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"New" Jeep mom could use some advice

D

doostica

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Florida
Hi....

I currently live in Florida and I am about to relocate permanently in 2 weeks, due to work reasons to Indianapolis, Indiana where the weather is often 15 to 30 degrees during the winter; I have recently, a month or so ago got a 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport 2WD 2 Door Automatic transmission with the 4 liter V6 engine I guess it is. It's got 196000 miles on her. Yes she does.

I am wondering if yall can give me your input on a few things as I am about to do a whole lot of "work" on my vehicle before heading up north:

1- I have read that ceramic brake pads take some time to "warm up" and being in a cold state, would it be better to purchase the wearever gold brake pads instead ? I know I can get cheaper pads, but I am one who'd rather spend the extra money for less maintenance less often.

2- I am going to flush the radiator and was wanting a recommendation on what type of antifreeze/coolant to use?

3- The tires are in great shape, fairly new was wondering if there are any recommended tires though it should have on it living in a snowy state, and believe me my relatives are all in INdiana so it's quite snowy. lol

4-Spark plugs, any recommended ones for living in a colder climate?

5- and finally, I am looking to have the shocks replaced, so I have a nice smooth ride, I don't expect I'll be doing much "off roading" but lol you never know with my husband. So what brand or recommendation of shocks to replace these stock shocks I have on it now? 196 thousand miles on it and it still have the same shocks it came with. lol


Thanks for your help!!!!!
 
Last edited:
If you have the 4.0L, it's an inline 6 as opposed to a "V6." No biggie.

Brakes: it's a Jeep. My opinion, but get the regular pads. No reason for performance anything on a Cherokee. It's just no going to matter. If you want to spend the extra money, spend it on fresh rotors.

Coolant: Prestone. Or whatever is OTC at the store. All you need is something that won't freeze. Unless you're out in the 120*+ desert, cheap is as effective as expensive.

Plugs: standard plugs that are properly gapped. Ask the counter at your local parts store. They will sell you something pre-gapped for the Cherokee 4.0. Again, if you want to spend more, buy new cap, rotor and wires.

Tires: my preference, by BF Goodrich All Terrain K/O. They wear like steel and seem to do everything well, including snow. Assuming your suspension is stock, you can go as large as 30x9.5-15. As long as your not flexing your suspension off road, you shouldn't rub.

Shocks: regular OTC should be fine. Bilstein are solid and well respected. Does the 2WD have a steering damper? I think so. I'd replace that as well.

That's my opinion, but sure you'll get more. Good lunch on Indy I highly recommend St. Elmo's for their shrimp cocktail.
 
Welcome to the frozen Rust Belt. Here's a couple things that I strongly recommend that you do. At times we have major snow/ice storms that will almost guaranty that you'll end up getting stuck with a 2WD (in reality 1WD) vehicle. Put together a small bag with water/snack bars/emergency blanket/cell phone charger cord and leave it in the Jeep year round. Subscribe to a road side service such as Allstate or AAA.

You don't need ceramic brake pads, a good quality semi-metallic brand will do fine. Do you need brakes? Is there any scraping noise when you apply the brakes, or does the steering wheel pull to one side? If not, then you can just have them inspected while you are still down there.

I use Prestone coolant/anti freeze mixed 50/50 with distilled water after a thorough flushing. That should get you to about -30F. You probably should have the thermostat replaced with a Jeep/Mopar one (195 degree).

I've tried Bosch/Champion and NGK V-Power, mine seems to like the NGK plugs the best, but most people here recommend Champion Copper plugs.

I'm running Walmart/Discount Tire Goodyear Wranglers that have been "Siped" (razor thin cuts made across the threads) that aid traction on ice. I live in a hilly area and have a very steep driveway and they work well and are about half the price of big name tires. BFG All Terrain KO's are expensive but a very good in snow, but only fair in mud. Whatever you buy just make sure that all four tires are the same for high speed stability.

If your shocks aren't leaking oil, I'd just leave them. There's a good chance that one or more of the upper bolts on the rear shocks will break and will run up your bill. You'll never get an XJ to ride like the modern SUV's.

You probably don't want to hear this but I'd sell your high mileage 2WD Jeep and get a lower mileage 4WD version with a limited slip rear differential, '97-99 would be a good choice. With your mileage there are a number of things that are probably right around the corner waiting to fail, water pump/alternator/crankshaft position sensor to name a few, all of which will leave you stranded.
 
Thanks for your input... I was looking at Skyjacker Nitro 8000 series shocks and steering stabilizer. As for plugs I was considering Bosch IR Platinum Fustion series plugs.... you're saying the money wouldn't be so well spent then? the other jeep forum says not to get anything less than double platinum. lol As for brakes, I was looking at wearever gold series on sale at advance auto with 25% off.

Thanks for your input and all others is certainly welcomed as well.
 
Jeep 4.0's like cheap copper plugs. Lots of people have tried the fancy plugs and either had misfire problems or didn't realize any gains in mileage. It's a tractor motor.

Cheap green extended life coolant is where it's at. While you have the system drained consider changing the pump/thermostat. Coolant costs more than the pump these days.

I put ceramics on my wife's 01, we live in Ohio, I've not noticed any difference in braking while cold. I did it because I hate brake dust and she's got fancy wheels.

If you're not going to spend the money on super bling shocks (bilstein$), just get the parts store ones. They'll pretty much all ride the same for what you're doing.
 
87manche said:
Cheap green extended life coolant is where it's at. While you have the system drained consider changing the pump/thermostat. Coolant costs more than the pump these days.

I put ceramics on my wife's 01, we live in Ohio, I've not noticed any difference in braking while cold. I did it because I hate brake dust and she's got fancy wheels.
Click to expand...

Definitely do the water pump and thermostat while you have it down for fluid change.

I don't think you need to go too expensive on your OEM replacement parts. You probably won't notice drastically improved performance by upgrading your pads or coolant type.
 
IIRC, Indianapolis does get some snow (not a lot, by some standards,) but it tends to be rather wet and/or icy. A good all season A/T tire (lot of biting edges) would probably be your best bet.

Indy also doesn't get that cold. When I was living outside of Chicago, using my XJ as a daily driver, I never had problems with it starting, even on multiple winter trips to MI's Upper Peninsula ("winter and 2 weeks of bad ice fishing.") If it's not starting when the temp drops, you'll want to look over general starting issues which have been somewhat covered here already.

Water pump and thermostat? Personally, I'd get a new pump, and ignore the remans completely. And get a thermostat from the dealer, I've heard too many reports here of garbage aftermarket tstats right off the shelf.
 
The 'two-wheel-drive' part of your Jeep is its undoing. I've had XJs for a long time, and in my humble opinion, they suck in snow, in two wheel. In four wheel, no problem. In my long-term experience, it's either Champion copper, or Autolite platinum plugs. DEFINITELY a real Jeep T-stat from the dealer. They have that little check-ball (installed at 12 o'clock) that keeps the cooling system bled. The engine and tranny (and the rear, if a Chrysler 8.25) will basically last forever. All of our XJs have auxiliary tranny coolers on them, it seems to keep the fluid fresh longer. The now 'discount' Goodyear Wrangler Radials is what they came with from the factory in the early '90s, my '92 had them. They wore like iron, although I have no experience with this latest version. I just installed BFG Long Trail Touring tires on my '96, and so far, I like them. I guess I'll see just how effective they are as snow season approaches. The only thing I could recommend is to fix the two-wheel-drive problem. Easier said than done, though!
 
It's amazing how SO many people have said to get Copper spark plugs, I don't understand why those who've bought and used the Bosch ones swear by em when I have read countless others speak of misfiring problems.

I will make certain that I get a JEEP thermostat from my local Jeep dealer! That also has been well stated. I "was" going to be purchasing a 195 thermostat but I guess I'll stick with the Jeep one from the dealer.
- Interesting how it appears with my older super high mileage Jeep the same parts it came with pretty much are as good as it's going to get. It's a bit disappointing at the same time, as who wouldn't want to make their XJ run better or handle better than it is currently. lol

I really appreciate all the information you all have given me, great advice it appears. I will be using it for certain when I make my purchase. I do need a new center console, I don't know what the guy who owned it before me did to it, but I've got a big hole where there is half a center console (between the seats lol)

Ceramic brakes then are okay? I know they are great brakes, and I too am annoyed with the brake dust build up of semi metallic's. I was led to believe they take time to "heat up, and provide the bite" that semi metallic's do.
 
doostica said:
2- I am going to flush the radiator and was wanting a recommendation on what type of antifreeze/coolant to use?
Click to expand...
Dont get anything fancy, just a couple gallons of plain green coolant (seriously just the green stuff) and a gallon of distilled water. Dump 1 gal of the coolant then the water, and top it off with more coolant.

3- The tires are in great shape, fairly new was wondering if there are any recommended tires though it should have on it living in a snowy state, and believe me my relatives are all in INdiana so it's quite snowy. lol
Click to expand...
If you're going to spend the money buy some all-weather tires (not all-season). They will be better suited to snow and ice and rain mix. I had some General Grabber AW tires and they never slipped at all. Goodyear also supposed to have some good all-weather tires.

5- and finally, I am looking to have the shocks replaced, so I have a nice smooth ride, I don't expect I'll be doing much "off roading" but lol you never know with my husband. So what brand or recommendation of shocks to replace these stock shocks I have on it now? 196 thousand miles on it and it still have the same shocks it came with. lol
Click to expand...
Shocks and tires, you get what you pay for. Budget stuff will suck.
 
doostica said:
what about spark plugs? do you agree with the champion copper recommendation?
Click to expand...

I would say yes the champion is better, mine had the platinum something something from Walmart and once I switched it out(had a gap of .37) and installed the champions, you could just feel the engine was doing better. Not a giant amount but it was noticeable. These engines just seem to run best with stock spark plugs.
 
doostica said:
I will make certain that I get a JEEP thermostat from my local Jeep dealer! That also has been well stated. I "was" going to be purchasing a 195 thermostat but I guess I'll stick with the Jeep one from the dealer.
Click to expand...

195*F is the standard temperature thermostat for these motors. Don't downgrade to the 180*F one.
 
doostica said:
Hi....

I currently live in Florida and I am about to relocate permanently in 2 weeks, due to work reasons to Indianapolis, Indiana where the weather is often 15 to 30 degrees during the winter; I have recently, a month or so ago got a 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport 2WD 2 Door Automatic transmission with the 4 liter V6 engine I guess it is. It's got 196000 miles on her. Yes she does.

I am wondering if yall can give me your input on a few things as I am about to do a whole lot of "work" on my vehicle before heading up north:

1- I have read that ceramic brake pads take some time to "warm up" and being in a cold state, would it be better to purchase the wearever gold brake pads instead ? I know I can get cheaper pads, but I am one who'd rather spend the extra money for less maintenance less often.

Use whatever is cheapest. Stock pads are metallic and do just fine.

2- I am going to flush the radiator and was wanting a recommendation on what type of antifreeze/coolant to use?

Again, whatever is cheapest. 50/50 blend is what most manufactures recommend. You can either buy it concentrate and mix yourself or buy a 50/50 mix.

3- The tires are in great shape, fairly new was wondering if there are any recommended tires though it should have on it living in a snowy state, and believe me my relatives are all in INdiana so it's quite snowy. lol

Indiana isn't that snowy. If your tires are good, rock them. Winter driving is all about technique, esp with 2WD, not tires. Back in the day ;) We had "Snow Tires" (aggressive ATs), and "Summer Tires". Todays radials do much better. I have found that a regular radial with a tad less pressure (28lbs) goes lots of places a fully inflated (32lbs) radial will not. Something to keep in mind.

4-Spark plugs, any recommended ones for living in a colder climate?

Spark plugs do not change by climate. Use Stock number'd Champion plugs if you want to change them. Check your maintenance manual for service times, you will be surprised at the interval between changes.

5- and finally, I am looking to have the shocks replaced, so I have a nice smooth ride, I don't expect I'll be doing much "off roading" but lol you never know with my husband. So what brand or recommendation of shocks to replace these stock shocks I have on it now? 196 thousand miles on it and it still have the same shocks it came with. lol

If the stock shocks are not bad, why replace them? I had a friend who would take a new car and load the back with bricks for a month to "wear in" the shocks (real story!). If you don't plan on modifying the height of the vehicle, just buy a nice set of inexpensive Monroe/Gabriel shocks.


Thanks for your help!!!!!
Click to expand...
 


Thanks for your advice. This forum is far more active and helpful than others.

It's interesting how I'd heard "you get what you pay for" then I've heard buy the cheap stock stuff. :laugh:


I am currently looking at Headliner fabric as I am replacing the headliner in my 2 Dr 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport. I don't suppose anyone would happen to know what size of fabric I would need? I am going to buy 4 yards just so I'll have more than enough and so I can recover the visors as well, I can't seem to find online where it says how wide of fabric I would need.

I believe I need 3/16th's inch foam backed and 60 inches wide, Could someone confirm this for me who's replaced theirs. Thanks

http://compare.ebay.com/like/180636314678?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y

As you can see there are a lot of different size options. :eyes:
 
ChiXJeff said:
Water pump and thermostat? Personally, I'd get a new pump, and ignore the remans completely. And get a thermostat from the dealer, I've heard too many reports here of garbage aftermarket tstats right off the shelf.
Click to expand...

I just did a pump on the 01. the "new" pump had a crappy casting and a vastly restricted lower hose cavity. I took it back for a quality reman that used an OEM chryco casting.

heyhar said:
They have that little check-ball (installed at 12 o'clock) that keeps the cooling system bled. T
Click to expand...

you can easily add this to any t-stat with a 1/8th drill bit.

I prefer the super stats made by stant. Still heavy gauge frames and made in the USA.
the cheap ones are all mexico or china and are inferior. The last dealer one I got was made in mexico, so I switched to super stats to get back to a made in America piece and I've been happy.
 
I have been on this forum for a few years. Best resource of all of them. I have also owned 3 XJ's a ZJ and a WJ.
Champs for plugs.
195 slant for t stat (higher flow when open)
Monroe shocks, Reflex or so.
BFG AT's
Green AF.
 
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