XJ cherokees? I know a lot of you off road and since the XJ is pretty popular with the off roaders I figured you'd know. I'm looking at one that is an 01 and has 120k on the clock with the straight six...any known issues with their trannies/differentials or the six? I'm going to look at it over the weekend...hopefully. I've heard the six is reliable.

 

I wheeled it lightly it was a great truck i got rid of it to get my Ram but i also have a lifted '93 YJ done up for offroad. The I6 is a great engine with plenty of pep.. What kinda wheelin you lookin at doin? You can P.M. if you want..

 

No personal experience as far as owning one, but Ive had several buddies with'em. Bossman has one too. They've been through hell and back, on individual basis, and are still alive.

As far as the 4.0, its a great motor imo. Boss's has almost 200k on his cherokee, 250k miles on his commanche (I think, its the cherokee-pickup thing). Only problem Ive seen is an oil leak here or there, valve cover, rear main, nothing too major.

These vehicles Im talking about arent very-well maintanced at all. That being said, if an inline 4.0 with 130k miles has any kind of regular checkups done to it, it should be good to go.

One more thing I just thought of. The cherokees Ive been around have all been older, late 80's early 90's. Not sure if any changes were made to the motor in the newer models, such as quality of parts and whatnot.

 

I had an 85 XJ with the 2.5, and an 05 wrangler with the I6. I can give you an email of a guy who will be able to tell you exactly what to look for.

Is the XJ lifted? What re-end is in it, D35, or is it D44? At any rate, the tranny and motor combo is a pretty solid duo. You dont see much done with these set-ups unless there is a hemi swap involved. Just look for your basic leaks and squirts.

The only thing I would worry about is if it was lifted. Mainly just to see what size tires he was running on what type of axle; and if there is a locker in play or not. Typically you dont want to run 35" or bigger on a locked Dana 35. CATASTROPHE!! But as always, it is done, and some people swear by em. I never would go bigger than 33" with that re-end. Ive seen too many stranded rig on the trail because of that setup.

Other than that, I hope you get it! I loved my jeeps, and will own another, hopefully sooner than later! PM if have any other questions.

 

By the way, Jeep ran the I6 for over 20 years, that is how reliable that motor is. Switching to the 3.6L(?) was a big mistake.

 

this is a hammer question definitely...

Hes a Cherokee NUT

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm not sure which rear it has but i'm def going to look on saturday...from what I can tell the suspension is bone stock. The miles are a little high for me but i'll gonna look anyway...and some other ones in the area. Are there any other options I should be looking for besides the D35/D44?

 

just when I thought I escaped this section, the wench pulls me back in...

I'd have been all over this one like white on rice if you posted in the off-road section.

I've never owned an XJ, but I have been off-roading with many buddies who have when I had my wranglers. Plus I've worked on a few of them.

I've had 5 vehicles to date with the 4.0 I6. My two Wranglers and the ex's three Grand Cherokee Laredo's. Most reliable engine ever made IMO. Honestly, I've seen 4.0's with 280k on them while only receiving marginal care. The thing is a pig, no HP at all compared to V6s, but is bullet proof!

My only issue with the XJ is they are hell getting good ground clearance out of. The wheel wells got to go first. But if you like metal work projects and can weld, you'll love working with one...

Oh yeah, 04 is correct, 33s are the max on a Dana 35, but you need a lot of lift to get a 33" tire on that rig anyway. Trust me, an XJ can go just about anywhere with a set of 33's on it...

 

i never took mine off road but it was phenomenal in the snow and what light mud i hit. mine was for work though so i took care of it. my brother in law had about a 1990 that had around 300,000 miles and was still purring when he sold it.

 

Haha - That is why they call me your right hand woman - I don't let you get away that easily...