School me on XJs

Lurch830

Lurch830

messin' with sasquatch
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Location
Wilton & Albemarle, NC
Never owned a Jeep, but I've been keeping my eye open for a 2 door auto 4.0L Cherokee since the cash for clunkers days, but was too cheap to pull the trigger on one. I think I've found one that's worth the trip to look at and want to get a heads up on what to look out for. Its a '94 2door, 4x4, auto, 4.0L XJ with 284k miles. The only thing I can tell from the pics are it needs a bath inside & out and it looks like the driver's seat is on its last leg. Anything to look out for? Stay away from? If I do add another rig to the stable, are there any necessary upgrades for a stockish/mild trail rig?

Hopefully this will get me back on the trails and provide the motivation to drag my crawler out off the tree row and into the shop now that its starting to get cleaned up. Its only been on flats for a decade!
 
- Door sag is common on the 2 doors since the doors are long and heavy.
- Look for rust - rockers, floor pans, etc
- Look for cracks/damage to the unibody around the steering box
- Check to see if it has a 8.25 or d35 rear axle. You'll want to upgrade if it has a d35. Can either swap in a 8.25 or a Explorer 8.8

It's hard to beat an XJ as a stock/mildly built rig. They don't need much to be very capable rigs. That being said, it's a 30-year old unibody rig with over a quarter million miles. Unless someone has done some repairs/upgrades, lots of stuff is going to be worn out. If the rear leaf springs are stock, they're going to be junk and be more like lowering springs as this point. Every suspension bushing is probably junk. The 4.0 is the engine equivalent of a cockroach, they just run forever, even with issues so they tend to get neglected. Make sure it doesn't have any over heating issues. Common for the 4.0 to have blown headgasket but it's an easy repair if you have basic mechanical skills. Plus they'll run for a long time with a blown headgasket as long as you keep coolant in it. Just use that in price negotiations if it is blown.

I love XJ's, especially 2-doors so I'll always recommend them. I've got 5 right now, between parts rigs, wheeling rigs, drivers, etc (unfortunately none are 2-door)
 
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94 will not have an 8.25 unless it was swapped in. Check the door jams for cracks around the striker. I’ve wheeled my 94 for 17 years.
 
Noel said:
Search the flow boards all the way up the trans tunnel. Rust can hide up there too.
Click to expand...
Start on passenger side. Leaking condenser and exhaust cause this side to fall apart typically faster. For it's age wiring grounds can cause stupidity and forget about rear spring and shackle components being nice unless you are very lucky....in that case buy some lottery tickets.
 
If/when you get one first thing to do is frame stiffeners, or they won't go on easily after it's been wheeled. Anti wrap for the rear axle is good too, Grant has twisted up a few sets of springs before making one. Made one out of a defender radius arm. I think we still have one if you go that direction.
The weight makes them a great rig and the suspension is a good stable combination. Trans and t-case are good for the HP of the 4.0. That is one thing that is basically stock other than a SYE on his rig.
 
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