1990 Xj - Need Advice

[Zenobian_84]

Am going to go take a look at a 1990 XJ tomorrow afternoon. Owner says it's in good mechanical shape, and the only thing wrong is a slight occasional squeal from the power steering pump. Aside from that, everything seems to be on the up and up; it's got the 4.0 / AW4 and 231 combo, with 225k miles. The price is cheap, so it could be a good buy, should I go for it.

 

I'm hesitant about the mileage, and I'll find out for sure just how good a condition it really is. My question is just what kinds of things do you need to look out for with the older XJs? I''m familiar with RENIX systems, so I can troubleshoot if I have to. Aside from funky Renix computer systems, what else is there to be wary of?

[dave92cherokee]

Check the common jeep 4.0 problems like valve cover leaking, sludge in valve cover, blow by, leaking rear main, things like that. If the price is good enough i wouldn't worry about the mileage.

[Comanche County]

Crawl under it.  Look for rust, worn CA bushings, have someone steer it side to side and look for worn steering linkages, inspect all the exterior and interior lights and brake lights and turn signals, pull every switch make sure they work - heat and AC, check for oil leaks from the rear main seal, if the owner is cool with it take a compression tester and test the compression in a couple of cylinders, smell the oil and coolant, get underneath and look at the calipers, rotors, brake pads and soft lines, run it to temperature and see how it goes down the road,,,,test the brakes (most likely the OEM booster will leak air), hopefully its got the full skid plate package, do all the doors open and shut smoothly, how's the weather stripping, and finally ask if they have receipts for work done.

[64 Cheyenne]

Crawl under it.  Look for rust, worn CA bushings, have someone steer it side to side and look for worn steering linkages, inspect all the exterior and interior lights and brake lights and turn signals, pull every switch make sure they work - heat and AC, check for oil leaks from the rear main seal, if the owner is cool with it take a compression tester and test the compression in a couple of cylinders, smell the oil and coolant, get underneath and look at the calipers, rotors, brake pads and soft lines, run it to temperature and see how it goes down the road,,,,test the brakes (most likely the OEM booster will leak air), hopefully its got the full skid plate package, do all the doors open and shut smoothly, how's the weather stripping, and finally ask if they have receipts for work done.

 

I agree with all this but the OP doesn't tell us how much "cheap" means to him, real cheap like 5-6 hundred for a running driving vehicle is cheap (real cheap - 2 or 3 hundred) and $$ should be expected to be spent on it. For a stock 90 XJ say, $1500, I wouldnt expect to put much money in it all...Real cheap Jeeps, I junk, worth more to me in parts and scrap than spending money on it to drive.

[yxmj]

Crawl under and have a hard look at the floor boards and an even harder look at the subframe.....especially around were the rear leafs mount to the frame  :thumbsup:

[Guest]

Thanks for the tips guys; decided to pass on the XJ seeing as how it was too far a drive (250 round-trip) to gamble on fuzzy pictures. Maybe next time I'll look closer to home when I decide it's time to snag one. :cheers: