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Pre purchase questions...

S

snyder

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Yakima Wa
I found a 96 xj with an auto tranny and 4.o that has 137000 miles on the vehicle. This rig is 250 miles from me so I had my younger brother go test drive it, only 70 miles from him. I have never owned a jeep newer than 1980 so I am a newb with this tranny.

Question #1
The vehicle will not start in Park, put it in Nuetral and it fires right up. I believe it won't even crank over. I'm assuming its a failed safety of some sort in the shifter?

Question #2
When putting vehicle into gear right from neutral, the vehicle seems quite slugish no matter how hard the accelerater petal is pushed. I believe it is shifting through all the gears but I can't be sure since I'm not close to this rig and my brother isn't very mechanically inclined. He did however say that if he runs it down to 1 and manually shifts it, it'll run real strong. Is this common, I know its hard to assume what it is doing, anything thing would help.

Thanks for your time.
 
Q1: you will need to clean the Neutral Safety Switch. Easy to do, takes about an hour and costs $5.

Q2: not sure, may be the same as #1 but I really don't know.
 
Well this guy is asking for 1800 for this 96 with 137k on it, it is a plain jane bare bones xj that has a/c and no other extras. It sounds like a fair price and these problems seem somewhat easily fixed, do you guys think its a decent deal?
 
when I put my car in reverse I have to wiggle the shifter to get the back up lights to turn on... but thats what makes a jeep a jeep.

go for 1200, and deal with starting it in neural... it will make you love it more... kinda like a dog with only 3 legs.
 
Starting in neutral and the backup lights thing is the NSS (neutral safety switch) and it's really expensive to replace new, but from the local pull a part it cant be more than about $10.


I'd say the Jeep in question is a go.
 
I'd get the guy down below $1000 or I would keep looking. 1800 is a good price for a 140000 mile 12 year old XJ if everything works on it. But not everything works on this one. Problem 1 is easy, NSS, problem 2 may be the TCU or it may be something wrong in the transmission or torque converter. Its most likely the TCU though. The transmission in the XJ is about the best medium duty tranny made. If you get one thats working as it should and you take care of it, it will outlast the Jeep, but I would keep looking until I found one that is working right when I buy it (unless you can get this one for a steal)
 
you may want to download this... http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PDFs/AW4_manual.PDF
assuming its a blown TCU is ignant and irresponsible untill you swap it out for a known-good tcu, it could be things like the tps, or a ground, who knows maybe he put ATF4 in the thing! its a gamble, so at least use it as a negotiating point... theres 2 things wrong with the trans... and trans problems aint cheap, so get a good deal.
 
btw this sounds exactly like my project jeep, minus the NSS part, first thing common sense told me was to check the tcu, and it wasnt that, so maybe we should be more cautious before telling the guy a $14 fix is most likely his salvation on a jeep he doesnt own yet, and possibly SHOULD pass on..?
 
Thanks for all the info here, I think I'm gonna call this guy and make him a low low offer and go from there. The reason I am so interested in this rig is it has been owned by this person for 10 years and it has not been abused at all. Talking to this guy on the phone is painful, it's like a bad scene out of Forrest Gump, and apparently he isn't any better in person from what my brother tells me. His idea of 4xing is going up the gravel forrest service roads.
 
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