newbie

Hi, my name is Jordan, I own a 89 2 door jeep Cherokee limited 4.0. did my first real off-road park in oct ’14. Long story short part of the jeep went swimming and the inside took on a lot of water, did a nice upgrade / rebuild on the alternator since I knew down the road I may add a lot more electrical draws. Well I got it running and went on a test drive to find out the trans is bad, even though I drove it home from the park which is about 60+miles with no issues. Drained the trans and found about 1qt of water in it. Filled it and drained it about 3 times. Still doing the same thing. So now kinda becomes a deciding factor for me, since I don’t make that much and my vision may be somewhat of a drawn out process. I don’t know if it’d be worth it. I have to weld the floor and fix some new holes, and reseal everything since all the old weather-stripping is weak. If I have to go that far, I might as well make a roll cage for inside(which I’ve never done before) , and monsterline the inside, make a new dash and dress it up a bit but make sure its rugged enough so this doesn’t happen again. The engine has about 210k on it and if I have to pull the trans to either rebuild it or replace it im thinking I may as well do a over haul on the engine, (crank ,pistions head work, idk??, etc.) get some more power and upgrade anything that can be weak. Budget budget budget though, if I did do this , I feel its going to be a long drawn of process 2-3 years of work and saving. Id like to make the engine bay pretty like some of the show trucks if you know what I mean with little visible wires. I would like to daily drive this. Everyday is a learning experience about jeeps since I don’t know that much about them yet. Was a mechanic for 15 years. Don’t know if I should upgrade drivetrain aswell , tcase and diffs. Currently has a homemade lift of 2.5” front and 4.5” rear, just threw on new shocks from rough country and fixed control arm bushing, sway disconnects and 31s. I see a lot of people doing things from junk yards as upgrades but don’t know where to start and figured id go to a trusty site for good advice.
Should I throw in the towel and sell it?

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A Jeep that went swimming may not be a big problem, if fluids are changed quickly. Obviously, the trans took a hit. Not sure what the trans is doing, but clutches may be damaged, etc. I would also change the fluids in the axles and transfer case.

For me, rust would be the biggest deciding factor on whether to fix your current rig, or look for an alternative. You can't beat rust, best you can hope for is a draw.

You mention a new dash - is the current one damaged, or are you looking for a different style?

Think long and hard about what you want the rig to be able to do, and if budget is a big issue, you will be looking at compromises. most of all, don't tear it down so far you can really use it, then end up quitting half way through because of funds and never get to enjoy it at all.

David Bricker / SYR

yea the trans wont shift over first unless i get it to 4500 rpms then take my foot of then mash the pedal to get ti to shift to second gear. someone said try changing the filter , but i don't know if that will be a waste of money or not.

the floors just some surface rust and the drain holes are rusted through pretty bad, i could post pictures but didnt want to kill ther sever here just jet being a noob...

as for the dash , i would want to change it for ease of use especially if im going to add a roll cage so i can service things if they break.. hvac unit, wires etc

id like it to be second car to either daily driver, and a winter driver as well as go tackle trails.
my long term goal if i was to keep it would maybe use to to help volunteer at local disaster areas for clean up and what not.

Shifting issue sounds to me like it could possibly be the Throttle Position Sensor. Not sure one the 89s but possible that the Throttle Valve Cable may need adjusting.

If you're on a tight budget, a 210K engine may be just fine left alone. Do a compression test. Pull the valve cover and oil pan, and inspect for sludge, etc. If clean, I'd put in a new rear main seal, a new valve cover gasket, and a new O-ring on the oil filter adapter. That should take care of all the leak potentials.

Check to be sure the motor mounts are intact, including the brackets on the engine. If any problems there, consider one of the vendors here - Stinky Fab or Brown Dog for replacement mounts and much better brackets.

If the trans does shirt firmly when it finally shifts, yes, check throttle position and cable adjustment.

Clean up all the rust you can find. My Jeep has moderately significant rust in the cargo area, predominantly over the "frame" rails. Yes, the floor of the passenger area is quite clean. It may be worth it to pull out all carpet and inspect. You may need to cut out and reweld section. Just be sure to seal and protect the new material. Be aware, if you just use a coating rather than carpet, that you will end up with a lot of transmitted noise.

David Bricker / SYR