Buying a XJ

[safn1949]

I will be buying another XJ in the next 6 months and was wondering what models to stay away from.I will be traveling the US,Canada and Mexico pulling a small camper.I will not be doing any serious offroading but it will see lots of dirt.I need to know what year engines,trannys etc were the best and the worst.:cheers:

[XJmania030]

You probaly want the AW4 transmison and the 4.0L

[PolishX]

i prefer the post 96 editions . look for D44 rear or 8.25 rear . high pinion D30 front . AW4 , NO 4 CYLINDERS ... oh and make sure its the 4.0 H.O. versions

[MoparManiac]

I would say that the '99 would be the best from what I have heard...

-Newer body/interior styling
-4.0 with lower torque band
-Upgraded intake
-HPD30 (last year)
-Possible 8.25 (29 spline vs. earlier 27 spline)
-Still a decent head compared to the 0331 (prone to cracking on 2000-2001) although I forget the actual casting number

I could be forgetting something but that's all I can remember for now. If I had the money I'd go for a black '99 with the NP242 for FT4WD.

[rickoregon]

What would one expect to pay for a 1999 like you describe, MoparManiac? Say with about 100000 miles? Rick

[zachxj01]

if its got 4wd u can work w/ it

[goXJ]

What would one expect to pay for a 1999 like you describe, MoparManiac? Say with about 100000 miles? Rick

neighborhood of 7-8k

[rocklandxjer]

i prefer the post 96 editions . look for D44 rear or 8.25 rear . high pinion D30 front . AW4 , NO 4 CYLINDERS ... oh and make sure its the 4.0 H.O. versions

POST 96 didnt come with D44. nor did they come with 4 cyl. and all pre's came with high pinion, and post's came with low pinion.

if you meant PRE 96, i agree with you.

[MoparManiac]

no, only 2000 and 2001s came with the LPD30, all others had the HPD30

[rocklandxjer]

are you sure, i was pretty sure it turned to lp in 97

[goXJ]

im sure my 99 has the hp

[safn1949]

The XJ that I had was a 88 with the AW4,242.it was worn out but I really liked it a lot,amazing what it would go thru in stock form:fuse:

[rocklandxjer]

hmm, always thought it was 97+ that had the LP

learn something new every day huh

[88XJSport]

POST 96 didnt come with D44. nor did they come with 4 cyl. and all pre's came with high pinion, and post's came with low pinion.

if you meant PRE 96, i agree with you.

I disagree. The last year they offered the D44 was 89 or 90 with the HD towing package. The only year they didnt offer the 4cyl was 2001.

...oh and make sure its the 4.0 H.O. versions.
Why would you say that? Im curious. Dont blame it on the closed cooling system because it works great if taken care of.
There is nothing wrong with the 87-90 RENIX era cherokee's with the 4.0 and AW4 automatic. They are simpler/cheaper/better to work with than the Chrysler/OBD IMHO.

[rocklandxjer]

thats what i said, post means after. i said no post 96s had dana 44s.

i did not know however that the 4 cyl was used till the end.


and i agree that the renix computer and engine are reliable and easily servicable. great motor in my opinion

[88XJSport]

Sorry man i read your post wrong. But ya im still waiting on the other guys reasoning on the renix xj's. I could see 84-86 being bad, but renix are great!

[safn1949]

Ok,help me .What is the renix engine?Whats different about it?

[88XJSport]

Im gonna quote 5-90 here. He is prob the most knowledgeable about renix. I think he has 5 working renix cherokee's so it just shows how simple it is. Hope this helps.

RENIX = RENault + bendIX. The electronics were made by Bendix/King under contract to Renault until 1990 - except with the GM V6/60 2.8L

If you have a 1987, you definitely have RENIX, since they stopped using the GM engine for 1987 (it was replaced - rather wisely - by the AMC 242I6.)

RENIX is "pre-OBD," does not store codes, and most troubleshooting can be done with a decent DMM and some know-how. You can get the RENIX FI manual from the Strokers egroup (groups.yahoo.com/group/strokers) and I'm probably going to put it up on my RENIXPower group (groups.yahoo.com/group/RENIXPower) one of these days as well - I just haven't gotten round to it yet.

People here are pretty heavily polarised on the whole RENIX thing - I happen to prefer it over ChryCo OBD (which replaced RENIX for 1991 Model Year.)

A quick way to tell for certain (I have no reason to doubt myself - I've got a 1987, 1988, and two 1989s!) is to follow the centre plug wire from the distributor cap to the ignition coil - you should end up finding it on the right fenderwell (ChryCo bolted it to the engine on a bracket later.) You'll find the ignition control module underneath the coil, and the ECM is under the dashboard down by your right knee - a big, flat aluminum box.

5-90

[flht1997]

i'm with MoparManiac on everything but price. i was looking for an XJ for about six months, i did not rule anything out except 2WD, 4 cyl, and 2.8's. i was partial to 97+. ended up with a 99 4.0 AW4 4x4 HPD30, 231 and it was $3800 from a used car lot. 127,000, and i thought that was on the slightly high side for price. but then again they really do not come cheaper than me.

[PolishX]

I got mine
98 XJ Limited 4.0 , AW4 , NP242 , D30 HP., 8.25 rear . with 87,000 on it for 6700 last december .

[rickoregon]

Thanks for the estimate on price of a 1990 XJ, go XJ. I would think with the price of fuel being unstable these days, that a person could get a newer XJ pretty cheap. They don't get the best fuel mileage, that's for sure. I think people who want fuel economy in an off road vehicle would be more inclinded to go for Subaru's. Is a 1999 XJ with 100,000 miles on it worth 7-8K? Seems a bit steep. But I'm pretty frugal. For a eight year old gas hog with that many miles, I'd be hard pressed to pay more than 3,000. Your mileage may vary.. 8-) -Rick

[rocklandxjer]

THAT MANY MILES?! hah, thats a baby, just gettin broken in.

i got a renix motor '88 DD project with 220,000 and she rides great, and so does the tranny.

and i also have my '94 rig with 152,*** on the clock and running perfect.

the 4.0 is an incredibly durable motor and so are the components that follow.


although, 7-8k i think you should shop around a little bit...

what i would do is search around on the forum and find out how to inspect a vehicle that you want to buy. then find a private seller and get the vin off that and do a carfax.
usually private owners will sell for much less than dealerships (although they tend to have a little bit more milage)

if you find nothing local you can always try to talk the dealer lower

[NXJ]

I think people who want fuel economy in an off road vehicle would be more inclinded to go for Subaru's...
That's funny. My mom and dad both drive 90's Subarus (among other vehicles), an Impreza and the pick-up, Brat-thing, both 1.8 litres. They both get like 18 MPG, pretty lousy for those little cars. I'm currently talking my mom into buying an XJ, told her they can do 20-25 MPG with tidy driving.

I'm very curious about Renix versus HO mileage, though!

[rocklandxjer]

ha ha, 20-25 !! youve lied

[cant]

They don't get the best fuel mileage, that's for sure. -Rick

are you looking for dry water and cool heat also... you'll probably find it in your dreams, along with the economical 4x4s

[NXJ]

Uh oh! :scared:

A friend of mine with the HO + AW4 swapped into his 2-door gets about 24 mixed, this is with 3 inches of lift, 31" MT/R's and a heavy foot.

[falcon556]

im sure my 99 has the hp

Ditto!

[rocklandxjer]

yea it does, sorry guys, i thought that sounded wrong, you were right, 00 to 01 used LP

[falcon556]

I disagree. The last year they offered the D44 was 89 or 90 with the HD towing package. The only year they didnt offer the 4cyl was 2001.


Why would you say that? Im curious. Dont blame it on the closed cooling system because it works great if taken care of.
There is nothing wrong with the 87-90 RENIX era cherokee's with the 4.0 and AW4 automatic. They are simpler/cheaper/better to work with than the Chrysler/OBD IMHO.

Used to have a 87, loved it. Dana 44 rear, 242J, moveable vent windows.
The engine power did not compare with my 96. The HO is better IMHO

[Mike1331]

Try looking on www.craigslist.org, I currently own two xj's found from this site and have sold two vehicals here as well. Just found a 96 4.0/np232/aw4/ and the corp. 8.25 with 115,000 miles for $1,100. It has a problem with the transmission controll unit that I haven't gotten to yet but I don't see it being to hard of a fix. Other xj is a 87 renix/aw4/d44/242 I found for $1,700. I'm partial to the renix. It seems like it was built better before they started mass production on these tanks which is a given.

Pros of renix xj:
Easy diagnoses
A virtually fail safe computer system these frenchies built, no matter what I've done or unplugged on this thing it will always start.
d44 option
Seem to have more luxury opions than newer ones
Cylinder head has a power band in the lower RPM's-better for wheeling, peak torque occurs at 2400rpm.
Its been said that the renix blocks have a higher nickel content than HO blocks which would increase the integrity of the metal.
Less drivline vibes when lifting


Pros of 96+
Improved chrysler steering column
Took the torque peak back down to 3000rpm compared to previous casting in the first HO that had it somewhere above 4000rpm
Went from a 27 to a 29 spline corp.8.25 axel.
Recieve noise vibration and harshness improvements included added strength to the block.
Pistons are aluminum
improved camshaft
Tierod and draglink are thicker in diamater and balljoints are bigger, The ride is a lost smoother in the 96.

[j99xj]

99 xjs have the best combo of parts, just make sure its the 0630 head.

[safn1949]

I would like to thank everyone for the info.There are some low mileage XJ's around here in the $4500-7000 range for 70,000 miles.It depends on the year of the vehicle,BUT,this is central NY and rust is terrible around here.I have spent the last 15 years in the south and can't believe the difference in condition.I know where I can get a 95 (I think,can't remember the exact year) with 70,000 for 4k,but the paint is bubbling around the door handles and I don't even want to look under the vehicle.It looks nice to those who don't know better,but I have worked as a mechanic for a long time and know what a horror story it is to work on a rust bomb.I will more then likely go to Virginia or West Virginia to buy one.:compwork:

[ebxjbob]

I'm from MA so I agree on the rust issue, you can only slow it down IMO, so its not worth the labor or $ getting it fixed if its not minor, I had to get rid of my 94 that was in incredible mech. condition because it was rotting out bad in all the wrong places

I've since had a 96 and now have a 97 as well

I had an 88 once but it was a junk that I couldn't get running so I won't comment on the renix, don't know enough about it

I will say that between the 96/97, I like the 96 better, it feels faster, tigther and more nimble and it has 40,000 more miles on it then my 97

I like the look of the 84-96 a bit better and theres more storage space in the center console area, you may think no big deal, but theres nowhere for my wallet/cell phone and other crap in my 97 besides the cup holders, so even though there way better then the 84-96, I always have to move stuff to use them, theres also no real place for change besides the ash tray which is small and hard to get it out of

my 96 is a late build date so it has the same axles as my 97 (29 spline 8.25/hp30) there both also 4.0/aw4/np231

I like the full windows and new tailgate design of the 97 but other then that, I may be taking back the 96 I gave to my dad and give him my 97

thats just my .02, maybe some of those little details will help you out

go drive the different models if you can and form your own opinion

btw the 97 is a fully loaded country/w leather, I got it for $2900 on ebay, actually dealt w/ an honest guy and its in pretty good shape overall

[98stocker]

just bought my 98 4.0 auto 4x4 in excellent condition for $3350, came with new tires and a set of new studs also. has 130K on it and runs perfect. I swapped out the tires for some 31's, added a 2 inch bb and get 20-22 mpg. I don't know the designation of the tranny and tcase, and i think the rear axle is the d35 yuck, oh well.

[cwlongshot]

just bought my 98 4.0 auto 4x4 in excellent condition for $3350, came with new tires and a set of new studs also. has 130K on it and runs perfect. I swapped out the tires for some 31's, added a 2 inch bb and get 20-22 mpg. I don't know the designation of the tranny and tcase, and i think the rear axle is the d35 yuck, oh well.
Being it is a 1998, its MUCH more likely you have a 81/4 axle and NOT a D35.

They DO look simular.

Here is a 8 1/4:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/Jeep%20pics/The%20MJ/AXLES/Crysler%208%20and%20a%20quarter/Cryslereightandaquarteraxle.jpg

Here is a NON "c" clip D35:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/Jeep%20pics/The%20MJ/AXLES/D35%20Lock-Rite/Allbuttonedup.jpg

CW