New guy with questions... sorry

[urbancynic]

I'll start by a quick introduction. Im 30, married with a 7 year old daughter, live in Arizona, and I'm currently considering picking up a Cherokee - well in this case its actually an 85 Wagoneer Limited.

The reasons behind my thoughts on picking up a Jeep are pretty simple:

We currently have 2 vehicles, a 2015 Jetta and a 2007 Silverado classic.

The Jetta is great but we find it isnt ideal for dealing with snow (yes, snow in Arizona) and it is impossible to use to go visit my in laws unless there hasnt been any rain or snow any time recently.

The Silverado has no issues with any of those however it presents a problem all of its own. Its a regular cab. This makes it impractical for all of us climbing in it for longer drives. Not to mention that while it has been problem free in the 233k miles its been used, it has now racked up about 800 in parts needing to be replaced to keep it safe and road worthy. Since it doesnt seem to meet our needs I'm hesitant to really put that kind of money into it.

The reason behind looking at this particular Jeep is that it has a back seat so it would eliminate the problems of the silverado, and it should do fine in snow, ice and mud so that would eliminate the problems of the jetta.

I work as a tow truck operator and a little while back we took this 85 wagoneer in as an abandoned vehicle. Were now close to 2 months in on having it and filed for title after 11 days as required by the state.

For whatever reason it actually had a key with it when we brought it in.

I spent some time yesterday checking it out to see if it was worth it. What i found was the battery was dead, the carb appeared to not have any fuel in the bowl, but after hooking a jump box on it and a spray of starting fluid it fired right up and stayed running on its own power.

The oil in the engine looks fresh and smelled clean. The engine sounded like i would expect from a 30 year old motor. But it wasnt bad.

I tried driving it around our lot so i couldnt go too quick but it did move under its own power. Seemed to need a bit of a rev to get moving though (automatic trans). Not sure if that was just because its louder than Im used to and all in my head, or if its the transmission.

The transmission leaks from the pan gasket right onto the exhaust so that would be something I'd need to do pretty quick.

No smoke from the exhaust on start up pr after running awhile. Engine temp seemed to stay right where it should as well.

I havent been able to determine which transfer case it has but the controls sorta seemed to just be there - i could move the lever and it would stay in hi n and low but didnt feel like it actually did anything.

The passenger window is down in the door and wont roll up but the motor can be heard operating with the switch so im guessing off the track or the regulator is broken.

I'd had pictures but i can't seem to find them at the moment so ill have to get you guys some asap.

Looking forward to any information amd feedback you experts can offer me.

 

[Ghost]

2.5 or 2.8 v-6? The 2.5 is a great reliable motor and the 2.8 is chevy crap..... T case should be a 207 IIRC. That was standard for that year. Will you be getting this cheap? As in almost free? IMHO it's nto worth much more then what it would sell for in steel weight if it's the 2.8. The 84 - 86 xj's only have the 2.5 and the 2.8 available. In 87 they went to the 4.0 which is a much better motor.

 

[Anak]

Welcome aboard.

Pics would be helpful, especially if they can give a sense of how well the vehicle has been cared for. Things like how worn out is the driver's seat? How does the weatherstripping look? How does the paint look on top? Those sorts of things can be indicators as to what kind of life it has had.

There are some challenges with maintaining the earlier XJs. The V-6 is by no means a great motor. You would be best off with a '91 or later H.O. engine, but if this is what has landed in your lap then I can see trying to make it work. The Wagoneers are a bit special. If you do move forward on it you might appreciate this thread: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1091129

Note that '84-'86 have a different radiator support/hood latch configuration that yields a shorter engine bay than the later years. This poses some limitations/challenges for engine swap options and for some replacement parts as well.

Hopefully some folks who own earlier XJs can chime in with ideas for what you are likely to be up against with that transmission.

 

[urbancynic]

Unfortunately it has the 2.8. I would much prefer the 4.0 but kind of stuck with whats available.

I would expect to get it for between 200-400 bucks. If my boss asked for more then I would pass and probably be pissed at him since he usually sells running cars to guys down the road for about 400. He doesnt know this one runs. No one knows except me and the wife since I told her. Lol Thats how i plan to keep it.

I'm not thrilled with the 2.8, but if it runs and drives as is then it may just serve my purposes until I can get a better vehicle.

 

[urbancynic]

Welcome aboard.

Pics would be helpful, especially if they can give a sense of how well the vehicle has been cared for. Things like how worn out is the driver's seat? How does the weatherstripping look? How does the paint look on top? Those sorts of things can be indicators as to what kind of life it has had.

There are some challenges with maintaining the earlier XJs. The V-6 is by no means a great motor. You would be best off with a '91 or later H.O. engine, but if this is what has landed in your lap then I can see trying to make it work. The Wagoneers are a bit special. If you do move forward on it you might appreciate this thread: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1091129

Note that '84-'86 have a different radiator support/hood latch configuration that yields a shorter engine bay than the later years. This poses some limitations/challenges for engine swap options and for some replacement parts as well.

Hopefully some folks who own earlier XJs can chime in with ideas for what you are likely to be up against with that transmission.

Thats basically what it has done... Landed in my lap. From what I've read the 2.8 can swap easily with the gm 3.4 for a little more reliability and power. Something i might consider down the road.

The interior including driver seat has no tears and looks like it had been covered its whole life. Window seals on the doors have dried out as expected in the desert.

The only missing panel if i recall correctly was on the decklid.

Paint seemed faded white but all there. The "wood" paneling on the outside is faded but intact. Someone painted black stripes on the hood and the front bumper is black with kc daylighters installed.

I didnt see and rust.

 

[dan1977p]

I don't have anything to add about the Cherokee, but I suspect you have summer or bald tires on your Jetta. My wife's Jetta is a beast in the snow and rain, even with the cheap tires we threw on it to get us to the buy back. Now I know this isn't a reasonable thing in AZ, but when we put studded snow tires on it, I never worried for my wife's ability to stay on the road in snow/ice covered mountain passes in Utah. Jetta's tend to come with summer tires that are notorious for sucking on anything other than smooth dry pavement.

 

[urbancynic]

I don't have anything to add about the Cherokee, but I suspect you have summer or bald tires on your Jetta. My wife's Jetta is a beast in the snow and rain, even with the cheap tires we threw on it to get us to the buy back. Now I know this isn't a reasonable thing in AZ, but when we put studded snow tires on it, I never worried for my wife's ability to stay on the road in snow/ice covered mountain passes in Utah. Jetta's tend to come with summer tires that are notorious for sucking on anything other than smooth dry pavement.

I dont have an issue so much as my wife does and since during the week she has the car (my vehicle sits at work all week since i pretty much live in my tow truck) she isnt too comfortable using it since the traction control likes to do more than is needed.

The jetta is on stock tires still. Its getting due for new ones in the next 10k or so.

The snow itself also isnt too much its the ice that forms when the snow melts that makes the jetta impractical since it gets thick and far from smooth - ground clearance can be an issue.

However the car is worthless in mud which is essentially what the roads going to my in laws are and makes it near impossible to visit them.

 

[old_man]

If you get the XJ, I might be able to find an old shop manual for it. I will look.

 

[urbancynic]

If you get the XJ, I might be able to find an old shop manual for it. I will look.

I would appreciate that.

It can take 2 months for us to get title on these vehicles. Sometimes longer. Today marks 2 months since filing for it.

Im hoping that we get the title soon, and that my boss decides he doesnt need to make a fortune on it. My thoughts are if he tries to get a grand or so for it then I'm not going to touch this one.

 

[Ghost]

Yea I would say that its worth maybe $400. IIRC the transmission is the Torqufligt 904 or 999. I could be wrong on that though. My 84 was a 5 speed.

 

[urbancynic]

Ill try to get you guys pictures tomorrow when i get to work.

 

[Ghost]

I looked after I posted and it seems the 904 was used in the 84-86 xj's. It's supposed to be a very decent transmission.

 

[urbancynic]

Finally got some pictures for you guys.

 

[Bent]

Don't see too many with the Briarwood grill.

 

[four_shot]

a first generation 3.1/3.4 (Iron head) is a direct swap. My 2.8 is still running 19 yrs after the rebuild. the two biggest faults I found with buster were:

1) the distributor o ring spewing oil all over everything.

2) The intake stud at the L/R corner of the manifold broke causing a vacuum leak at #5 and burnt the exhaust valve.

I had fusebox issues but those were related to a leaking clutch master ( not an issue for you)

as a plus the 2.8l's with the towing packages came with factory 4.11s

PM if you want to pick my brain.

 

[Bzamora]

I once had a Chevy S-10 pickup with the 2.8L V6, and it was so gutless I didn't even dare pass people on two-lane highways unless I had ample room and a running start. For a vehicle to give your teenage son so he doesn't get into trouble it's great, but I would never want to drive something that gutless again.

 

[urbancynic]

I once had a Chevy S-10 pickup with the 2.8L V6, and it was so gutless I didn't even dare pass people on two-lane highways unless I had ample room and a running start. For a vehicle to give your teenage son so he doesn't get into trouble it's great, but I would never want to drive something that gutless again.

I get it. I started with an 84 vw jetta with the 1.6l diesel and a whopping 50hp. Ive had several since. Even had a 73 bug and a 77 mgb.

Im keeping my eyes open for something else that would suit my needs including non-jeep stuff, but thus far this seems to be the top contender for what it should cost to buy it and what it seems to need at the moment.

Ideally whatever i buy would serve my needs for rough weather and terrain until we purchase the new truck or vehicle we want. At that time this would become a weekend trail (light duty) rig that i could use without worry of paint or other concerns of taking a brand new vehicle off road.