90's Jeep Cherokee XJ 4.0

[aaronp13]

Who has any experience with the 4.0 liter Cherokees? I have been looking at them for a while on Craiglist, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. They seem to be pretty cheap ($2000-4000) and look like they would make a good trail rig/scouting rig.

Also, lots of automatic transmissions in these things. Any opinions on those? Thanks in advance!

Aaron

[High Climber]

Just sold my 91' a few months ago. 91 is the first year of the H.O. Motor if I remember correctly. Awesome rig easy to work on... Wish I still had it. I waited for a good deal when I bought mine it was a five speed with 128k bone stock for $2600. I installed a 3" lift myself for like $250 and put some 31" tires on it and it would go anywhere I was interested in going.

[papisjeep]

pre 90 junk for the most part
91^ good rigs 4.0 motors and the aw4 trans are great and have great longevity when serviced
some inherent issues but none that bad(cracked exhaust manifold, leaky rear main seal)
these rigs are good to 300k with decent service

[jackelope]

The transmissions are mostly bombproof.

The exhaust manifolds pretty much will all break at one point or another. Plan on it.  You can weld the cracks but they'll break again eventually.  The earliest of the 4.0L's will have a little more issue than the later ones. I'd look for a 97-01 or so if it were me.

They're pretty trouble free really. Probably one of the best Jeeps every from a mechanical standpoint.  I worked for Jeep for ~10 years.

[Yondering]

I've had a '91 for about 8 years now. These are great; real solid and have a lot of potential if you're interested in off-road stuff. The solid axles and coil spring front suspension are a great setup that can give a lot of flex for offroad use; combined with the bulletproof 4.0 motor I think this makes them one of the best trail rigs available.

The AW4 transmissions are bomb proof, and the 4.0 motors run forever. I rebuilt mine at 230,000 miles, but once I took it apart I realized I should've left it alone, it wasn't worn very much.

A couple issues as mentioned above:
- rear main seals leak; just the way they are
- exhaust manifolds crack. Minor annoyance, replacing with a header is about a 2 hour job.
- electrical systems on the older ones can have issues; it's a Chrysler product.
- 2000-2001 models sometimes suffer cracked heads.
- The Dana 35 rear axle is a little weak for serious offroad, but is easily replaced with the later Chrysler 8.25" or others.

Other than that they are pretty much good to go. The prices seem to be really climbing on them in this area. The 97-99 version would be my first choice, with the better Chrysler 8.25 rear axle but before the head-crack years.

One option that's worth looking for (but hard to find) is the 5-position NP243 transfer case, which mine has. These vehicles have all the standard 2hi-N-4hi-4lo settings, but also a "Full Time 4wd" position, which is nice on snowy roads. They also have larger U-joints in the front axles, and the one-piece pass side front axle (no vaccum disconnect like the other models). I tend to leave mine in "full time" always for normal driving.

[D-Rock425]

I had a 92 for a while during and after high school.  Sure do miss that thing.

[jackelope]

I forgot about the cracked head issue. It's pretty rare.

[KFhunter]

tag - I kinda want one

[Special T]

Www.jeepforum.com
I have a 94xj. There are a lot of stupid simple improvements you can do to make them a light wheeler/awesome hunting rig. 2" lift and fender flairs can clear 33" tires

[Special T]

I would also add that the main eletrical problem in the 87-96ish range is the defrost blower motor/wiring. If that isnt working inspect the fuse block it may be melted. If you buy one FIRSTthing you do is isolate the power wire to the blower motor and put in a new larger gauge wire for the whole run and/or replace the blower motor.
I know because I melted mine and now in the process of rewiring and it sucks

[92xj]

I've owned and built a few.
Stick to an auto, you gain a few more splines for the case. Anything particular you want know or are interested in?
Plan to build it?
Keep it stock?
Desired tire you want to run?

[aaronp13]

Wow thanks for all the info guys. My plan is to put a mild lift on it, run 33's and maybe build a custom bumper for the front and rear. Nothing crazy, just the standard lifted XJ that you see running around.

I might just go with the automatic too. Always had a 5 speed, but an auto might be nice too.

I haven't gone to see any of the Craigslist Jeeps in person, so what you actually get for $3,000 I don't know, but the pictures of a $3,000 XJ make them look pretty nice.

Thanks again for all the info!

[Thehowler]

Just be careful about buying someone's wheeler. There could be a whole lot of parts ready to expire depending how hard it was abused and neglected.

[Special T]

 Buy a bone stock one with low miles or one with a blown motor or tranny for cheep and build from there.  The forum I listed gives all the great tips to do what your asking for cheep. I bought a dyi plaz cut bummper kit and fabed up my own on the rear strengthing the sub frame.. alos WJ lower control arms help w spacers in the front and a *censored* pack in the rear. All inexpensive.

[Yondering]

Wow thanks for all the info guys. My plan is to put a mild lift on it, run 33's and maybe build a custom bumper for the front and rear.

Some guidelines for lift vs tire size on these:
- 3" lift will fit 31x10.5" tires, or with careful fender trimming and wheel spacing 33x10.5.
- 4.5" lift will fit 33x12.5, may still need some trimming depending on your wheel spacing.

3" lift and 31's is a really good combo on these if you're not going too crazy with wheeling. I noticed a significant difference in handling going from this to 4.5" and 33's; it's better offroad now of course but gave up a lot on the pavement.