Brand new to the Land of Jeep
10-18-2010, 10:00 PM
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Dayton, OH
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee
Brand new to the Land of Jeep
Just bought my first jeep last week. It's a 1990 Cherokee, standard package as far as I can tell (not larado, limited, sport, etc). Has 326,000 miles on body and frame, but has a new reman. motor (from a company I believe he called "S&S"??), a junkyard transmission with around 80,000mi, and he said he put a new chain in the transfer case when he installed it all. Its also got various other new parts (alternator, starter, radiator, etc) as well as a few things it needs (power steering pump, drivers seat, rear wiper motor), but all in all I love it so far! Seems like everything works the way it should, or close enough... 
Its a Tennessee Jeep, but I live in Dayton, OH. He gave it a paint job because he said the factory paint was faded into oblivion. But as far as I can tell there is very minimal rust. I'll try to get a picture or 2 up here tomorrow. Oh yeah, and he's put the Ford 4.6L injectors in it, and said when he ran to indiana and back for work he got 22 mpg with the stock tires. I just put brand new 225/75/15 AT's on it, so it probably won't do that well, but I'd be thrilled with 15 mpg frankly. This jeep is replacing my 84 K5 Blazer I just sold that was my daily driver for 3 years. Loved that thing to death, but only got about 9-10.
Haha... so that's honestly what brought me to cherokees. I wanted to maintain as much functionality of my blazer as I could, but have something a little newer that got a little better mileage. And here I am... I'm no ASE Technician, but I have a basic foundation of automotive knowledge. And am definitely willing to learn as much as I can to avoid the obscene labor costs of even the most trusted shops.
So far, I've checked the fluids (needs a PS and Coolant flush, definitely. AT fluid and oil look good), put new tires on it, its getting a new windshield tomorrow, and I have a power steering pump that will likely go on tomorrow due to the old one leaking. It seems the brakes are in decent shape, so I'll keep an eye on those. Got an allignment when I got my tires mounted and balanced professionally (...couldn't figure out how to do that one myself and not die
). Besides that, any tips on what to check or keep an eye out for on a high-mile jeep?
I really want a tow hitch so I can pull our pop-top, and am considering getting a trans-cooler just because I've heard bad things about the transmissions on these and I've had "good" auto transmissions go under the heat and stress of towing. I'd also kind of like a brush guard, partially because it makes me feel manly, and also because I've hit a deer with every car I've owned and it annoys me very much to keep replacing headlights and small trim pieces and plastic grills... but that's about it. Its gonna be a driver. I don't really go wheeling at all, I just like the 4wd for winter.
So that's me! I'm excited to see what lays ahead for me and my jeep, and from what I gather, the community here has tons of great information and ideas to help me along. Thoughts welcome!
Its a Tennessee Jeep, but I live in Dayton, OH. He gave it a paint job because he said the factory paint was faded into oblivion. But as far as I can tell there is very minimal rust. I'll try to get a picture or 2 up here tomorrow. Oh yeah, and he's put the Ford 4.6L injectors in it, and said when he ran to indiana and back for work he got 22 mpg with the stock tires. I just put brand new 225/75/15 AT's on it, so it probably won't do that well, but I'd be thrilled with 15 mpg frankly. This jeep is replacing my 84 K5 Blazer I just sold that was my daily driver for 3 years. Loved that thing to death, but only got about 9-10.
Haha... so that's honestly what brought me to cherokees. I wanted to maintain as much functionality of my blazer as I could, but have something a little newer that got a little better mileage. And here I am... I'm no ASE Technician, but I have a basic foundation of automotive knowledge. And am definitely willing to learn as much as I can to avoid the obscene labor costs of even the most trusted shops.
So far, I've checked the fluids (needs a PS and Coolant flush, definitely. AT fluid and oil look good), put new tires on it, its getting a new windshield tomorrow, and I have a power steering pump that will likely go on tomorrow due to the old one leaking. It seems the brakes are in decent shape, so I'll keep an eye on those. Got an allignment when I got my tires mounted and balanced professionally (...couldn't figure out how to do that one myself and not die
). Besides that, any tips on what to check or keep an eye out for on a high-mile jeep? I really want a tow hitch so I can pull our pop-top, and am considering getting a trans-cooler just because I've heard bad things about the transmissions on these and I've had "good" auto transmissions go under the heat and stress of towing. I'd also kind of like a brush guard, partially because it makes me feel manly, and also because I've hit a deer with every car I've owned and it annoys me very much to keep replacing headlights and small trim pieces and plastic grills... but that's about it. Its gonna be a driver. I don't really go wheeling at all, I just like the 4wd for winter.
So that's me! I'm excited to see what lays ahead for me and my jeep, and from what I gather, the community here has tons of great information and ideas to help me along. Thoughts welcome!
Last edited by boy_named_sue; 10-18-2010 at 11:23 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)