Hi all,
I decided to start a thread as sort of a public journal of my Jeep experience. Folks are welcome to comment as they wish.

So about 2-3 weeks ago I bought my first Jeep. I had been looking online at craigslist ads and was seeing a few jeeps offered around $1500 - $2500. I'm sure there were more expensive ones but my search field topped out at $3000. I had $3000 to buy and fix/register/tax a vehicle for commuting (short distance) and also wanted it for general work type stuff. I was looking at pick-ups as well, but eventually went for a Cherokee as I wasn't planning on haulling dirt (so no need for a bed) and could fit most things I'd want to move in a Cherokee. The Cherokee was also a vehicle my wife could imagine driving on the rare occasion she wanted to. Plus they look cool.

I'm not a big off-roader but I do love hiking, so hopefully the 4 wheel drive will come in handy. It'll also be nice in the snow. Perhaps the Cherokee will teach me to love off-roading.

So I eventually found an 87 Jeep Cherokee XJ Pioneer with the 4.0 engine and 5 speed manual for $1200. It had 188,000 miles, ran, and the 4 wheel drive worked. So i beat out the other guy who was waiting to buy it, and brought it home... Well I brought it 200 yards down the road to a coworkers house as Virginia law doesn't make it easy to buy a used vehicle privately without a trailer.

The next day, after getting registration and license (thankfully the inspection was still good) I brought it home... Well almost. I pretty much brought it straight to the shop as its brakes were crazy soft. I knew this at purchase so it wasn't a shocker. But I didn't appreciate HOW soft until I was out on the open road. I've never given people so much follow room in my life.

At the shop (on Friday) I asked for an oil change, brakes, and for them to check out the exhaust system. Gas/exhaust fumes were getting into the cabin. I should have asked more specifically at that point how long they were going to take. Instead I was mellow about it. I was expecting the master cylinder to be shot and it might take them some time.

After they inspected the vehicle, it was indeed shot, but so were several brake lines. They told me I could pick it up Saturday morning. Well, I waited for their call on Sat morning telling me it was done. (I'm used to mechanics calling when done, perhaps its not so in Southwest Virginia?) (I'm new to Virginia. I'm a Mass/NY Yankee with time in California.) Anyway, around 2:30 I call to find out they're closed. Hmm. Okay, clearly I need to call them. On Monday I call, and they promise me the Cherokee by the end of the day. Okay, stuff came up. Whatever. I get there around 5, and they then inform me that when they were bringing the vehicle around, it blew a brake line. At least that didn't happen a mile later... So I go home sans Cherokee and come back on Tuesday at 5. At this point I've owned the vehicle for 6 days but only had it in my actually possession for 12 hours (8 of which were sleeping). I didn't really think I was going to get it. But it finally came!

They had fixed the brakes (master cylinder, lines, pads), changed the oil, and welded a patch on my catalytic converter and a hole in the body (where the fumes were getting into the cabin). The repair place knocked off about $400 in labor time due to being so late with it. The final bill came to @ $450, which isn't bad.

I am conflicted about this repair shop. On the one hand, they appear to be very honest, which is a great thing with mechanics. They welded a patch on the converter instead of trying to sell me a new one. They also knocked some cost off of the brakes. However, I'm not convinced of their service and competency. The brake job has held as I've not yet smacked into the back end of a semi. But they still don't respond like any other vehicle I've been in. They stop the vehicle, sure. But if I brake hard they don't lock the wheels. Not that I WANT to lock wheels in most situations. But I'm used to vehicles that can. (Including pick-ups) Perhaps Cherokees have relatively soft breaks? My wife doesn't want me to go back to them. I'm on the fence (at least until I learn more about Cherokee brakes).

So I finally get it back and can drive it around without needing an overly large life insurance policy. (hopefully) (if I can trust their work) I've been driving it for the past 2 weeks taking stock of the things working and not working. So (from memory) the things not working are (in no particular order):

A1) Rear windshield wiper
A2) Driver side seat belt return (stays out and the previous owner has tied a knot for the "correct" length)
A3) Fuel Gauge
A4) Oil pressure gauge
A5) Radio
A6) back seat belts
A7) hydraulics for tailgate
A8) Dashboard lights don't work (so I can't tell how fast I'm going at night...)
A9) Seat mechanism isn't working (so no adjusting the seat forward or back. This may be a feature as my wife's legs are currently too short to drive it)
A10) heating/cooling system not completely working (fan doesn't blow, hard to tell the rest when the fan isn't working)
A11) Windshield fluid not spraying (pumps?)
A12) Window gets stuck if rolled all the way down ("fixed" by using pliers to bring it up a little where the roller assembly catches)

Damage/Issues
B1) dirt everywhere (not so much for me, but my wife will never get in until its at least a little better. I'd also like it to be MY dirt and not someone else's. So a deep clean is needed)
B2) torn ceiling kept up with 1x2 wood pieces
B3) dents in both passenger doors
B4) aftermarket tailgate spare tire holder hardware left on
B5) (FIXED) Wouldn't start at all after a rain
B6) clicking from instrument panel while moving, not engine related
B7) Different clicking that gets louder, but not faster, when engine increases rpm
B8) Intense buzz from instrument panel when traveling 55+ mph
B9) I'm not sure how fast I'm traveling. I'm pretty sure speedometer wasn't adjusted when the tires were upped to 335. Not a giant change so I know I'm in the ballpark. Just don't want to get a ticket.
B10) A slight squeal while driving. I'm guessing its the serpentine belt.
B11) Not much rust on the upper body, but need to inspect the underside more.
B12) Roof paint has chipped into white patches. (black paint)
B13) Driver side mirror partially broken, but essentially unusable
B14) Rearview mirror glass is blackening
B15) Torn driver seat (relatively minor)
B16) Fuse box mayhem
B17) Gas smell outside the vehicle occasionally
B18) Steering wheel is "sloppy" A little too much play for my tastes
B19) minor internal damage around the interior trim
B20) rubber seals around windows dried and cracked

So B5 (wouldn't start after rain) I went ahead and fixed. Getting to and from work reliably was the primary point of the vehicle, so that got the first attention. (Well, not dying by crashing into the back-end of a stopped semi was first priority, but whatever)

I did my research online, bought a repair manual, guessed it was the distributor cap and replaced. Thankfully at the shop, I decided to go ahead and buy new spark plugs AND wires. When I opened the hood and started getting into it, I found that one wire had been electrical-taped back together. I think I found my problem... The old plugs didn't look too bad. Just dirty in the good way and not corroded, smashed, or oily in the bad sort of way. That's a good sign at least. I also picked a plethora of cleaning supplies and have started on the cabin. I've been slowed down by life, but should be getting more into it soon.

Yesterday and today I bought a torque wrench, volt meter, serpentine belt, and a box of fuses. B16 (fuse-box mayhem) needs a little explaining. I've decided that replacing the serpentine belt and getting the oil and fuel gauges working to be my next task. The first step of the gauge process is checking out the fuse box. This is where I found out a previous owner doesn't know a lot about electrical fuses. The fuse box had all sorts of oversized fuses in all sorts of places. 30s where 20s should be and so forth. Hmm, I wonder where all those electrical issues I have came from... So I'll be replacing every single fuse. I know that's not QUITE necessary, as a non-blown fuse should still be good, but it will make me feel better knowing its all new in there. I don't expect all of the electrical issues to be fixed by replacing fuses. I'm guessing the gas smell and the fuel gauge not working is probably related to some rust/damage where the sender unit goes into the gas tank. (I haven't taken the time to get a better look at the top of the tank).

I started with electrical mostly because I want to get my fuel pressure gauge working to make sure my oil system is working right. I haven't seen signs of overheating, but I want to see my oil pressure. I have a hunch my oil pump may need replacing (as in its working, but not well enough), hence my prioritizing the electrical to help me diagnose my oil, to help me not burn out my engine... Oh, not running out of gas seemed like a good idea too.

That pretty much brings us up to the present. The serpentine belt fix is obvious and (relatively) easy. I plan on sort of doing a gradual rebuild of the vehicle. Fixing things here and there. I've done a little engine work before and I'm looking forward to the project of revitalizing it. Will I do a complete rebuild? Probably not anytime soon. Cost, equipment, time, and needing the vehicle preclude doing it immediately. Then its a question of what shape I want the vehicle in. It's mostly stock outside of the 335 tires and spare tire leftover hardware. I think I'll probably keep it that way. At the moment I'm not interested in a lift. I've never done a paint job and have no clue how easy/hard/time consuming that is. If the roof were in better shape, I wouldn't even consider it, but as the paint has worn pretty badly I'm thinking I need SOMETHING up there before rust starts. Adding a roof storage of some kind would be handy. Something that holds a 4x8 sheet of plywood would be great.

I'm also new to the Blacksburg/Christiansburg area of Virginia, so if anyone has suggestions of a good Beginners place to test out my 4 wheel drive I'd appreciate it. Nothing too crazy. I might have to tow it out...

 

Longest post ever. If you're the money saving type, that is about to change.
Just
Empty
Every
Pocket
As you're finding out.

 

First off WELCOME to CF.

That's quite a read there. One thing for sure is you'll know your way around her before your done.

 

Cherokees have relatively weak brakes. They should be able to lock up though. Are you pushing them to the floor? Might need bled.
The pre96 master cylinder/booster is weaker than the 96+. In 96 it was changed to dual diaphragm. A lot of people upgrade to the 96+ brake set up.

The ticking sound that relates to engine rpm is probably a cracked exhaust manifold. All stock 4.0 cherokee manifolds will crack. Everyone I have seen has the typical crack at the collector, some even have multiple cracks. This is caused by worn motor mounts and the rigid exhaust set up. The motor moves but the exhaust does not. So after so many hot/cold cycles, hello crack.

Check for blown fuses..etc for the instrument cluster. Might be a loose connection in the back. They are easy to take out.

Headliner falling...search for headliner fix threads. Takes a while, and Is a pita but worth it to not have the flapping cloth.

 

Congrats on the new Jeep! I've had my first one for nearly 13 years, and last fall picked up an unloved '95 2wd that I originally bought for parts, but decided to attempt to fix up.

With your description, fuses are a good thing to check. It's also reasonable to suspect the cluster bulbs. They don't last forever. In my other car, I had the cluster bulbs slowly going out. It got to the point where the only bulb that worked was part of the tach, where I could see that if it was about 2500 RPM in 5th gear, I'd probably not get pulled over on the highway. Than that bulb went out. I spent about 2 weeks using my GPS to tell my speed at night before finally breaking down, buying new bulbs, pulling the thing apart and swapping them out. I believe on the '87, there are 5 #194 bulbs for the cluster. I think the heater control is a single #74.

 

Welcome!!

Click on the link in my signature and pay particular attention to post 1 through 5, and 27.....

 

Welcome!

 

Thanks all!

I'll check out the condition of the motor mounts and manifold. A cracked manifold would make sense with the fuel smell I'm getting (my whiffer ain't the best and I confuse exhaust and gas at times).

 

Look at the fuel injectors if you're smelling raw fuel. They're prone to leaking on the 87-90 Cherokees.

 

Wow. That just blew my head. So much to process. Thanks!

 

Start with 1. Real easy and cheap.

 

I am guessing they didn't bleed the breaks properly, and there is air in the line.