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Hi guys,
Next week my friends dad is giving me his 01 jeep cherokee sport, with 103,000 miles on it. It is completely stock and I want to lift it for sure so I can take it off roading. My question is what size lift should I go with? I want to just do some basic off roading to start and maybe get into some more advanced stuff later on. I really like the look with the wide tires, so should I also add spacers?
I prefer just a 3" lift on 31" tires. I'm not a hardcore off-roader and this set up does everything that I have needed to do. Anything over 3" and it gets expensive. As far as spacers, for almost the same price, you can buy new wheels from a couple of sources. A lot of people run spacers with no ill effect, I'd just prefer to not add any extra parts.
first of all, welcome to the forum and xj life. you're going to love it.
second, slow down.
before spending any money on a lift and tires you should make sure everything is running in tip top shape. the lift does you no good broken down in your driveway.
check and if necessary replace all fluids (oil, trans, tcase, coolant, brake, diffs)
check and if necessary replace all tie rod ends and bushings. steering, control arms, etc
also all u joints
then, once you feel like you can drive your jeep to the north pole and back without a hiccup, take it out on a trail. see what it can do. xjs are ridiculously capable in stock form. gauge your needs from there.
larger tires 30 or 31" can be used on a stock height xj if you just trim the fenders and bumper end caps a little. if you must lift it, a 2" budget boost will easily fit those tires.
if you want to go 3" and up, this is where it gets expensive. to properly lift it so that all of your suspension and driveline angles are correct, you're looking at new
springs
shocks
brake lines
control arms
sye
shackle relocation
and a million other little things that all add up to at least $1k after its all said and done
first start with maintenance. spend a few weeks just browsing the forum and interwebs learning about it all and then you decide what you need
I would agree with everything above. Spend your time and money early on to make sure its a sound platform to build. Spend a lot of time reading about what has worked for others and what didn't before you jump right in to buying stuff. You will change your mind about things as you learn more and none of us get it right the first time but it may save you from building it twice like some of us have.
One other thing I tell everyone is build YOUR Jeep. Just because someone else tells you have to have 35s and an 8" lift kit doesn't mean its right for you. I ran a TJ on 2.5" of lift and 32s for years and they all followed me. Take all the advice you can get but then decide what's right for you.
I had it inspected at the mechanic and he said everything is in great shape. I'm going to drive it around for a few weeks and take your advice before I start thinking about a lift. Thank you for your help.
If you want to have a look what axles etc your jeep was built with, whack your vin number in the smaller search bar here and you'll get a full build sheet.
Depending on where you want to go, an XJ doesn't need anything to be able to do it. They're very capable stock. If you're new to wheeling or even just to XJ's, you should drive it and wheel it stock before you do any modding so that you can become familiar with its abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Spend your initial investments on maintenance/restoration so that it is as healthy and reliable as possible.
While I'm not stock, I do not have a lift and am not on huge tires, and my XJ is very capable.
Engine: Golen 4.6 Stroker, AFE Headers, 62mm TB, 24 LB Injectors, Brown Dog kit, HF Cat, 3" Exhaust
The first thing I would look at (besides a good tuneup) if I had an 01 is getting rid of your low pinion D30 front axle. The high pinions are readily available and pretty cheap. (99 and down). I would not build anything with that LP under there.
After that, It all depends on what you are going to do. I am at 6.5" and 35s and despite what the guys with the small Jeeps say, I can do alot more. That being said, a Jeep XJ with a small lift and slightly bigger tires is pretty formidable and the smaller guys I wheel with still have fun even if they have to bypass some of the obstacles/get winched through snow etc. I have way more money in mine than most but my other hobbies are cheap (backpacking/hunting/fishing).
If you are like most, and are just going to dd it with the occasional trail/drive into the woods, just start with a cheap 3" or so and go from there. I say cheap because alot of people end up saying "I wish I would have went bigger." down the road. If you think you are going to want to do more than that, I would save up and buy quality components because it will save you in the long run.
Skip the spacers for some good backspaced rims. I would go with a 16" just because there are so many more tires available for them.
Welcome to the forum and the fever! Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to be given a Jeep!
Next week my friends dad is giving me his 01 jeep cherokee sport, with 103,000 miles on it.
Why is he willing to give it away? Does it have a problem?
FYI, the 2001 came from the factory with a head that likes to crack for no reason. Search "0331 head crack" for more information. If you're going to own an '01, you need to be aware of the issue and take extra care with maintenance of the cooling system. You also need to be checking regularly for signs of the cracked head.
I'm not crapping on your score, because it's a good one. I just wish I had known earlier about the head problems before mine went.
Why is he willing to give it away? Does it have a problem?
FYI, the 2001 came from the factory with a head that likes to crack for no reason. Search "0331 head crack" for more information. If you're going to own an '01, you need to be aware of the issue and take extra care with maintenance of the cooling system. You also need to be checking regularly for signs of the cracked head.
I'm not crapping on your score, because it's a good one. I just wish I had known earlier about the head problems before mine went.
Thanks for the advice! Sorry he's not just giving it to me haha I wish. I had it inspected at the jeep dealership and they said they have never seen one in as good of condition as this one is in. I will watch out for the head cracking though.
Next week my friends dad is giving me his 01 jeep cherokee sport, with 103,000 miles on it.
Originally Posted by 01cherokee01
Sorry he's not just giving it to me haha I wish.
Okay, that sounded a little too good to be true. Sounds like you're actually buying it from him?
In addition to the head issue, there are a number of things that make a 2001 a little different from other XJs. It's good to know these things from the outset.
In 1999 Chrysler redesigned the intake and made incremental improvements on it in 2000 and 2001. You have the best intake manifold they ever put on the XJ.
As Ianf406 noted, the 2001 came from the factory with a low pinion Dana 30 front axle. 1999 and earlier had a high pinion D30. With a low pinion D30, you give up a little bit of ground clearance, and the axle itself is slightly weaker. They are also prone to more issues when you lift, because the drive shaft angle is steeper. There's nothing "wrong" with the axle, but if you're planning on doing anything that will require regearing or axle upgrades, you will likely want to find a high pinion axle from a '94 to '99 and swap it in rather than spending money on the low pinion axle.
The 2001 came with California emissions with three catalytic converters and four O2 sensors. To accommodate the extra cats, you have a two-piece exhaust manifold, where '99 and earlier had a one piece manifold. What this means in practical terms is that if you decide you want to put a header on it, the cheaper eBay headers (like APN) will not fit. You have to get a header that is specifically made to fit a 2000 or 2001, and you may pay a bit more for it.
The '00 and '01 models do not have a distributor or spark plug wires. Instead, they have a coil rail with spark plug boots sticking out of it so that the whole rail sits right on top of the plugs. The 0331 head is made to accommodate brackets to hold that coil rail in place. Some people hate that coil rail, but I kinda like it.
Back to that head, the 0331 head crack is a serious issue. There are two versions of the 0331 head. The original version, which came in your XJ, was prone to cracking between the #3 and #4 cylinders. Some crack for no reason without ever having been overheated. Some last seemingly forever. Nobody knows if they lost that lottery until it cracks. Overheating one, however, seems to be a guarantee of a crack, and later model XJs already tend to run hot. Sometimes you can even see the crack by looking down into the oil filler hole in the valve cover. But not always.
When Chrysler realized they had a problem with the original 0331, they quietly changed foundries to TUPY in Brazil for the 2002 model year Jeeps. The TUPY 0331 fixes the casting flaw. You can identify a TUPY head by looking down into the oil filler cap and seeing "TUPY" cast into the head between the #3 and #4 cylinders (right where the older one liked to crack). Unfortunately none of the XJs came with this head. It's only found on the other 4.0L Jeeps from 2002 on.
When they crack, you will either get coolant in your oil or exhaust gas boiling your coolant. If you have coolant loss without a visible leak, be alarmed. If your coolant turns brown over a short period of time, be alarmed. If you start seeing your temperature gauge suddenly jump up 20 degrees, be alarmed. If you see your oil level rise between oil changes, you've probably already done some damage. The oil does not always turn milky when it has coolant in it. Some people see a milky substance on the bottom of their oil filler caps as a telltale, but not always.
One easy early detection system is to send off an oil sample for analysis at a lab like Blackstone. They'll send you the test kit for free, and it costs $25 for the analysis. If coolant gets into your oil, they will likely detect it before you have any other symptoms. I send off samples for both my vehicles at every oil change. It's cheap and easy peace of mind.
Now, you may get lots of miles out of the one you have, as there's no reliable way to predict a failure. However, if it were me, I would save up my pennies and plan to swap in a more reliable replacement on my own timetable so that I could have confidence in it. I would rather not always be wondering if it was still okay.
The most popular and easiest replacement seems to be an aftermarket head from Clearwater Cylinder Heads. That's actually what I would use. A TUPY 0331 head out of a junk yard is also an option, if you can find one. The 0630 head from '99 or earlier is not a direct fit, but it will work with some modifications. The 0630 has no provision for your coil rail. If you go with a used head (either TUPY or 0630), be sure to have it checked by a machine shop to ensure that you're not swapping in other problems.
If you don't want to preemptively swap it, that's fine. Just make sure you stay on top of monitoring that head. Some people have gotten well over 200K miles out of them, so waiting is a valid option too.
Welcome to the community. You'll love having an XJ. They are really quite amazing vehicles.
Last edited by extrashaky; 02-22-2015 at 11:13 AM.
Reason: Fixed a typo.
02-20-2015, 04:18 PM
I'm new to the Cherokee life
