Commonly broken XJ items...what are they?

[rocknxj]

x2 on the oil filler cap.

 

[jpk]

On my 92 that I had for 13 years, bought it with 30,000 miles on it, I replaced the following;
radiator-once
alternator-once
waterpump/tstat-once
serpentine belt-once
battery-5 or 6
console latch-once
headliner-once
front rotor/pads-twice
power steering pump line-once
shocks-once
plug wires/rotor/plugs-once
Traded her for a cherry 96 Country this last June. She had 180,000 miles on her, still had a main seal leak, had been there for years but the engine ran like a top. I don't think I had put a real tuneup on it ever. The most reliable vehicle I have ever owned and the longest. It probably would have had way more miles on it but I've driven my WJ for the last year before I traded her in. I also have an 03 WJ and would love to unload it and buy a second XJ. Last good Jeep made the XJ.

Also, the AC still blew cold and I never touched the system or recharged it in the entire time I had the XJ.

 

[RaccoonJoe]

Some of these posts really warm my heart....make me glad I bought this XJ!!

Let's see....in 4 months and 10K miles.....

-replaced both front seats (pwr motors quit working...driver's side frame is busted)
-new fog lights on factory mounts
-new plugs
-new cap/rotor
-new fuel filter
-replaced a few relays/fuses
-complete rear brake rebuild + new front lines
-new u-joints in the D30

Still need to
-fix valve cover gasket leak
-fix my "no dash lights" situation
-find $$ for new plug wires/ignition coil
-find/install hood vents (think I've got exhaust manifold issues)
-maybe replace shocks
-AAL/bastard pack for rear
-body work

All this on a $900 89 Limited with 220K. I don't believe the PO was very kind to her...but I'm 99% sure that she's got 99% road miles. No major shop time, and still managing 21 MPG +

 

[Bzamora]

The center console latch on my '99 was broken when I bought it. It was a quick and cheap replacement, but I noticed it's very easy to accidentally slam or drop the console door shut so I guess that's how most of them break. It seems that small trim items (especially interior) and electrical system components are the weak links in all US-made vehicles. My old Chevy S10 was just as bad at eating electrical parts and breaking small items.

 

[Shomsky462]

times like a million on the exhaust manifold crack.
mine was cracked so bad it was no longer connected

 

[Salty Cracker]

Bought a 99 about 4 months ago, so far have had no major problems other than the normal parts replacement for wear and tear on a vehicle that is 8 years old. The one problem I have is that the dome light goes on when the door is shut and off when it is open. All the other interior lights work great. This is a good solid vehicle.

 

[imfrankyj]

Wow after seeing this thread I might go ahead and sell my 99 I just bought and go buy a 4runner.

My latch still works, but I'm sure my XJ will figure that I've read this thread and it will break within a week.

You cant compair these two cars one is a ORV and the other is a SUV. they are different catigories. IFS are not meant for trails they are ment for moms getting their kids to sports games. There would be a lot more major breaks if you beat up a 4runner like you can a XJ.

 

[MisterFubar]

You cant compair these two cars one is a ORV and the other is a SUV. they are different catigories. IFS are not meant for trails they are ment for moms getting their kids to sports games. There would be a lot more major breaks if you beat up a 4runner like you can a XJ.

MY XJ isn't an ORV or an SUV, it's a DD. I've broken more things in the two months I've owned it than I did in the 6 years I owned and flogged the hell out of an IFS Toyota. I haven't even had my XJ offroad yet, I'm afraid it will roll right over on it's top and play dead.

As far as strength goes, I'll take the Toyota IFS over a Dana 30 anyday.

BACK ON TOPIC

Does anyones window lock switch work? I've been through 2 of them now and only 1 of them works 50% of the time, all the time. :laugh3:

 

[imfrankyj]

MY XJ isn't an ORV or an SUV, it's a DD. I've broken more things in the two months I've owned it than I did in the 6 years I owned and flogged the hell out of an IFS Toyota. I haven't even had my XJ offroad yet, I'm afraid it will roll right over on it's top and play dead.

As far as strength goes, I'll take the Toyota IFS over a Dana 30 anyday.

BACK ON TOPIC

Does anyones window lock switch work? I've been through 2 of them now and only 1 of them works 50% of the time, all the time. :laugh3:

I can tell you havnet had it off road. I have a toyota tundra with IFS I have taken it off road alot also. It doesnt come close to how well my XJ does. IFS is much rougher off road. that truck, which rides much better than a 4runner, is great! on the road, so smooth, but off road it beats us to death cause there is no articulation with an IFS, just up and down. I do like my tundra more for around town than the XJ but that is probably cause it is 10 years newer

I havent been disapointed with how my XJ is holding up. it has over 200K and is on the orig engine and trans. I finnaly had to change the front drive shaft u-jointscause of that centering joint dryed out. But the CV boots went out at 100K on my toyota and that is much more involved. I am constantly amazed at Jeeps this is my third and they have always impressed me with how tough they are. there is a reason they are the most seen brand on the trail.

Forom what I hear those Cardon joints are common and that is the only big fix I have done.

 

[cygnus58]

Since folks are listing what they've had done since they got 'em:

Replaced rear gears, (couldn't turn 'em by hand once they were out)
Re-wired melted turn/light wiring, soldered and heat shrunk.
Flipped fan speed switch. (some idiot had it upside down and connected off center, only had high speed.)
Replaced Crap NAPA thermostat with OEM high temp with the hole thingy in it. (Boiled over and sprayed entire passenger side of engine compartment) Also OEM cap.
Replaced turn signal arm to fix classic broken at column wiring from cruise switches.
Repired all 4 intermittent power windows.
Rebuilt rear wiper motor.
Replaced some bulb sockets for weird ground related lamp problems.
Replaced leaking rear transfer case seal.
Rebuilt CCV hoses and hardware for oil soaked air filter problem.
Replaced left rear brake cylinder.
Snugged valve cover bolts.
Found a case of STP red for oil changes to come. (search ZDDP)
Filters, plugs, wires, etc..
Flex plate cracked, expensive fix at Dealership, much relief 4.0 was still in good shape as it sounds so very internal.. (this baffles many from above the engine, only sure way we determined it was from on lift while running. )

And finally the award goes to the most abominable, horrific, stupifying little piece of ferrous crap - the CPS!!
that little bugger inspired me to learn much about Renix, and learning more everyday.

Last time my '88 was down and I borrowed a '02 Neon for work, I missed my XJ!

 

[Bored400]

89' xj...headliner, coolant system, trac bar, aux fan, driving lights...still waiting for the REALLY expensive stuff to tank. I love this thing though! I could care less what breaks.

 

[Lowrange2]

On mine:

Air Conditioner
Rear Wiper/Washer
Sagging Headliner

SAME HERE. EXACTLY Drivers door window and lock controls busted all the hell too! and the neutral saftey switch sucks!

 

[lost1]

Havent had the clockspring/horn/cc failure yet, knock on wood. BTW the airbags wont deploy upon impact if there is a trouble code in the airbag system...

Maybe they're not supposed to...my 2000 did.
35mph impact with an 07 Hyundai minivan, I t-boned them (thier fault though, ran an intersection) that set off all the airbags in both vehicles. Saved my bacon, I'd just had surgery to remove my appendix when it happened.

As for what was broken on her at the time...well there was that airbag light...center console shut thanks to gravity...and always bounced open on the fun trails...was running a hiar rich, but nothing harsh...no, actually that's it. It had a reman'd engine that was a year old and a newly rebuilt tranny, replaced suspension(OME), etc...thing ran like new.

I should add that though my jeep was later declared totaled, it drove away from the scene of the accident.

 

[scottmcneal]

I know, I know, rear view mirror, falls off about every 3 yrs, same mirror an glass

 

[Nevada City Sparky]

I can't believe no one mentioned the Turtle on RENIX models, or the notoriously flimsy cap for it.

 

[alwaysready]

2000 limited.
second the ripping seats
except mine has leather and i have seen others with leather that ripped i the same place..( the only problem is mine are heated and like 500.00 or something to replace.., not going to happen, going to replace with non heated leather..)
accumalator is known to go bad, on what years i dont know.
but mine went out before i bought it and i had to replace it..
the door unlock switch on the drivers side now the pass side too..
this thing has cost me more money in the last 3 months( ive only had it 3 months).
then my 95 explorer did in the 100,000 miles that my wife drove that(not including normal maintenance braked tuneups etc...
and it started out with us at 68,000 now for sale with 171,000
so far on the xj
accumaltor and
alternator.
the ex had replaced
1 wheel seal in the rear axle
1 belt tensioner pulley
1 idler pulley
yes i admit i was lucky with that thing.

 

[WB9YZU]

I got a chuckle about the XJ not being Mr Fubars SUV, but a DD !!
Best look up SUV

Anyway, my 98' I bought with 132K ( it was 5 years old then) and now has 191K.

The one of the front hubs and the radiator leaked when I got it.
If I would have just drove it it would have been fine from then one, but Noooo, I had to take it on the trail

Since then, pretty much everything that has failed is because I abused it, with the exception of the drivers seat frame, which one day left me laying on my back looking at the headliner. I found and repaired no less than 10 structural cracks in that frame, besides the area which failed.

Right now the drivers rear door will not open (frozen latch), and the driveshafts are banged up. Other than that, everthing is normal for a 9 year old vehicle which for the last 60K odd miles has been been abused to the point of failure many times, but has yet to leave me stranded anywhere.

The XJs quality is just fine as far as I'm concerned. Many reports of 300K units out there still plugging away. A friend of mine dropped his 88' with 265K off in my drive one day and said "It's yours" and I promptly gave it to another friend whose XJ backed in to tree real hard on the trail and bent the roof. A few new vacuum line repairs and he is still driving it back and forth to work and to the trail.

I had a 85' 4-Runner which chunked the engine (22R) while driving down the highway at the speed limit. I'll keep my Jeep as it gets better gas milage than that 4-Runner did. I get 18-20mpg with 4inch lift and 31's. I wish my Wrangler got that !

 

[MisterFubar]

I got a chuckle about the XJ not being Mr Fubars SUV, but a DD !!
Best look up SUV

I did, and I know that the last real SUV was built in 1980. atriot:

 

[clunk]

My 1990 with only just over 100k has been a real lemon, I'm selling it to buy something more reliable. I heard talk of people commenting on how reliable the cherokee is. Maybe I got a lemon, but as far as I'm concerned it's just another domestic piece of crap--that only gets 11MPG to boot.

In the 8 months and 8k that I have put on it as a DD with the odd drive up a maintained forest service road to get to some bike trails or a lake(most of these don't even require 4hi), I have had a bunch of things go wrong:

-starter died 2 days after I bought it.
-battery was old so I threw a new one in along with the starter.
-changed the oil and the RMS started to leak a quart a day, so I tore the oil pan off and did a RMS job.
-TPS started acting wonky a few weeks later, so I replaced that.
-Coolant overflow bottle cracked, so I replaced that.
-parking brake cable has now seized, so I just don't use the e-brake
-power window regulators are "touchy" and work when/if they want to.
-front output seal on the transfer case is leaking, so I top up the x-fer case regularly so it doesn't run dry.
-rear axle seals were leaking onto the brake pads, so that needed to be fixed.
-factory radio stopped working.
-blower motor/heat is intermittent--sometimes the fan will just stop blowing altogether, then start again in a minute.
-horn does not work, hasn't from day 1.
-fixed 4 water leaks into the cab, tore up the mouldy carpet underlay etc to get rid of the water.
-replaced all rad hoses as I have had the upper rad hose burst unexpectedly (that was fun), as well as a heater fan hose burst.
-the "strong" 4.0l is developing a collapsed lifter, which means it's life is soon to be over. It's not worth my money to fix this thing, as there is still a looooong list of little things wrong/things that need replacing before I'd consider it a "reliable" DD.

Overall this low mileage, mint cherokee which has been well maintained has been a real piece of garbage, but of course that's just my opinion. Currently I don't trust this vehicle to drive more than 50km's at a time, and that's mostly because I know that it would inevitably break down somewhere if I tried driving it any further than that. Luckily my commute is only 7 miles a day, so when it breaks down it's easy for me to hitchhike or walk home.

 

[F9K9]

'92 Limited with 160K very much abused by PO who thought he had a real trail rig with a RE 3.5" Super-Flex kit installed by him. Chryco 8,25" rear diff, 4.10 gears and RE track bar installed my 3rd party. This a part time DD.

Console latch.........who cares?
RMS.......leaked badly
Oil Sump/Pan.........his "WaterWeld" didn't cut it when it came to plugging a hole he created through abuse.
Rear half of 242 TC case.....caused by bad u-joints and vibes
Rear Diff pinion yoke.....caused by bad u-joints and vibes
Front and rear drive u-joints
Both front bearing assemblys
Oil Filter adapter o-rings
Valve cover gasket
Both fron axle u-joints
Engine Mounts
Transmission mount
Starter
Battery
Complete rebuild of rear drum brakes!
Bad fuse for aux fan so, he wired it direct just twisting wires to make a permanent hot connection. No fuse, insulation or switch! A fuse was all it took to fix it.
Front bumber was replaced with a JCR bumper and vacuum resavoir was removed and lines left unplugged.
TPS....needed replaced.
The list goes on but, I am afraid I strayed from the original thread's intententions.

My power locks, seats. windows and window lock out appears to be working normally. The console latch seems intact. My head liner is needing fixed but, that is very far down on my list of required fixes.

My mileage sucks but, got better with the vacuum leaks corrected

It seems that the console latch, power locks, windows and window lock out is a priority here in the OEM side of things though