Hello from the middle of Iowa
04-30-2009, 05:11 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Ames, Iowa
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
Hello from the middle of Iowa
Hi, I'm Luke and I'm from Iowa.
I just agreed to purchase a 1999 Cherokee Sport that's got 148k miles on it and has the inline 6 engine with an automatic transmission. I'm buying it because it makes more sense than a pickup in terms of hauling my dog, going camping, etc.. I figure I'll have to purchase a little trailer to pull my motorcycles and haul junk to the dump.
I'm replacing my poor, rusted out 1992 Isuzu pickup with it. It'll be sad to see the Isuzu go since it's my loyal winter beast, but it's not that practical since my wife won't drive it and it'll only fit two people inside.
Most of my experience with cars and trucks are things that are rear wheel driven with inline engines. At the moment my daily driver is a Volvo 240 wagon (looks sort of like an XJ I guess.) And I've got a '54 Ford sedan and a '66 Austin Healey Sprite, as well as the aforementioned Isuzu with a 2.6L 4 banger in it.
Anyway, I'm a complete Jeep virgin. I know my way around the garage just fine, but I have never owned a Jeep or Chrysler product. I suppose it's a fitting sign that I'm buying in the day they go **** up.
I'm looking for some quick tips on the things I should immediately check and fix up on it. Common problem spots on the '99. How to ID what sort of transfer case, transmission, front/rear differential, and all that good stuff.
The previous owner has owned it for the past 125k miles and just did regular maintenance. I'm sort of a hopeless **** retentive wrencher type, so I immediately feel inclined to change out all the fluids at the very least.
I agreed to buy it based on the test drive. The price was right, and it seemed to pass my mechanical tests in 2wd and 4wd. The coolant was green and the oil was brown. It warmed up to operating temp and didn't waver once warm. Oil pressure was good at speed and at idle when warmed up. The only negatives I noticed was that the ABS light was on and the brakes felt like stepping on a used diaper. The tires are total crap because he changed them on to sell it and kept the good ones for his current truck. Otherwise, I think it looks like a solid shell for me to mold into my own. He hadn't made any obvious attempts to clean the engine bay or be deceptive like dealer lots usually do. So I could see where oil was coming out of the valvecover gasket, etc..
Crappy pics from Craigslist:
I look forward to getting to know some of you and perusing the forums for any information I can find. I'm just looking for a kick in the butt in the right direction for resources on this particular 1999 model. What's the recommended service manual to own? I typically add a service manual for every vehicle I own to my garage library.
Thanks for any info!!
-Luke
I just agreed to purchase a 1999 Cherokee Sport that's got 148k miles on it and has the inline 6 engine with an automatic transmission. I'm buying it because it makes more sense than a pickup in terms of hauling my dog, going camping, etc.. I figure I'll have to purchase a little trailer to pull my motorcycles and haul junk to the dump.
I'm replacing my poor, rusted out 1992 Isuzu pickup with it. It'll be sad to see the Isuzu go since it's my loyal winter beast, but it's not that practical since my wife won't drive it and it'll only fit two people inside.
Most of my experience with cars and trucks are things that are rear wheel driven with inline engines. At the moment my daily driver is a Volvo 240 wagon (looks sort of like an XJ I guess.) And I've got a '54 Ford sedan and a '66 Austin Healey Sprite, as well as the aforementioned Isuzu with a 2.6L 4 banger in it.
Anyway, I'm a complete Jeep virgin. I know my way around the garage just fine, but I have never owned a Jeep or Chrysler product. I suppose it's a fitting sign that I'm buying in the day they go **** up.
I'm looking for some quick tips on the things I should immediately check and fix up on it. Common problem spots on the '99. How to ID what sort of transfer case, transmission, front/rear differential, and all that good stuff.
The previous owner has owned it for the past 125k miles and just did regular maintenance. I'm sort of a hopeless **** retentive wrencher type, so I immediately feel inclined to change out all the fluids at the very least.
I agreed to buy it based on the test drive. The price was right, and it seemed to pass my mechanical tests in 2wd and 4wd. The coolant was green and the oil was brown. It warmed up to operating temp and didn't waver once warm. Oil pressure was good at speed and at idle when warmed up. The only negatives I noticed was that the ABS light was on and the brakes felt like stepping on a used diaper. The tires are total crap because he changed them on to sell it and kept the good ones for his current truck. Otherwise, I think it looks like a solid shell for me to mold into my own. He hadn't made any obvious attempts to clean the engine bay or be deceptive like dealer lots usually do. So I could see where oil was coming out of the valvecover gasket, etc..
Crappy pics from Craigslist:
I look forward to getting to know some of you and perusing the forums for any information I can find. I'm just looking for a kick in the butt in the right direction for resources on this particular 1999 model. What's the recommended service manual to own? I typically add a service manual for every vehicle I own to my garage library.
Thanks for any info!!
-Luke
04-30-2009, 05:31 PM
#2
CF Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Tenn. and Mich.
Posts: 28,068
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes
on
6 Posts
Year: 2004
Model: Grand Cherokee
Engine: 4.7L V8
Hey Luke. Welcome to CF from Dan in Tenn. 
If the ABS light is on then there's a problem with the system and it's inoperative. Try checking for any stored codes. http://jeephorizons.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2719 Nice looking XJ.
If the ABS light is on then there's a problem with the system and it's inoperative. Try checking for any stored codes. http://jeephorizons.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2719 Nice looking XJ.
Trending Topics
05-28-2009, 02:05 AM
#10
CF Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: socal
Posts: 7,244
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
welcome from socal and i have lots of family in Iowa that is where my mom is from if you meet a Johnson that is white they are probably related to me
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Bearstream
Stock Grand Cherokee Tech. All ZJ/WJ/WK Non-modified/stock questions go here!
2
09-28-2015 10:53 AM
88Dutchman
Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go here
0
09-21-2015 12:33 AM
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)