more advice needed- 96 jgc laredo

Good evening,

I just picked up a 1993 Jeep with a wack of KM's on it. It has 280,000KM on it. It was listed in the autotrader and I think they scared everyone away since they listed it at $3500. I went down there and drove it around the block and got it for $3450 after tax. There is a knock in the engine which showed its age and there was a little rust on it but nothing that isn't repairable. I got it for about $3500 less then any other I saw with

If you can get it for a cheap price and you are handy then there is no reason that you can't make it into a good reliable ride.

Bill, Im in Canada.. would carfax still work?

admin did pass the time by typing:

If most of that was highway and the previous owner changed fluids at the proper times, your ZJ should be in good shape. That knock could be a old fuel filter. Easy fix, it's down by the fuel tank.

Check the distributor for oil. If it looks like my old one did you need to fix it soon. That will cause rough run and idle problems. (writeup on my site)

I'd probably replace the swaybar and trackbar bushings as those do wear and it's relatively an easy fix. Got a writeup for the antisway bar on my site.

Anyhoo.. first thing you should get is the FSM (Field Service Manual) from Jeep. It's better than Chiltons by a long shot.

Good luck with your new Jeep.

Thanks Doug,

Most the suspension is being replaced with a RE 4.5" lift kit which will go on in the next month or so. I will check out those items to see if the knock goes away but I can't see it being that. If it is then that would be cool though. The idle and running is actually quite nice. The power seems to be there too which surprised me for an engine with knocking. It could even be some loose torque convertor bolts I assume too. I haven't had a chance to crawl under it yet and I have yet to take it in for emmisions or safety. I will be doing a full write-up on the work on my site at

Should be some fun work. I have heard about the FSM and I think I may just grab one. Thanks for the info!

I have a 93 XJ with 358889 km's on it.. the engine still runs nearly perfect, on cold days it has a slight knock. so having high mileage is no big deal on a J**P.

Just cause it has rust doesn't mean it has high mileage and that the odo has been rolled back. Your in Canada man .. and chances are unless your from BC or Manitoba you live where they love road salt in the winter. If your that concerned with the rust, take it into rust check and have them soak the J**P with it, best thing you could do.

Snow...

Im test driving it today, then I'm bringing it (assuming I like it) to a local Dodge dealership to have it inspected from one end to the other. I spoke to a service manager, he said it was possible to check to see if the mileage was reversed on it. Can you confirm this? Last, is there anything I should look for while driving, inspecting?

Before the test drive, I mentioned I wanted my mechanic to look at it afterwards... he started to give me the run-a-round saying he had to leave right away and he'd call me later in the week..

and the search continues..

lawdogjr did pass the time by typing:

The license/tag/insurance should have the mileage on it. Milage (IIRC) is also stored in the computer. Most modern odometers are designed so you can't run them backwards, but that doesn't mean some enterprising individual has found a way or pulled an odometer from a lower milage vehicle.

In Oklahoma you have to indicate milage with your tag renewal and on your insurance. Any service done by a Jeep dealer will also log service and milage under the vehicles VIN. Any other Jeep dealer shoud be able to pull the service record.

Actually you should have someone follow you as you drive and look at the vehicle from behind. That will show any out of true or tracking / alignment issues.

Ahhh one of those.. I had something similar last fall, just driving around one day and saw a XJ sitting on a "mickey mouse" car dealer lot, stopped and talked to the non native born gentleman who ran the lot, and inquired as to the price, 92 xj, 176000 km's, cert and e-tested for $4800. As I looked more at it I discovered that it was previously owned by the fire department, and had a few things removed. I asked the guy what his absolute best price was and told him I wanted to take into my shop and have a mechanic look it over.. well all of a sudden his attitude changed, I left that day and he still has that XJ for sale.. lol

Snow