I am thinking about buying this XJ, but have questions

[Lonesome00]

I have always wanted an older XJ but never found one when the time was right. A friend of mine has this one sitting on his property and wants it gone. Here is the story:
He drove it home and it ran great. However, it kept shutting off on him. He stated he replaced one “brain” but thought the other one might be bad as well. He also removed the entire under hood wiring harness thinking there might be some bad wires. It turns out they are all fine. It also comes with another complete harness in really good shape. Now it has been sitting like you see it for a while. I know the interior will have to be gutted but the photographs make it look worse than it is. I can take everything apart, clean it, and reuse 95% of it. It has a CAD front axle but he has another one that is not. The body is in good shape and I cannot find any rust underneath it. The trim piece over the passenger side fender opening is the only bad spot I can find. I just want to get this thing running and keep it in its stock form for now. What am I looking at over all? The VIN information below is all I can find about it. He wants $600 and it comes with a clear Alabama title.
VIN : IJ4FJ58L3KL634157
This vehicle's data:
Manufacturer Jeep Corporation
Powertrain 3-speed automatic, column gear shift, Select-Trac/ 4 W/D
Assembly Plant Toledo South Plant, Ohio, USA
Engine 4.0L
Model Year 1989

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[NW99XJ]

Wow... ok,
Well here's MY honest opinion....
Its going to be a TON of work. Maybe more than its worth. In your area there's a ton of Cherokees for sale, granted most of them are in the 1500-2000 range...BUT you might want to consider just how many man hours your going to invest in this, just to get it back on the road.... not to mention what its going to take to make it look, run, smell, and drive good again.
How much is your time worth?
If you were to save up some more money for another couple moths (perhaps the same amount of time/money you'd invest in this - every evening/weekend/etc...) you'd be able to afford a Cherokee that is not only road worthy, but may have a couple things done to it already. I saw one on the Columbus Craigslist for 1600 that had a lift already and some decent tires...
I even saw some late model Cherokees for around the 2k range.
When I was ready to buy my first Cherokee, I spent 6 months doing a TON of research, and another 3 months looking, test driving, and comparing different XJ's before I finally bought one. I'm EXTREMELY glad I didnt jump on the first one I saw, I'd either be extremely unhappy now, or would have ended up spending A LOT more money to get it to the point where mine is now.

Look, don't let my opinion dissuade you from starting this project. Everyone will agree, the best way to know a Jeep is to work on one.... A LOT.
Which you'll certainly be doing in picking this one up.
The not staying running thing could be any number of issues... crank position sensor, cam position sensor, maybe a vacuum leak, could just be poor maintenance.... I'd seriously look into the reliability of the engine thats in there. A compression test will tell a lot about what you're looking at there. Make sure there's no water in the oil, and take a look at the rear main seal...
You've got a big list of things to do to this one, but if you're willing, and more importantly ABLE to do it, ...by all means man.
By the time you're done you'll have one hell of a sense of personal satisfaction knowing that you did all the work, AND will have something to show for it.
Good luck!

[Lonesome00]

The work was actually the least of my concerns. I am worried about unknown costs. The engine oil looks great but i could not tell is the rear main is leaking. If it could be a sensor problem I will most likely correct that when I replace all the old ones anyway. The "brain" he mentioned as well as the harness being removed are two things that gives me pause.

[Lonesome00]

By the way, what does Select-Trac/ 4 W/D mean?

[4.3LXJ]

By the way, what does Select-Trac/ 4 W/D mean?

It means you have a NP@#! transfer case and that you manually shift it into 4WD

But, I gott say that this looks like it has sat for a long time. Expect to be replacing all the seals on all gear boxes and probably the sensors as well. If you get a battery in it, you can crank it over and see if you can pull some codes from the dash lights flashing. I forget the sequence you use to do that, but others can tell you. Plan on changing the O2 sensor for sure and probably the crank position sensor also. The rear main is fixable, many have done it and I think we have a thread on that here somewhere. Probably front brakes too if the rotor is too rusted

[Lonesome00]

What about the front axle? It as the CAD system but he as another one that doea not. WHich would be the better one to have under it?

[prerunner1982]

The Non-CAD axle would be better. What is the other axle out of? If it is a TJ Wrangler it will bolt in but it will be a low pinion. A Cherokee axle will be high pinion (except 2000-2001 which were also low pinion).

[Lonesome00]

He said that and the extra harness came out of a parts XJ of the same year. Does that mean the front axle will spin all the time if it does not have the CAD?

[prerunner1982]

It means you have a NP@#! transfer case ....


Geez man.. be easy with the new guy. :D I am not sure what a NP@#! is, but I assume is it not good.

:p


Lonesome, NP@#! = NP231 just incase you were not family with it. ;)

[4.3LXJ]

As Jon said, if out of an XJ it will bolt in. Non CAD is better so you don't have to mess with that vacuum motor. Although there is a simple fix for that by locking it permanently. But you need to verify it has the same ratio as the one you have, which should be 3.55. There is supposed to be a tag bolted on the cover of each. Check the numbers to verify.

[prerunner1982]

He said that and the extra harness came out of a parts XJ of the same year. Does that mean the front axle will spin all the time if it does not have the CAD?

If the front axle is a Non-CAD axle it did not come out of the same year. 93+ I believe are Non-CAD and yes the axle shafts and driveshaft will spin all the time. It just won't be powered front the engine/trans/tcase.

[Lonesome00]

Would I be better off keeping the CAD axle and getting a cable locking coller?

[prerunner1982]

Depends on the year of the front axle, if it is newer (96+) it will have larger/stronger axle u-joints.

[Lonesome00]

I am not real fond of the idea of all those moving parts when they are not in use.

[prerunner1982]

Even with the CAD the axle shafts would be moving, they would just not be moving the driveshaft.

If you really don't want the axle shafts to move while driving you will need to look at lock out hubs (i.e. Warn).

[Brasscatz]

Hmmm.... $600? I could lean either way on that price. Honestly, if it were me and I had the time and money to put into it, I'd see it as a fun project. Currently, if I had room to store it, I'd buy an older model XJ to have fun with and beat it up on the trails. My current one is my daily, and it's dentless... for now :D an older one would be fun to just go nuts with.

[xjrev10]

I'd own it for 600. There's no such thing as a rust free renix era XJ up here! It would be worth every penny to me!

[Lonesome00]

I thought about that. But I really do not want to buy new rims as well. They made a lot of vehicles like this so I guess it cannot be that bad. If or when I turn it into a trail rig, I will install locking hubs then.

[4.3LXJ]

I am not real fond of the idea of all those moving parts when they are not in use.

I am going to disagree with Jon here, but what the heck, it is a forum. It really doesn't hurt to have the CAD engaged all the time. Back in the beginning before locking hubs, they all moved all the time. Then hubs came out and the idea was to save some gas milage. It is worth about 1 -2 mpg. But the new problem that surfaced with hubs is that if you did not turn the front drive shaft over periodically, that is lock the hubs, the slip splines on the shaft wore in one position and it became loose and gave vibrations. Then to keep the milage and the shift on the fly without locking hubs, the CAD was engineered. The front axle shafts and spider gears turn, just not the ring and pinion and drive shaft. So it doesn't eliminate all turning, just half of it. Personally, I locked mine permanently. No problems in three years from it and probably never will. It also makes it easier to shift into 4WD since you don't have to rely on the synchros to speed up the drive shaft to that of the rear axle.

[Lonesome00]

I just noticed there are posts that I missed. I thought the $600 price tag was a bit high myself. But he will not budge from it.

The problem with the CAD or not to CAD is the four wheel drive will not be used that often. Until we move i might lock it in once a month. After we move I am sure I will use it a LOT more. For the most part this will be a grocery getter for about a year. So if I can do something to improve mileage and maintainence costs, I would like to.

[4.3LXJ]

Personally I think it is too much. I would put it on hold and don't act too interested and look around some more for one that needs less work.

[Lonesome00]

He told me he could get more than that for the running gear. I do not think stock 3:55 XJ running gear with a CAD is worth that much. But he thinks it is and getting through to him has not been easy.

[4.3LXJ]

Wrong, $400 tops. Pick and pull prices would be about that if you found the right yard. Unless it has a D44 rear. That would be worth about $400 by itself.

[Lonesome00]

I have a full size D44 and nine inch out of a 79 F150 extended cab. I wonder... No, I have to stay on track.

Well, he said he would scrap it beofre selling it any cheaper. i have to figure out a way to get him to come down some.

[cpttuna]

just my 2 cents but the vehicle was not being maintained well when it was finally parked. There not too many unanswered questions which could cost you plenty to put it in driveable condition.

[prerunner1982]

I am going to disagree with Jon here, but what the heck, it is a forum. It really doesn't hurt to have the CAD engaged all the time. Back in the beginning before locking hubs, they all moved all the time. Then hubs came out and the idea was to save some gas milage. It is worth about 1 -2 mpg. But the new problem that surfaced with hubs is that if you did not turn the front drive shaft over periodically, that is lock the hubs, the slip splines on the shaft wore in one position and it became loose and gave vibrations. Then to keep the milage and the shift on the fly without locking hubs, the CAD was engineered. The front axle shafts and spider gears turn, just not the ring and pinion and drive shaft.

You probably know more in this area than I do, but that sounds like a much better version of what I was trying to say. :thumbsup:

[Carves]

Looks like a bunch a work .... and it will be a good while before you can enjoy driving it .. ;)

Mind you ... thats not an issue if you are looking to make a longterm project of it. :thumbsup:


X 2 with 4.3LXJ about the hubs ... its a mpg thing ... over long distance ... not an engineering improvement.

Most all of my previous toyotas had lockout hubs fitted ... but due the inconvenience of not having 4x4 without remembering to lock the damn things in ... and the uneven wear mentioned in a previous post above ... I hardly ever had them disengaged.

[bigjim350]

$600 is too much. I would only offer him what the scrap price would be. And that would be around $300-$350. And there is nothing wrong with a CAD D30. And if you wanted to keep it a disconnect axle there are write-ups on how to build your own cable lock for it, way cheaper than buying one.

[JENSSEN]

My rule: look at the jeep, see what parts you could sell easily and quickly, add the value of said parts up; this equals the offer. This works for me runners or non runners,..


For that jeep honestly I would go 200-300 Max and only on the premise the body is rust free

[XJ Wheeler]

Since he thinks the CAD axle is worth so much, let him keep it. Swap to the non-CAD axle and have him take off how much he thinks its worth (remembering he prices it high).

Non-running xj, ya its a little high but don't let a small amount come between friends. As far as how in depth this project may need to go, if that's what you're looking for, that's great. You save a jeep from the crusher and get a load of experience/knowledge.

[Lonesome00]

This is a tough call. He is a friend, but he is not an easy person to deal with. Once he gets a number in his head that is it. I really like the older XJs and would love to bring this one back to life. But, yeah, I cannot deal with the $600 price tag.

[Lonesome00]

One thing I am wondering is what could I sell this thing for when it is done. I have to desire to try and flip it for a profit. I am just wondering what I could buy one for already doen compared to what I have to put into this one. I like the idea of doing the work myself, but at the same time I cannot afford to throw money away if it will cost me more than it is worth.

[4.3LXJ]

The best guy here to ask that is Jensen. He has been doing this, but he is good with body work also. He will pick them up at auctions or wrecking yards, fix the body and turn some. Some he has kept.

[Lonesome00]

That sounds like a good person to ask. He cannot get attatched to them or he will lose money. I am already attatched to this one and I have not even drug it home yet.

[4.3LXJ]

If you are going to turn it, you cannot put very much if anything in modifications. Those are a money pit and you will not get the money back out.

[Lonesome00]

That is the thing, I do not want to flip it. I want to keep it. I just want an idea of what a model like that is selling for to find out if it is worth doing. i have poked around a bit but I have not found one exaclty like that one that is turn key and stock.

[4.3LXJ]

Prices vary in different parts of the country. Check Craigs list for starters

[JENSSEN]

The best guy here to ask that is Jensen. He has been doing this, but he is good with body work also. He will pick them up at auctions or wrecking yards, fix the body and turn some. Some he has kept.

***DING****

Heard my name,... How can I assist??

LOL

Btw I do get attached to some,.. But for the good of the Jeeps out there needing rehab I have to sell some to keep the program going. Currently I have 9 Jeeps,... In 2 weeks should be down to 6 or 7 a few are about to leave,...

[Lonesome00]

I have been on CL but have not found any like this.


I would like to put less than a grand into it if possible.From what you see and if the drivetrain is good, does that sound like a reasonable goal?

[4.3LXJ]

***DING****

Heard my name,... How can I assist??

LOL

Btw I do get attached to some,.. But for the good of the Jeeps out there needing rehab I have to sell some to keep the program going. Currently I have 9 Jeeps,... In 2 weeks should be down to 6 or 7 a few are about to leave,...

*** Ding ***

Might have been the wrong bell.

Louis was wondering about how much XJs were worth if turning this rig. I guess he is wanting to keep it if he gets it now.

[Lonesome00]

I figured trying to flip an XJ in this shape was not an option. With all the work that is little room for profit. Plus, we really want one like this. But if I can buy one already doen for less than it would take to get this one running I would like ot know before I jump into it. I have found them ranging in price from $1000 to $7000 in that body style. I am not even looking at the heavily modded ones.