If you're OK with the color of the Jeep, the paint doesn't look too bad. I'd start by plasti-dipping the trim black. At $7 per can, it can give the Jeep a much nicer look and save you the $500 paint job!

Since you're just getting your license, I'm assuming you're in high school. With that in mind, if your school offers it, take an auto shop class and learn all you can. I'm not sure many schools offer that anymore but if so, you could learn a lot.
Kudos on being willing to try as well. The skills you learn will benefit you for many years and save you a lot of money.
Also, be sure to thoroughly look through the forum to gather as much info as you can. There are a ton of good technical write-ups that will help a lot.
Finally, be sure to take a big picture view of what you want to do with the Jeep. You may only have $1000 now but in a year or two, that budget may grow. Prioritize what needs to be done to make it safe to drive first. Then later on you can change out the saggy headliner. The more you can do yourself, the further your budget will get you and the more you make the Jeep yours.
Good luck!

We have a lot of diagrams on our site that can help you get familiar with the parts on your Jeep -
http://www.jeep4x4center.com/jeep-parts/index.htm

We also have some manuals, parts listings, and other tech info that can help you to. -
http://www.jeep4x4center.com/knowledge-base/index.htm

The images and diagrams will make a big difference so you know what's involved with each section, such as the engine, the suspension, brakes, etc. Then you will have a good idea on what questions to ask when you have a problem, or your're looking for a specific part. :-)




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I've used those diagrams a lot. Another thing that is usually pretty helpful is a Haynes or chiltons manual.

Totally agree. We carry the Haynes ones.

I know this is the internet age, but I still use book manuals because you can take them out to the vehicle, so they're right there to look at while you're working on it. :-)





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I found the Haynes manual to be worse than worthless because so much of it is so generic for "all" years that what's there either has to be written vaguely or it doesn't apply to the one I have. I'd spend the extra for the FSM any day and use the Haynes to line a birdcage.

Really? I guess I typically just used it to find general locations or tips. Youtube typically is where I get most of the useful stuff from.

A factory service manual is well worth the investment.

Since February, Big Red has been through a lot and I still need some help. After an issue with the power steering and having to go a few days with filling up the fluid basin before i attempted to drive it, we got that fixed without any problem.

My problem now is that the break/turn signal sockets rotted. I now need to find some replacements that are almost the same. I need some help in figuring out what break/turn signal sockets from other years or models will work with my 1992 Jeep Cherokee 4 door 4WD 4.0L! (I figured out the specs on my Jeep. I am quite proud of myself!) Can anyone help me?
Thanks!

I could be wrong, but I believe you can use just about any year Cherokee or Comanche socket. If in doubt, take a good picture of your socket with your phone, so you have it with you to compare. I had to replace one on my 91 and the replacement came from a 96 XJ. Hope that helps a little.

If the sockets aren't too bad you can sand them down and clean them. If not you can cut the wires on some junkyard sockets and splice them to your rusted out wires to replace the rusty ones. Try to find sockets from a pre 96 xj.

As ExtraShakey said - you can learn. When I started out a couple years ago I knew how to put gas in the tank. Between some basic tools and a lot of time on Google, I'm in the middle of an axle build and regear right now. About the only thing I don't do myself is welding, and that's just because I'm not willing to spend the money or time to learn when I could be wheeling.

Get some tools, search the forums/Google and tackle one thing at a time. You can do it yourself and save a TON of money.

So what people are telling me in that I can go on line/call Pick-A-Part and have them find me a pair of sockets from any Cherokee XJ? I am not trying to do things by myself. I would rather trust a professional mechanic who knows what they are doing. I can do the basics, change a tire, change oil, and after that little power steering incident change some power steering fluid. I don't have time to be learning about how to rebuild a car.

I have another question, if I can only get a Headlamp socket will it work for the tail light socket? I realize that may be a dumb question, but I am a newb.

That's fine. Not everyone has the desire to work on their cars. That's why auto repair is a valuable trade and auto mechanics make decent money. It's good that you at least want to understand what you're paying them to do.

However, keep a few things in mind:

If you're going to own an older vehicle, things WILL go wrong with it, and you WILL end up paying a lot of money for other people to do your repairs over the years as a result. That's fine as long as you have the money to pay them. Often, however, people own Cherokees because they have a lot more time on their hands than spare cash lying around. If you know how to do some of your own repairs, you'll save thousands of dollars in labor cost. When you're broke and your car breaks down so you can't get to work, being able to fix it yourself can end up being the difference that allows you to pay the rent that month. I hope you won't ever be in that situation, but it happens every day.

Also, know your audience. When you ask questions here, most of the folks answering do at least some of their own work and will assume that's why you're here also. So if people keep pushing you back toward doing the repairs yourself, keep in mind that they're coming at this with a completely different mindset.

Also, a professional mechanic will not necessarily do a better job than you can do on your own with some patience and research. In some cases they can screw things up. They'll be faster than you would be, but with speed can come carelessness. Some end up doing their own work simply because they're tired of seeing other people screw things up.

Anyway, lecture over.

No. The headlight socket is completely different.