Typical probs

This may sound dumb, but what are some typical problems that everybody has encountered on older XJs? My bro and I bought an 89 yesterday, and I was wondering if there were certain components that were crap from the factory and would need to be fixed (Aside from typical wear and tear). Also, what are some good aftermarkets products to replace said components? The Jeep is an 1989 Cherokee Sport, 4.0, AW4, NP231, D35 out back, with almost 200K on the clock. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

If its the stock radiator, put a gdi 3core in there like, yesterday.. they suck (the fact. ones)

Id put in a new THERMO, no doubt, low temp...

and then flush all the fluids

and the typical plugs,wires and so on.. and you should be fine

I agree that if your bro got the original radiator, it is on borrowed time. However, do NOT use a thermostat lower than the factory 195-degree unit. That's what the engine was designed to run at, and if the radiator is doing its job there is no need for a colder t-stat.

Ignition is controlled by a Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS) located on the top of the bellhousing. They may last over 100,000 miles, or may fail any time beyond 50,000. The CPS can leave you dead in the middle of the road when they fail. If he's unsure when it was replaced, he could either replace it to be certain, or learn where it is, buy one to carry, and carry a socket the correct size and a boat load of long, skinny extensions to get at it.

The Oxygen (O2) sensor helps control the air/fuel ratio. It's rated for 80,000 miles. If he's unsure of the mileage on his, I'd replace it to be certain. It's a bit pricey, but when it fails it can cause the catalytic converter to fail, and then it gets REALLY pricey.

The viscous fan clutch has a life expectancy of about 5 years. There's no valid "test" for it, but if you notice the engine heating up when stopped in heavy traffic but the temp drops as soon as you start moving, that's a sign.

A cracked exhaust manifold is common (not just on XJ's, but also most other I6's).

There is a leak propensity at the passenger A-pillar, resulting in insideous rusting of the passenger floor pan. Peal back the carpeting and examine.
Similar leaks are common at the rear fixed glass.

The electrical system seems to deteriorate as the ground connections corrode. Install a secondary ground system of No. 4 wire from batt-to-body, body-to-engine, and engine-to-batt.

Power windows and door locks often go bad, due to the wires running under the front passenger carpeting.

The vacuum accumulator is a small plastic bottle inside the front bumper, passenger side. The hose to it runs under the battery tray, and sometimes gets crimped. Poor performance of the Heat/AC controls is one symptom.

-Rick

Thanks for all the info; keep 'em coming. Tonight we were stripping down the interior, taking out the plastic panels, and we made a discovery. The indentation at the rear of the cargo area on the passenger side, opposite the spare mount, had about 3 inches and water in it (and 4 unopened (thank God) condoms). Is this a typical place for water to collect. It is unclear where it came from (perhaps the rear hatch hinge area?)

tune/replace the TPS......... best thing you could do for it.... take off the Tbody and clean it out well! Im sure theres 10lbs of dirt and junk in there after 200K.... people always forget this ...it makes a huge difference.

Regards
Chewy

Whiskey Jack said:

The indentation at the rear of the cargo area on the passenger side, opposite the spare mount, had about 3 inches and water in it (and 4 unopened (thank God) condoms). Is this a typical place for condoms to collect.

Click to expand...

I dont think this is a typical place for condoms to collect

Mike

I am the original owner of a 4.0L '89. Two areas that need frequent attention are rear brake components and keeping the CCV tube/valve cover snorkels clean to prevent oil blowby into the air cleaner.

Jim,

I was wondering why that residue was in my air filter cannister. So I need to clean the areas where it connects to the valve cover right? I just bought my 89 yesterday and spent most of the day in the garage tring to clean up the engine some, really dirty!

OK, maybe a little off topic or maybe not but here is my problem. Possibly some of you can give me some details of what is happening.
It starts and runs well 125k on a 1987 4.0 has a slight hesitation when you hit throttle. Seems like it has the power no noise at all no leaks pretty good runner but it does have the hesitation.

Yep the ccv was plugged, thanks for the help guys.

Brakes were mentioned, but specifically, look at the rear wheel cylinders. Pull the dust cover off a bit and see if any brake fluid comes out. Have seen many with slight seeps, that turned into leaks.
If you look under the rubber seal for the back hatch (carefully) you might find where the seam, where rubber mounts is rusted through (usually around a spot weld)/(near the bend at the bottom), water runs down the outside of the rubber seal through the rust hole into the rear carge area.
The rain gutters on the roof, occasioanally leak (small cracks in the mastic and paint), especially at the ends. Water will run down through the pillars. Super glue or winshield sealer has worked for me.
Distributor caps seemed to wear out quick.
Might have a look at the starter brushes, fairly easy to check.
Same with the alternator brushes, not so easy to check.
Loose idler pulleys (bearings) , on the alternator belt.
I always check every connector I can find for moisture and/or corrosion. Do a visual on the pins bent/ slide into the connector.
Vacume lines, crack, rot and chaff, worth a carefull look.
Check and see if your tranny cooler lines are rubbing on the steering box, ditto with the power steering return line. Check the connectors for the tranny lines under the radiator for leaks.
I´ve been poking around mine for six months, find something new every week.
Like mentioned before, grounds, pull and clean all, add star washers if necessary, biggest driveability improvement on mine was doing the grounds.
Like mentioned before the wiring under the drivers side carpet is worth a look.

89 XJer,
I now do the CCV tube cleaning with each oil change. As others have mentioned, it not only solves the oil in the airbox problem, but also slows or stops oil pushing through the rear main and other seals. Here's a great how-to article:
My Jeep is Blowing Oil into My Air Filter!!

Thanks for the info Jim. I noticed the oil around the rear main seal hopefully it will slow this as you mentioned. Thanks

Great post!

I'm still a newbie, so... :angel: