2000 Cherokee Classic 4WD

[Head416]

I don't know anything about Cherokees, and I know a lot of you do.

A buddy is selling his Cherokee because he's got a fourth kid on the way and needs a minivan.

Here's what I know:
2000
Cherokee Classic
2WD/4WD
Blown engine 6 years ago, replaced with an "engine with fewer miles" - I've asked him to get me the engine number
Would sell it to me for $3k

They've had to replace the ignition tumbler multiple times (allegedly that's common on these and is expected to happen again in a few years)
Recently overheated and had the radiator replaced
Two days later overheated again and had the fan(s?) replaced - I'm guessing they missed the root cause the first time
Seems fine since then (couple weeks). It's his wife's kid shuttle.

According to him it "runs great" aside from the recent issues. This is a guy I trust - as in if there was something he knew was wrong with it he would tell me. That doesn't mean he knows anything about cars though. (Me either! at least not compared to the people here)

So is it an advantage that it has a new radiator and fan(s?)? Or should I be worried about other damage and stay away from it? Is there anything I can check to determine the health of the engine? Or do I just have to take a gamble and see what happens?

I found a link on Pelican to http://www.jeepsunlimited.com and will be spending some time there.

[red-beard]

Since they missed the fan in the cooling issue, did they replace all of the hoses in the heating system at the same time?

I sold my 2001 because it was having issure. It has an intermittent ground where I'd lose 1/2 of the things on the dashboard! Tach worked, but not the speedo...I also replaced the A/C pump & evap, the radiator.

I love the vehicle, but it always seemed to have a problem.

[MotoSook]

$3K is probably OK. I have a 2001 Cherokee Sport and I'd have a hard time getting much more than that for it even though it has been well kept. But they don't go much lower than that when well cared for.

The overheating could be the vanes on the water pump are eroded away. (I have a picture of my old water pump with no vanes at all! Things erode by oxidation very oddly on these things. Probably poor electrical design causing electron flow to/from chassis. Anyhow. The water pump isn't difficult to replace, and NAPA sells a new one for about $45. Buy a nice gasket, don't use the flimpsy paper one that comes in the box with the water pump.

Get a new thermosat while you're at at for a few bucks more. Then make sure you purge the system of air. best way is to buy a $1.50 kit to purge the air by cutting the heater hose and putting the tee-fitting into it then purge through that. It's worth the $1.50. Trust me I have been through this overheating thing.

My Jeep overheated after a new t-stat, new radiator cap, new water pump (the 1st one from napa leaked immediately, got NAPA to give me a free upgraded gasket with the second one). Only after I "burped" or purged all the air out did the overheating stop. A friend who works on Jeeps for a living recommended the purping.

I never heard of the ignition tumbler issue. Mind seems perfectly fine. I don't gorilla it...but my kids probably abuse it when I'm not around. My jeep has survived two teenage kids who are now in college, and one is just starting to use it. Great kids car..cheap to fix, 4wd when needed, small for an SUV, cheap to fix, did I mention cheap to fix...and easy to fix for the most part.

Piston slap is common and mine has been doing it since I got it with 18K miles. It now has over 130K miles.

Master window switch goes bad often I hear. Mind is bad and the other window switchs work sometimes...but I don't care. The kids don't need to roll down the windows anyhow!

Depending on condition I'd be in the 2.5K to 3.0K with your buddy.

A new used engine from the same year or (1999 to 2001) is the better of the 4.0 engines. They guzzle gas thought, but they are tough!

[monoflo]

I am a long time Jeep guy and the 87 -01 Cherokee is a soldi car --BUT----

that radiator thing is a big deal --If you replace the radiator. fan and hoses along with a good flush --and I assume it is the straight 6 the rest of that rig is real tough.

my one question is the six is a hard motor to blow so what kind of idiot had that car.

My son has one currently with 175K on it with no issues and my last one went a mere 252K

Mflo

[monoflo]

one other thing by me they are 5K vehicles in good shape all day
M

[tcar]

The ignition switch thing... if you have a 5 pound keyring, they don't last a long time.

Just a couple keys, they'll go 50-80k miles.

[fastfredracing]

Even the straight 6 cylinder motors will blow up . I have seen a few. The piston skirt will break off, and either it makes the most god awful knocking noise, or the piece of skirt lodges in the counterweights, and locks the motor up. I have seen it both ways.
I have seen several times where the wiring connector to the cooling fan module overheated and made a bad connection causing the fan to intermittently stop working. The fan control module is behind the right front headlight. I always replace the module, and the wiring pigtail at the same time. They do blow head gaskets, and I have also seen a cracked head.
You can take all the tumblers out of the ignition switch except for maybe one or two, and you will never have the locked ignition issue again. ( mine left me stranded in North Carolina at the grocery store, and this is how I got myself home).
Good durable vehicles , but, you have to remember that it is a Chrysler product. They eat front rotors , rear axle seal leaks are common. It is your typical American SUV , but parts are cheap , easy to come by, and they are easy to work on.
I liked my last Jeep. It was great in the snow. Best fuel mileage I ever saw was 16 mpg.

[Head416]

I try to keep my keyring as light as possible, so I guess I've got the edge there. And it was just replaced within the last month.

I know at least one hose was replaced with the radiator, but I don't know that I can confirm ALL hoses were replaced. I haven't even lifted the hood on this thing yet.

Cheap to fix and easy to fix.... those are the top two things I want in a car at this point. I just spent the last month changing the clutch on a Focus (working on it 1-2 days per week) and I'm tempted to never own anything less than 50 years old again!

If I can easily change out a cheap water pump and feel good, that sounds great to me. I've done a radiator and t-stat on a Camry, so I should be okay for that level of repairs.

Electrical gremlins stress me out, but if it runs good I guess I can deal with things like speedo and windows being flaky.

What's their reputation with A/C? My Focus (which somehow became mine after my wife put the first 95,000 miles on it!) hasn't had A/C for years AND I MISS IT!!!

[fastfredracing]

The Ac system sucks, it works well when it is not leaking, evap cores will leak, the compressors will shat the bed, the orfice tube is integral to a solid line, which last time I checked was no longer available from Chrylser. The service valves will leak etc...
Window motor regulators also frequently fail. I think aftermarket replacements are around $165, and you can out an in one in a few hours
I have made a lot of money off these over the years.

[techweenie]

Around here, a nice, presentable one could bring $8K. I've seen them go for $12K. There's something about them that appeals -- it's one of the few older/cheaper cars you can drive to a five star restaurant.

I've had a few. Put well over 100K miles on them, collectively. Pretty reliable overall. Never had an ignition switch problem. Or any other kind of problem, for that matter.

Oh, and jeepforum.com has model-specific sections. These are called XJs.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by techweenie

Around here, a nice, presentable one could bring $8K. I've seen them go for $12K. There's something about them that appeals -- it's one of the few older/cheaper cars you can drive to a five star restaurant.

I've had a few. Put well over 100K miles on them, collectively. Pretty reliable overall. Never had an ignition switch problem. Or any other kind of problem, for that matter.

Oh, and jeepforum.com has model-specific sections. These are called XJs.

Same here in CO, they have a cult following here and can get expensive.

[exc911ence]

Check the air filter for oil. When the 4.0L starts to age, blow-by past the piston rings will pump oil through the PCV system and right onto the air filter element.

These are tough machines (I've had three XJ's) and parts are dirt cheap compared to equivalent foreign SUV's.

Plus it's a classic shape. The Cherokee was the original four-door small SUV. It's a shame they don't make them anymore.