Hi guys and gals,

I finally got my first Jeep. 1996 Cherokee Country, Auto, 4.0 HO, what I thought would be just some ordinary daily driver SUV kind of thing.

Well, I was wrong. I LOVE this truck! I've only been driving it for a month or so, and it's got 312,000 on her, but it runs like a champ. Seriously, powerful beyond what I expected for an inline 6, smooth with new Wranglers, A/C work great, no smoking at all as far as I can tell.

Haven't had time yet to do any major maintenance, other completely rebuilding the from brakes, and an oil change, but I'm looking forward to getting dirty with her.

Previous owner seems to have taking good enough care of it, but there is a few things that was done differently than the way I would of done. I don't like some of the wiring jobs he did, and I need to do an engine wash so I can tell where a couple of leaks are coming from. I seem to have a slight leak in a power steering line, and the valve cover is leaking just a bit. Other than that, it looks good.

I like to ask a lot of questions. I post pics of everything I do, and always provide follow-ups on any thread I start. I learned that when I was a very active member of the Ford Trucks forum.

So, I hope to find a new home here, and contribute as much as I take.

 

Oh, and I know it's a hardtop 2x4, but it's MY friggen Jeep. Haha!!

 

Welcome aboard. The search function here is fantastic, and every problem these things can have has been documented in one form or another. The '96s are kind of a bastard child in certain ways. First year for ODBII, but it's slightly different. The fuel pump is a one off design which can make things interesting.

I love my '96 though, and think it's one of the best years.

 

Then I've come to the right place. It's the differences that I need to learn about.

Even with the high milage, I love my truck also. I need to construct a new headliner for it ASAP. It hangs in my passenger's face. Not acceptable. LOL!

 

Oh, what's the best (affordable) code scanner for this year?

 

Any ODBII compliant scanner (which is 95% of what's sold now) will get the job done. I use a cheapie Harbor Freight one, and it works fine. In a pinch you can always use one from AutoZone for free.

 

Yeah, but I like to have all my own tools. Thanks for the info!

 

Oh ya, definitely worth the price of admission.