new jeeper

I've been coveting Jeeps for about 10 years, and I finally got one (mostly because my good'ol '91 Cavalier has blown its second head gasket and costs more to fix than it's worth - 182K miles on the factory clutch, BTW). It's not the Wrangler I wanted, but it's a Jeep. I just picked up a '96 Cherokee Country, 4.0 auto, AC, with 115K miles. No off-road package or towing package.

What are the best resources for XJ owners? What's the best place to pick up a relatively inexpensive mild lift? What do I need to look out for?

Cheers, y'all.

Reply to
Brian
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Congrats!

Lots of folks here have Cherokees, myself included.

I would recommend driving it for a while before lifting as it is a very capable vehicle right out of the box. We take ours back into the bush so deep ATV'ers think there must be some new back trail in they don't know about.... :-)

That said you can get inexpensive 1.5 or 2" spacer lifts for them or get into spring replacement and new frame parts to go up over 3".

Nothing really to watch out for. The engines have the odd known quirks so if anything is acting strange, likely someone here has seen it or heard about it.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Brian wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

I bought a `96 Cherokee Sport this past summer. 4.0, Auto, 83K miles. I miss the map lights that my `89 had and I find that the Chrysler steering isn't as comfortable as the older system was, but the seats are more comfy. And how much did not including dome light switches in the rear doors save them per unit, I wonder?

4WheelDrive publishes an XJ-specific catalogue. Try or call them at 1-800-333-5535. Others here will help you with questions about lifts and tires, that's out of my league.

I haven't found many quirks on my `96 yet, but the `89 had a few: The CPS would get confuzzled a couple of times a year, generally following oil changes. The symptom was always a no-start, no spark, no fuel. Unplugging the connector at the firewall and reconnecting it always reset it. The Crankcase venting system had to be kept clean or it would blow oil out of the valve cover gasket, a well-known problem. Around 170K miles the fuel pump will give up the ghost, if it can manage it it will do so in the high-speed lane at rush hour. And then there's the usual set of complaints about the front axle not locking in to 4WD or refusing to unlock from 4WD Part Time. It is mostly a vacuum problem.

Others have noted here that the floor pan is a rust magnet, and a sales guy at a catalogue call center was telling me the other day that his `96 auto trans oil lines broke in the rubber hose section, and advised eyeballing mine for leaks.

Oh, and eventually your headliner will fall down. Foam rot. You can repair it, but it is messy, smelly and involves the 3M spray glue that says "Not for repairing headliners".

Good luck!

Reply to
Lee Ayrton

You have found one good resource (here), and also these guys can keep you pretty busy, especially their forum

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Reply to
Rusted

Frame parts? Mike, you're confusing your CJ with your XJ!

No frame parts required to lift a Cherokee (XJ) but you may want to consider some other mods. if you are thinking of going over three inches.

  1. driveline vibes - transfer case drop or slip yoke eliminator (SYE) & new driveshaft
  2. extended or disconnecting sway bar links.
  3. steering box brace. (not really needed until you go with 33"+ tires)
  4. adjustable track bar.
5 adjustable upper and/or lower control arms.
  1. fender trimming. (not really needed until you go with 33"+ tires)

The best way to lift is with replacement springs. Spacers are okay in the front and you maintain fact ride but cheap alternatives lifting the rear will cause premature wear on the factory leaf springs. Lift blocks, short add-a-leaf kits and extended shackles will only provide short term satisfaction. There are some neat low-buck configurations for lifting the XJ rear with full length add-a-leaf kits or custom (DIY) hybrid leaf packs using Dakota and Comanche springs etc.

A good resource for lifting your Cherokee

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are also countless threads on DIY leaf pack combinations. I choose a full lift kit from Rusty's for mine... 4.5" on 31" rubber
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-Brian

Reply to
Cherokee-LTD

I thought I have seen massive frame blocks or extensions of some sort added for the lower control arms?

Mike

Reply to
Mike Romain

Just be very careful doing the el-cheapo spacer/shackle lifts. I did that with my 00 XJ and it caused a number of problems including death wobble, driveline vibes, etc. And I only went up 2"!!! Make sure to do it right, if you do it at all.

Eric

99 TJ SE
Reply to
Eric

-Brian

Reply to
Cherokee-LTD

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