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Just got a 96 Sport

R

RESET

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Iowa, USA
Is there anything I should look out for? I plan to do a complete tune up and PM on it, just wondering if there is anything 96 specific that I should look out for. It has 240xxx miles on it. One previous owner, salesman type. Really clean, hardly any rust for spending the last 13 years in Iowa. This will be a winter DD for my GF so I need it to be reliable.

Sean
 
the only thing I have to say is that due to that it's a '96 its sort of a pain to find certain parts for, due to it being the OBDII changeover year...you will find that with any make or model however
 
With 240k on it, it would be good to do a baseline compression test. Then you would have a better idea of how much you want to put into it. It's a good idea to change all the fluids. Engine oil, tranny oil, differential oils, transfer case, coolant, brake fluid and power steering fluid, unless some of them look pristine now.
 
The oil filter doesn't even have an oily finger print on it. I still plan on changing all the fluids as mentioned. It runs strong but obviously needs a tuneup and a new air filter. I basically wanted to make sure that there wasn't one of those "they changed to the XXX that year and they go bad all the time" kind of things. I am used to high mileage vehicles, my DD 97 Thunderbird has 248XXX and counting, doesn't even use a drop of oil. Anything good about the 96 vs previous years? Didi they change anything for the better? OBDII a bad thing? Does this mean that I can get a tuner for it to get a little better mileage or power?

Sean
 
I wouldn't bother trying to squeeze more mpg out of it, especially if its just going to be a winter vehicle. Unfortunately if you don't know the history of the vehicle its gonna be hard to tell you what to expect, seeing as how you don't know whats been replaced in its life. But yeah Cherokees don't really have a true "sucky" year, seeing how little they changed. (maybe 00/01 with the lp and 0331) :)
 
Renix (87-90) and OBDI (91-95) are more tolerant of changing things. The OBDII (96+) can be a little fussy and start throwing codes.
 
Sounds good to me, Thanks guys.

The GF took it to work today to show it off. I got an email about noon saying that the power steering is leaking. I thought I saw a leak before we bought it. She checked the fluid level and found that it was not registering on the dip stick. Any ideas what might be the most likely location for the leak? I saw some sludge on the lines coming out the back, maybe they have some loose? How do you drain the PS fluid? Never done that one before.

Sean
 
I wouldn't drain it. You don't want to get air in the system.

Clean the area where the lines connect. Top up the fluid level and drive it a day or so, checking for the leak.

There are only two lines--pressure and return. The low pressure return hose is the one with worm clamps.
 
The worst years of the XJ are probably 84-86, and maybe 00-01 in 2nd place.
 
Johnnie Walker said:
The worst years of the XJ are probably 84-86, and maybe 00-01 in 2nd place.
Click to expand...

But the 84-86 at least have an excuse--new product, working out the kinks.

00-01 got to second place because nobody in charge gave a damn anymore.

If there had been 02-03 models we probably would have gotten a new first place finisher!
 
joe_peters said:
I wouldn't drain it. You don't want to get air in the system.

Clean the area where the lines connect. Top up the fluid level and drive it a day or so, checking for the leak.

There are only two lines--pressure and return. The low pressure return hose is the one with worm clamps.
Click to expand...

The pressure hose is dry, all the leaking is coming from the return hose. I can see sludge above the hose, on the nipple. Now, this may be from squirting coming from under the hose. The hose has one of those spring type clamps, the ones with the two tabs on one side and one tab on the other that goes in between the other two. should I replace this with a worm clamp?

Sean
 
Johnnie Walker said:
The worst years of the XJ are probably 84-86, and maybe 00-01 in 2nd place.
Click to expand...

The '00-'01 got their bad rep from the cracking 0331 heads, but not ALL of them crack. I've got two 0331 heads, one with 157K miles and another with 90K miles and they're both in perfect shape.

Anyway, here's another downside of the '00-'01 models - FOUR oxygen sensors and precats.

But, on the upside - distributorless ignition and psuedo coil-on-plug setup. They also got an updated rear main seal design, but I can't really comment on whether or not it works better.
 
Johnnie Walker said:
The worst years of the XJ are probably 84-86, and maybe 00-01 in 2nd place.
Click to expand...

I have an 85 in the garage half way thru a 350 swap. These two are so similar aesthetically that it isn't funny. Mechanically, yes, they could have done better.

The 85 is for sale by the way, anyone interested? First $500 takes it.

Sean
 
Be careful that box is plastic and the nipple can break off,there is also an "o-ring"between the pump and resivous(sp) that can leak also.

Wayne
 
WHen I first looked at it, I thought the plastic was some kind of cover for the reservoir. I wonder if there is a small crack at the base of the nipple that is leaking. I guess I will just have to do as Joe suggested and clean it off and see where the new gunk comes from.

Sean
 
for the power steering, have someone sit in it idling, with the hood up, have them turn the wheels, working the pump.

when looking for pinhole leaks in the pressure line, checking it every 5 miles will tell you nothing, you must watch it in operation. might even consider safety glasses.
 
The pressure side is clean and dry. But, having someone run it thru its cycle while I can watch the return line after cleaning isn't a bad idea. Hose is cheap, I was thinking I would just take the old one off, clean the back of the res off and then put a new return line on. This should eliminate an old hose as a possibility and give me a clean slate to look at.

We took the jeep on a trip this weekend. On the way back I checked the fluid level to see if it needed more. It did, but I noticed that the previous owner had apparently used trans fluid in lieu of PS fluid. Now, I know that they are interchangeable according to the shade tree mechanics I grew up listening to. Just curious, is the red stuff bad for the pump? How would I go about flushing it out with PS fluid? I was considering running the return line into a bucket and continually filling the res while the engine was running to get it to pump the old stuff out.

Sean
 
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