Meet My Jeep

Last March my uncle gave me their 1996 Jeep Cherokee SE. They knew I was taking automotive tech. They told me that in hot weather the jeep kept breaking down on them, over heating, and dying. And so they didn't think that it was reliable enough for their kids. Also they had the front drive shaft taken out, because it made a terrible clunking sound, even in 2H.

I changed the oil, and added coolant (niether of which had been done in a very long time) and drove it everyday that summer without it ever acting up on me once.

I opened up the front end, replaced the side bearings and drive pinion bearings, threw the drive shaft back in and got a 4x4 Jeep.

Working at Tires Plus gave me a 30% discount on some really nice 30x9.5LT Bridgstone Dueler A/T's. I wanted the biggest tires possible because I still intend on lifting, but atm im still on stock suspension.

I started fixing a rust spot on the passenger door, then i started looking a little closer at two rust spots at the top corners of my windshield...

Now i have my front seat, center console, and all of the completly water soaked interior carpet ripped out and im looking at a few nice rust holes in my floor...

My front driveshaft is clunking again, my exhaust rattles like a mofo and im in the process of painting my stock steel rims, so im riding on two passenger highway tires in the front..

I dont really have any specific question to ask right now... i just wanted to let you in on some background, maybe get a few tips on what to go about fixin first and how..?

First of all - welcome aboard! You'll find a ton of useful info on here, and a lot of helpful and knowledgeable people, and a few that don't fit into either of those categories. The "search" function can be really helpful, but don't be afraid to ask questions either. Chances are though, somebody has had a similar question, so try the search once or twice too. It sounds like a good place to start would be to do whatever you need to in order to get the driver's seat back in so you can be driving your Jeep instead of just lookin at it!

x2 welcome.

Welcome!

Welcome to Naxja! You will find an unlimited amount of really good info here, and of course some really bad info, so make sure to do your research.

As far as this forum though, this is modified_tech and not the place for introductions or stock repairs. General "introductions" should be in your local chapters forum or off-topic, and stock repair discussion belongs in OEM Tech. It makes it easier for the people who are familiar with the task you are working on to find your post, and not the people who havent dealt with stock <insert project here> for N years.

the rattle is probably the catalytic convertor. lol

Ive got a bunch of pictures, mostly of rust damage, but for the life of me i cant figure out how to post them...

Ted Hines said:

Ive got a bunch of pictures, mostly of rust damage, but for the life of me i cant figure out how to post them...

Click to expand...

Welcome, Ted.

This is a free place to post, then link to your pics: www.photobucket.com

:wave:

welcome ted

Ted, you might want to consider replacing the front driveshaft U-Joints. That could be the cause of your clunking. Could also be wheel joints, its tuff to tell. Sounds like the maintenance wasn't always kept up, but sounds like you have a handle on things. Check the actual front drive shaft and see if it has a zerk fitting on it for some grease. It may just need some grease. Add greasing all your front end fittings(if so equipped) and see where that leads you. In the meantime, welcome and like others have already stated, you will find a wealth of knowledge of our Jeeps, and persons out there that may have had the same problems as you, and could advise you better on what you got. You might also be able to link up with a few members here from your area. Welcome aboard.

Jeff

Welcome Ted,
As mentioned you will find answers to all your XJ questions here. We have the best experts on any number of topics and some others that think they are. I am not an expert in anything.