Buying an old Cherokee, and making it reliable

[humewasright]

Just wanted to see if you all could help me make a little list of the common things that would leave someone stranded with their Cherokee. I'm looking at 92 or later. I tinkered around with a Friends that wouldn't start, and got it going, so I am aware of the following-

Crank Sensor
Unplugging and reconnecting the computer

What else?

Also, what are some key differences in years of the Cherokee. I am aware of the cooling system improvements in the early 90's, and the engine changes. Are the later 90's Cherokee's crap compared to the earlier ones, or easier to deal with because of OBD II? I've heard about more electrical problems in the later versions.

One more thing, what causes an air filter to be covered with oil? The vehicle in question was badly neglected.

Thanks

[MagicRat]

The cherokee benefited from many numerous updates and changes over the years. Generally, the newer the Jeep, the better it is. Imo, the best years were 1997-99.

2000's and 2001 models were just as good, except for a failure-prone engine cylinder head. These heads are prone to cracking and causing coolant leaks. However, they can be replaced with heads from the 1990's, which were better.

Finally, the oil-soaked air filter is due to a clogged PCV tube. These engines did not use a PCV valve. Instead they used a "metered orifice" inside the tube which is prone to clogging from dirt and sludge.

[fredjacksonsan]

With good maintenance, a Cherokee will last a long, long time. You've nailed the main gremlins.

Cooling can be an issue; however it's usually due to neglect. Changing the coolant every 1 1/2 to 2 years (and by changing I mean draining and refilling the radiator) you will avoid the clogged radiators that have plagued many of our members.

If you get an automatic, the transmissions like fresh fluid, so changing the transmission fluid (again by dropping the pan and refilling) will go a long way to extending the life of the vehicle.

Plugs (and plug wires, cap and rotor prior to '99) can cause rough running or starting problems. The owner's manual says to replace plugs every 30000 miles. The original Champions are less than $3 each so that's cheap insurance.

[maximumquake]

Here is a tip for you; just make sure you do this before you buy any jeep well actually before you buy any chrysler. To let you guys know I have a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited and I love my jeep it has been a very good car to me and if it was feasible i would keep this jeep as long as I could.
Look I have talked to alot of different mechanics and I have did alot of research on the internet and in this forum. It seems anywhere I look; I get the same answer, which is chrysler transmissions are not that reliable, in other words they suck. I dont know about newer chrysler's but I know everybody I asked said that around the year of my jeep everybody has trouble with or will at somepoint have trouble with their transmission. Actually their was one person who told me that chryslers dont have transmission problems; I called the chrysler dealership and I asked the guy if he had ever heard of jeeps having bad transmissions and he told me that he heard jeeps have the best transmissions and they never have trany problems(I wonder why a Chrysler dealership mechanic told me that??). Other than that dumbass I have heard the same thing. I mean I have had my jeep for two years now; when I bought it, my jeep did not like to go into third and overdrive. But I only paid 800 dollars for my jeep and I have put about thirty thousand miles on my jeep maybe more and the tranny is doing the same thing as when I first bought it. Sorry about this long post; but the point is before you buy the vehicle just try to make sure the transmission is shifting right and always make sure you have transmission fluid. Other than that man; jeeps are a badars veichle; I have beat the crap out of my jeep; I mean me and my jeep have been to hell and back; and you know what it still runs and it still runs good.

[LittleHoov]

The Cherokee (the box kind not the grand cherokee) does not have a Chrysler transmission or a Chrysler engine.

The 4.0 was originally designed by AMC and the transmissions came from various sources, none of which were Chrysler. Most of them were made by a company called Aisin which makes most of the transmissions for Toyota as well. Some of the early Grand Cherokees had Aisin transmissions as well, but they switched to Chrysler units pretty quickly.

As bad as it may sound, the reason I think Cherokees are so reliable is that Chrysler basically had nothing to do with the design, all they had to do was keep making them after buying out AMC.

[humewasright]

Originally Posted by LittleHoov

As bad as it may sound, the reason I think Cherokees are so reliable is that Chrysler basically had nothing to do with the design, all they had to do was keep making them after buying out AMC.

This is exactly what I was thinking and trying to get at. The changes made in the 90's , electrical etc, were Chrysler influenced. I was wondering if an early to mid 90's Cherokee was better as opposed to those built after the minor redesign in the mid/late 90's.

The '88 Cherokee I revived wouldn't pass smog, but everything still worked on it after 20 plus years, no electrical issues.