XJ-Mike

Hello all!

First thank you for taking the time to read this!

I am looking at rebuilding my transmission primarily, possibly the engine. Currently running with 226k (I assume on both engine and transmission) as the previous owner who owned it for a year never did that work, and was unaware if the owner before him ever had it done. So part of me is considering getting ahead of any potential issues rather than waiting for either to go. I am fairly new to all this and my mechanic skills don't go beyond replacing my brakes, rotors, and oil lol, however I am trying to learn more.

Engine:
Does anyone have any suggestions on where to find a rebuild kit?

Transmission:
rockauto

Again thank you for your time!

-Mike

exasemech

If it ain't broke don't mess with it.... particularly the transmission given your current level of experience.
As far as the engine is concerned if the oil pressure is ok and the compression is ok give it another 75,000 miles and check again.

lawsoncl

Ditto. The AW4 automatic transmission is pretty robust, and I would only rebuild it if you had mechanical problems with it. 99% of any issues you'll ever have with that Toyota built transmission are electrical and easy to fix without pulling the transmission. There are plenty of folks here with 400k miles on them. If you want something easy to rebuild, the transfer case is pretty easy.

awg

I would not even consider touching the engine or trans unless I had to. The most common time for these items to fail is...just after a rebuild !

If its a "new to you XJ", hows your suspension ?

exasemech

To perhaps be more useful than my earlier post ..

If this xj is new to you, or even if it isn't, if it's running ok now the best things you can do to keep it going are:

1) engine... don't let it overheat. Flush the cooling system, maintain the cooling system, make sure the fan shroud is there, make sure the fan clutch works etc.

2) transmission ; maintain the cooling system as above ( the trans cooler is in the radiator) , do a few drain and fills( no need to drop the pan) with the correct dex/merc fluid , make sure kickdown cable is adjusted correctly

If you maintain these vehicles and don't abuse them they will rust long before the power train dies

lawsoncl

If you want to be proactive though, visit https://www.cruiser54.com and start going through the tech tips. In particular refreshing and cleaning up the wiring ground points. His tips are geared towards the Renix years (86-90) so few things won't apply to a 1992, but there is still a wealth of information for the later models. You'll also find links to tech manuals that will be invaluable for a Cherokee owner.