I have a 1988 Cherokee Limited with straight 6 and while idle it shakes quite a bit. I have a friend with an 87 V6 and it does not shake nearly as much... i brought it to a mechanic and they said "it's okay for this type of vehicle to do this". He really didn't seem to interested in looking at it. Is this normal? Any input is appreciated!

 

When was the last time you tuned it up?

 

How do the the motor and trany mounts look?
Does the rpm drop while it's shaking (low idle?)

 

Ive had it for about 2 years now only thing I've done is change muffler and battery because that's all that has been NEEDED to be done lol.

 

I have no clue on the mounts... the RPM does go up and down a bit while in park...

 

Maybe a dirty throttle body and/or idle control valve. I'd start there.
Grab a can of tb cleaner (~$5) and pop off the throttle body and scrub the walls and butterfly valve shiny clean! Might also want to get a new air filter while your at it.

There's a few write ups on here that explain how to clean the throttle body and IAC in detail if your new to that. Also check for lose, cracked, missing vacuum hoses.

 

Does it idle smoothly? If yes, I would check motor and transmission mounts for signs of failure. If not, head over to the OEM Tech forum and ask about addressing your rough idle.