Things that annoy me about stock XJ's

[aspera]

non-crossflow head
exhaust INCHES away from fuel lines :flame:
exhaust pretty much bolted to intake manifold
exhaust has to cross over from left to right side due to T-case
muffler and cat heat rusted out my passenger side floor on my 95
finally, exhaust passes within INCHES of the gas tank

gas tank positioned for rear impact explosion :flame:
fuel lines run underneath the Jeep unprotected
battery sits at screwy angle...WHY?
battery near alternator, starter and fuse box...but engine computer, interior fusebox and other electronics SCATTERED far, far away.
wiper fluid bottle sits right over an electric motor :dunno:

drainholes pugged so that they don't drain
carpet designed to create rust

 

[Ludakris]

I have five '87-'90 4 liter Jeeps. What annoys me (in no particular order of annoyance) is:

D35s and C8.25 rears

8.25?.... 87'-90'?
am I missing something?

I dont want to hear a thing about lack of Tow points. All you have to do is run down to the dealer and pick up a pair. I have an 02 dakota, how bout you run to the dealer and find front tow points for that....
Alot of these gripes are petty, it could be alot worse. Manufacturers could care less, but atleast there is an aftermarket source for anything and everything on these trucks. Suck it up and go wheeling.

 

[y2kxj]

8.25?.... 87'-90'?
am I missing something?

I dont want to hear a thing about lack of Tow points. All you have to do is run down to the dealer and pick up a pair. I have an 02 dakota, how bout you run to the dealer and find front tow points for that....
Alot of these gripes are petty, it could be alot worse. Manufacturers could care less, but atleast there is an aftermarket source for anything and everything on these trucks. Suck it up and go wheeling.

You seriously think it's cool to have to modify a 4x4 just so you can remove it from mud? Man that's dumb!

 

[Darky]

how bout lack of underbody protection? My 94 Geo Tracker came with a metal gas tank skid. It wasn't a big beefy thing, but it was there and better than the plastic crap we get w/ our XJs. Yeah, and the tow points really is stupid, we shouldn't need to go get them from the dealer. Again, my tracker had front and rear tow points. I recently towed an old Escort wagon and it had tow points, why not my Jeep?!

 

[XJ91]

wiper fluid bottle sits right over an electric motor :dunno:

Only XJ's with ABS.. Mine without ABS is on the drivers side.:laugh3:

Neutral Safety Switch - especially if ya have to get the replacement from the stealer. :shiver:

What no mention of that good old spittin of oil all over the filter, BLOW BYE uke:

 

[Ludakris]

how bout lack of underbody protection? My 94 Geo Tracker came with a metal gas tank skid. It wasn't a big beefy thing, but it was there and better than the plastic crap we get w/ our XJs. Yeah, and the tow points really is stupid, we shouldn't need to go get them from the dealer. Again, my tracker had front and rear tow points. I recently towed an old Escort wagon and it had tow points, why not my Jeep?!

your bring up a GEO? Those arent tow points, those are tie downs. the imports have them so they can strap them down to the boat for the ride over.

 

[y2kxj]

funny thing is my cherokee DID come with tires which took me offroad which got me stuck.

 

[AZ Jeff]

non-crossflow head

This is very COMMON on in-line engines without overhead camshafts. So what? Please remember the engine in question was designed back in the 1960's, NOT the 1990's.

exhaust pretty much bolted to intake manifold

Again, this is an artifact of the in-line pushrod engine design, and is VERY COMMON on such engines.

exhaust has to cross over from left to right side due to T-case

And unto itself, what's so bad about this?

finally, exhaust passes within INCHES of the gas tank

So what? It does that on LOTS of vehicles, and it is NOT inherently unsafe at all.

gas tank positioned for rear impact explosion

This is a legitimate issue, but then again, remember what we are dealing with here: a vehicle intended for off-road use (read that we need the tank tucked up away from the ground) and also remember, the vehicle was designed in the EARLY 1980's when this type of gas tank placement was COMMON on MANY brands.

fuel lines run underneath the Jeep unprotected

That's not true. The ones on my 1992, and on my 2000, run right along the INSIDE of the "frame" rail. That's pretty protected compared to some sedans I have seen.

battery sits at screwy angle...WHY?

At least it's not tucked in a fender somewhere. So what's the big deal about the battery on an angle?

battery near alternator, starter and fuse box...but engine computer, interior fusebox and other electronics SCATTERED far, far away.

Electrical equipment locations are often chosen based on criteria other than shortest run to the battery. The ECU is located on the left inner fender in an area that is the COOLEST in the engine compartment.

carpet designed to create rust

OK, I give up. What does this mean? Are you suggesting that XJ carpeting is different than that in other vehicles, and somehow is more prone to creating rust?

 

[red91]

gas tank positioned for rear impact explosion :flame:

Better behind your ass than UNDER your ass. Thats why Chevy call them coffin tanks... :skull2:

Although...some will say that 60 minutes created THAT urban legend...

 

[Rocketman]

Originally Posted by dmillion
The lack of tow points!!! What were they thinking!?! If it had a frame you'd at least be able to hook a chain to it, but with the unibody...


ACTUALLY.. the slanted oval holes on the side of the unibody, near each tire, are MADE for a certain type recovery hook that twists into the hole and secures. I know this first hand after digging into 3 feet of muck to get to the rear frame. The tow guy happened to have them and said they are especially for Jeeps and a few other vehicles. His winch had me out of the muck in seconds with absolutely no damage, EXCEPT to my wallet!! $200 for an off-road recovery! We should sell our rigs and buy tow trucks!!

 

[96XJCLASSIC]

I hate no cup holders.

 

[Redcbr007]

I hate no cup holders.

hehe great one, how about the spare 'off-road' tire that look smaller then a full size ford escort tire

Fuse box located RIGHT UNDER clutch master cyliner, so when it leakes you have an electrical problem now too !

 

[AZ Jeff]

I hate no cup holders.

Again, you have to remember the AGE OF THE DESIGN. The XJ was created in the early 1980's. At that time, cupholders were VERY RARE in any vehicle. Compared to designs of it's time, the XJ was pretty much on par with it's contemporaries.

MANY PERSONS keep judging the XJ against designs that are 10 to 20 years newer, but for many of us, it's the XJ's anachronistic features that make them endearing and full of character :cheers:

 

[XJ91]

For the older XJ's....

Stock rear tire swing.

 

[Dan1990XJ]

The fact that the front seats on my 90 don't recline, not a big deal but sometimes annoying.

 

[Gridikal]

Ha! glad I started this thread. Despite a few minor and a few major shortcommings, theres very few things I'd trade mine for. If I had the 9k in my hand again and had the option to buy somthing else- I would have done the same thing over.

 

[FrankDV1]

The position of the license plate on the front bumper. When ever I go wet wheelin' the water pushes it up and folds it. It's kinda a joke with the guys I wheel with. They kid that the plate can be seen from the air BTW mine is an 97 Sport.

 

[Dave in Eugene]

That stupid cupholder over the park brake handle ('87 - stock?), won't hold a decent sized cup, and fergettabout a regular coffee cup. On the other hand, it's perfect for one of those ashtrays with the little drop in butt hole, much better than the stock one in the dash (a big help keeping things tidy for us smokers :smoker: ).

Power door locks (only the R.F. and rear hatch work reliably on mine).

(related) A poorly designed electrical system in general. :banghead:

The internal clutch slave cylinder combined with a master cylinder that has inadequate displacement, yet still, surprisingly, too stiff for comfort when navigating such things as long lines at sporting events (I think my left calf muscle is growing noticeably larger than my right).

The BA10/5 transmission needs another mention, just because, well, could it possibly be any more French?

Standard brake stopping force unusually inadequate for a set of brake components with no French content.

What's with the upshift light? I swear it'd have me in 4th at 15 MPH.

Cramped interior (then again, my other cars are an XLT Aerostar and a Suburban).

Exhaust tone of inline six can't be made to sound good (Refer to Suburban, big block baby, non cat, duals, cherry bombs man - hang 4 tons of iron on the hitch and open 'er up, sounds like a truck :scared: - XJ just sorta hums, with an occasional klunk from the pipe banging on something).

No Zell Miller bumpersticker to commemorate his pounding the final nail into the coffin of the Kerry campaign on Sept. 1, 2004 (gonna see about fixing that) - and a few of them also seem to lack a Dubya sticker.

The coolant surge tank could have been made a lot better, that's really the only thing seriously wrong with the cooling system.

All kidding aside, the high idle that develops so often when an XJ has a failed TPS is a real safety hazard that has no doubt caused some deaths. Chryco says those dead folks all stepped on the wrong pedal by mistake, but I call :bs:. Though it was AMC who put them in the market, Chryco should do the right thing and fix them all (JMHO). The 4.0 can deliver more power to the wheels than the brakes can hold, so it is prudent to be mindful of that and not slam it into gear until the idle speed has stabilized.

 

[Blackash132]

That they don't make them anymore.

Agreed!!! :bawl: :tear:

 

[Pflumingo]

The fact that all wires going to the door run on top of the floor boards and under the carpet right where your feet rest when driving. I had a chunk of melted copper 3/4 of an inch thick from all these wires melting together when one shorted from wear (Wore through the jacket and grounded to the floorboards, melted the other wire's jackets, and shorted the whole mess together.)

I spent 3 hours splicing wires and running them in a "safer" location myself.