Hey Guys!

My wife and I came here to do some research on the XJ. I never looked at the Cherokee as a "real" off road vehicle because of the lack of a full frame under it..
I was proven wrong by my son-in-law. After driving his I was really impressed by
how capable and solid it felt! Also has a lot more room than my old half cab Bronco, so the wife and I can load the camping gear and the dogs without stressing what might not fit.. or (being from the northwest, what might get wet...)

So, what we are researching is what years are best, what factory options to look for, what people believe are essential modifications, and problem areas. Any pointers will be appreciated!

Thanks!
Ron and Kathy

 

Not to much experience here, but, from what I've been learning is that a '98 is one to stay away from... Far away! Please free to correct me if I'm wrong. That's what I have. Man, what a pain in the ****! I'll be so glad to get 'er fixed.

 

Welcome

 

Thanks for the welcome!

What kind of problems are you having with your 98?

 

Welcome! I too am from Oregon! From what I have rear the best years for the XJ were from 91-97. Anything from 85-90 has the closed cooling system and is known for over heating. I am sure others will be able to fill in any other issues known with the older XJ's. In 98' I believe they used a different head which is known to crack.

 

Thanks!

Great info! So 91 to 97 are the best to look for... Anything else? I understand that some years have an aluminum housing in the rear? Any problems with this?

 

The 1999 year is the best, because it has the chrysler 8.25 in the rear instead of dana 35, while still having a high pinion dana 30 in the front. They have distributor and better intake manifold design. Stay away from those made in late 1999 (starting September) because they started using 0331 heads on the engine.

 

Oops. I forgot to say welcome to the forums! Ha. U ll have a lot of fun reading all the threads here and meeting members, all totally worth it

 

Thanks!

I've been reading the forums today and have found a lot of great information! It seems that most everyone here is willing to help.. no trashing the new guy. A pleasant change from some forums I have been on!

My wife is on craigslist now looking for our new rig. Its been several years since the Bronco was stolen and she is excited to get back on the trails! Wish us luck!

Ron and Kathy

 

Best of luck to you both!

 

biggest load of crap ive heard today ive got one with more than 315,000 miles and its never skipped a beat You obviously got one that either was abused or not maintained or both

 

So is the info about the 0331 head. I think it simply comes down to how they were taken care of. There was a post done a while back asking people how many miles they had on their 99-01 with that head casting and if they ever had problems. The end result did not support the claim that your head was going to crack simply because it was that cast number.
With that being said, I would try and find a 99 that has the HP30 and a 8.25 combo. Best bang for your buck there. Otherwise, I personally prefer my 01 over some of the older Cherokees, even though I only have the LP30 up front.
BTW...welcome to the forum!

 

Only the 00 and 01 heads are prone to cracking, (bad head casting had a flaw in it) people say 99 because they release the 00's in late 99, something all car manufactures do. Also it's not a 100% chance of cracking just a higher chance, on the thread mentioned above I believe there where several 200k plus with no head issues.
The renix XJ (84-90) is a wonderful machine, it may be difficult for some to work on, no engine light or codes to read to tell you where to look for what's wrong you actually have to diagnose it yourself or with help from this forum, there are several issues that can be easily fixed with a simple electrical ground refreshing (all XJ's were wired poorly renix just has more problems with it). The closed loop cooling system has its problems and can be converted to an open loop fairly easily, but I look at it this way the closed loop will show signs of failure sooner then an open loop and converting to the open loop may just bandaid a bigger problem or even create one, closed loop is just misunderstood. I had an overheating problem that was fixed by an $8 pressure cap.
But I'm partial to renix I've owned 2 jeeps both renix and both awesome. The "high output" tag on 91+ will gain you about 6 more HP compared to a renix, if your interested in that sort of thing.
Overall an XJ is an XJ is an XJ, most regardless of year will be good to you, some will rip money right out of your hand before you can put it in the bank.
Click the "cruiser54's mostly renix tips" link in my signature it will give you an idea of problems with renix how difficult it is to fix them as well as other helpful stuff that applies to all XJ's.
Welcome to the forum hope you guys pick one you'll love, where about a in Oregon are you? I'm in Medford.

 

welcome to the forum. nice to see another person from oregon. if you have and ability to turn wrenchs almost any xj will treat you well. I would say try to avoid the dana 35 rearend and try to make sure its a inline 6 engine. remember to ask this site is a hotbed for info and ideas

 

I am a FIRM believer in "You take good care of your rig, and it will take care of you!"

It has been through hell and back.

It was my g/f, but seeing that I've shelled out at least $500 + just to keep it running. She decided to give it to me. She hardly kept it maintained and now I get stuck with the P.O.C.