New Cherokee owner checking in :-)
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 105
Likes: 1
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 242
New Cherokee owner checking in :-)
Hi gang, just picked me up an ’89 Pioneer model. It has a blown head gasket (4.0L engine), smells like cat urine on the inside, both front doors are stuck shut (AAA slimjim mishaps according to the previous owner), sounds like the engine mounts are shot, and the steering wheel feels like it’s going to fall off.
Buuuut. The body is about perfect. Engine runs strong despite the head gasket issue. Body and suspension feel very solid. Overall a very clean vehicle and the spare tire still has the blue stripes on it.
What sort of kills me is that it seems every old clapped-out Mopar I’ve purchased in the past has had one common element – the interior smells like cat ****. My first experience was in an ‘85 Dodge Omni GLH (silver with red vinyl interior, which got stripped), then an ’84 Dodge Colt (also stripped), and now this new Cherokee. Weird. Anyway. This is my first Jeep and my first 4x4… daily driver is an AWD Subaru.
Building up a Jeep is something that I’ve always wanted to do. When I say “always,” I mean since like the age of 12. Dreamed and dreamed about it through college, then my first, second… third jobs and so on. Never thought I’d be starting with a $400 Cherokee. Now I have garage space and the money for such a foolish pursuit. ;-) Before buying I was sort of second-guessing myself in terms of “do I really need a project like this?” But heck, if I put $7,000 into it I’d have a solid Jeep, paid for free and clear, and a quarter the price of a new SUV. So, screw it, hit Craigslist and made one mine. :-)
I’m a confident wrench but not too knowledgeable in this Jeep so I’ll be pelting the forum with question after question. I already have a batch waiting, some of the first ones will be regarding head gasket repair. Will post to the tech forum later. :-)
Buuuut. The body is about perfect. Engine runs strong despite the head gasket issue. Body and suspension feel very solid. Overall a very clean vehicle and the spare tire still has the blue stripes on it.
What sort of kills me is that it seems every old clapped-out Mopar I’ve purchased in the past has had one common element – the interior smells like cat ****. My first experience was in an ‘85 Dodge Omni GLH (silver with red vinyl interior, which got stripped), then an ’84 Dodge Colt (also stripped), and now this new Cherokee. Weird. Anyway. This is my first Jeep and my first 4x4… daily driver is an AWD Subaru.
Building up a Jeep is something that I’ve always wanted to do. When I say “always,” I mean since like the age of 12. Dreamed and dreamed about it through college, then my first, second… third jobs and so on. Never thought I’d be starting with a $400 Cherokee. Now I have garage space and the money for such a foolish pursuit. ;-) Before buying I was sort of second-guessing myself in terms of “do I really need a project like this?” But heck, if I put $7,000 into it I’d have a solid Jeep, paid for free and clear, and a quarter the price of a new SUV. So, screw it, hit Craigslist and made one mine. :-)
I’m a confident wrench but not too knowledgeable in this Jeep so I’ll be pelting the forum with question after question. I already have a batch waiting, some of the first ones will be regarding head gasket repair. Will post to the tech forum later. :-)
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 105
Likes: 1
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 242
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