FNG here '97 Sport (introdcution/diagnosis)

Hey all, at work right now but will post pics when I get home. Bought a '97 Cherokee Sport for the g/f and shaking it all down figuring out where my problems are and what I need to do to fix everything. I'm a 'yota guy w/ an '06 Limited 4Runner with some Icons and Duratracs on standby, so new to the jeep world but quickly learning.

When I bought it, seller said it had the infamous lifter tap/knock. Drove it 80 miles home on Saturday and got it licensed/titled today. Funny enough, the first drive after putting the license plate on, the CEL came on. Ran the codes through the ODO and came back with 12/43/55. So I'm guessing the previous owner disconnected the battery prior to me buying it to clear the codes/reset the ECU, so there is 12. 43 I know is a misfire and will get to autozone or order a scanner here soon off Amazon Prime to more acurately see what the 43 is. 55 is the end of the codes afaik.

She runs good for the most part, a little rough at times so the misfire is apparent but on this first tank of 87 unleaded it looks like I will be getting about 160 miles out of a half tank (haven't quite gotten there yet and don't know if that is good or not? Avg speeds of 70mph).

As for the first issue above I plan to swap out the plugs/wires/distributor cap/rotor, clean the top end, change the oil, run some MMO through it, and clear the codes. Then we'll see what happens. Worst comes to worst I replace the whole head with a new one and call it a day (w/ new valves and springs of course)

The second issue is the steering play/looseness. Reminds me of my '69 Mustang before I put a rack and pinion kit on it. Feels like a worn out steering box. Thought about adjusting it and seeing what happens but may just replace the whole box. On my days off I plan to get it up on lifts and have the g/f rotate the wheel slowly so I can be for sure where the play is coming from. I would say there is a good 3 to 4 inches of play each way from center before the wheels start to turn. Makes for a good time with the grooves in the road, again exactly how my Mustang used to steer. Read all about the Durango box and others, but just want to make sure it is definitely the steering box. The bushings and ball joints could probably stand to be changed while I'm under there as they look pretty worn out also.

Just browsing Craigslist and may have found a parts jeep for $900 and may just buy it as the front end has frame damage but low mileage on the motor and tranny. Plus the interior is mint, so for 900 it may just be a steal. Sorry for rambling on a little bit but just wanted to put it all out there. Will get pics tonight. She's pretty clean for a '97 and the seller threw in a 6" lift and a new heater core. Don't plan on putting the lift on as it is for my g/f and she is all of 5' tall. Also the AC doesn't work but going to try recharging it this week and see how long it holds. Guessing it is the EVAP which would be a good time to replace the heater core.

Look fwd to posting lots and the wealth of info on this site is priceless. Thank you all for that.

Welcome. Sounds like you are on the right track.
Post some pics..........................................................of the gf of course.

How many miles? By 100k the front steering/suspension components have seen better days.

If this is going to be a DD/street driver I would replace the tie rod ends and track bar, then check the ball joints. Save replacing the steering box for last.

The OBDII may or may not give ODO codes--that was basically eliminated with the 97+ so you may not want to put much stock in what you got from that method. Get a scanner (best) or code reader and check it again.

One of the persistent problems with stock XJs is front end wear. Crawl under there and have someone move the wheel left/right and observe everything for odd movement. Replace what ever you find that show wear. Check the unit bearings and the ball joints too. Pay close attention to the track bar where it mounts at the unibody and axle. Inspect the control arm bushings. Death wobble is not fun.

Tune up list is good, don't forget to service the CCV. Consider the upstream o2 sensor. They seldom throw a code but like an old soldier they just fade away.

PS--WELCOME TO !

Thanks for the input guys. The front end has no doubt seen better days. Planning on ordering all new bushings for front and rear along with new motor and tranny mounts. Was also planning on pulling and pushing on everything in the front to see what is loose.

Forgot to mention, since I live in a heavily wooded area (Northwestern Indiana) I figured it needed some better lights. So the day we bought it, I read a bunch of the threads and ordered the Putco Harness, Autopal Euro headlight buckets and Hella H4 bulbs.

Also thanks for mention the CCV and O2's. Have them in the Amazon wish list along with a bunch of other "wear" items that will eventually be ordered and put on.

Thanks for the welcome.

Oh and mileage is at 238K . But I only paid $1K cash for it. Also any suggestions on which track bar. The thicker the better I assume. Overkill is good for me, and yes this will be a DD for a while, for the GF. However she is driving my 4runner til I get the steering straightened out as it makes her a bit nervous. She had a tahoe but the rear end went out and gears are one thing I don't like to touch and to get it fixed wouldn't have been worth it, but hey she sold it for more than she paid 30K miles later.

Here are the pics btw.















And since someone asked....(she's pissed I'm posting these two since she still had post baby weight on lol)

Nice XJ.
Nice weapons.
Treat her good--looks like she can shoot!

Thanks! Welp....sourcing a new/used motor. Developed a bad tick while driving, loss of power and then the smell of coolant burning filled the cabin. Shut it off, smoke was coming from an exhaust leak right at the crossmember. Turned it back on to see if I could tell where the oil was leaking from as I had a pretty bad leak all of a sudden. Knocked really loud/died and wouldn't crank back over.

Motor is toast AFAIK. Guessing it blew a headgasket or cracked the head as I definitely have coolant in the oil (milky looking and thin). Got a buddy that has worked on a lot of 4.0's and is trying to source me a complete motor for around $4-500. Happened on the g/f's bday yesterday. But I look at it as a positive as now we'll get a better motor in there and I'll know this jeep inside and out by the time it is all said and done. Just thought I would update you guys.

Just an update. Got the jeep back home finally. 4runner averaged 11.9 gallons a mile on the way back with the jeep in tow.

So I have drained the coolant and oil in prep to pull this motor out. New motor is at the buddy's house. So while the jeep was sitting today I installed the Putco headlight harness, Autopal headlights and Hella bulbs. What an improvement.

Want to tackle this project of yanking the motor myself but sadly time is something I don't have so ill be borrowing an acquaintance to pull the motor and put the new one in. But to keep it a bit cheaper I will be disconnecting everything and hooking everything back up once the motor swap is done. Secondly the gf really needs her car back.

Will update more when it's back in an running.