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crisis of faith...is this '95 about to nickel & dime me?

Doesn't have to mean paying for service, you can learn it I'm sure.

Also, I have a completely different outlook. I don't think its a waste to put more into a vehicle than it is worth if it is maintenance, any more than I get upset when I have spent more on fuel than I did for the car. I view the vehicle that costs me the least to keep running to be the best, and my four jeeps have cost me maybe 15k total now. Between the 4 of them I ALWAYS have something I can drive to work. My coworkers give me crap about it even as they take the day off work to bring their modern cars to the dealer to pay thousands for service.

Stop viewing the vehicle as an investment worth x dollars, vehicles are not investments, they ALL lose value. View it as "which one will cost me less."
 
I don't know....I'm looking at how to replace front and rear main seals, and it seems intimidating. 1st step for front is removing the radiator (I've done it...but what a PITA dealing with that, all the spilled coolant, little parts, etc. just to GET to another part). For the seals, if you slip and knick the crankshaft, you're basically screwed and would've been better off leaving it alone. To get the oil pan off, you have to (according to Haynes) remove the shocks, starter, and oil pan. It just seem inevetible to break something or lose something as you're tearing in, and then you wiind up trying to fix your fixes. Then after all the work, there's some other part on it's last legs.

It isn't so much about the expense as it is spending the money and STILL not having something you totally trust, as well as the time and inconvenience, and my own lack of experience. If I knew someone willing to show me around it'd be less of a big deal, but I've never really done anything more complicated than replacing a radiator (on a different car), starter, dash lights, etc.
 
tbburg said:
Sounds like the XJ is already a second car.
Click to expand...

True, but I depend on it when doing weekend trips as least as much as I depend on my daily driver.




The problem isn't that old cars wear out, it's that people don't maintain them. Look at aircraft. Average age of the fleet is approaching 40 years in the US. You don't see them falling out of the sky due to mechanical failure. Why?.. Required maintenance at intervals. Inspection and service are done so often that re-assembly errors/damage during service is a statically high cause of aircraft failures/accidents.
Click to expand...

Fair point...but do you depend on something as old as a KC-135 or B-52...something built in the early 60's maybe? Why not? There has to be a limit. Also, the Air Force is DESPERATE for new tankers because maintenance costs are killing them. They make due and keep plugging holes because they have to.
 
my 95 xj has more than 217,000 on the clock. it was beaten up, stomped on and put away wet before i bought it. i knew little in the line of car repair before i bought her. yet last october i did not hesitate to jump in her and drive from phoenix to moab short notice (last min approval for time off) for the fall fling. the reason i am getting rid of her is because of rust issues and what stems from it. IF you keep it you will find out just how easy it is to fix things on it. oh, dont worry on seals for now- let your mechanical ability improve before you start on something a little more "daunting."
 
The more repair work you do, the more confident you will be to do even more repair work. Start with the easier stuff. Once you gain confidence, move on to the harder stuff. As someone said, get a motor club membership. That will at least get you towed back to civilization. Members here can probably talk you through just about any fix there is. There is probably some repair we have ALL done to our Jeeps. Crankshaft sensor comes to mind. Is it a pain? Yes. Have most/all of us done it? probably. The other thing to keep in mind is "If it craps out on the side of the road is it the end of the world?" (and ANY car could crap out). Are you going to lose your life because of a breakdown? Probably not. Are you going to lose your job because of a breakdown? I would hope not; as I said, it could happen with ANY car.

I guess the other thing you have to ask is "Do I enjoy working on cars?" If not, get a new one; if you enjoy it, keep it and learn a little.

Getting a new car is not always rational, but if you really want one, go for it.
 
So, I didn't pull the trigger on the RAV4. It's a great car, and it was a great deal, but it's going to be redesigned for 2012 (probably released around summer), and the NHTSA crash test ratings are closer to the Jeep than they were to, say, a Subaru Outback.

I may change my mind, or I may buy one next year when the new one comes out.

So...I'm probably going to start with the valve cover gasket and CCV fittings and see how much that reduces my leakage problem. I also need shocks and tires. I was thinking Blizzkas for tires, but I'm not sure about shocks. Gabriels are about half the price of, say, sensatraks, right? How much of a difference is there?

I still have mixed feelings about this...I'm excited to fix the Jeep up a little, but the RAV4 sure would be a lot nicer on these ski trips.
 
I am quite happy with gabriel guardians or whatever advance sells as their bargain shock (they're yellow) on a stock height vehicle, I have both. They are kinda lousy on a lifted vehicle with stiffer springs.

Before you do the VC gasket, scrub most of the dirt away from the area. It will make your life much easier trying to keep dirt out from under the cover+gasket.
 
My heep was a weekend driver, then the work truck took a tranny dump, needs rearend work and front end work. About 5 grand worth. Not enough$$ to fix it then I would still have a truck worth 3 grand. I took the opp. to do some up grading that I've been wanting to do my Jeep. New Old Man Emu Spring's and shocks, new rack for storage, new Cooper STT's, new hubs,( new experiance for me but was pretty easy) for peice of mind. Wound up with about 3" of lift, 2" when fully loaded. It's like a new rig. Never get that look people give, like when driving an old plymouth,( piece of crap). It's looks of HEY nice jeep. Do some upgrades while eliminating your lack of trust in your jeep. Do some custom stuff to make it your's and enjoy it. I just got back from a 2000 mile spur of the moment road trip and not a clich. Oh yeah, 94 XJ, aw4, 231, 30/8.25 157,000 miles on it. And I learned to do the unit bearings from the fine folks on this site couse the fsm was lacking.
 
If you are planning on working on it you better go buy yourself a nice torx and inverted torx set.. these heeps have some strange choice of nuts and bolts!

And if you are worried about breakdowns or whatever go and make yourself a 'road tools' kit.. throw in a haynes manual.. I tells ya I use my wheelin' bag more often than the tools in my garage!
 
Last edited:
haynes manual = The Book of Lies
 
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