Hi, I know very little about cars and I was wondering if someone could help me figure out what needs to be done to my 1991 Jeep Cherokee 4x4.



I am about to get my license in a few months and I want this to be my first car. This jeep is the car that I came home from the hospital in after I was born, so it has real sentimental value.

It has just over 215,000 miles on it. My Dad says that it has an 8 cylinder engine. It has off road tires on it right now, and the air conditioning unit was replaced a few years ago.

It is in rough shape, the back hatch can't stay open by it self with out a person or a stick to prop it up. The passenger side front doors hinge is shot. The drivers seat is leaning back really far that if you seat behind the driver you could almost do dental work on them. You can't extend your left leg when you drive because it leans terribly and you then would not be able to see the road, which really would not be a good thing. There is also a horrendous sound that come from the passenger side front tire area when ever you make a 90 to 45ish degree turn, its like a grinding sound. Anyone have any guesses what that could be?



For a car that is almost 23 years old, it is in pretty good condition, I think. My parents have taken car of it over the years, gotten the oil changed regularly, the emissions tested, etc. I am planning on getting a paint job and new off road tires to make it look nice and pretty. I just wanted to know if anyone could help me out and give me some advice on what I could do to spruce it up and make it look better, but also make sure that I don't get stuck on the side of the road broke down?

Thank you,
JeepBaby18

 

Have a pic of the engine? There is no way that It has a v8 unless someone put it in there (doubtful) You more than likely have a I6 4.0.

The shocks in the back (don't remember the actual name) are cheap and easy to replace in order to get your door to stay open.

Not sure what you can do about the sagging door. The grinding sound- is anything rubbing the tire? Just turn it to lock in your driveway and see if anything is rubbing down there. That is the easiest fix.

Drivers seat should be a pretty easy fix. You could weld/throw a self-tapping screw in the mechanism to hold it up or just do it the right way and buy a new seat (junk yard)
Welcome to cherokeeforum! It does not look to be in that bad of shape!

 

Something I always do to help things seem more managable is to start with the simple stuff. Like the shocks for the rear hatch. Super easy fix. As for the grinding it might be some of your fender flare hitting the wheel. Part of mine near the back of the wheel hits because it is starting to come apart. Maybe show us a picture ot the wheel in question?

 

You're going to need to learn. That's all. Everybody here started with no knowledge at all, and most of us are still learning.

When you have a question, search here to see if someone else has had that same issue. The easiest way to search is to ignore the search link on this site and use Google instead. The way you do this is the "site:" tag, like so:

site:cherokeeforum.com blinker fluid

That search returns results for "blinker fluid" (not a real thing, in case you're wondering). The "site:" tag restricts the search to just this board. You can do that with practically any website.

In addition to this board, also search YouTube. There are loads of how-to videos for practically every repair or mod on an XJ so you can actually see what you're getting into.

Familiarize yourself with the local self-service junk yards, like Pull-a-Part, Pick 'n Pull, LKQ, etc. Some things you want to buy new, but there are many parts you can get for very cheap at the local boneyard that will work just as well as new parts. You take your own tools in and pull what you need off the car, then take it to the counter to pay for it. They can be fun places if you have the right mindset.

Pop the hood and count the spark plug wires. There are probably either four or six of them, all on the passenger side. It's unlikely that it has a V8, because it didn't come with one.

That's an easy fix. You can buy the hatch struts from most local auto parts stores, or you can order them from Rock Auto. Rock Auto calls it a "lift support" and has them by several different brands from $8 to $12 each. You'll want to get this part new, because they're too cheap to worry about junk yard struts failing.

This is something you should be able to find pretty easily at a junk yard. My local Pull-a-Part sells them for $7.50.

You can find a replacement seat and seat rails in a junk yard. If you want them to match, you can get the whole set and swap them all out. You might even find one with leather.

However, looking at your pictures, I'm wondering about the condition of your floor panels. If your seat mounting points are rusted out, that seat could be leaning like that because there's nothing holding it up. If that's the case, it's going to need to be cut out and welded.

Don't panic yet. Here's where the learning process comes in. Slide up under the Jeep and watch as someone sits in the driver's seat to see if you can see the mounting points move. Take the seat and rails out and see what condition everything is in.

If all you need is a seat replacement, head to the junk yard. If there's more to it, cross that bridge when you come to it.

Could be a number of things. You could just have something rubbing. You could have a bad u-joint that is allowing the ears on the front axle to bind up when you turn. Could be a bad hub bearing. You're going to need to jack the front end up and investigate. Do you have a jack and jack stands? You'll need them.

In addition to the obvious problems, it's not a bad idea to change all the fluids in the differentials, transfer case and transmission. There's a lot of info here about how to do that and what fluids to use. People who religiously change their engine oil often neglect the other fluids, so it may really need it.

Worry about getting it mechanically sound first, THEN worry about appearance.

 

I have checked to see if there was any visable thing wrong with it, it might have something do with something underneath. The axel connection area maybe?

 

Thank you all for the help! I am not trying to fix it up myself, i just need to know what to tell my mechanic what I need/want. "Big Red" (the Jeep) goes in every once and a while to get a check up. I am a 5'3" girl and I just need to know what I can do not to get broken down in the middle of now where. I can change a tire by my self, theoretically change oil (my dad wont let me try...yet, he is waiting till it gets warmer).

I also need to know if this is going to cost a lot of money. I get the back hatch fix and the door hinge, I had already totaled those in, but I am happy they are cheap. A paint job is $500 ish and I don't want to spend more then $1000 (including paint job) on this Jeep. I know that my mechanic will make sure that the engine is good, but now I need the cosmetic stuff. Any one have suggestions on how to make it look better? Like a car a teenage would like to be seen in?

Thanks.

 

She's a beauty already!

As already stated, you're going to have to put in the time to learn how to fix things yourself. We can point you in the right direction but we can't fix your jeep for you over the internet.

Start off doing some small things. Change out those hatch lift supports, change your oil, rotate your tires. Familiarize yourself with what you're looking at. Jeeps are a never ending fun headache

 

Thanks! Clifford the Big Red Jeep tries his best to look good! He is a beaut at 23 aint he

 

Sorry, but the name Clifford the big red XJ is already taken on the forum haha

 

I'm changing it if you're referring to me. I no longer like that name now that I am 20. Lol

 

Haha awe cmon! Too late to change now, even I recognized the name.

 

The tire sound could be due to the tires being to big for stock suspension. I have 31s at stock height, and it runs the lower control arms at fu lock. What tire size you got?

 

Don't let being a girl stop you. There are plenty of girls who do their own work. We have a few here on the board. There may be a lot of jobs you're not comfortable tackling, but keep in mind that your $1000 fix-up budget will go a lot further if you're not paying a mechanic $100 per hour for labor. And also remember that a $7.50 part from the junk yard is going to cost a lot more if a mechanic sources it for you, because they're usually not in the habit of going to the Pick 'n Pull themselves when they can just charge you for a new part.

Congrats on inheriting the family Cherokee. It's a good looking Jeep, but even an ugly one is cool.

 

Consider what ever is wrong on one side of axle should be changed on other side too. They have the same miles.

Question your father more about maintenance done, or actually lack of. Trans oil, transfer case oil, differential/axle oil, coolant. Last time it got new plugs, battery, wiper blades?

 

Welcome, my advice is start putting together a decent tool collection. Pre-owned sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, jacks and stands can be found on Craigslist, if you prefer new then Harbor Freight works for most of us. If you've got rust, deal with it before it gets out of hand. When in doubt, change every fluid and if it can be flushed, flush it twice. Read, read, read then read some more, the search function is your friend.