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List of maintenance to do to newly-purchased MJ?


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Last week I picked up a nice 92 MJ and it runs very well. Really happy with it and excited to start some rehab on it to make it even cleaner.

 

That being said, since I don't know the PO I want to change out things like fluids and filters since I don't know when they were last replaced and I'd rather start with a clean slate

 

Obviously going to be replacing the motor oil and filter (Rotella T6 Full Syn and NAPA Platinum 41515) and also going to grab a new air filter (NAPA Gold 6077). Apart from these, what other things would you replace?

 

Looking forward to learning a lot from you guys and trying to contribute when I know more!

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I would change all fluids. Both differentials, Trans and tcase. Even flush cooling system and blow out the heater core real good, lots of crud likes hiding there. Check all grounds. Change plugs and wires along with distributor cap and rotor. Check your suspension and make sure everything like the bushings and things are intact. Grease anything that has fittings. Check your motor mounts to be sure they are intact. Wouldn't be a bad idea to clean the throttlebody either. Also look for any rust and repair it NOW because the longer you wait, the harder it is to fix.

 

Edit: also check out "Cruisers mostly renix tips" there's great info there even for non-renix Jeeps.

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Thought of more stuff...

Check the brakes and brake lines. Flushing the brake fluid isn't a bad idea, its Hydroscopic so it takes in water and overtime this degrades brake performance and can corrode the brake lines from the inside out. A member had this happen in a pristine XJ recently and ended up rear-ending someone. Change the fuel filter. As far as the rust I mentioned before, check the floors, this is the most common spot on our trucks to rust out.

Ummm... I'm sure I'm missing something but these are all definitely things to do to have the "clean slate" you're looking for.

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How much do you want to spend?

 

Because I could just tell you to do everything...  Or you could just change the engine oil, look the truck over, and go from there.  Axle, trans, tcase, etc, oil does not need to be changed that often, it is IMHO all on condition and if you're like me you will wind up changing it because you're inside those components for another reason anyways.  Coolant, I'd wait for another reason to be in there, IE if the hoses are soft or the water pump has started to weep, then you change it and flush everything.  Plugs/wires/cap, worth looking at, I wouldn't just buy a set without looking first.  Fuel filter, if it's a rusted blob and the hoses are rotting, sure.  Tie rods, ball joints, wheel bearings, grease what you can and get the prybar on stuff beyond that, if it drives nicely the chances are everything is still pretty reasonable.  Look the brakes over like Pete said, and yeah, giving them a quick flush might be worth it, but again I'd probably evaluate and decide if there would be another reason to be in there before doing it.

 

I don't do as little as possible, but there's very little advantage to over servicing something but rather a whole lot of cost to go with it.

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I would change all fluids. Both differentials, Trans and tcase. Even flush cooling system and blow out the heater core real good, lots of crud likes hiding there. Check all grounds. Change plugs and wires along with distributor cap and rotor. Check your suspension and make sure everything like the bushings and things are intact. Grease anything that has fittings. Check your motor mounts to be sure they are intact. Wouldn't be a bad idea to clean the throttlebody either. Also look for any rust and repair it NOW because the longer you wait, the harder it is to fix.

 

Edit: also check out "Cruisers mostly renix tips" there's great info there even for non-renix Jeeps.

 

 

Thought of more stuff...

Check the brakes and brake lines. Flushing the brake fluid isn't a bad idea, its Hydroscopic so it takes in water and overtime this degrades brake performance and can corrode the brake lines from the inside out. A member had this happen in a pristine XJ recently and ended up rear-ending someone. Change the fuel filter. As far as the rust I mentioned before, check the floors, this is the most common spot on our trucks to rust out.

Ummm... I'm sure I'm missing something but these are all definitely things to do to have the "clean slate" you're looking for.

Sounds like a good list, I'll start looking into them. Thanks a lot!

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How much do you want to spend?

 

Because I could just tell you to do everything...  Or you could just change the engine oil, look the truck over, and go from there.  Axle, trans, tcase, etc, oil does not need to be changed that often, it is IMHO all on condition and if you're like me you will wind up changing it because you're inside those components for another reason anyways.  Coolant, I'd wait for another reason to be in there, IE if the hoses are soft or the water pump has started to weep, then you change it and flush everything.  Plugs/wires/cap, worth looking at, I wouldn't just buy a set without looking first.  Fuel filter, if it's a rusted blob and the hoses are rotting, sure.  Tie rods, ball joints, wheel bearings, grease what you can and get the prybar on stuff beyond that, if it drives nicely the chances are everything is still pretty reasonable.  Look the brakes over like Pete said, and yeah, giving them a quick flush might be worth it, but again I'd probably evaluate and decide if there would be another reason to be in there before doing it.

 

I don't do as little as possible, but there's very little advantage to over servicing something but rather a whole lot of cost to go with it.

I don't mind spending money and would rather be safe than sorry, but obviously I don't want to be wasteful. If there's a legitimate reason something might need to be changed at 200k miles, I want to make sure it's done and done right.

 

I figure with things like brakes I'll wait until I replace them once it gets warmer to do a full tune-up. I've driven it a bit already and they felt fine so I'm not too concerned with them.

 

Any particular reason you'd wait on the coolant? Seems to be pretty straightforward and inexpensive to do.

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make sure your rear brakes are functioning properly.  :thumbsup:

 

I mention this because my 88 came to me with pieces missing from inside the drums (dissolved by rust). :fs1:

Thankfully they seem to work pretty well right now! 

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How much do you want to spend?

 

Because I could just tell you to do everything...  Or you could just change the engine oil, look the truck over, and go from there.  Axle, trans, tcase, etc, oil does not need to be changed that often, it is IMHO all on condition and if you're like me you will wind up changing it because you're inside those components for another reason anyways.  Coolant, I'd wait for another reason to be in there, IE if the hoses are soft or the water pump has started to weep, then you change it and flush everything.  Plugs/wires/cap, worth looking at, I wouldn't just buy a set without looking first.  Fuel filter, if it's a rusted blob and the hoses are rotting, sure.  Tie rods, ball joints, wheel bearings, grease what you can and get the prybar on stuff beyond that, if it drives nicely the chances are everything is still pretty reasonable.  Look the brakes over like Pete said, and yeah, giving them a quick flush might be worth it, but again I'd probably evaluate and decide if there would be another reason to be in there before doing it.

 

I don't do as little as possible, but there's very little advantage to over servicing something but rather a whole lot of cost to go with it.

I don't mind spending money and would rather be safe than sorry, but obviously I don't want to be wasteful. If there's a legitimate reason something might need to be changed at 200k miles, I want to make sure it's done and done right.

 

I figure with things like brakes I'll wait until I replace them once it gets warmer to do a full tune-up. I've driven it a bit already and they felt fine so I'm not too concerned with them.

 

Any particular reason you'd wait on the coolant? Seems to be pretty straightforward and inexpensive to do.

 

 

It's still a waste of time and money unless you're in there anyways.  If it looks fine and is the right mix you're not likely gaining anything changing it.  If there is something wrong, such as the heater doesn't work right, or the truck overheats, okay, start looking at it, but it won't likely be the coolant itself that is the issue.  If it's red or brown, or foamy, or there's an oil slick, again, things to look into.

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Also, if it's leaking oil anywhere from the engine, do that before you change the oil.  Chances are it's like most of these engines and the valve cover leaks, so change the gasket on it and degrease the top of the engine.  Then check the adapter for the oil filter.  There's a oring in there that tends to go over time.  Then check the front and rear main and the pan gasket.  No point filling it full of expensive synthetic oil just to dump it in a bucket to change a gasket a couple weeks later...

 

Look at the freeze plugs for weeping too.  Again, if you're horny to change the coolant, you'll want to make sure you don't need to do those first...

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How much do you want to spend?

 

Because I could just tell you to do everything... Or you could just change the engine oil, look the truck over, and go from there. Axle, trans, tcase, etc, oil does not need to be changed that often, it is IMHO all on condition and if you're like me you will wind up changing it because you're inside those components for another reason anyways. Coolant, I'd wait for another reason to be in there, IE if the hoses are soft or the water pump has started to weep, then you change it and flush everything. Plugs/wires/cap, worth looking at, I wouldn't just buy a set without looking first. Fuel filter, if it's a rusted blob and the hoses are rotting, sure. Tie rods, ball joints, wheel bearings, grease what you can and get the prybar on stuff beyond that, if it drives nicely the chances are everything is still pretty reasonable. Look the brakes over like Pete said, and yeah, giving them a quick flush might be worth it, but again I'd probably evaluate and decide if there would be another reason to be in there before doing it.

 

I don't do as little as possible, but there's very little advantage to over servicing something but rather a whole lot of cost to go with it.

I don't mind spending money and would rather be safe than sorry, but obviously I don't want to be wasteful. If there's a legitimate reason something might need to be changed at 200k miles, I want to make sure it's done and done right.

 

I figure with things like brakes I'll wait until I replace them once it gets warmer to do a full tune-up. I've driven it a bit already and they felt fine so I'm not too concerned with them.

 

Any particular reason you'd wait on the coolant? Seems to be pretty straightforward and inexpensive to do.

 

Yeah there are things to consider like dirty comanche is saying. If you plan to do things to it that will require you to be in there anyway then it will be beneficial to wait. However if you just want to start with a good clean slate it is best to go all out. As far as what it has had done in the past you have to realize at 200k miles and being 24 years old it is bound to have had the major maintenance things not done at least in a long while. If things feel right and seem to work fine it probably is fine and will run fine for a whole but that is a big MIGHT. If you don't want to do everything just pick and choose what you want to do and realize there are benefits and disadvantages as far as reliability and cost associated with your decision to do preventative maintenance or not.

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make sure your rear brakes are functioning properly.  :thumbsup:

 

I mention this because my 88 came to me with pieces missing from inside the drums (dissolved by rust). :fs1:

Thankfully they seem to work pretty well right now! 

 

 

so did mine.  didn't find out the rear weren't doing anything until months later. :(

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I figure with things like brakes I'll wait until I replace them once it gets warmer to do a full tune-up. I've driven it a bit already and they felt fine so I'm not too concerned with them.

 

Any particular reason you'd wait on the coolant? Seems to be pretty straightforward and inexpensive to do.

 

 

Don't wait to flush the brake lines with new, clean brake fluid. I'm the guy who just wrecked a 40,000 mile 2000 XJ 5-speed because I didn't think to flush the brake fluid periodically. Hit the brakes hard to avoid a woman who cut me off in traffic, and a line popped.

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touch up air pressure in the tires, and re grease all of the grease points on the rig, I would also check for excess wheel movement in the bearings. and its always good to keep an eye on the fluid levels or look for potential leaks for a bit. along with fluid changes, spark plugs and cables, and I would personally run some sea foam through it. might as well go the whole nine yards huh? and as these guys already said, check brake lines, pads and rotors. it may even be worth it to reset the computer?

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all depends on what parts were installed over the years. most everything that could have a grease fitting is available in a non-greaseable form (u-joints,steering joints, ball joints, etc).

This is exactly the case. I noticed that POs of my XJ swapped in some non-greasable parts. Best bet is to just get under it and start looking at everything. Takes some time but also allows you to learn every square inch of your vehicle and find any other pending issues that may be present.

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