Hello all,
I just recently came upon a 96 Cherokee sport, 4.0 (XJ I beleive?)
it's 2wd (to the best of my knowledge) and have around 190k miles on it.

It's technically my wife's car, hence my lack of information (i'm actually a VW guy. vwforum.com uses the same layout hence why I chose this forum to seek help ) But i'm sure i'll be working on this thing just as much, if not more than my own car.

First things first, the brakes are in need of some love. They don't feel all that bad to me, but she is complaining of grinding noises and "wobbles" (maybe warped rotors?)
I haven't had a chance to pop the wheels off just yet to check the pad wear, but i was wondering if anyone here could direct me to a good parts website and maybe a good diy. Afterall, the rear wheels, much to my dismay, use drum brakes. I've never touched drums.
Any help would be much appreciated.

Also, this car has quite some difficulty starting. I changed out the plugs and cleaned the injectors already, but the poor thing still sounds like it's gasping when it turns over. If it's not given a little push on the gas right away, it sounds like it will stall out. Should I maybe be looking at the fuel filter next? I'm no jeep expert, but gas+spark = happy jeep right?

I've tried to search for some Brake threads, but I didn't come up with much and it's getting late where I'm at.

Thanks in advance for any and all help! i'm looking forward to being a functional member of this forum!

 

Check out rockauto.com for brakes. All the parts I've gotten off there have been the cheapest I've seen. Cause yeah, that sounds like warped rotors to me. Happened to my Honda civic a few years back.

And as far as ignition, fuel filter would be a good idea. You should also change out the spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor. After getting in some quality parts in those areas on mine (I have a 96 as well) it starts like a dream

 

X2 on rock auto

pick up a chilton, lots of good info in those, also search this site and youtube

my number one tip for drum brakes is do one side at a time so if you get lost you can see what the other side looks like

 

Thanks alot guys! Rockauto seems to be pretty legit. I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm thinking I should be able to replace rotors, pads, and drum shoes (is that right?) for a few hundred bucks. Any specific brands you would recommend? the only one that sounds familiar to me is acdelco.

I'll finish up the brakes first and then i'll start working on the ignition problems. I think i'll just go down the line starting with the fuel filter, then i'll do wires and distributor.

Also, while i've got your attention, what sort of mileage do you typically get?
This is a 4.0 v6 and it's averaging like 12mpg. I hoped swapping out the plugs and air filter would help bring that up a mpg or 2.. but it didn't. maybe the fuel filer will help that number a little too. Is there any thing else I can do to get a little more fuel efficiency? o2 sensor maybe?

Thanks a ton for the help so far. I really appreciate it.

 

heres a good write up for brakes....this covers a lot, like lines and wheel cylinders which you may or may not need to replace.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/ho...-8-25-a-58947/

as far as pads i usally dont get the cheapest i can get, i get mid grade or better, would you want to trust a cheap part to stop you in an emergency?

NO

my mileages averages around 14-15

O2 sensor effects milage...as well as coolant sensor...or alignment... plugged cat...etc...

 

wow. That looks like hell. Maybe i'll just do the fronts, and dish out some extra money to let a pro do the rears.

And I wouldn't dream of cheaping out on brake components. Afterall, this is my wife's car. That's why I was asking if anyone had any preferences. I'll just assume the more rockauto wants, the better the parts.

Thanks for the link too. That's a heck of a diy. And now I know that I definitely don't want to mess with those drums.. even though I live in southern california so rust really isn't a problem like it was for the DIY person, it still looks like a mission replacing any part of that system. I'll stick to what I know and let someone else mess with that.

 

Yeah you don't want to do half a job on brakes. If you don't feel confident it might be worth it to have some one else do it. I've done brakes quite a bit. If I lived closer I'd lend a hand.

 

Also. I have no problems with most AC Delco parts. There are exceptions to that. But in general they are good parts

 

I'm pulling about 11 mpgs. But I'm lifted 5" with 33" tires so that's why. Yes, o2 sensors and also clean the throttle body and idle air control valve (attaches to the throttle body). Just know that these things are basically flying bricks. And are not very aerodynamic

 

Make sure you put Champion Copper plugs in your XJ. And that they are gaped correctly (.035 iirc).

While you may end up working on the jeep more, you will find that these are much easier to work on that VW's.

Welcome

 

That part I did correctly. I searched "spark plugs" on a jeep forum just before I went to pick em up.

And I beg to differ with that last statement haha. I can probably do an oil change, swap out some brake pads, and probably put on coilovers in the time it would take me to service those drums. Including the time i'd waste swearing and kicking stuff of course.

Should be a fun change of pace though.

 

So I check out the brakes today, they seem fine to me. I drove it around, the rotors don't seem warped, i'm not hearing any weird noies, for the time being, i'm saying they're fine. I pulled the wheel off and the pads still have some life left and the rotors look fairly new. I'm putting the breaks on the back burner for now. I think she's just not used to rougher ride just yet. After all, it's a jeep.

My problem now is back to starting. I took off the throttle body today, and cleaned that up as well as the IAC. However, I saw no changes and the car will still die out if you don't give it a little gas upon start-up. Is there a trick to cleaning this components? I basically just sprayed them with TB cleaner and wiped off the carbon deposits with a napkin. For the IAC, i only really cleaned the little bell-shaped end since the rest of the sensor is a spring and a stick inside of it. There was no carbon build up on that part.

Should I bite the bullet and replace the IAC or move on and replace ignition cables, distributor, etc? I'm sure both will be done in time, but I'd like to know which you recommend doing first

 

Disconnect your IAC and see if there is any change. And your MAP too I'd also check the resistance on your O2 sensor to make sure it's in range. Also test your TPS while your at it. There's some good write ups on this site. If you can't find it PM me and I'll send you some info

 

Oh and if it were my rig I'd test the fuel pressure to make sure the fuel pump is working correctly and to make sure there's good pressure in the lines