What to look for?

Alright yes Im new and know very little about jeeps specifically but very auto mechanically inclined (way to many projects not enough space haha).

Anyways, im a diehard chevy fan specifically the S series and havent had much luck at all finding a 1st gen (box style) blazer with 4x4 and a 5 speed without it being a total pile needing everything under the sun...

I have noticed a few 5 speed 4x4 jeep cherokees in my area but like i said i know nothing about them specifically.

So here goes the questions:

What are the problem areas/weakest links on a stock cherokee?

Anything i should be looking at when looking at/test driving one that is a make or break sorta deal?

I know the 4.0 is pretty die-hard but what typically goes wrong with them?

Any known oil leak areas?

Would you even consider the 4 cyl in a cherokee?

Are the 5 speeds pretty robust?

Any rust issue areas i should watch out for? (live in salty land IL...)

Are there "cutoff" years for certain things like airbags or engines/trans? Whats the better years?

I'm guessing they all came with a manual floor lever transfer case - are they usually OK?

What millage is considered "high millage" with these? (like what point does everything like axle seals, springs, bushings, mounts etc start to die off and leak)

Anything else I should know?

Sorry for the 20 questions game but i like to know what I'm getting into...I know the s series and all thier quirks and things to really watch for and what mileages things typically crap out but have no idea on jeep/chrystler products...

I probably should put what i intend to use it for: mostly just summer boat towing (small aluminum one), light offroad/cornfields, winter fun/driver on really bad days so not a full blown trail rig or rock climbing or anything (altho i do appreciate and like the looks of them)

I can chime in with my experience. I have owned 2 XJ's now; a 1992 Cherokee Sport w/5sp 4.0L that I bought new and a 1990 Cherokee Laredo w/auto 4.0L that I recently purchased and am getting back on the road. My observations:

1) the engines are pretty much bullet proof but watch for the late '90's/early 2000 heads (0331 stamped on the drivers side on the top of th head) as they are prone to cracking.
2) both the Automatic and the 5 speed were great and I never had an issue with any of the transfer cases.
3a) The weak link on the manual is the hydraulic clutch. They implement a slave cylinder design that places the hydraulics inside the bellhousing (donut around the input shaft) so when they go, they are a bear to replace. I sold the '92 to my brother and he recently had to change out the clutch master cylinder because it had failed as well.
3b) The only weak link I have seen so far on the auto is that it has a separate computer control that manages the shift points so any sensor issues (I had a bad ground and a bad TPS) can be hard to diagnose.
4) I have heard reports that the oil pump can be a weak link but both of mine have over 195K and are still going strong so I can't complain.
5) The '92 spent most of its life in Northern climates and floor rust became a big issue. It seemed to start around the welds that hold the floorpan to the frame and spread from there. I had to weld new floor pans in place (quite the job).
6) The areas where I have had to deal with oil leaks were: rear main seal on the '92 and valve cover gasket on the '90. I made the fatal mistake of taking the '92 to a Mr. Lube shop where they overfilled the crankcase. The sucker never recovered and has a minor drip to this day. The valve cover was easy to fix but Jeep doesn't make it easy as the design does not include any alignment ridges so I found that the gasket has to be very carefully placed, the valve cover installed and then I had to use a screwdriver to gently prod the gasket into the right spot (all the way around) before I could tighten the bolts.
7) I would not consider the 4 cyl as the 6 feels like the minimum amount of power needed (to me at least).
8) I think the cutoff was '95 for the inclusion of airbags.
9) models up to '90 used a computer control from a company called Renix. Starting in '91, a new head was utilized and the computer control was updated to a Chrysler design. These engines have the "High Output" designation as the new head (and intake) produced 190HP (up from 177 in the earlier models).

I should add that the only thing that would stop me from buying a Cherokee would be rust. Bad spots include floorpan (as I mentioned), rocker panels and the sections directly behind the rear wheels. Everything else is relatively easy to fix and parts are pretty cheap. Also, the local "u-pull-it" wreckers down here have always got inventory to pull parts from.

HTH
Todd

What are the problem areas/weakest links on a stock cherokee?

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Most of the problems on a stock XJ are routine and minor, things like HVAC blower switch stops working, that kind of stuff. There's not really anything significant like ~replace the trans every 60k miles. A lot of the small parts do break but that's true for all cars that go into the mileage we get. They are pretty good cars from that perspective.

I know the 4.0 is pretty die-hard but what typically goes wrong with them?

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The engine core is very stout (mine was over 300k miles when I replaced it). As for external parts, the water pump and the harmonic balancer tend to fail sooner than the others.

Any known oil leak areas?

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Everywhere there's a seal or gasket will develop a leak eventually. The rear main seal is two-piece so it is one of the common leak points, but you can replace it by dropping the oil pan. Valve covers also develop leaks after the PCV clogs up. And the oil-filter-adapter is an angled job that uses O-rings, and those tend to develop leaks over time too. None of it is bad. I replaced my whole motor a few years ago and don't have any leaks yet.

Would you even consider the 4 cyl in a cherokee?

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I know people who pick them for the better mileage. If I was using it for anything other than commuting I wouldn't consider it. Strike that, I wouldn't consider it period, but some people go looking for them.

Are the 5 speeds pretty robust?

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There were three generations (maybe a fourth in the beginning)--a Peugot trans, then the AX5, and then the AX15. The AX15 is supposed to be a great transmission, the others not so much. If my mind was set on the manual trans then I would look for an AX15 or expect to install one later.

The AW4 automatic trans that was used from 87-01 is an awesome trans. Don't be shy about that one

Any rust issue areas i should watch out for? (live in salty land IL...)

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Jeep did a pretty good job with zinc coating at the factory but there are still plenty of people who never went to the car wash after a snow storm. You'll have to get down and look. Same as all other cars, check the rocker panels and the suspension parts for obvious damage and that will give you a good idea of the rest. The floorpans tend to suffer quite a bit from rust, so I would make sure to poke around with a pencil or something and just look for flake (seller will be pissed if you poke with a screwdriver).

Are there "cutoff" years for certain things like airbags or engines/trans? Whats the better years?

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There were five basic generations. It was introduced in 1984 with GM engines and oddball transmissions, nothing fancy just basic V6 GM iron. In 1987 they switched to the AMC 2.5L/4.0L engines with a Renault/Bendix setup (called RENIX), which used MPFI and electronic spark advance. Chrysler bought AMC in 1990, and in 1991 they switched to a Chrysler computer (this is called the HO series, 4.0L High Output), and rejiggered the engine layout (deleted the EGR, etc), but the same basic iron. In 1997 they changed the body and a bunch of sensors and components. Finally, for the '00/'01 models they switched to a coil-pack ignition system, and made some more changes like front axle and so forth.

91-95 is probably the simplest and easiest to work on. Airbags were mandatory in 93 or 94 I think, the steering wheel changed to the new style for that mandate. 96 was OBDII mandate so that is where the simplicity ends, but the computer becomes more verbose so could be either good or bad depending on what you want. The grand cherokee was introduced as the luxury model in 93 and the XJ stopped getting nice stuff about that period, so things like chrome parts are only on the pre-93 models. 97 had some wiring weirdness that was specific to that year. 99 is generally considered to be the best year, since it had some engine tweaks and most everything was figured out by then. 00/01 have problems with the heads, and the front axle is low-pinion which is weaker and more prone to vibes at lift. I have a 91 and it's been easy to work on; if I were buying a clean one for a fresh start I would look for a nice 99.

I'm guessing they all came with a manual floor lever transfer case - are they usually OK?

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unless they were 2WD yes. The levers work alright, the problems with them are in the complex rods and such used for the linkage, which are finicky and need to be adjusted periodically, but they work.

What millage is considered "high millage" with these? (like what point does everything like axle seals, springs, bushings, mounts etc start to die off and leak)

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I would guess 150-200 is where they start needing non-routine maintenance but it depends on how the miles were put on. Mine has 350k miles but they are all highway commuter miles. I replaced the engine and trans with junkyard parts in the 70k range, but that was only to reset the clock, not because it was needed.

Anything else I should know?

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Jeep sold 3million of these things and they are all over the place. Don't pay a lot unless it's cherry and you really want it.

I probably should put what i intend to use it for: mostly just summer boat towing (small aluminum one), light offroad/cornfields, winter fun/driver on really bad days so not a full blown trail rig or rock climbing or anything (altho i do appreciate and like the looks of them)

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Yeah just put a small/firm lift on it and you'll be set. The solid axle makes them easy to work on, but more expensive than the S10 with it's dial-in lift.

ehall said:

There were three generations (maybe a fourth in the beginning)--a Peugot trans, then the AX5, and then the AX15. The AX15 is supposed to be a great transmission, the others not so much. If my mind was set on the manual trans then I would look for an AX15 or expect to install one later.

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Wasnt the NV3500 offered in the later years?

dang that 3500...i have that in my 2wd 5 speed blazer...bearing noises out the butt...

Cool - thank you guys for quickly answering all the questions! good to know everything is pretty diehard in them as long as thier kept up.

Im sticking and dead set on a manual, cannot stand driving automatics...so freaking boring! plus no fun in the winter...

im not too worried about exterior non structural rust, im more worried about body mounts rusting off, Aarms rusting off, shackle mount points etc, ya know structural stuff.

Looks like im lookin for a 91-95. Im not entirely sure when airbags were mandatory as the S series 95 is the first year to have a drivers one, 98+ for driver and pass. A body change in the pickups happened for the 94 model year (rounded body with squareish tailights VS the square rectangle squares in 93 - the blazers 94 was last year for box body)

not that i dont like airbags and all that i just HATE the steering wheel looks with them VS the tri spoke non airbag - plus i like the non airbag dash better.

now comes the all important and vauge question: What is a good starting price for one? (4 door 5 speed - dont care on power options)

I know thats kinda location specific but being in the rust belt, less rust the higher the price.

I have just passed 261K miles on my second 5-speed Cherokee, which at this point has the transmission out of my previous one which got to 263K miles.

So, my take on this is, first, that the Cherokee 4.0 is very robust, and the 5 speed AX15 is also very robust. I only had to replace mine because a failed clutch throwout bearing at about a quarter million miles resulted in an unfortunate need to slam-shift and to make a long story short I damaged the reverse gears.

I've never had problems with the NP 231 transfer case. The rear end on my 95 (Chrysler 8.25) was noisy, but never caused problems. I managed to bend the axle shafts on my 87 (Dana 35 axle), trying to yank a pickup truck out of a ditch with a chain in low range. My conclusion is that the D35 is a bit weak, but the factory bumper hitch is not!

Oil leaks: the worst offender in my case has been the oil filter mount O-rings on the 95, a gusher that is a mildly irritating job to do but requires about 5 bucks worth of parts. But the 99 has not yet developed any serious leaks.

Later 5-speeds do not have the problematic hydraulics of earlier ones, but there seems to be a weak spot in the pedal design, and bent pedal arms turn up from time to time in discussions here. The 97 up design is improved.

Some time in the 90's the brakes were improved with a better booster. The brakes on my 87 were pretty wimpy but the later ones are fine. The handbrake was also improved in 97, of little concern for automatics, but good to keep in mind if you're getting a 5-speed. Earlier models may need reinforcement where the cable sheath anchors to the floor.

Rust: Always an enemy, and always a problem for cherokees, but there aren't a lot of secrets here. Look at one and you'll see where it's rusty. The floors and rocker panels will rot. The only unusual spot for these, I think, is the front corners of the roof. Look carefully at the edges of the roof, around the gutter, and especially around the windshield. A little blistering is common, but when it gets bad enough the roof rots right through, and that's a really nasty one to fix. It's one of the reasons I had to retire my sweet-running old 95. It leaked so much around the windshield that the seats got wet, and the cold blast under the dash overpowered the heater, making it uninhabitable for passengers.

The 95 and 96 are unique in having a mechanical airbag, and a steering column design that differs both from earlier and later ones. It's all right, but has buttons for the horn, which I never liked, and for some reason fewer settings for the intermittent wipers. I prefer the earlier Saginaw columns, or the later ones.

Seats also differ, though all are at least adequate. I prefer the pre-95 seats, especially the deluxe ones with a rocker base for tilt adjustment, but the other variants are still good for long trips. I just finished a round trip between Vermont and Georgia, and it's still a good long distance cruiser.

All three of mine have had at least some problem with sagging rear springs, perhaps because all have had trailer hitches. The last two both got an added leaf to bring them back up. I've also had a couple of broken front springs, a common occurrence in rust country. Lots of u-joints over the years, but few other mechanical problems except the sort you'd expect with age, mileage and rust.

I've had three, an 87, a 95 and a 99. One of my kids had a 93 and another a 96, and my ex wife had an 88. The 87 and 93 were automatics, the rest 5 speeds. So far I think the 99 is the best of the bunch, but none were bad. My son sold his 96 at something around 150 thousand miles, I think, but otherwise all the XJ's in the family have gone over 200K. The 87 was sold with 235+, to a mail carrier who needed a dependable backup vehicle. The 88 was given away at 220+. The 93 was wrecked at around 230, the 95 retired due mostly to rust at 263, though it ran strong, and the 99 is alive and well at 261 and counting, but the rust is nibbling pretty hard at it.

cool good to know 160K isnt an uhoh something majors gonna crap out haha.

still not sure on the price though, ive seen any range from 1000 bucks to high up there the newer it gets

i can get used to all types of braking systems. If any of you have ever owned or driven a chevette with non power brakes (even power brakes were pretty bad) it cant be worse than those in maint/reliability haha

my 2wd s10 has no abs (hilarious good time in the winter), 02 blazer does have abs and i hate it....

good price is whatever it's worth to you, generally cheaper in non-metro areas so if saving a few hundred is worth a drive go for it, can save a couple of grand if you go out to Texas or something

I would definitely go with an XJ over a blazer any day. SFA > IFS. I would go with the 4.0L, only thing that the 4cyl XJ's are good for is the 4.10 geared axles (and the very rare 2.5l/auto with the 4.56s)

yea i have my fair share of 4 banger gas savers. And yes i figured that but i dont want to overpay so to speak. I live near a somewhat metro area but surrounded by alot of cornfields/smalltowns.

maybe i just need to find some for sale and post up the specs and what thier offering. i know about the going rate for blazers in certian conditions with X ammount of miles but jeeps i dunno, wranglers are severely overpriced to me in this area.

Wranglers are always expensive, but they are hobby cars, same as boats or corvettes, and priced accordingly. Cherokee is a cheap 4WD SUV and like I said MILLIONS were made and sold so they are all over the place.

Get on ebay motors and see what they have been selling for in your area, that is what buyers have successfully paid

ahh good idea, didnt think of ebay motors...

Ive seen a few bone stock jeeps around for a decent price (5 speed 4 doors even) then ive seen some with a mild lift and good tread tires for slightly more (when i say slight meaning i couldn't buy new tires and a lift for what their asking vs a similar OEM)

BUT as i know in the s10 world there are alot of hacks, shortcuts, and generally unsafe modifications people can make/take to get a lift/drop. What are the common hacks you guys see and what ones to avoid with a 10 foot pole if i were to spot them?

I work around both hand and robot welders all day so i know a good weld when i see one...

Also i already know to avoid ex plow trucks (or current ones) like the plauge.