So, I used to have an XJ. loved it, hit a big hole with it and twisted it so wound up getting rid of it because I could’t keep water out of it. Always have wanted another. My friend has an extra that he had the intention of building but life happened and he never got to do it. It’s a 97, can’t think of the trim level, but 4.0 automatic 4x4 in great shape, little to no rust, interior is clean. He was driving it it overheated and he never got it to start again. I’m don’t think he ever tried that hard either though. It’s been sitting in his garage the last 6 years and he finally wants to get rid of it. Before this issue it seemed to run great, my best guess is blown head gasket with a possibility cracked head.

Honestly if it was a recent thing I’d probably jump on it but now that it’s sat for so long I wonder what other things I can expect to deal with. I know the battery is probably done, the tires were next to shot then and they’ve been flat every time I’ve been over there so I know those are done. Does sitting like that effect the transmission, rearend, cooling system? The other worry is the fuel system. I kind of figure if I can get it for 6-800 it’s probably worth it given the shape the body is in and as long as the transmission and rearend are good. What’s the consensus on buying a non running Jeep?

BTW, I doubt many will remember me but I used to be Frantic29 on here and was a regular poster. Lost access to that account so bare with me as I try and relearn all the things I used to know.

 

The trans etc will be fine. Just go into this figuring on replacing the motor, tires and such. If you have to do less, good for you.

 

Buy it cheap. I think your $600-800 is very fair, as it's worth that in scrap at least, and if it all goes to pot, parting it out would net you more money. A rebuilt engine, if you put it in yourself would be about $3500 with a warranty.
Things that go bad due to sitting are seals/gaskets/rubber bits/vacuum lines, etc.
I would first pull the head, and see if the engine is rusty, and if it turns over. if it is not rusty and turns over, I would get the head resurfaced, throw a new gasket on there, and for $2-300 you might be off to the races.

 

Not exactly the same but almost 10 years ago I bought an '00 kind of running and not really drive-able.
I figured if it did not pan out wouldn't take to much of a beating moneywise.
So in the beginning I did bare minimum to figure out where I was at.
Got her up and running, punched through emissions, and registered.
Started driving her.
Always stayed closer to home. LOL.
The more I drove her and the more she behaved herself the more I fixed and the more I would stray farther from home.
Then I got it in my head to add all the factory options to her that she did not come with.
I have way more money in her then she is worth.
And don't mind one bit.
LOL.

 

Went to go look at it today. Been a long time since I actually looked it over. Here’s what I found.

He cannibalized the front brakes and radiator for his other XJ

In anticipation of pulling the motor he pulled most everything out of the engine bay. He says he has everything but it’s “around”. Lol. For some reason he had the headlights out of it. Although that’s something I’d be upgrading anyway so no big deal.

He had the valve cover off. The head doesn’t look cracked anywhere. The coolant was black though and was very oily feeling. I’m sure it was probably a blown head gasket at the least.

Body is good save for a spot on the driver rocker. Really a nice looking XJ. About as good as it gets in my neck of the woods anyway. Interior just needs a good cleaning and some TLC in a spot or two.

Front passenger window needs replaced. Windshield has a crack but not anything I’d be worried about initially.

Also, the usuals. Tires are shot, no battery etc.

I didn’t counter but he said he wanted $400. I don’t feel like that’s unfair. I’m sure I could part it out for more than that if I got and then just decided not to mess with it. So now I’m just debating.

 

If the cylinders have had water in them from the head gasket or whatever, it may not be ok after boring to clear any rust pitting, so then you would be at getting a new engine.

 

My initial thought is used motor. I found a couple around that would come with warranties, one with 69k the other with 84k, Bench tested, cleaned all that jazz, about half of what a new build would cost me. I am thinking about going over today and pulling the head just to see what the cylinders look like. If they are by some miracle clean then maybe I could get by with just a gasket and a resurface of the head. Either way I'd pull the current motor, even just to clean the engine bay good.

 

Just for a frame of reference: I recently purchased a '99 out of Texas. It is(was) running but here is a synopsis of what I got:

Rust free body
New steering linkage
New springs front and rear
New front wheel bearings
Decent tires
Extra set of factory steel wheels
Mostly OEM, had fugly stinger bumper
Incorrect front diff but came with a correct Dana HP 30( that required a total rebuild. The only parts I could reuse were the housing, carrier and ring and pinion. Everything else had to be replaced) The what I thought I was getting "free" differential has cost me almost $1K to fully restore
Dents on every body panel, some bad
Entire body is full of scratches
Power steering leaks
Rear main seal leaks
Filter adaptor leaks
Transmission pan leaks
Front frame rail damage(will require either a body shop or maybe a come along to straighten). This prevents me from installing a factory bumper
Interior OK; missing cargo carpet, some broken plastics, needs a good cleaning.
Check engine light came on as soon as I took delivery from the previous owner(have not checked what code it is yet)
Brakes are completely shot. Will need to replace most everything and fully flush the brown, nasty fluid out.

And I paid $3500 for it. Too much but I bought it sight unseen. The guy was kind enough to drive it from Texas to Indiana and deliver it. It was a nice favor and saved me some money, but I think his motivation was more so that he couldn't get that kind of money in Texas since no rust is not a big deal like it is up here and once someone got eyes on it and really checked it out, he would have had to sell it for much less.

At least those are my thoughts. It could be that I just expect too much. I'm known to be like that, lol.

 

After another look I decided against it. Found some more red flags that was just more than I wanted to deal with. If it ran good and had a rough spot or two or was rust free but didn’t run that’d be different. But it didn’t check either box. Will keep searching.

 

I would rather rip and replace a whole drivetrain than mess with rust.

 

same here.

 

Yes and yes. All day. Everyday.