Ok guys I'm in the process of getting my new to me XJ trail ready.I have already replaced the exhaust manifold ( was cracked ) both front axle U-Joints ( both had cracked or missing caps ) changed all fluids including both diffs and transfer, but I'm wondering what the weak points are on a cherokee? If you had to pick one failure point that you commonly see while on the trail what is it?

By the way I have a 98 sitting on what I think is about a 4.5 inch lift ( previous owner wasn't sure ) I'm running BFG 255 75 17 on rubicon wheels.

 

What type of wheeling do you plane on doing?

 

My Jeep is my DD so I won't be going to crazy, Just want to take my son out and have some fun. I'm not real familiar with the offroading in my area as I have only been here a few years and I sold my Wrangler before we moved. I will be locking up the rear end soon, which will probably help me get in more trouble.

 

with out doing the math right know if your tires are 33" or taller your weak point is your rear axle if it is a dana 35. That is the biggest weak link in any XJ drive line imo

 

which rear end do you have? the dana 35 is a major weak point when locked. another weak point is the stock steering, mainly the tie rod. should be replaced with a v8 grand cherokee tie rod no matter what type of wheeling you do. I hope you grabbed 760x ujoints for the front when you replaced them

 

Skid plates.

 

I have the 8.25 in the rear. The U-Joint I put in the front were the strongest that the local NAPA carried. I will look into the tie rod.

 

sounds good. auto or manual trans? the automatic likes a nice cooler on there. other than that a slip yoke eliminator, aftermarket motor mounts, and frame stiffeners are the only other things I can think of. but you should be good to go with a zj tie rod and a locker on 33's

 

at least a gas tank skid so you can make it home heard too many horror stories about that lol

and for that stock steering comment the stick steering is not that bad i have had 4 trips with it and i wheel pretty hard and no problems. the only way you would bend it is if you try and push it on a rock and if your tires are wedged in something and cant turn but for sime mild wheeling it should be fine. but i am upgrading to rustys HD steering in a few months to be safe.

 

gas tank skid? for a light trail skip it. and that stock tie rod should absolutely go. hate to tell ya but rustys "HD" tie rod ain't much of an upgrade over stock.. save your money

 

If you lock the rear, I recommend the spartan locker. I got mine install last night in an hour. It's super quite compared to my buddies Aussie locker

 

gas tank is a must. you never know when something is going to hit the tank. most common thing i have noticed is just u joints failing but that because when i do wheel i wheel it hard. otherwise you will probably not run into any issues

 

Thanks for the help guys, I'm making a list. Replacing the tie rod is at the top right now, and I will also be looking at a skit plate for the gas tank.

 

For skids, protect your transfer case first. And when you do go with a gas tank skid, oem ones are cheap and decent.