1996 XJ, should I buy?

Hey guys, I'm sorry if this seems a little rash or too upfront, but here's the deal- I've been looking around for a new daily driver, preferably some sort of small SUV with 4x4 and a manual transmission. I don't need anything crazy, just something to get me to school and back and maybe out into the boonies on the weekends. Being that I'm a full-time college student, money is almost always tight, and I prefer to buy vehicles outright. My search recently led me to a 1996 XJ 4-door 4x4 with the 4.0 and the 5-speed and WOW. Does it need some TLC... Now I know how to work on vehicles and such, but this thing set off a lot of alarm bells for me, unfortunately as my user nsme suggests, I'm a little new to the whole Jeep world and their issues, so I was hoping to get your guys' opinion on this stuff-

296,000-something miles: This is what the odometer read, and for me is the biggest issue. Now I know these 4.0's are pretty durable, but that's still a lot of miles. Weird thing is, the engine didn't seem like it had THAT MANY miles. Once we were able to start it (dead battery) it ran fine, no disturbing noises, no puffs of smoke out of the dipstick tube, oil pressure was 40 PSI at idle, 60 going down the road (according to the in-dash gauge anyhow, gauge also seemed like it didn't want to go all the way down to zero when the engine was shut off), a bit of smoke and water droplets out of the tailpipe, but I chalked that up to it being cold and the truck having sat for awhile, no CEL illimunated. To make matters worse, I've no idea if the engine, transmission, T-case, etc had been rebuilt or replaced at some point, or if the gauge cluster had been replaced.

Clutch and transmission- Now I know how to drive stick, and I've driven quite a few stick-shift vehicles (everything from a 4-banger Stratus to a Dodge Dakota 4x4 with a 4.7 V8), but I've NEVER felt a clutch like this before. Took a bunch of effort to engage it, didn't seem to have a lot of travel, and when I came re-engaged the clutch driving down the road, it would bang the whole truck. Did they all shift like this or is this something I'll have to look into? I also noticed that to keep the tranny in reverse, I had to apply light pressure to the shifter and even then, I noticed a whine, but apparently this is normal with the AX-15's due to their use of a straight-cut reverse gear?

There's also a whole bunch of other issues with the truck (bald tires, worn rotors, missing parts, dirty oil, sloppy steering, rough ride, etc, etc) that I'll have to look into and fix, but luckily I can do all that work myself. For what it's worth, the asking price right now is dead-on KBB price for the thing with 296,000 miles in fair condition, but with that being said, I don't want to buy it and have something major blow up after driving it for 2 months, especially if I just dumped a bunch of money into it to get it driveable in the first place.

Were you able to do a compression test?

The thing with the clutch is odd, but I have limited experience with the manual transmissions in XJs.

Also, check into the Colorado Chapter. Put your city in your profile, and people who are local to you might help.

http://naxja.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=95

No, not an actual compression test per se... That's part of the reason I pulled the dipstick out with it running (to see if any blow-by gases were getting into the oil pan) and I did downshift and engine brake it while driving, and the engine seemed to do what it should've (dropped in speed and worked against the forward momentum of the truck.) I'm kinda thinking the same thing though... now might be a good excuse for me to buy an actual compression gauge (I'm particular about what goes into my toolbox) and get better acquainted with Mr. Made-in-the-USA Penske Sold through Sears and Roebuck Co. vacuum gauge lol.

My gut says pass. There are no shortage of these rigs and this one sounds like its been ridden hard. My guess is the clutch has been replaced with an aftermarket "racing" clutch kit, given how hard it is to actuate and how rough it engages and dis-engages. You could also have a broken Belleville spring or a bad throwout bearing. Really, it could be a lot of things.

I would think you could find one in decent shape, with lower miles for the same price. Hell, I saw a 99 XJ (reported to be the best year) on craigslist yesterday with 166k for $1500 and it already had a lift and off road lights. I paid $2900 for my 98 5 years ago. There are better deals out there and if this one hasn't been maintained, you may not be getting the reliable overall DD you need as a student.

Man, I WISH I could find stuff like that where I live... problem is being in Colorado, close to the mountains, everybody thinks their truck is (or is gonna be) some sort of crazy, rock-crawling, mountain-camping, elk-hunting rig, and the prices reflect that. Case in point, the next closest thing I could find to this was another '96 XJ, still 5-speed, still 4x4, over 200K miles, and the guy still wants $4,100 for it because it has a lift and tires. That's over 3 times the price of this one I'm looking at! It really is ridiculous... you haven't lived until you've seen an '89 Suzuki Samurai for $5 or $6K... I'm thinking at this point, the best thing to do is run a few more tests on this truck and see if everything's okay. Worst case scenario, if I buy it and it's a lemon, I could probably part it out to these morons around here for more than I paid for it lol.

Welp, I did it guys... I jumped in and bought the thing... went over to the seller's place after class today with my tools. Did a vacuum test and the engine seems to be right about in the middle of where it should be (14.5-15 in/Hg at ~4,000 feet) I'm sure that will improve a bit after a good tune-up (cap, rotor, wires, coil, hoses, etc) Also did a by-the-book compression test on all six cylinders and they all look great (lowest was 120 PSI, so I might have to keep an eye on it, the rest were 130-140 PSI, all cylinders put out 90 PSI or so on the first "puff.") I was also able to talk the seller down to a grand, so I'm happy with it, especially considering all the work it needs. Tomorrow the fun of licensing, insuring, showing it off, taking pictures, degreasing the engine bay, and really starting to fix it up begins.

Welcome to the fold.

I also have a '96, 4.0 and AX-15. The situation you have described with the clutch and transmission is not correct. I have yet to need to service either of those in my vehicle, and I don't have any particularly intelligent suggestions, but I would be planning on at least a clutch/throw-out/pilot bearing replacement. Although, thinking about it, I would take a critical look at the hydraulic clutch master/slave first. You should have an external slave. That is a good thing.

One thing to be aware of with a '96 is that the fuel system is a bit unique. '96 is the transition year on that front. Your fuel pressure regulator is not on the rail at the engine as it is in the prior HO years. It is in the tank like the '97+ years, but on a unique fuel pump/sending unit assembly. You do not want to end up needing one of those assemblies on short notice.

The only other downside to a '96 is the airbag steering wheel. The interesting thing about that is that the airbag is mechanically actuated rather than electronically. There is a bolt in the 12 o'clock position on the steering wheel which can be loosened and pulled up as a means to deactivate the airbag.

Just a couple of tidbits you can file away for future reference. Best of luck working through the accumulated issues.

x2 on Anak said and be ready for some surprises when you try to work on the electrical. it's the first year of OBD II and it's sort of a tossup as to whether you got earlier or later parts, every 96 i've worked on has been different. It seems like they just used up whatever was left as they were building them.

Welcome to the site, and the XJ community

GrimmJeeper said:

x2 on Anak said and be ready for some surprises when you try to work on the electrical. it's the first year of OBD II and it's sort of a tossup as to whether you got earlier or later parts, every 96 i've worked on has been different. It seems like they just used up whatever was left as they were building them.

Welcome to the site, and the XJ community

Click to expand...

x2

As the owner of a '96, I pull the sensor and take it with me to the parts store. I've had 97+ plugs in some places and 96- plugs in other places with no real reason as to why.

Thanks for the welcome guys... Got insurance sorted out and tags slapped on today just in time for class. Also changed out the belt as the old one was sqeauling like a pig on start up. Old one actually doesn't look too bad, so I might spray some belt dressing on it and keep it as a spare. Electric fan blade looks chewed up and the mechanical fan shroud is busted, so those will have to get replaced eventually, but right now it's running fine, no overheating and temp is okay. Also changed the oil... that was fun... ended up have to pull the starter so I could turn the filter with a big ol' f*** off pair of Channelocks. Was not amused. Luckily, I put on a K&N oil filter which all have a 1" nut on the end so it shouldn't be much of a problem in the future.

I have a 96 but with and automatic. I have 236,000 mile on mine and the motor is still awesome.

Other than tires and a battery the only thing I have replaced is 1 alternator, 1 starter, 1 radiator and that's been it.

Jeep wont make vehicles like this anymore because no one will buy a new car as these last forever.

If the clutch has that many miles on it it may well be worn out, and one problem you can have is that the release bearing actually eats away at the diaphragm springs it pushes against. When this happens, clutch action becomes very heavy, and unfortunately the next symptom may be that the release bearing punches through the diaphragm, jams, and you are left with a blown up clutch, and I warn you that transmission does not take kindly to slam shifting your way home.

However, before getting too deep into this, check the clutch pedal assembly itself. The clutch pedal on these has an arm coming down from the top pivot, which drives the master cylinder rod. The weld holding this is not always very good, and the arm can bend. It should be parallel to the pedal arm. If it goes out, it will result in poor clutch action, and eventually will eat the master cylinder bore and fail. My son had a 96 on which this happened. It never happened on my 95, but I think there may have been a bad batch of 96's.

My 99's clutch failed at about 250 thousand miles from the first problem. My 95 had a little over 260 thousand on it when I took the box out*, and its clutch was OK, but there was a lot of wear on the diaphragm. From this small sample, I think you can hope that yours has been replaced by now, and I'd look at the pedal first.

My son also had some difficulty with parts on his, with ambiguity about what sizes some of the u-joints were. If you need to do any u-joints, be prepared either to take one in, or to exchange if you get the wrong one. The 96 is a transitional model, with many characteristics of a 97, and many of a 95, and some things changed mid year.

*footnote: I took the box out of the 95 and put it in the 99, which I had damaged trying to slam shift my way home after the clutch failure. That thing does NOT take kindly to clutchless operation.

Congratulations!

5 speeds are fun. But engine mounts tend to break. Given the chewed up fan blades and shrouds, sounds like yours might have suffered this fate. Check engine mounts. After breaking a few, I went with M.O.R.E engine mounts. Since then no issues.

Clutch action doesn't seem right.

Jeep parts are cheap. Its fun to work on.

Enjoy the jeep experience. WE LOVE IT !

Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, absorb, absorb, absorb. Thanks again guys...I dunno, when I was talking with the previous owner, he had said that the owner before that had replaced the clutch and he didn't use it much, so I dunno. I'm just hoping that they had replaced it with what my instructor described as "a hot rod piece of shit" clutch kit and actually had someone competent do the work. Luckily, one of my previous instructors has his own transmission shop. Guy has probably forgot more about transmissions, cluches, axles, and transfer cases than I will ever hope to learn. Bad motor mounts might've busted the fan shroud, but I'm thinking the electric fan might've hit a pulley or something (noticed it only had one bolt holding it on when I when I pulled it out to get to the tensioner, fixed that.) I've thrown some universal-fit type parts at it already (hoses, belt, bolts, etc), but I've gotten lucky too (I.E. a speaker not working due to a bad connection.) Gotta look at the rear brakes soon as the parking brake barely works (needs to be AAAALLLLLLLLL the way to the top to hold the thing in place on a flat surface, forget hills) Hopefully, the shoes or cable just need a bit of adjusting, but that's stuff I know how to do.

The star adjusters for the rear brakes have a bad reputation for getting stuck in one spot and ceasing to adjust. Fix that and you will probably see a difference in both the parking brake and braking in general.

I cannot remember which version of brake cables the 96 has, and it may have changed mid year.

The 95 and earlier used an anchor for the front cable, which was riveted to the floor pan under the rear seat. That's a bad location, and tends to flex, and eventually to break out from metal fatigue. It's almost impossible to get a hard parking brake from this setup when it ages, but you can gain a lot by drilling through the mount and bolting it to the floor with a reinforcement under the seat. The later (97-up) setup uses a very different anchor that is much better, off to one side.

By all means, though, get into the rear brakes and make sure the adjusters are working. They seize up, and also the cables that operate them rust and break. If the brakes have been redone with parts-store parts, the cable guides that go into the upper holes, though they do work, need to be set very carefully in the holes before the springs are seated. If they are put in wrong, they will appear OK, and the brakes will work, but the cables will not be pulled taut enough to operate the adjuster. Once in right, they'll stay, but it's hard even to see the fault. Make sure the adjuster is really engaging the star wheel.

Okay. I mostly just want to make sure the shoes and drum surfaces are okay. If I find anything boogered up in there, I'll fix/replace it. If the star wheel is seized, it might be a good excuse for me to mix up some secret sauce (Cheap ATF and pretty much any solvent I.E. paint stripper, acetone, etc in a spray bottle.)

If you get into any weird 96 only problems, and arent finding what you need here, feel free to send me a PM

Okay, will do. Got pretty much all the nasty old hoses and rubber fittings replaced today. Still need the grommet and L-fitting for the front of the valve cover, but I'll have them tomorrow. Also had a buddy who seems pretty good with these things take a peek at the rear axle and he confirmed what I thought- I've got the 8.25 not the Dana 35, so that's some good news. Unfortunately, the cover has the little plastic fill plug, not an actual threaded plug, and it's leaking. Not drip, drip, drip, but there is a big stain that leads to it. I'm thinking about replacing it with a cover that has an actual threaded drain plug. Any suggestions? Also peeked at the parking brake cable, and it seems to have the bracket attached to the underbody sheet metal, not the frame. Check engine light also popped on today, guess the 'pooter wasn't happy with the cat efficiency. Oh well, good thing I live somewhere that doesn't do smog checks.

as for buying a cover with a threaded plug, you cant go wrong with ruffstuff.

If you cant stomach the price of one of theirs, just replace the rubber plug with one that isnt nearly 20 years old. should seal up fine