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Advice: Recently acquired '95 XJ gratis, repair list may be too long

txinga

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Woodstock, Ga
Request advice: Recently acquired '95 XJ gratis, repair list may be too long

My wife and I recently acquired a '95 XJ with 188k +/- on the odometer, gratis. It's got the usual 4.0 HO, don't know about the model tranny. It also has all the usual leaks; valve cover, rear main, probably the oil filter adapter, the tranny pan, oil pan, water pump, radiator. This was the list as determined by a reputable repair shop (I know, an oxymoron :)). Anyway the bill if done by the shop runs aroun 1300 or so. Here's what I was thinking: (Your comments gladly welcomed)

1) Replace the coolant system. Radiator, water pump, hoses, thermo. About $220 in parts when I checked on partsamerica.com. I figure it's probably the most critical, gotta keep the Jeep cool in the Georgia sauna.

2) Do the oil leaks as I get around to them. I notice a lot of people post that they don't worry too much about them, just add oil. I figure I'd do the oil pan, oil pump and rear main at the same time. I think I can do them anyway. The valve cover shouldn't pose a problem either and it'll give me a chance to see if there is sludge buildup while I'm there. Parts aren't much here, just gaskets, oil pump and a lot of time.

3) Tranny. Yikes, this one I'm not sure of. Getting the pan change done shouldn't require too much effort should it? I don't know if the previous owners took care of it or not. If I get the thing fully flushed it might fail, right? No more friction in the juice is what I understand. Not sure what to do about this one.

4) Exhaust. Will need a cat I'm sure. Thing rattles like it's full of rocks. $350 or so?

I mean, it is a free Jeep. Just needs work. Someone told me I should just take it in to get the engine and tranny rebuilt and/or replaced. I don't know about that. This won't be a DD, just for going camping or tooling around in. This is a nice Jeep with some age but don't we all start showing our age after awhile. Engine is strong. This vehicle outruns our other vehicles with no problem. 4WD seems to be in good shape also. I read that thread of the 200K + club going on and I would love to be able to put 50 - 100K more on this one.

Thanks for your time and I appreciate any help y'all can throw my way.

Tommy
 
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Hey welcome to the club.

I have a 95, 4.0 5 spd. The good thing about these its that with a straight 6 the parts are mostly accesible. Mine has 150 on the clock, leaks/uses no oil (for now).

I would get a good copper 3 core radiator, search around here, theres been lots of discussion on brands. Ditto on the pump. Don't forget the fan clutch. I'd tune up as well. I don't like the kragen/checker/shucks or pepboys brands they carry or the prices. The getting the oil pan, rear seal, off and is a bit harder. Hows the oil pump for that matter? The tranny pan is easy as pie. 4.0 auto = aw4. The problem w/ flushing loosening of debris up in the tranny and having it circulate into the valve body, plugging things, not friction. Changing the fluid & filter not so hard on the system. Some people disconnect the lines and let it pump new fluid in, I have a truck that has a drain plug on the torque converter. Its helpful, I recommend having that installed. Don't neglect the other fluids (axles, t-case, grease, pwr steering, brakes). My cat had the same problem. The honeycomb was loose and rattling. Shoving a valve spring in there would probably have fixed it. Here, the state pays for emissions work. But this is the left coast. Before that program started, I had the same cat problem, I put a hi-flow cat in, under $200 out the door. Also, aftermarket muffler and new downpipe.
 
I have an old adage I like to follow. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it isn't overheating don't do anything other than the normal maintenance. Save your money until something actually breaks.

Flush the radiator and change the radiator cap. If the valve cover is leaking then replace the gasket, and while you are at it, clean it out to prevent future blowby. Then degreasethe engine so you can track the other leaks better. Be careful not to wash the throttle position sensor.

The cat is probably crap so replacing it will most likely make it run better and get better mileage.

If the tranny is working and if the fluid isn't burned, then don't mess with it. If it is burned then drop the pan and do a fluid change. Otherwise run it until it breaks.

The single best thing you can do to make it last is to change the oil every 3k miles, don't use Fram filters, don't worry about expensive oil, just change it more often.

Run a can of BG44K fuel system additive through the engine to remove carbon buildup and to clean the injectors. It runs about $20 a can, and is the best $20 you can spend on your vehicle. Run a can every 10k miles.
 
Re: Request advice: Recently acquired '95 XJ gratis, repair list may be too long

I'm with old_man -- if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

txinga said:
3) Tranny. Yikes, this one I'm not sure of. Getting the pan change done shouldn't require too much effort should it? I don't know if the previous owners took care of it or not. If I get the thing fully flushed it might fail, right? No more friction in the juice is what I understand. Not sure what to do about this one.

The tranny pan only needs to come off if you want to change the internal filter -- which is a metal screen that usually doesn't need to be changed. I dropped the pan on an '88 that showed 165,000 miles and the screen was as clean as the new one I put in. Dropping the pan is a PITA, mostly because the tranny dipstick/fill tube is in two peieces, with the lower half an integral part of the pan. You WILL trash it trying to get the two halves apart. If the tranny isn't giving you problems, change the fluid, drive it for a month, change the fluid one more time, then revert to scheduled maintenance intervals.

4) Exhaust. Will need a cat I'm sure. Thing rattles like it's full of rocks. $350 or so?
You can get a cat from Summit Racing (direct fit) for $85. Lifetime OEM-style muffler from Auto Zone for $25. Tailpipe as low as $12.50. You should be able to do the entire exhaust for well under $200.
 
ok i got a unifersal fit cat from auto zone fot $80, all you need to make it fit is a piecs of 2.25"OD tail pipe that you need to cut to fit cause the universal cat is a couple inches shorter than the stocker, i also got a tail pipe from auto zone for 18 bucks.
 
I agree with almost everything said thus far. Esp the idea that if it ain't broke, don't touch it. THe one thing I disagree with is screwwing with the tranny. I have heard numerous stories about changing the fluid, then it starts to slip. I have 118,xxx and I don't think it's every been changed, and I am sure as hell not gonna do it now. The exception is that if you have the service records and it has been done before then I would say go for it. Just my .02

good luck
 
Oh, I almost forgot, Welcome to NAXJA. Hope you love your XJ as much as we love/cuss ours :laugh3:
 
Agree 100% on the above stuff, auto tranny, well thats your problem, I've not owned an AT in over 20 years, all our jeeps are 5 speeds.
The valve cover gasket does a better impersonation of a rear main seal than the rear main seal does. Change that first.
I just cleaned my 98's motor for the first time, used that citrus stuff on it, early in the morning with the engine cold. Used a stiff round parts brush and low pressure water and avoided spraying directly into connections. Did this maybe 3 times before the sun came over the trees. Then I let it sit all day and cook out in the sun letting it do the drying, at around 6pm I fired it up and no problem. Figured it was good once all the water in the valleys of the intake manifold were dry. Also did the firewall, fenders, the whole engine compartment, looks like new now.
Once you have it all cleaned up and all the oil off it keep an eye on the leaks, remember, oil leaks DOWN not up and also keep en eye on the oil filter mounting point, couple of O rings in there go bad and it leaks out of that area, down and along the oil pan to again impersonate a rear main seal.
I got a sneaking suspicion that alot of these rear mains that get replaced on here are more an exercise in doing it than being valid rear main seals.
In my case my oil leak was from the front timing cover, several of the bolts behind the harmonic balancer had backed out and were being held in place by the balancer. It took replacing the water pump for me to see it but sure enough they were out about 6-10 turns each.
I would also do the following: Plugs, cap, rotor, wires, serpentine belt, idler pulleys, pressure cap, tstat, hoses and 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water [available in most food stores next to the gallon sized bottled water]. I would also get all those parts from the dealer, that way the hoses will fit and have the correct bends, the lower hose will have the anti-collapsing spring inside and both the upper and lower hoses will have the hose protectors on them. When removing the heater hoses don't try to pull them off, slice them with a razor knife lengthwise and peel them off, break one of those heater core bungs off and you got big problems in the $800 range.
On the thermostat there will be a little hole in the flange, that hole goes in the 12 O'clock position, its for bleeding air out of the system and to allow a slight flow off coolant when the engine is cold, keeps the water pump lubed..
 
For some reason I interpreted that your cooling system needed replaced. Maybe because I assumed it was having problems. Anyway unless its running hot or the radiator appears badly corroded than yeah I would just do the regular maintenance items. The leak before the oil filter is very common, as is severly cracked exhaust header, look at that too. I would do the trans oil change. Given that its a free jeep and the AW4 is fairly common I say yeah, theres a small chance changing it will make it fail but so be it. I don't leave things to break on their own. Better it does here and now than when your 1000 miles from home. PITA? I say no, but its messy. I have done serveral cars, a flat pryer, trash can lids on the floor and a floor jack might help.
 
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I really appreciate all the advice here. Thanks for making me feel welcome as well.
The radiator and water pump do need replacing, they are both leaking, the radiator is pretty corroded. I hadn't thought about the fan clutch, thanks for that one. And the info on the exhaust is a relief.

Guess some penetrating oil and a whole lot of greased lightning is in my future.
 
If you are going to take it down that far I would also replace the harmonic balancer while it's easy to get at and from a realistic point of view I would also replace the radiator. Individually the rad, harmonic and water pump can be a pia to replace because you need to remove a bunch of other stuff just to get at it, you'll have the whole front open and the parts out anyway. Just my .02.
 
Re: Request advice: Recently acquired '95 XJ gratis, repair list may be too long

Take the valve cover off and have the screen under it cleaned too and replace (unless you are lucky enough to have a fairly clean one) the CCV tube. That gets clogged and allows pressure buildup, which makes the leaks. The O-ring on the oil filter housing is easy to do. Do an oil change (my personal fav is Chevron 15W40 on higher mileage rigs) and take out the bolt holding the filter housing to the block. There is an O-ring that needs replacing (Don't know about other places, but NAPA sells it in the universal O-ring kit on the "HELP" type rack). and you bolt it back up. Adds about 20 minutes to an oil change.
The trans is easy too. Take it in for servicing (it takes Dex 2 or Dex 3, NOT ATF+3 no matter who tells you that, unless it's a post '93 Grand Cherokee) and pan leak is fixed at the same time.
See what brand the rad is. (If you see Blackstone, it's an older one and I prefer the newer 3 core better) There are a lot of earlier XJ owners on here that would probably give you $20 or so for the old rad (it eliminates the need for the plastic fill bottle on the '87 to '90 Renix rigs) Do a good quality waterpump. (GMB used to make decent ones, but I've only got 2 years out of the last 5 I bought) and new hoses. See if the harmonic balancer's rubber is falling apart. If so, do that and a new front seal at the same time. (if not, and the seal leaks, put in a new seal and speedi-repair sleeve) Redline Water wetter to boost the cooling when you are done and flush the heater core (not too much pressure or it will explode! I use water with air bubbles to scrub them both ways at 10 lbs pressure)
Rear main is supposed to be 1 piece by your year (I know the 4 cyls were. I should check the '91 core 4.0L blocks I have to see) and requires lifting the motor or dropping the trans. If not one piece, then dropping the oil pan to do it is normal. (not too easy to do, but I did mine in 1 day in an '87)
Get a high flow cat and be happy! High flow system the whole way and get a bit more power from the old motor.



txinga said:
My wife and I recently acquired a '95 XJ with 188k +/- on the odometer, gratis. It's got the usual 4.0 HO, don't know about the model tranny. It also has all the usual leaks; valve cover, rear main, probably the oil filter adapter, the tranny pan, oil pan, water pump, radiator. This was the list as determined by a reputable repair shop (I know, an oxymoron :)). Anyway the bill if done by the shop runs aroun 1300 or so. Here's what I was thinking: (Your comments gladly welcomed)

1) Replace the coolant system. Radiator, water pump, hoses, thermo. About $220 in parts when I checked on partsamerica.com. I figure it's probably the most critical, gotta keep the Jeep cool in the Georgia sauna.

2) Do the oil leaks as I get around to them. I notice a lot of people post that they don't worry too much about them, just add oil. I figure I'd do the oil pan, oil pump and rear main at the same time. I think I can do them anyway. The valve cover shouldn't pose a problem either and it'll give me a chance to see if there is sludge buildup while I'm there. Parts aren't much here, just gaskets, oil pump and a lot of time.

3) Tranny. Yikes, this one I'm not sure of. Getting the pan change done shouldn't require too much effort should it? I don't know if the previous owners took care of it or not. If I get the thing fully flushed it might fail, right? No more friction in the juice is what I understand. Not sure what to do about this one.

4) Exhaust. Will need a cat I'm sure. Thing rattles like it's full of rocks. $350 or so?

I mean, it is a free Jeep. Just needs work. Someone told me I should just take it in to get the engine and tranny rebuilt and/or replaced. I don't know about that. This won't be a DD, just for going camping or tooling around in. This is a nice Jeep with some age but don't we all start showing our age after awhile. Engine is strong. This vehicle outruns our other vehicles with no problem. 4WD seems to be in good shape also. I read that thread of the 200K + club going on and I would love to be able to put 50 - 100K more on this one.

Thanks for your time and I appreciate any help y'all can throw my way.

Tommy
 
95 4.0 = 2 piece seal. At least thats what mine appeared to be when I had the clutch off. Dealership has the ccv fitting and o ring. Fix the easier leaks first, then see if its still a problem. Water pump I did in 1 1/2 hours. Drape a towel in front of the radiator (in the engine compartment) to protect it and your hands. With the pully loose, fan shroud off, fan clutch off and belt loose, hoses disconnected, out it comes. Of course, I seem to have reversible elbows.Radiator, its a bigger pain.
 
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Re: Request advice: Recently acquired '95 XJ gratis, repair list may be too long

carnuck said:
Take the valve cover off and have the screen under it cleaned too and replace (unless you are lucky enough to have a fairly clean one) the CCV tube. That gets clogged and allows pressure buildup, which makes the leaks. The O-ring on the oil filter housing is easy to do. Do an oil change (my personal fav is Chevron 15W40 on higher mileage rigs) and take out the bolt holding the filter housing to the block. There is an O-ring that needs replacing (Don't know about other places, but NAPA sells it in the universal O-ring kit on the "HELP" type rack). and you bolt it back up. Adds about 20 minutes to an oil change.
The trans is easy too. Take it in for servicing (it takes Dex 2 or Dex 3, NOT ATF+3 no matter who tells you that, unless it's a post '93 Grand Cherokee) and pan leak is fixed at the same time.
See what brand the rad is. (If you see Blackstone, it's an older one and I prefer the newer 3 core better) There are a lot of earlier XJ owners on here that would probably give you $20 or so for the old rad (it eliminates the need for the plastic fill bottle on the '87 to '90 Renix rigs) Do a good quality waterpump. (GMB used to make decent ones, but I've only got 2 years out of the last 5 I bought) and new hoses. See if the harmonic balancer's rubber is falling apart. If so, do that and a new front seal at the same time. (if not, and the seal leaks, put in a new seal and speedi-repair sleeve) Redline Water wetter to boost the cooling when you are done and flush the heater core (not too much pressure or it will explode! I use water with air bubbles to scrub them both ways at 10 lbs pressure)
Rear main is supposed to be 1 piece by your year (I know the 4 cyls were. I should check the '91 core 4.0L blocks I have to see) and requires lifting the motor or dropping the trans. If not one piece, then dropping the oil pan to do it is normal. (not too easy to do, but I did mine in 1 day in an '87)
Get a high flow cat and be happy! High flow system the whole way and get a bit more power from the old motor.
Carnuck - you're on the verge of getting SPOBI'd. The 4.0L DOES NOT have a one-piece rear main - don't say it if you don't know it. You've got good info in there, but there's also a lot of questionable shit in your answers.
 
txinga said:
Guess some penetrating oil and a whole lot of greased lightning is in my future.

Do you know the history of this XJ? The reason I ask is because I bought mine from the original owner and it has spent its entire life in the Atlanta metro area so its has zero rust on it. It makes it MUCH easier to work on. I even managed to change the shocks with minimal effort and zero prep without snapping any bolts. My girlfriend has a '98 Neon POS that has spent its whole life, except for the past two years, in the Northeast. What a rusty POS that thing is, well POS in general but thats a whole other story. :rolleyes: It doesnt appear to be at all rusty till you try and work on it.
 
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