I went and took a look at an 86 cherokee 2door. i live in michigan and this thing had no rust. floors looks good with a flashlight. It's a 2.8 5 speed 4x4, 2.8 was just rebuilt. new alternator, water pump, shocks, and all new exhaust from the cat back. He told me $2000 and its mine. I was thinking $1500. i've heard good and bad things about the 2.8.

 

Absolutely NOOOOOOOO. The 2.8 is pure junk. I can find used '90s models for that price with all the power goodies and the 4.0 motor. The only way I'd consider buying that jeep is if I could get it for under $500, and I would use it as a buildup rig and swap in the 4.0, lift, bumpers, lockers, etc.

How do you plan to use it? Daily driver/commuter? Build project?

 

2.8 is a turd. But you can change that to a 3.4 and it should be better.

 

A 3.4? Are you talkin' Chevy, Toyota,... ? Why would he not just swap it for the 4.0?

 

That is wasy to high of an asking price for a 86 in any condition. Give it some time and search around a little. The 2.8 V6 is underpowered and unreliable. You should be able to find a Cherokee in good condition with the much more reliable 4.0 for under 2K.

 

X2. I say pass on it.
Dan

 

You cant easily swap a 4.0 in place of the 2.8 because the engine compartments are slightly different.

just a heads up.

 

i have a 2000 with the 4.0 as a project. as far as unreliable. the motor was just rebuilt, what was bad about them? i had an s10 and it seemed ok.
Thanks for all of the reply's by the way.

 

The 2.8 used a 2-barrel Carb and had 115 hp and 150 lb·ft.
Now, compare that to the 4.0l Fuel Injected engine: 173hp for Renix, with 215 Ft lbs. Average of 190hp and 225 lb-ft for HO engines, and 193hp and 245 lb-ft in 2000-01.

Not only does the 4.0 have more power and torque, it is also much stronger. More reliable due to the fuel injection, and is just an all together better engine.

Yes, 3.4 Chevy V6.
A 4.0 would be a hard swap, you would have to get a wiring harness out of another jeep, the motor, the trans, Shifter, Tcase, etc. I dont know what you would do about the motor mounts...

 

Definitely pass. You can get something better for less. Just wait.

 

So this other one you're thinking of buying would just be a commuter, right? If you're just getting to and from work and stuff, I suppose it would suit those needs. The 2.8 V6 is anemic, weak, problematic, trouble-prone, a piece of crap... shall I go on? Seriously, if you're going to buy a 24 yr old jeep it's WAY overpriced. I guarantee you can find something newer with the 4.0 for the same price. Sounds like the guy is just trying to recoup some of the cash he just dumped into it. If you really need to know specific problematic areas with the 2.8, go to NAXJA and do a search on that motor and have fun reading all the threads bashing it.

 

ok im going to pass.

 

Thanks for posting the numbers on those motors. I was going to put them up for the OP to see, but you beat me to it.

As for the swap, you really think the 3.4 would be a LESS-INVOLVED swap than the 4.0? I would argue that...

 

I didnt say it would be less involved...
All I did was clarify on someone elses post. I then continued to post my opinion on the 4.0 swap.

 

Ah, no worries. Thanks for the clarification.