Hey guys,
Was planning on buying a CJ or YJ jeep in the next few months, but I'm not much of a mechanic. I was wondering if anyone had any tips when buying a CJ or YJ jeep. Stuff like typical rust areas, parts to look out for (i.e. water pump, carburetor, etc.), etc. As far as specific models, I was narrowing it down to CJ-7 and CJ-5 and pretty much any YJ out there.
Any help would be appreciated!
For a CJ:
rust: pretty much anywhere, but especially:
- bottom of the body underneath the doors.
- the passenger side and driver side floor boards
- The vertical transition between the front and the back (just behind the front seats)
- the corners where the seatbelts go
- the spots where the rollbar attaches
- the rear corners
Of course anything can be fixed, I'd look for stuff that is 'bad' and expensive to replace. (A water pump for example is $35 and an hour work, I wouldn't worry too much about that)
If you're not replacing/modifying/upgrading the engine, look for compression leaks, oil leaks etc. Look for cracks in the head, manifolds.
On a CJ typically if you see a lot of 'newer looking nuts and bolts' than you know the previous owner 'got into it' and worked on it. Taking 3 rusty bolts of on a 30 yo CJ is always a weekend job. Also, rear main seal is one of those things. $1.25 or so to buy and a pita to replace
You can drive it and pay attention to transmission and transfercase. Check if the steering box doesn't move if you move the steering wheel around. Check if the axle the pitman arm is attached to doesn't have to much play when moving the steering wheel. Under the hood grab the steering shaft and see if you can twist and move it up and down to see if there is a lot of play in the steering box (with the engine off if it has power steering)
Check the axles to see if oil is coming out in all kinds of places. If you want to be a bit more thorough you can check the oil in the differentials and see if it is milky or has metal in it. Check to see it the springs are ok. Shocks a lot of times are not, but that's easy and fairly inexpensive to replace
Carburetor, well.. you're gonna try a few things for a year or two and than yank it out, toss it in the corner and get one that works better.
I realized, found out, that if you get a 30 yo CJ you pretty much buy two hobbies. One is fixing it, the other one is in between fixing driving it. You pretty much can't find a CJ that has nothing wrong with it at all anyway.
You said you're not much of a mechanic, buy a CJ join a club, get the Haynes and Clifford manuals and in a few years you probably learned to be quite a bit of a mechanic (wjhen it comes to CJ's). CJ's are pretty easy to work on.
t much of a mechanic. I was wondering if anyone had any tips when buying a = CJ or YJ jeep. Stuff like typical rust areas, parts to look out for (i.e. w= ater pump, carburetor, etc.), etc. As far as specific models, I was narrowi= ng it down to CJ-7 and CJ-5 and pretty much any YJ out there.
rust: pretty much anywhere, but especially:
- bottom of the body underneath the doors.
- the passenger side and driver side floor boards
- The vertical transition between the front and the back (just behind the front seats)
- the corners where the seatbelts go
- the spots where the rollbar attaches
- the rear corners
Of course anything can be fixed, I'd look for stuff that is 'bad' and expensive to replace. (A water pump for example is $35 and an hour work, I wouldn't worry too much about that)
If you're not replacing/modifying/upgrading the engine, look for compression leaks, oil leaks etc. Look for cracks in the head, manifolds.
On a CJ typically if you see a lot of 'newer looking nuts and bolts' than you know the previous owner 'got into it' and worked on it. Taking 3 rusty bolts of on a 30 yo CJ is always a weekend job. Also, rear main seal is one of those things. $1.25 or so to buy and a pita to replace
You can drive it and pay attention to transmission and transfercase. Check if the steering box doesn't move if you move the steering wheel around. Check if the axle the pitman arm is attached to doesn't have to much play when moving the steering wheel. Under the hood grab the steering shaft and see if you can twist and move it up and down to see if there is a lot of play in the steering box (with the engine off if it has power steering)
Check the axles to see if oil is coming out in all kinds of places. If you want to be a bit more thorough you can check the oil in the differentials and see if it is milky or has metal in it. Check to see it the springs are ok. Shocks a lot of times are not, but that's easy and fairly inexpensive to replace
Carburetor, well.. you're gonna try a few things for a year or two and than yank it out, toss it in the corner and get one that works better.
I realized, found out, that if you get a 30 yo CJ you pretty much buy two hobbies. One is fixing it, the other one is in between fixing driving it. You pretty much can't find a CJ that has nothing wrong with it at all anyway.
You said you're not much of a mechanic, buy a CJ join a club, get the Haynes and Clifford manuals and in a few years you probably learned to be quite a bit of a mechanic (wjhen it comes to CJ's). CJ's are pretty easy to work on.
csdude summed it up quite nicely. Just remember, owning a CJ is a not a hobby, it's a frame of mind. It will become a love/hate relationship and you will end up being the battered victim. Your Jeep will take your money and only give you occasional pleasure. You have to love Jeeps to keep Jeeps. In other words; "It's a Jeep thing."
Yup true, you'll love to hate it, it's kind of an addiction.
Oh i forgot the frame. With a regular hammer, tap the frame. If you mostly hear a metal on metal resonating sound it is in a good shape. If it sounds like a piece of wet wood and you hear and see all kinds of rust etc falling off.. you might have an issue there.
Original engine choices: 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder (258ci/4.2L), V8. All are good engines. The 4 is reliable and has enough power to maintain highway speeds and trail work. I like the I6 best, a long-lived engine with good torque. The 8v had plenty of power but owners lamented that they could *watch* the gas gauge drop while driving.
The CJ-5 is really short and good for tight trails, but tends to be squirrelly on the highway. The CJ-7s turning radius was wider but a little less scary on the highway.
Dunno where you are, but in salty southern New England the prime rust zones for CJs are the double-walled portion of the fenders (the trailing
1/4 of the fender, about hip-high), the lowest sections of the front footwells and the joint where the front floor meets the riser to the rear floor, the cowl skin where the internal U channel decends to the floor (by your foot), the area below the door opening, the join where the wheel box meets the skin over the rear wheel cutout, the baffle behind the rear tires (inside the wheel box) and the inside of the lower section of the windshield frame. Oh, all of the body mounts from the footwells back.For the frame, the last foot and a half of the frame box, the rear cross member (also serves as the rear bumper) and the frame behind the brake proportioning valve mounting plate (inside surface of the frame box, below the driver's feet).
On inspection, start counting by twos for most problems: Bad windshield glass is two, each fender that need to be replaced is two, leaky gas tank is two, leaky output seals is two and so on. Add the twos up and multiply by one hundred -- windshield glass is about $200 installed, each fender will cost you $200 to buy and install yourself as will the gas tank, each leaky output seal will cost you $200 at a shop.
Sit in the driver's seat. Try to wiggle the steering wheel left and right
-- there's two sets of bearings in there that most people never maintain. You want 1/8" or so of left-right play. Bad bearings in the column is an afternoon fix with the right tools. Steering slop, I dunno, 1/2" or so.
Try all the heater controls. If the fan doesn't work it is either: bad switch ($20, easy), bad resister pack (on the heater box, $20 easy), bad wiring (ugh) or bad fan motor -- more often than not it is a rusty connection at the fan motor. More on that later.
The heater/vent control should pull out to a stop and then pull out even farther. It connects to a series of bellcranks on the heaterbox that move a couple of air doors that can get rusty and stick. Replacement control cables are available, but they aren't up to OEM standards and the knobs pull off in a year. Look for antifreeze stains on the heater box and floor. $100 for a heater core and, well, see "heater fan" below.
The gauges should all work. Replacements are available for all, including the speedo set. Don't worry about a malfunctioning oil gauge, the electric senders are crap and easy to replace. A gas gauge that doesn't work is a bigger pain in the arse.
The E-brake is probably stuck, the cables get choked with rust. Call it another round $200 (by the time you get done replacing the cables and a handful of small parts, plus a tool or two) and a Saturday to fix yourself.
The clutch pedal will make a sprongy noise. It is the return spring. It should have about an inch of play.
Don't worry about loops of wiring hanging down under the dash if everything seems to work. "They're all like that."
The late 1970s CJ transfer cases are tough to get into and out of 4WD low, especially with the engine off.
Don't worry too much about water marks on the dash, the windshield gasket probably leaks. $50 part and an afternoon to fix. Do try to fold the windshield down to make sure that the hinges are not frozen. Those are a summabitch to replace. Look for RTV silicone around the windshield and body seams. RTV never fully cures and continues to off-gas a corrosive. If it was used to seal the windshield gasket the windshield frame _will_ rot out. The frame is $400 to do yourself, without the glass.
Under the hood. The hood brace should be a rod up behind the leading edge of the hood. It is probably gone. Just fold the hood all the way back to the windshield. Does it look well maintained or is everything "eh, it works for now" with masking tape holding the wire splices together?
Left side of the firewall, between the fender and the steering shaft down low, should be a cannister the size of a coffee can, see if it is hooked up. That's your gas vapor control system. Some places may ding you for it on inspection if it is not connected. Next to it, bolted to the inner fender, is your electronic ignition box. While you're there, wiggle the U-joint in the steering shaft, you want zero play here.
There should be a hose that come up from someplace behind the engine and ends in a plastic plug, clipped to the firewall. This is your transmission vent.
If it is a 6 cylinder, you can see the exhaust pipe from here, probably covered in flakey rust. That's OK. There's probably a nest of vacuum tubing around the carb, also OK so long as it all connects to something. Look for varnish stains on the carb near where the fuel line comes in, you're looking to see if the float sticks and dumps gas down the side.
Mouse nest in the air cleaner?
Oil leaks around the valve cover on the I6 are to be expected. Hey, you're looking at a vehicle that's at least two decades old. Come back and Mike will tell you how to fix it right.
Wiggle the fan, you want next to nothing for play in the water pump. Around $50 and an afternoon to replace (bring bandaids).
Right side, underhood:
For the 6 cylinder, reach around the back of the head, below the valve cover. Fresh oil mixed with grime on your fingers means a leaky valve cover gasket. "They're all like that".
There's a solonoid (really a high-amperage relay) bolted to the right inner fender, with cables that run from the battery and to the starter. You don't want to see signs of butchering or scabbing here, figure $10 each to replace and an afternoon. The battery sits in a tray bolted to the right side of the firewall. It is probably rusted to hell and gone. $50 and an afternoon.
The fan motor pokes out through the firewall under the battery. If it didn't run when you tested it, look to see if there's a single wire that runs to it and if the contact is corroded. That's the easy fix. If it is just hanging and there's no tab to plug it onto, that's a $50 part and an entire weekend to fix. The fan motor is bolted to the heater box and _then_ installed from the passenger side of the firewall. PIA. It only goes in one way, and it won't be the way you are trying no matter what you do. Same goes for the heater core, the box comes out to replace it.
Are the heater hoses connected to the heater? If not it leaks. See above.
Look down between the fender and the engine at the top of the front axle. There should be a hose that comes out the top and ends in a plastic plug clipped to the back of the grill. This is the axle vent. If the hose is missing then water got into the axle.
Front bumper bolted on straight? If not there's a chance the frame is tweeked. If it is welded (it shouldn't be) look closely at the front cross member, it should have clean (but ugly) welds to the frame rails. If the welds are cracked or redone this Jeep make have taken a big hit to the front.
Under:
Antifreeze leaking from the radiator? $300 and an afternoon.
The oil pan gasket probably leaks.
Personally, I'd stay away from a Jeep that has indications that it had a snowplow, like tabs welded to the frame. Plowing snow is hard work and beats the snot of out everything.
Look for signs that anything that should have grease in it is pouring out rusty dust instead. Where the front wheel assembly meets the axle you can see a U-joint. Look for dusty rust here. Wiggle it, you don't want it to wiggle at all, expecially not on the axle side. Lock in the hub (on the outside) and see if you can spin the u-joint, it should be locked to the wheel. Locking hubs have plastic "fuses" in them and can break. $200 to replace both hubs and a long afternoon.
Leave the hubs locked in (and with the transfer case in 2WD), move down the passenger side, by the cowl. The front drive shaft is here, try to spin it. It shouldn't move more than the lash in the gears with the hubs locked in. Now try it with the hubs out, it should spin stiffly but smoothly.
The front springs should have a gentle arch to them, and should not be bent upwards at the rear. If they're stock I'll bet they are bent. $100 each.
Look at the back of the engine, there's probably an oil wash and some dripping oil. You can say the words "rear main seal" to the seller, but you know it is probably coming from the valve cover and washing down the back of the engine.
Touch the oil dripping from the cross member. It should smell sweet and feel like engine oil. If it smells sour and is thick it came from your transmission cases.
Move to behind the cross member that holds up the cases and put your foot on the rear drive shaft. Give a mighty shove. There's a mount in the center of the cross member that holds up the transmission, and this mount gives up from heat and oil contamination. If the case moves (you'll know) the mount is toast. A $10 part that you don't want to replace as your first bit of wrenching on your Jeep, trust me. You can't see what you're doing up there.
Grab the rear drive shaft and twist. You're looking for play in the u-joints. They're not a big deal to replace, but it give you demerits on the price.
The rear springs should have a gentle arch, but they're probably flat. $200 for the pair and a day to replace, most of it spent trying to get the bolts out of the springs.
There should be a vent hose for the rear axle tube that bolts to a cross member above it. Don't mistake the brake line for the vent.
Check the rear spring shackles for rot.
Check the inner side of the frame rails for rot. Some rot on the inner wall is tolerable, but make sure that they still connect to the rear cross member.
Try to lift the rear of the body off the frame. If it's a CJ-7, swing the tire rack out and use it as a lever.
Look for gas wash on the gas tank skid plate. Replacing the gas tank isn't hard, but it is tedious and frustrating.
The exhaust system is probably toast, but look for signs of it being put together with bailing wire, hose clamps, flex tubing and muffler bandage. This give you an idea of the recent care the jeep has been subjected to.
Down the driver's side, shove that rear drive shaft one more time with your foot, hard, to test that 3rd mount.
As you've probably guessed by now, a old Jeep in decent shape is going to cost you about $3K. A old Jeep in halfway decent shape will cost you $2K and another $1K in repairs. An old Jeep that you buy for $1K is going to cost you another $2K in repairs.
On the other hand, there's nothing that you cannot buy for a Jeep on the aftermarket, including new sheetmetal, a new body or a new frame. The limit is how much you're willing to spend on your toy and how much wrenching you want to do.
Let us know what you find, and good luck.
Oh i forgot the frame. With a regular hammer, tap the frame. If you mostly hear a metal on metal resonating sound it is in a good shape. If it sounds like a piece of wet wood and you hear and see all kinds of rust etc falling off.. .......... you might have an issue there.
or if the head of the hammer punctures the frame wall ............ you definitely have an issue there :>)
I only have one thing I can think to add to the great advice you have gotten so far and that would be that most vehicles are driven to the limits of their modifications, so a bone stock one will 'usually' have the least wear...
Mike
2000 Cherokee Sport 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG AT's, 'glass nose to tail > Hey guys,much of a mechanic. I was wondering if anyone had any tips when buying a CJ or YJ jeep. Stuff like typical rust areas, parts to look out for (i.e. water pump, carburetor, etc.), etc. As far as specific models, I was narrowing it down to CJ-7 and CJ-5 and pretty much any YJ out there.
of a mechanic. I was wondering if anyone had any tips when buying a CJ or YJ jeep. Stuff like typical rust areas, parts to look out for (i.e. water pump, carburetor, etc.), etc. As far as specific models, I was narrowing it down to CJ-7 and CJ-5 and pretty much any YJ out there.
__ Arold "Al" Green
I have a friend who bought a CJ that was in near perfect condition. It would have definitely been one for a collector. Low miles, zero rust, pristine.
Met him through a club, he originally joined up so that he could sell it.
After the guys in the club got ahold of him and this was the end result.
My point - it IS an addiction. Be ready for it. What starts out as "Ohm maybe just a custom bumper and a small lift, some bigger tires" Turns into a fixation. Not that it's a BAD thing, where else can you get an all day adrenalin rush at 3mph ?
You will have cracked knuckles, an empty bank account, mud grease and gear oil everywhere - and a grin as big as all outdoors. Joining a group or club will help you in more ways than you can imagine. You'll make friends, learn tons and have a blast.
Oh - get a CJ - square headlights look funny *wink*
K.
06 Rubi, with a couple of chrome plated flammywhammers zip tied to it.MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.