School me on jeep cherokees

NYSpeed Automotive
1

I’ve been debating getting a truck of some kind for a while. With the house and kids its getting to be kind of a necessity. I’ve been looking at cherokees, blazers and explorers lately and I think I am going to shoot for the jeep.

What are the pros and cons of the jeep cherokee line? How do they compare to the other two SUV’s? What are the typical issues? etc etc.

I am trying to pickup a solid xj or zj. I did a few google searches but I want to hear from someone on here that owns one or has experience with these.

2

ZJ.

coil springs are better than leafs when it comes to longevity.
You wont find an xj without sag or a broke leaf, or leaf that is going to break soon. the ZJ has the nicer interior and you have the option of a V8 which isnt available in the XJ.

You might want to look into a WJ for an extra 2000$ over what you’d pay for an average ZJ its much nicer.

3

lol I knew I would get something out of you.

Yeah I thought about the WJ and even though they are nicer and knowing that my kids will be in this vehicle it is still going to be my work truck. I dont want to spend that much money on a vehicle that will get dirty and thrashed. Basically with the zj I get a nice interior and safe truck without it being too new. So when it gets dirty and muddy I dont feel so bad :slight_smile:

4

ZJ/WJ is a nice big 4wd beast solid front and rear axle.

V8 is decent motor, I6 will last forever…

ZJ you can toss on coil spring spacer for 100 bucks, trim the fenders and run 32’s.

5

Don’t get a blazer unless you enjoy replacing tie rods, ball joints, and brakes daily

6

Fixed, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTbA0fhBark

7

HOLY SHIT!

8

yeah theyre not very stout vehicles

in all seriousness tho, Balljoints tie rod ends and wheel bearings come every 10-15k. and dont even think of offroading it, bent tie rod ends, worn idler arms and junk pitman arms are common on these things

9

things to look for. the rear hatch dosent work on like any Grand cherokee, test it.
Rust, check the entire underside, they love to rust.
Hub bearings love to be worn out in the front, make sure the front dif is good. Drive it on thier lawn and engage the 4x4 and do some turning, listen for the clicks of the front ujoints, they are also common to be junk on jeep. Cheap to fix, if you can get the damn bolts out, but still a headache.

if it has the I6 dont be alarmed by the temp gauge. Ideal running temp for them is 210º
Dont take thier word for it, check it yourself. Wear dirty shit, be prepared to crawl around on the ground, I reccomend eye protection aswell, shit loves to only fall out from under it while your looking up at something.

Check the axel seals, check the driveshaft yolks, then the basics, look for oil leaks, smell for gas leaks, if they let you test drive it, jump on the brakes hard, gives you a good test of the lines.

Alot of this is basic stuff, that is sometimes over looked.

On the I6 its common for the valve cover gasket to be bad, make sure the CCV system is hooked up, its 2 black ports in the top of the valve cover with black hose running between them, its crucial to the long life of the engine.

Let it fully warm up, my old jeep would get 60psi when it was cold, and 0 psi when it was hot, oil pressure.

If I think of anything else, I’ll post it.

Jeepforum.com has alot of info on these too.

10

I just picked up an '04 WJ Limited with the V8. I love it. It’s got a few minor things that need to be fixed/taken care of but overall it’s in great shape.

Getting rid of my '98 Blazer… had enough of that thing.

11

Loved my XJ. The V8 in the ZJ is a great addition to have, but the I6 will last forever in it. They are plentyful in the junkyards if something ever breaks. Easy to work on. SAS front end means more articulation if you ever decide to make it a wheeling vehicle. Aftermarket is HUGE on either, moreso on the XJ.

All in all, I would recommend either.

12

Anything jeep with a 4.0 and you will be very happy. Like said the wj/zj will be more of a nicer truck and the xj will be the more simple set up. 4.0s are know for leaking rear main seals also which you shouldnt be afraid of most ppl chance them in the jeep in the driveway in a few hours. Hell mine leaks butttt its a jeep so its going to leak lol. I love my xj best truck ive owned.

13

Stay away from early model WJs, first years for the 4.7 V8 and it had it’s fair share of issues.

The old ZJs with the 5.2L v8s were aight, easiliy moddable, but the issues with the transfer cases being built from glass (well, the 249 at least) were rampant. Those were available only on the Limited models, I am pretty sure.

The 98’ ZJ came in a special offering, the 5.9L ZJ. Put out a little more HP and had some cool hood vents, a hydro transfercase - and of course a sweet platinum paint job.

14

so I’m looking for a 4.0 zj. I dont want an offroad toy. I dont want something I am going to have to work on all the time. I want something reliable, comfortable, and safe for my kids while I play with my e30 project.