Jeep Cherokee (Non Grand)

Does anyone know what makes so many XJs catch on fire? I have kinda always overlooked them because i have seen enough burned ones that there must be some reason for it.

i've never heard of that being a problem, but if it were to happen i'd imagine it would likely be the positive battery cable rubbing through against the frame rail perhaps?

Travis_K wrote: Does anyone know what makes so many XJs catch on fire? I have kinda always overlooked them because i have seen enough burned ones that there must be some reason for it.

The fuel injector O-rings tend to go bad and cause fuel leaks. It's a non-crossflow head so the fuel injection is right above the exhaust manifold.

Travis_K wrote: Does anyone know what makes so many XJs catch on fire? I have kinda always overlooked them because i have seen enough burned ones that there must be some reason for it.

haha, oh and when did you stop beating your wife?

I have personally never seen an XJ that caught on fire but I'd guess a fuel leak could cause a fire...but I'm not sure this is a common problem on XJs.

I've also heard that XJs are very unsafe to drive because the I6 is a knee cap breaker. Don't ask...but someone got the idea that this particular I6 was more likely to come into the cabin in an accident. Obviously not true, but what I'm trying to get at is some urban myths are just that...

I think if lots of them were bursting into flames or breaking people's knee caps in accidents you'd see it on CNN and they wouldn't be so popular 25 years after they first hit showrooms.

a401cj wrote: Dood... go grab some tie-wrap and wrap that E-brake cable up tight around the axle before you snag it on something

lol, that's kinda how they are I think. It looks worse in that picture than it actually is.

I'll take a look though ;)

Its not a myth, when i personally see tons of the same kind of car that are burned under the hood, and almost none of other kinds, the kind of car that seems to have alot of fires is likely to have it happen for the same reason on alot of them.

I've probably seen hundreds of XJs in junkyards, and I can't recall ever seeing a single one with a burned engine bay that hadn't been crashed.

Does anyone think this is a good deal. LINK I'm going to look at it tomorrow I don't like the idea of the hood vents or the fan thing but for a winter beater it cant be that bad. Should I pass on it?

xd wrote: Does anyone think this is a good deal. LINK I'm going to look at it tomorrow I don't like the idea of the hood vents or the fan thing but for a winter beater it cant be that bad. Should I pass on it?

Seems overpriced to me. Find out which motor it has in it. I was advised to stay away from the Renix.

If it's got the H.O, and it's clean, see if he'll take $1500?

Unless they changed it over, an 1988 is a Renix.

Thanks guys I passed on it

I have nothing else to add...

The renix ones are not MUCH less powerful than the HO until you get to upper rpms. However, imo the harness materials suck so the harnesses have a much higher likelihood of being 'decomposed' to some degree than the chrysler (ho) setup. Also, i dont think a renix will spit codes out the CEL and i dont think most people have the connectors to hook a scanner to them anymore.

So as far as driving them.. to me there is not a huge difference. The big difference comes when working on them.

You can diagnose a Renix with a multimeter.

My Renix was very beat, and it still runs fine. IMO, the worst thing about the Renix is the cooling system.

There is really not a huge difference with the Renix XJs but the value of 88-95 is all so close it pays to go with the newer XJ in most cases. Really besides the engine computer and different head it is virtually identical.

One other draw back of the Renix XJs is the inferior vacuum engaged front axle.

I wouldn't hesitate if I found a cream-puff Renix XJ with the right equiptment (lifted, lockers, etc).

Another update:

Got the loan!

While we were at the bank, we called the dealer to find out who to make the check payable to as the last step.

"Oh, we sold that two hours ago."

AWESOME.

Back to the drawing board i guess. There are no others worth a E36 M3 that i can see in the immediate area. Looking at a few in Cincinatti and Illinois.

Does everything laid out here apply to 4.0 Wranglers as well? Are the automatic 4.0 Wranglers worth a damn? I figure i see so many manuals for a reason. She'd be ok with a hardtop 4.0 Automatic Wrangler, and there seems to be more of those than Cherokees.

the auto in the wranglers should be the same as the xj, but i think they changed over to the HO a year or two later. the YJ wranglers will be leaf sprung f/r though, where the XJ would be a coil/leaf setup. this, along with the short wheelbase might make for a choppy ride, along with a bit of sketchiness in slippery conditions

Strizzo wrote: the auto in the wranglers should be the same as the xj, but i think they changed over to the HO a year or two later. the YJ wranglers will be leaf sprung f/r though, where the XJ would be a coil/leaf setup. this, along with the short wheelbase might make for a choppy ride, along with a bit of sketchiness in slippery conditions

Ok, that's what i was afraid of. We'll scratch that, then.

How about Xterras? They seem a little harder to find, but possible to find in my price range.

http://www.discountautomartinc.com/newandusedcars/0/696453/2869ca04-d46d-47b3-b30c-b6afff2ae6b5/2000-Nissan-Xterra.aspx

Downside is again, none worth a E36 M3 in my area. The only one i could find in my immediate area was $6k, and had 203k miles on it. Screw that.

Here's the Jeep that is currently at the top of our list:

http://www.jabaay.com/webtemplate.aspx?iid=2870912

Thoughts? Same price similar mileage (jeep is a little lower)... Which should i be looking closer at?

A lot of older wranglers have a 3spd automatic. IMO that is lame. Anything with a 2.5 or 4.0 can be AW4 swapped with enough motivation. Im just against cars from the 90s having 3 speeds.

Yeah if looking for a Wrangler you'll want a '96 or newer (TJ). It is very similar to an XJ. A few differences but basically the 4.0L with the AW4 just like in the XJ.

I have an XJ I'll let go for $800. Looks like a northern car.

Fantastic vehicles (post Renix) and yes they can be had cheap. I recently sold my 96 XJ for $3000 and it was the bee's knees. Clean, rust free, 3" lift with 31" MTs, fully loaded, ran like a top. It was my second XJ and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a third.

fastEddie wrote: I have nothing else to add...

I am digging that!

So the renix motors stopped when? And are all the 4x4 cherokee's only part time 4wd? Did they come with fully locked reard diff? Or a limited slip as an option or what?

renix era was 87-90, anything that says 4.0L High Output is the newer high port design. the H.O head flows better and it makes more power but IMO the renix era felt like it had a bit more bottom end stock, though i havent seen a dyno of the two. as far as i know the bottom ends are pretty much the same, but renix refers to the fuel injection system and happens to have the low port head. the 91+ has the better fuel injection but put the voltage regulator stupidly in the ECU. 87-90 has a TON of vacuum lines going all over the damn place along with the stupid front axle vacuum disconnect.

when i built my stroker i started with an 88 renix and put a 91 H.O head on. torque everywhere and it pulled awesome to redline.

most cherokees are part time 4wd (np231 transfer case) but some have the np242 which has a center diff to allow full time 4wd in addition to the 231's modes. Command-Trac is the part time and Select-Trac is the full time. there's more aftermarket support for the 231 if you have plans for going big and some people say its stronger, but stock theyre both good.

nothing came locked as far as i know, but there are some factory limited slips out there but i dont know how to spot them. i put a 'no-slip' lunch-box locker in my stroked jeep and it was great, a little tire squeal on slow tight turns but man on man was it awesome on anything slippery or loose. super predictable.