Hi all.

In the market for an XJ, and while there are many good years from which to choose, and very good ones at that, I currently have my eyes on a '98.

The seller notes that the rear end makes a lot of noise and likely needs to be rebuilt. From reading here and elsewhere, it might be better and/or easier to just replace the entire unit? Curious how difficult or costly that might be. I imagine I have the tools already, but not sure...

The seller confirmed that it has ABS, which means it has a Dana 35, correct?

From reading, seems like the Chrysler 8.25 is the way to go, or maybe a Dana 44.

Thanks much, and a great weekend everyone.

 

Stock height or lifted?

 

This is what it looks like now, assuming I did this correctly...

 

What price are they asking?

 

$2,400

Original owner, 172K miles, 4.0...

Some rust in the gutters, a little under the rack:




I've spent the past couple of days trying to ramp-up my knowledge, hoping to make a well-informed decision.

Concerned about that noise in the rear and how best to address it.

Thanks much for the help guys. I plan to see it tomorrow morning...

 

Since it has ABS, then yes, it's a D35. If you can live without the ABS, and if you plan for it to see more than on-road duty, then I'd suggest swapping the D35 rather than repair. Might cost about the same anyway when all's said & done, and you'll have a stronger rear ... sans ABS.

 

I just bought a 97 with 178k for considerably more ... may have over payed but after looking over thousands of Craigslist ads all over the u.s and going to see half a dozen to me the extra money was well worth it.

 

i have a 08 and 00, never saw roof rust? that needs special care.
if roof ? pull up pass carpet, floor could be gone.
i gave 1200 for my 00 little rust but floor needed fixed.
2400 with rust AND bad rear?? not me.

 

Thanks guys for the input. I'll be sure to check under the carpets for any rust and signs in general of water ingress. As far as roof rust goes, I found a few threads on the topic. I guess not commonplace on the XJs, which is a good thing...

As far as the bad rear goes, _StationWagon_, I appreciate you chiming-in. I was fine without ABS for a long time, and I imagine that would be the case here too. Time will tell of course, and how I ultimately decide to use the XJ.

If I do a DIY swap of the rear end, get a 8.25, what approximately would that cost? Degree of difficulty? Source the 8.25 from the local salvage yard, or from a vendor? Trying to figure-out what the parts will cost, including other goodies I'll likely want to add at that time... If for whatever reason I am unwilling or unable to perform the swap, what might a mechanic charge?

I guess that is quite a few questions. Thank you very much for the help.

 

I'm hoping to find someone to swap my 8.8 from my wrecked '92 to my '99 when the time comes. I think pricing could depend on location. Definitely not something I can do myself so I guess I'll have to suck it up & pay someone. Where are you located?

 

In CA, so maybe a little more expensive here...

Are there any threads here about doing this swap. I found this video on the 8.8, which I'm watching now...

 

Where in Cali are you located?

Your easiest option is a part out/junkyard 8.25, with the same gear ratio if it's 4wd. The 8.8 is a popular swap, but if you wanna do it on a budget, with little hassle, I would suggest the 8.25. It is by far the easiest option, and if you want disc brakes, contact Big David here on the site for a kit that will work, it has everything you'll need, at a low cost. I got one from him and it is one of the best things I've ever done for my rig.

Anyways, if you're in SoCal, look up Sean at Inland Jeep in Rialto. He does part outs, installs, you name it. Good guy, one of the few.

 

roninofako, thank you.

In NorCal. Know of anyone up this way? Seems that this might not be a DIY. If there is a good thread here on such, swapping an 8.25, please direct me. I'll continue searching though...

How would I know the gear ratio on this XJ so I can then match it to what I find in some salvage yard?

Discs brakes sounds great, and that this would be an opportune time to do that mod. Big David it is...

First things first, I don't own an XJ, yet!

If the rust is superficial and strictly limited to what is seen above, I will likely make an offer tomorrow. Not sure yet on what that figure will be though...

It's about 45 minutes away, which is somewhat appealing. If there are any important areas of concern with an XJ or particular XJ-related questions to ask the seller, please do share.

 

Sorry, I don't know of anyone up north. I do have a link to the D35 to 8.25 swap with disc brakes, tho...and if you have the tools and are mechanically inclined, it isn't that tough.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/d3...ersion-126719/

For gear ratio, there should be tags on the diff covers of the axles, but if not, there's ways around that, you can either spin the rear wheels and see how much the driveshaft rotates compared to the wheel rotations, and get a rough estimate, or you can pop the diff cover and count the teeth...but let's not get ahead of ourselves, wait until you have something first, LOL

On the rust...if it's there, it's likely in other spots as well. Check the rockers, rear fender wells, floorboards, etc...go over it with a fine tooth comb. Rust is a deal breaker.

Finally, take it to a mechanic for a pre-sale inspection, if you don't know what you're looking at. Might cost a small amount, but it's worth it in the long run if you don't know what to look for. If the seller has issue with this RUN, not walk, away.

Good luck.

 

If its a 4.0 and auto then its a 3.55 which is really common.The 4.0 with a stick is a 3.07 and the 4 cylinder xjs are geared higher i think 4.10 or 4.11 and 4.56.