Opinions on fixing up a 1989 Cherokee Laredo 4x4

My parents bought this truck in the early 90's and it has served both them and I very well. My dad is about to junk it but I am trying to save it. Like I said it is an 89 with the 4L inline 6 with an automatic transmission and about 160,000 miles. The engine is still really strong and the transmission is smooth and crisp on shifts. 4x4 works without any problems.

There is nothing major wrong with it. The rocker panels are rusting out along with the rear bumper. Those are the only three spots of rust that I know of. People said that the driver's side floor can also rust but I have never seen any there.

I am pretty sure that the power steering pump is on its last legs. The steering wheel wobbles very badly at low speed, but the wheels do not. I looking in the service manual and went through all of there diagnostics and it sounds like the pump.

The driver's side swing window (not really sure what it is called, the one that rotates) leaks and has killed the speaker. The rear speakers die and then come back when I hit bumps so I think there is a loose wire or a short someplace.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about fixing the rust and the power steering pump. I have found rocker panels online for about $30 each and a chrome bumper for $60. Does anyone have any good websites to look for parts? Also I am curious about how to install new rocker panels. Once I cut the old ones off how do I protect the new ones from rust, You can not prime them before you weld them on, so how do you protect the exposed metal inside the panel? I do not know how to weld yet but I am going to try to learn at the shop at my school, but what type of welder would I need for such a job, Tig? Any suggestions on a cheap yet adequate welder for my job? On to the bumper, is that just held on with bolts? What about suspension, we put new shocks on a long time ago but they are on their way out, any suggestions? I just want this to be an all around good reliable vehicle. Minor offroading, Cape Cod beaches, snow, and the occasional muddy field, nothing extreme. Although I have a lot more questions I will leave it at that for now.

Thank you for the help. Paul

Reply to
Paul
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Reply to
twaldron

Sounds like a good project since the driveline is ok. I would ride in another car beside it to see if a tire or wheel wobbles. I can't see the pump causing the steering wheel to wobble. The rear bumper is held on with two mounts each having 4 bolts. Laying on the ground they can be reached with a ratchet and socket, 14mm as I recall but it could be 15mm. Also rocker panels are under the doors, not by the rear bumper. Rear quarter panels maybe. The back side of these panels can be reaches after removing the tail lights.

Reply to
Jo Bo

I have never heard of anyone galvanizing car parts. Is this feasible? Can you weld galvanized metal? It sort of sounds like overkill.

Paul

Reply to
Paul

Reply to
L.W.(ßill) Hughes III

I have already done your first suggestion and the tire/wheels do not wobble at all, so thats why I think it is in the power steering system. I have not looked at the service manual in a while but I am ALMOST sure it is the pump.

I guess I was not clear in my remarks about the rust. The rear bumper is rusting out, and the rocker panels both have big rust holes in them, directly under the rear doors. When I wrote that in my initial post I was alittle ambiguous, sorry.

About the rust proofing/galvanizing. If I order new rocker panels are they going to be galvanized? Once I weld them on, how to I prime/rust proof the inner chamber that is formed by the rocker panel and the rest of the body. Do I drill a hole and fill the chamber with rust proofing and then bondo the hole. I could weld the hole closed but then I am right back to where I stated, not wanting to weld primed/rust proofed metal. I guess the welds could rust from the inside out since they will not be primed.

Bill, thanks for the link, you learn something everyday. Thanks for the replies

Paul

Reply to
Paul

Reply to
Steve G

The reason I don't think it has anything to do with the wheel/tire combo is that it wobbles badly at slow speeds but is fine at high speeds. I am not positive but I thought if the tires were not balanced they would wobble at higher speeds rather then low. Also the tires are not that old and still are in good shape. I would say less then three years old and less the 10,000 miles. Good tread and no rotting. Of course that does not mean that they are not borked inside. Like I said I went through the jeep manual and went through their list of things that could be wrong and came up with the pump. I agree that it sounds very weird and I have no experience at all with power steering pumps so you probably know better then me.

Could it be a blown bushing in the front suspension, or wheel bearing? I will take a good look at it this weekend. I will inspect the suspension and rotate the tires. If I go through with this restoration I would defiantly get a bushing kit and just have at it.

I have another question, do anyone know if shocks have a shelf life? My dad bought 2 complete sets of shocks some 8 years ago, we put one set and held onto the other four. Are they any good to use or do they loose pressure sitting on the shelf for so long?

Thanks again Paul

Reply to
Paul

First off, on your steering issue, it's not a question of tire balance, it's an issue of cord seperation in the tire. That's exactly how they behave, can't feel it at higher speeds, but the wheel will rock in your hands as you idle along. I'd damn near guarantee that you've got a bad tire. No to the bushings and wheel bearings. Not the type of sympton they display at all. Loose wheel bearing would have to be damn near falling off before the wheel would wobble. Generally bearings get rough spots in them and you get a droning noise and a fine vibration in the wheel, more like the tingling you'd get if your hand fell asleep. Bushings all together diferent. Erratic handling, tending to follow seams in the pavement and jump around, not a steady rythmic wobble. Think about it, if you focus on the rotation of your tire you can almost time the wobble in the steering wheel to each revolution of the tire. Do a good visual of the tire. Jack the vehicle up and have someone spin the tire by hand while you watch the tread. I'll bet you'll see a spot where the tread "wobbles" a bit.

encountering

Reply to
Steve G

Thanks Steve, I will take a look today and see if I can find something. I have never had a tire cord separate on me so I don't know what it feels like. Maybe I do now. I will take a look at both front tires and if I don't see anything I will move the front to the back one at a time so I can find the one that has gone bad.

What would the symptoms of a bent rim be, I am just serious because I remember one night in the early spring I was driving at night and smashed a huge pothole at about 70mph. Could something like that bend the wheel or cause a cord to separate, or is a cord separating a manufacturer defect.

I guess in the long run I would much rather it be a tire then the power steering pump. A much cleaner and less stressful job of fixing.

Reply to
Paul

Reply to
Steve G

Reply to
L.W.(ßill) Hughes III

Just another wild a$$ed guess:

Have you checked your front wheel universal joints? When my 1998 Cherokee's joints seized, I could "feel" it in the steering wheel, too.

Here's what I did to check them, since I couldn't see the tell-tale "rust stains" coming from the bearing caps:

Jack both front tires off the ground at the same time. Steer to "full-lock", either fully left or right. Attempt to spin either front tire. If spinning either front tire is extremely difficult, or causes the front tires to attempt to straighten out, then you may have found a frozen universal joint.

Usually, you'll "feel" a frozen joint at all speeds when turning, but you never know...

-John

Reply to
John Sevey

First off I rotated the front tires to the back one at a time to see which one had gone bad. Nothing changed in the steering as the fronts went to the back. I inspected all of the tires and they all looked good. No cracking or metal protrusion. I also tested the tires with a straight edge and they all looked good. No wobble.

I then tried John's "wild a$$ed guess". I steered the wheels all the way to the left and tried to spin the left tire. It was very difficult but went I finally got it rotating it started to steer itself back(to the right) in about a half of a turn it started to steer itself to the left again. At about a full rotation it would stop and I could not turn it in that direction. If I wanted it to rotate I would have to go in the opposite direction to the way I was originally turning. Then the whole process would start over until it stopped in that direction. This would continue for a while until the wheels finally straightened themselves out so they were faced dead straight. I get no wobble when the wheels are facing straight and I spin them. By the way this was all with the engine turned off, so I no longer think it is the power steering.

I know that sounds really confusing so if you do not understand what I trying to say, tell me and I will try again.

So is John right? Is it a universal joint? As I was looking under the truck I do not even know if I would be able to save any of the front suspension. All of the bolts are rusted to hell. Can I clean these parts up or do they need to be replaced. For example the sway bar, can I just clean all of the rust off and then shoot it with a rust inhibiting paint? Everything is of coarse covered in surface rust but the castle nuts and pins that go through them are almost unrecognizable. Where to you guys get your suspension parts from?

Thanks Paul

Reply to
Paul

Imparare a quotare ,no è !

Reply to
Urbano

Paul,

Sounds like it's u-joint time. Here's an oft-posted link that shows you how to blow apart the Dana 30 to get at the axle u-joints, seals, ball joints, brakes, etc:

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If your rusty track bar looks otherwise solid, brush the scale off and spray it with rust paint. Look for rotten bushings in your control arms and track bar. Replace as required:

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Hardest part will be removing seized and rusted fasteners. Be prepared with replacements and proper tools to remove broken bolts.

Steve

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Paul wrote:

Reply to
Steve

I was looking around for new u-joints, autozone had three diferent ones. A Brute Force "HEAVY DUTY U-JOINT -- LUBRICATED FOR LIFE WITH SYNTHETIC LITHIUM GREASE" 12.99

A PDQ "GREASEABLE THRU BEARING" 15.99

Another PDQ "STANDARD U-JOINT" 7.99

I was thinking about the Brute Force. Do I really need a greasable bearing? The factory u-joint that is on there was not greasable and lasted 160,000 miles plus I don't do water crossings or anything like that.

Does anyone know where I can get new castle nuts and other hardware that is rusted away on the suspension/steering/drivetrain? I know I am going to break something while doing this job.

Steve, thanks for the info and links.

Paul

Reply to
Paul

To change a front axle u-joint does not require you to take off more than the brake caliper and the wheel hub.

You do not even have to unbolt the big 36mm axle nut in the middle of the hub, the whole axle slides out with the hub and the u-joint can be changed with the axle still in the hub easily.

There are just 3 bolts holding the hub on from the back. Once you remove them, you can turn the wheel hard to one side and put one bolt back in (I have a spare bolt for this purpose) and beat on it with a 'BIG' hammer. You then can cut the wheel the other way, move the bolt to the other side and beat on it some more. This will pop the hub out of it's mount.

A really good soaking with penetrating oil is recommended for a few days before starting the job.

I off road and only get a year or so out of the sealed u-joints, but at that age the sealed one will likely do fine for you.

Mike

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

Paul wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

I just wanted to give you guys an update. Today I took off the axle and hub assembly. It was a pain in the ass. I followed Mike's instructions and sacrificed one of the bearing carrier bolts. It took about three hours of pounding on the bolt. But it is off. The u-joint is indeed seized up in one direction of articulation. Tomorrow I will put the new u-joint in and try to get this bad boy back together. I would like to thank everyone for diagnosing the problem and giving me the directions to fix it. I am sure I will have plenty more questions.

Paul

Reply to
Paul

I am having some trouble getting the the u-joint out of the yoke. I tried the two sockets and c-clamp method but it started to open up my c-clamp. Yes, I checked the sockets they are the correct sizes, one bigger one smaller then the size of the u-joint caps. Some I put the whole yoke and two sockets into a vice and am trying it that way. It is currently sitting in my basement with about a 1000 ft/lbs of pressure on it. Do you guys have any tricks to get them out. Remember there is 15 years worth of rust on this thing. I had no trouble getting the c-clips off of the good axis of the u-joint but the bad axis (seized up axis) clips refuse to come off. I was trying to use a screwdriver to open up the clip and pop it off but it must be rusted on. I have had all of this stuff soaked in liquid wrench for about 18 hours.

Paul

Reply to
Paul

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