New guy with used XJ
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas
Year: 1987
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
New guy with used XJ
Whats up everyone!? I just got my first jeep, a 1987 cherokee 4 door, last thursday (10/6/11). i really didn't know a lot about cherokees, or any jeeps for that matter, but i saw a nice looking project on my local craigslist page and had to check it out.
I picked it up for $650, and at the time it didnt start. turns out a $30 crankshaft position sensor fixed that problem. it also needed motor mounts (pain in the ***), and a thermostat (didnt have one in it).
as it turns out, after doing a little investigation into the history of my jeep, it was an original dana 44 optioned truck! it was already lifted by the previous owner 4 inches and he had installed 15" steelies wrapped in 33" falken tires.
it has a pretty bad overheating problem that i'm working on fixing and the brakes need a good once over, but in time and possibly with a little help from this forum and its members, i will be crawling with the best of 'em soon!
here are a few crappy cell phone pics. better ones to come later.
let me know what all you guys think. any good tips or hints to a new jeep owner?
I picked it up for $650, and at the time it didnt start. turns out a $30 crankshaft position sensor fixed that problem. it also needed motor mounts (pain in the ***), and a thermostat (didnt have one in it).
as it turns out, after doing a little investigation into the history of my jeep, it was an original dana 44 optioned truck! it was already lifted by the previous owner 4 inches and he had installed 15" steelies wrapped in 33" falken tires.
it has a pretty bad overheating problem that i'm working on fixing and the brakes need a good once over, but in time and possibly with a little help from this forum and its members, i will be crawling with the best of 'em soon!
here are a few crappy cell phone pics. better ones to come later.
let me know what all you guys think. any good tips or hints to a new jeep owner?
Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
From: Black Hills South Dakota
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: Straight 6
nice screen name, ha. Good looking Jeep. A lot of Jeep owners (myself included) have to replace the entire cooling system. Thankfully everything is easy to access.
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas
Year: 1987
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I did in fact get the overheating problem fixed. There were a couple of leaky hoses and it didn't have a thermostat. And most importantly, I had to thoroughly flush the black tar substance out of the cooling system. And presto!! A jeep that runs at 210 degrees all day!
So grand total for the whole project as it sits now (this won't last long with my obsession with upgrades) is $760.
Not to shabby I would say.
So grand total for the whole project as it sits now (this won't last long with my obsession with upgrades) is $760.
Not to shabby I would say.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas
Year: 1987
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Oh, and the brake problem was fixed with a good brake bleed. When I cracked the blessed screws open, nothing but air came out for a while. Got that taken care of and now it stops on a... Silver dollar haha.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
From: Florida & Utah
Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.7 Stroker
XJ-Tony,
Welcome. Sounds like you got a great deal. My 96 XJ had over heating problems also. I've gone to a 3 core radiator, new clutch fan, head gasket replaced, and 180 thermostat. No problems so far as I also live in the desert, St George, Ut.
Welcome. Sounds like you got a great deal. My 96 XJ had over heating problems also. I've gone to a 3 core radiator, new clutch fan, head gasket replaced, and 180 thermostat. No problems so far as I also live in the desert, St George, Ut.
