4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please

Get the 4.0L inline six engine.

Until mid 1995, the Cherokee came with a Dana 30 front end that has a problematic vacuum actuated axle disconnect and weak u-joints. Later Cherokee Dana 30s are always turning and have stronger u-joints.

Look for the Chrysler 8.25 rear end as opposed to the weaker Dana 35. Cherokees with ABS will always have Dana 35 rear. Both have an oval diff cover, but the 8.25 has two flanges cast on the bottom of the housing that make it look flat underneath. Earlier 8.25s have smaller 27 spline axles so they're not much better than the Dana 35. Later 8.25s (1996+) have larger 29 spline axles.

Many reasonably priced kits available for a three inch lift to clear

Steve

coyotefred wrote: > From what I've read, it seemed like maybe a late 90s Cherokee sport

Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.

Cherokees were viewed as "budget" vehicles in later years, so they tend not to be as "loaded" as other SUVs. You may not care about lighted vanity mirrors, but AWD (Select-Trak) and limited slip differentials (Trak-Lock) seem to be fairly uncommon. After about '97, the interior got a lot more ergonomic and refined, but other parts of the vehicle were cheapened, like plastic instead of metal bumpers, and a metal instead of fiberglass liftgate.

You really do want the 4.0 liter engine. Sport trim and above always had it, base or SE didn't necessarily. Problems endemic to Jeeps include the exhaust manifold and fluid leaks (most of them, except the rear main seal, fairly cheap to fix). The A/C and cooling are passible, but nothing to right home about. Look out for rust in the channel above the windows and at the bottom of the doors. Strong points are the engine/tranny and off-road capability.

My '93 with part-time T case had the non-disconnect axle. Earlier the ones with full-time T cases had the non-disconnect axle, IIRC.

Thanks. I stand corrected. I had assumed the Dana 30 disco was used until the mid-95 switch from 5-260X ujoints to 5-297X. Seems the NP231 always came with the vacuum disconnect through 1991 and the NV242 never did in any year. Also just learned that the 2000 and 2001 XJ used a less desirable low pinion standard cut Dana 30.

So for the original poster who wants the full time NV242, the best choice from an axle perspective is non-ABS Cherokee from 1997 when 29 spline axles were first used, through 1999, last year for the hi-pinion Dana 30.

Steve

I like my Command-Trac ... let's me 2 wheel it most of the time which saves a bit on gas ... with the 4H there on demand for snow, rain, gravel. A note on the 4 low ... not selectable on the fly ... from what I've read the majority of us have to select neutral before selecting/deselecting 4L. And I like my lockup 4 spd auto for smooth trailer pulling and saving a bit on fuel. And I like that 4.0 litre HO ... a bit of performance/torque. And it's light ... 3100 lbs ... with that uniframe or whatever it's called. And ... I find the open differentials work just fine. Still going strong at 240,000 km ... oh yeah, had to replace the starter last week ... got to the point where I had to whack it to get it to work ... and the cost was only $188 cdn at the dealers ... about half what I was expecting.

Hmmmmm...tough call...97 thru 99 for the drivetrain, but pre-97 for non-cheap parts...probably better to stick with the better drivetrain, etc. ?

Hello! What year/model do you have with that Command-Trac?

I don't know much about the drivetrain, so I'll defer to the judgement of others. And although older parts might be built better, they are older parts. My metal bumper is starting to rust and will need touching up in a year or so.

Another thing you might do is compare the interiors of the older vs newer ones and see if you have a strong prefference. The difference is not subtle. The older ones have a more boxy, truck-like look, the newer ones are more rounded, like modern cars. With the newer ones, they took away the swing open vent windows but noticably improved many of the minor controls...

And a good thing they did. Those vent windows leak on the front corner. I think there was a service bulletin on it.

Steve

You shouldn't have any difficulty picking up a cherokee for under $15,000. In fact I have seen pretty good deals. If you get a good enough deal on the command trac you can always swap out the command trac for a selectrac transfer case if you want the advantage of full time 4wd. Both are good cases.

Larry Greenwood

Not a good thing they did. The fact that the Cherokee was one of the last vehicles built with wind wings is one of the primary reasons I bought one. Unfortunately, we now have an entire generation that has grown up without these essential ventilation devices. Pity. On any day with a temperature between 50 and 80 degrees F, you don't know what you are missing!

They made cars with them for 40+ years and leakage was not generally a problem.

Regards,

DAve

Oops, at first I thought you were talking about 4 door hardtops. Hardtop convertible would be like a Ford Skyliner, right?

If so, those were pretty rare. 4 door hardtops, where there is no B pilar between the front and back doors so that when you roll down the windows, there is nothing there were rather popular in the late 1950s through the last of the big cars (say 1975).

Windwings on the other hand were once universal. They disappeared as AC became the norm and cheapness, light weight and fuel economy became the rule of the day. Underdash fresh air vents (down by your left foot, right foot for the passenger) had been universal and went away about the same time. Pity.

Regards,

DAve

Mine leak. I suppose I should make more of an effort to appreciate the subtle elegance of cracking the 'wind wings' as opposed to just hanging my arm out the window like a yahoo, but I can't help but feel that its just another gadget that's prone to failure. Less is best.