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Decided the 1987 B2200 was no longer the right fit, so dumped it just short of 28 years in favor of my first choice, an XJ. Always regretted not digging deeper for the Cherokee back in 87. But found a suitable candidate after a fairly long search.
Paid too much for a 1999 XJ classic, given its condition, but it seemed better to put repairs on to one of these than on the previous resident, and the prices on new vehicles are far out of balance with their utility.
So.....This post is really just to say THANKS for all of the info I gathered from this forum while doing vehicle research.
This particular instance of 1999 XJ'ness came with 157000 miles on odo, bald tires, frowny-faced leaf springs, a bit of rain leaking into passenger compartment, and some wires in the doors that need attention. After cleaning out the guts and blood stains in the interior, its looking livable inside(slight exaggeration there.....it really doesn't look all that livable. )
The best news about its condition is that it is virtually rust free. The leak must be new, because the passenger pan is solid. The frame rails appear rust free. Even the hardware doesn't seem too bad.
Already replaced the front hubs, brake pads and rotors. Also stabilizer bar bushings, one was being held together by the grease. Added new steering stabilizer. The rest of the steering looks to be in good condition for its age. New tires installed. The people I bought it from had done the radiator/water pump/hoses, and some cosmetic work on the front end.
Decided to farm out the adding new shocks and leafs. If I had access to a lift or pit I might have tackled them, but I'd have problems doing the leafs and rear shocks on my back. Not going to lift it, just need to use it on beach and to get up my son's driveway.
Transmission is smooth as silk, transfer case shifts fine, and the engine seems to run. The oil is now fresh, looks good, no signs of coolant. Trans fluid, fresh. Front diff, check. Waiting on the rain to stop to change out transfer case and rear diff fluids.
The big concern is the color of the coolant. Not clean, has black residue, but no oil. Best case is it needs a flush. Not so good case, has a head gasket problem. Worse case is the engine has a crack somewhere. Grrrrr.
So it needs a good coolant flush, and at the very least a compression test. Hoping that the color is from rust or a previous chemical treatment for a leaky radiator. Not really sweating a head gasket job. Replacing the engine might be a pain.
But even if it needs a new engine, it will still be a bargain compared to most of what I see from the competition. If I can keep it going for 28 years like the last one.... I win!
Behold......my latest financial boondoggle:
Last edited by el diablo loco; 11-09-2015 at 06:47 PM.
Reason: add photo and title edit
"The big concern is the color of the coolant. Not clean, has black residue, but no oil. Best case is it needs a flush. Not so good case, has a head gasket problem. Worse case is the engine has a crack somewhere. Grrrrr.
So it needs a good coolant flush, and at the very least a compression test. Hoping that the color is from rust or a previous chemical treatment for a leaky radiator. Not really sweating a head gasket job. Replacing the engine might be a pain."
Just as long as it hasn't been subjected to some type of "stop leak" you should be OK, that stuff should be renamed to "plugs everything solid".
Just as long as it hasn't been subjected to some type of "stop leak" you should be OK, that stuff should be renamed to "plugs everything solid".
Thanks.
It runs right at 200-210, steady, no sign it wants to overheat. The oil pressure is good. No coolant in the oil either. Engine sounds really good, and there isn't any sort of hesitation or missing.
For now I'm staying optimistic, at least until I check the compression.
New stock leaf springs and new stiffer shocks improved the ride a great deal. Also 'lifted' the rear about 3/4 of an inch. Curious to see if the rear tires have clearance with a load in back.
Debugged and fixed power lock and speaker issues. Add sound deadener in the door panels?
Yesterday's rain provided more info on passenger side leaks. There is definitely water coming in from along the antenna cable. Also possible there is some leakage around passenger door seals. Thinking the wire boot at the passenger kick panel may be the source for some of the water.
After everything drys out, going to look for any other gaps and holes in the vicinity and apply sealant to all. Have the carpet padding and insulation pulled out, not sure if it will be reinstalled or replaced with something that is more impermeable. Very light surface rust along interior seam of passenger pan and rocker crying out for Ospho and paint.
Needs a tow hitch, a pair of aftermarket speakers for the rear, and a full size spare tire, and fluid for transfer case and rear differential.
Last edited by el diablo loco; 11-20-2015 at 08:35 AM.
Probably just some rust in the radiator, i doubt the head is cracked, its not overheating and no coolant in the oil, and the other way around,
Otherwise good find! And no rust on frame always a pluse!!
Probably just some rust in the radiator, i doubt the head is cracked, its not overheating and no coolant in the oil, and the other way around,
Otherwise good find! And no rust on frame always a pluse!!
Thanks for the optimism. The no-rust-on-frame was a deciding factor for buying this one. The undercarriage is like brand new compared to every other XJ I looked at.
I've been doing an 'el cheapo flush'......emptying and cleaning the overflow bottle, and refill with clean coolant. It is starting to slowly get better, so I'm becoming more optimistic myself. I've put another 800 miles on it, Everything still as it should be.
Beats the stink out of the B2200, which had a whopping 95 hp straight from the factory. I doubt it was putting out 95 hp when I sold it.
Last edited by el diablo loco; 11-20-2015 at 06:29 PM.
Added more new parts. Put on a new track bar, drag link, and HD tie rod from Ironrock offroad. Decided the tie rod ends were worn enough to justify replacing, so may as well get everything else updated too.
Broke the @&!^#*$( track bar bolt and reamed the flag nut trying to torque the bolt to spec. Took a while to track down a suitable replacement. Got a spare while I was at it.
Water leak(s) so far identified as:
1) Bad seal on passenger door
2) Bad seal on hood gasket over blower motor
3) Definite leak source around base of blower motor
4) Door leak aggravated by poor fit of interior door panel. Causes water that may have otherwise dripped down the outside of the seal to drip on the inside.
Leak solutions:
1) "Fluffed" the weatherstrip on the doors by wedging a 3/8 round insulation strip behind the factory weatherstrip. Cleaned the interior of the door panel and used silicone grease on the weatherstrip. Pulled off the inside door panel to replace the passenger side module(fixed power locks). Used all new plastic clips on the panel. Will probably drill the panel and use actual sheet metal screws for a tighter more permanent fix. (Plastic clips = pet peeve)
!!leak in this area eliminated!!
2)Silicone grease on the hood gasket. Gasket needs replacement.
3) unresolved. Needs RTV around bottom of the joint. Will also mold a short strip of gutter to attach to the pinchweld lip above blower motor to divert leaks out to at least the AC drain. Probably also needs a couple of drain holes drilled on the fender just in front of the blower motor. That area forms a pocket that holds water if the vehicle is parked facing uphill.
4) New plastic clips used on door panels(both passenger and driver) but the plastic is deformed and does not make good contact with the door. Probably from previous owner bending the panel away rather than removing it completely for speaker work. Will definitely require actual real screws.
Did an eyeball alignment with a couple of strings after mucking about with the tierod. Took it in to a Firestone place for a "professional" alignment. Got the heap back, and the steering wheel was about 30 degrees off. Was looking at the alignment sheet, and it really had not changed much from the before/after numbers.
Turns out they gave a turn on the steering adjustment at the pitman arm, and didn't do squat to change the toe in. Glad I put paint marks on the parts before I took it in.
So now I trust my string more.
Still needs a slight bit more toe in. Fixed the steering before the monsoon started.
Mall Approved!(After new tires, springs, and a run through the car wash)
Last edited by el diablo loco; 01-12-2016 at 08:04 AM.
Quit raining for a couple of days so I got a chance to reconsider the "professional" alignment I got from the Firestone chain store.
The alignment showed the toe in was just barely positive, .02 degrees. That's too little for me to be able to measure with just a tape measure. On the road it was wandering more than before I took it to the store for alignment, so I decided to tinker with the alignment to pull the toe in a bit more.
Gave a full turn on the tie rod. That stabilized the ride, but hearing road noise off the front tires at around 50mph. Backed it out a half turn, and the handling is now pretty good, and no noise off the tires. Looks like about 1/8th to 3/16 inches of toe in did the trick for my 235's.
So currently getting new rear brakes is the only safety item left outstanding. The brakes are working, just would like newer hardware. Will wait on that until next fall.
The blood and guts stains in the interior mostly came out, but I decided to put el-cheapo saddle blanket seat covers on anyway. Had those on the previous vehicle, and it was nice to be able to yank them out and throw them in the wash.
It must be good to go cuz out of the blue the wife drove off to work in it today. huh.
Next improvement will be to add a trailer hitch. Would prefer front and rear bumpers with hitches, but not decided. And an air pump. Regretting the stock leafs. Will probably add helper springs just to buck it up for the hitch mount cargo carrier.
After that its time to make ferry reservations to CALO and pack the camp gear.
Last edited by el diablo loco; 01-08-2016 at 09:48 AM.
So. The irrational optimism about the nasty coolant and residue collecting in the overflow tank ran aground in shark infested waters.
Once summer arrived, overheating issues began to become regular/frequent. A chemical test was positive for combustion gasses in the coolant. Major problem.
After considering the alternatives, decided to take it to a good shop for estimates on an engine replacement. Symptoms on the overheat seemed a lot more like a cracked head rather than a head gasket. Didn't tell the shop what I thought, just described the symptoms. They came to the conclusion I did after finding pretty high levels of combustion gas in the coolant. The gas levels increased as the engine operating temp went up.
Decided to get the mostly unknown engine replaced with a remanufactured engine. Was hoping to put it off a couple of years, but engine replacement was part of the original plan anyway.
Many dollar$ later, new(er) engine seems good to go. Since it was being ripped apart anyway, also had the torque converter, distributor, coil, radiator, water pump, and a couple of sensors replaced with new parts.
Had to farm out the work, just not up to that large a job.
So my 17 year old 1999 XJ is now a mostly-new vehicle. Runs great.
Since January, also added front and rear hitches. The front hitch is mostly a tow point, since a front hitch cost about the same as most of the tow add-ons. The front hitch also made the front end a lot more rigid, and helped with the steering wander.
Also determined most of the driver side leak was windshield related, with the leak being somewhere just below the drivers side top corner. Windshield replacement can wait a couple of years, leak plugged with judicious application of RTV around the corner and inside the rubber gasket.
Dumped and cleaned front and rear differential gear oils, and serviced the transfer case as well. Fresh fluids everywhere now except for brakes and power steering.
Next more immediate improvements will be a rear brake job, new brake fluid and finding a rim for a full size spare.
So for less than a quarter of the cost of a new Wrangler Unlimited, I have a rejuvenated XJ. Yeah, I can live with that.
Last edited by el diablo loco; 07-20-2016 at 12:04 PM.
11-09-2015, 06:40 PM
New XJ Noob. 1999 XJ. Finally
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