The Hayden bar + plate ones are only like $25 for the kit, and it installs in an hour or so.

Change all fluids, carry some extra coolant (or just water), oil, and trans fluid if you have an auto. Make sure your radiator hoses are in good shape. Detail the interior before leaving - sucks to sit in a dirty car for days on end. Check the spare tire pressure, and double check the torque and tire PSI after you get the new ones installed, one of mine had almost 60 PSI in it (an MT rated for 35 psi Max)

Bring a spare belt, I keep spare throttle-body sensors (IAC, MAP, TPS) in my rig at all times anyway, the stupid torx bits for those as well as a slimmed down toolkit.

Other than that, any critical failures you are probably going to want some headphones or a pillow to take a nap while waiting for the tow truck

 

Nothing chronic comes to mind, thanks for the tip on sensors I'll put some spares in the Jeep also I'll look into a trans cooler.

 

If it has the original fuel pump you might want to proactively replace it. (I've been stranded a few times by sudden fuel pump failure in different vehicles.)

 

Crankshaft position sensor

 

From my latest experience: check your trans cooler lines, especially the join between the hard and soft lines on the lower pipe. Mine let go and left me stranded, it would have been a simple fix with the correct parts - or easy to prevent.

 

Consider changing out your brake fluid if you're unsure of its age or it hasn't been done in a couple of years. It's often the most over-looked and neglected fluid in any vehicle considering its function and the extremes it has to tolerate.

 

My jeep has an OEM trans cooler so I'll check those lines because they are 18 years old, my brakes fluid was changed around 3 years- 7k miles ago. I'll haven't had any issues with the CPS but I'll change it out for a new one. Thanks for the tips I really appreciate them!

 

Great tire for the price. I just put them on my DD and they ride very nice with not much noticeable road noise. Really glad I went with them.

 

Have a great trip! It sounds like a blast!