How Good is a Stock Xj

Ok, y'all seem friendly and I haven't seen any flaming around here so I'll ask a Newbie question. How capable is a stock XJ?

I have an 88 auto 4x4. I'm planning to take it on a week long hunting trip next week and there are some places I go that are pretty harry. Not a lot of rocks or any of that extreme stuff but lots of mud, rough roads, and sometimes fairly deep (24 inches) water.

I know alot depends upon who's behind the wheel. I haven't had much experience honestly. I'll be depending upon the Jeep alot to overcome my inexperience. I know just to take it slow and easy. I also have heard that wheel spin helps keep the mud out of the tires.

I'm taking it this weekend up to my shop at home and plan to go over it mechanically. Check fluid levels, belts, hoses, leaks, etc.

I see folks here putting hoses and stuff on the transmission, d-cap, etc... How deep of water is that for?

Thanks for not :flame: me and I appreciate your advice.

mines stock and it gets the job done. i can hang with some bigger jeeps but sometimes i wish i had more.

make sure all the vent hoses are intacted and held into place well. Grease all your joints...including the front drive shaft now and after high water. Also, make sure you clean your wheels well after heavy mud, otherwise the mud will throw your tire balance off badly.

Don't get water in the air box!

stock xj with a good tread tire will impress most newbie's.well,it did me anyways.i almost got a toyota 4 runner but very glad i got a jeep instead!

Before the Wrangler Rubicon came out with low gears and lockers, and before Toyota Tacomas starting coming with a rear locker with the TRD package, the XJ was one of the most capable totally stock vehicles you could buy. Very few stock vehicles will perform better off road than a stock XJ. For what you describe you should be in good shape.

One thing you can do to get better performance is to disconnect the front sway bar by removing the nuts at the top of the two sway bar links. This will help keep the tires on the ground over more irregular terrain, and it takes having all the tires on the ground to keep traction when you don't have a locker.

While you're checking things out, look to see if there is a disconnect housing on the front axle housing, and if so, check the vacuum lines going to the vacuum pod that engages the front axle when you put it in 4wheel drive. Those lines can get loose at the connection (first thing to check if the 4x4 doesn't work), or the lines themselves go bad, and the front axle won't engage.


Have fun,

i think with a good pair of tires you will be surprise at what a stocker can accomplish... old stock tires will not amaze you much in the snotty mud!

I think Goatman summed it up well.

I used to be a purely CJ and YJ guy until I got a XJ a few years ago because of back issues..

WOW.. I didnt' realize that Cherokees could do all this stuff.. Then I found this club.. Now, I run circles around my two brother's YJ's and my dad's YJ's

Like you said, it's mostly technic and experience.

There are a few people around here who run stock XJ's and I'm still amazed what a stock XJ can do..

I suggest taking your new(old) rig on a trail to see what your limits are, before going on a week long adventure. It's better to know what you can do before HAVING to face the obstacle.

Have Fun..

Elias
Eh-lee-us

It will get it done. Check out where the air intake is behind/under the left front headlight. If you get water in there bad things happen. Have some way of drying the inside of your distributor out, if any water finds it's way in there.
Might look up GOJEEPS, starter cleaning write up. Getting the alternator wet, usualy doesn't bother it much, it dries back out again. But if mud gets behind the brushes in the alternator, you need a plan for washing (squirting) some water in there to wash the mud out. Some water and someway to squirt it, can be helpfull. I carry one of those battery water bulb type fillers. I also have a window washer pump with aligator clips, that I use to spray mud off of things before I disassembly them. I most always carry an extra starter with me and an extra battery (the sealed type).
Mostly you have to be aware, that water can find it's way into the ignition (high voltage) spark plug cables, the distributor and sometimes connectors and causing problems. Dry paper towels, maybe some Q tips, some dry rags and some tools to deal with problems. I avoid sprays, other than water or brake cleaner. I use brake cleaner on almost anything.
After the fact, I usually do a serious service. Power wash everything, inspect most all the connectors and igntiion, grease, check the oils and pull the rear drums and wash out the junk. A bit of work, but actually saves work and problems later. I grease everything, exposed threads, anything that moves and many things that don't, even the brake line fittings (a well spent half hour or so after a mud run).
Some decent tires are helpfull, reading up on how to use the brakes to help with traction. Momentum is your friend, but kamakazi driving can cause trouble.
Going together in two vehicles is smart.

wow, im surprized that no one has posted this vid yet. check it out.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7270258632860038644&q=jeeps+offroad

Thanks guys! Let me ask another question. When should I engage 4HI or 4LO. I was thinking that I should put it in 4HI as soon as I start down the squirrly muddy road and if I get stuck then move down to 4LO. What advice do y'all have on that.

txjeep103 said:

wow, im surprized that no one has posted this vid yet. check it out.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7270258632860038644&q=jeeps+offroad

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That's a little extreme. I hope to treat mine a little nicer than that, but it does demonstrate how tough they are. :lol:

ive drove mine threw water past the doors and and past my turn singals in my stock 89 with some 31 baja claws

txjeep103 said:

wow, im surprized that no one has posted this vid yet. check it out.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7270258632860038644&q=jeeps+offroad

Click to expand...

Now that is some of the funniest sh*t I've seen in a long time. I couldn't help but think, though, "that poor jeep".

NICE!

AlabamaDan said:

Thanks guys! Let me ask another question. When should I engage 4HI or 4LO. I was thinking that I should put it in 4HI as soon as I start down the squirrly muddy road and if I get stuck then move down to 4LO. What advice do y'all have on that.

Click to expand...

The only time I use 4 low is when negotiating some obstical, around here that's usually a fallen tree. Or when pulling someone out of a hole.
With the 4.0 motor you are gonna run out of traction way before you run out of motor and/or power to push you through the mud.

So how fast should one progress through a nice 24inch mud hole?

AlabamaDan said:

So how fast should one progress through a nice 24inch mud hole?

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Depends on a lot of things, but at 24 inches of depth I'd be starting to worry about potentially sucking in water - search 'hydrolock' to find out why.

slow and steady wins the race, I'd guess about 5mph-10mph...you dont want to try and plow the water so hard it makes a big wall of water in front of you... but 24" isnt even over the stock tire so you shouldnt have any problems with water intrusion in to the motor, your air intake is level with the head light....so short term no problems (probably)...after a dunking that deep you'll probably want to check the front and rear axles for water...nothing you have to do right away but soon after you get done with the trip.

If your the first one through an unknown hole you might want to keep some hip waders in the jeep...so much safer to test the depth/consistancy/rut depth too (dont want to get high centered down in the hole)

yellowxj said:

but 24" isnt even over the stock tire so you shouldnt have any problems with water intrusion in to the motor, your air intake is level with the head light....so short term no problems (probably)...

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Good point. However: an angled approach into the water, ruts once in it (common in mud pits), or other obstacles (i.e., a rock under the right front tyre causing the left front corner to dip down) make it a lot riskier. While I've driven through stuff that deep before and never had a problem, the closer you put the intake to the water line the more dangerous it becomes - and it's usually more or less impossible to tell exactly what's going to happen before you attempt to run through it.

Best advice: don't run a mud pit or water crossing without watching someone else do it first - at least that way you have some idea of what to expect.

AlabamaDan said:

So how fast should one progress through a nice 24inch mud hole?

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I really think you should get out there and "test the water" and find out your limits..

casm gave good advice - watch some else do it first..

People can tell you the best way, but it's all theory until you actually get out there run the obstacle..

Go out with other wheelers who have experience and learn..

Elias