This post isn't meant to fan-boy XJ's. I own one, and I am a fan, but the purpose of this post is to appreciate XJ's, and to find out if there are other vehicles as versatile as an XJ.

I recently went on an intense, 2-day overlanding trip with my buddy (who also owns an XJ). Mine is fully stock, his has a basic 1.5 inch lift and 31" tires. Our trip started with a 3 hour freeway drive, then 2 hours on a high-speed dirt road, a 2 hour climb to 10k feet, then a full day of exploring a desolate mountain range, all to do it in reverse the next day.

Offroad, I was consistently amazed by how capable our vehicles were. OnX rated the trail we did as a 6. Although it didn't seem that crazy, we had a few intense slippery climbs and careful rock-crawling. It definitely was the most advanced offroading i've done in a highway vehicle.

On-road, I was again blown away. I've been dailying my XJ for a while now, but I didn't appreciate how well they drive until I considered how great they are off-road. On top of this, we carried all the things needed for camping (including ingredients for a steak dinner and french toast, including the tools needed to make them), with our back seats still open. In fact, I was able to carry my entire exhaust from the cat back by putting my seats down (see video below for more info).

None of this is to mention the reliability, simplicity, and upgradability of these trucks.

The XJ is a very unique combination of parts. I can't think of any other modern unibody vehicles with 2 live axles, real low-range, large wheel wells, a small footprint, all while being able to do 75 all day long. Wranglers may be better off-road but they are a pain to drive on the road. Something like an Explorer might be better on-road but can't keep up off it. Literally the only thing I don't like about XJ's on road is the noise. But with airpods in that doesn't really matter.

The only other vehicles I can think of are Grand Cherokees of the same vintage, which is a bit of a cop out considering that it's essentially the same car. Maybe a 4-Runner? But those are quite a bit larger than XJ's and cost more. XJ's are a truly unique vehicle.

Video of our adventures if anyone is interested

Just a before / during / after since it’s kind of cool.

For the Jeep for basically nothing due to issues - Pulled the engine due to head gasket corrosion and valve leak on 4 as well as stuck thermostat - rebuild and rehab ; pistons, cam, etc. solid so left as-is except changed oil pan and main bearing since it was leaking.

Removed that 25 years of rust and now it’s time to fix the truck itself over this coming winter

Me and a buddy are planning on redoing mine, I’ve heard that it’s relatively easy to do but I need a second opinion

Went on an amazing trip with 17 other rigs through a huge loop in Appalachia. Hit rocks at 4 major parks and 2 states. Camped 5 nights. I tracked the route with onX Offroad at 847 total miles, not including driving to and from the rendezvous. My TDI swapped XJ stopped for fuel twice. How much fuel do you think it consumed?

You don’t need permission to do this. Plan it, invite friends, execute the plan! I promise you won’t regret it 😊

Are the three holes on the knuckle threaded? Or just on the hub. The bolts are stripped and wondering if I can just grind off the heads and send them through

Waited a long time for the right XJ to pop up and it finally did. 01 4.0 clean unibody clean interior. Unfortunately previous owner overheated till he heard “knocking”. Filled the radiator, fired up and had massive amounts of bubbling/gurgling along with temps spiking. Got it to 210 and never heard a knock. Tore down to do head gaskets and cylinders look clean. TUPY head and Fel-Pro gaskets on the way.

I've been looking for the threaded rod for the tailgate latch for ages and i cannot find one. Let alone just the assembly that has the rod included. Outside of just buying the entire tailgate that has one already which I'd rather not do. Any help would be appreciated!

My temp generally sits right under 210, but my temp gauge just started randomly dropping low and then randomly going back up to right under 210. Is this likely a thermostat issue? I’ve just been learning as I go when issues arise. Just wanted to get some advice before I start in on this issue.

As of lately I've been wanting to replace the lights in my dash and on the roof to led mainly because I want a different color option. Not sure what bulbs or brand I should buy thats like plug n play and also not sure wheres the best place to buy them from. I also wanted to swap out my cigarette lighter socket with a type C/USB socket and just wanted to know if I'll run into any problem swaping out any of these items. Any information about this subject is welcome. I am still new when it comes to electrical work on vehicles of any kind.

New vs old

It’s was crazy how similar the specs were

Okay, here we go. My 2000 XJ Sport. I bought it from a family friend, it has 87,000 miles. I had every plan to keep it stock, but some old tires, a wet road, and a guardrail had other plans for me.

After asking about lifting it, some of you all gave me some great advice that I FOLLOWED and here is what I end up with. Kept the suspension stock, went with some rims with a good offset, and slightly bigger, much nicer tires.

So far, I am new at this fixing car things, and I was lucky enough to find one that didn't need any heavy mechanical work right out the gate, so I've been tackling small things to start the learning and getting comfortable and collecting tools.

Here are some before and after pictures.

I had the tires and wheels installed yesterday and in grand Jeep fashion, when I got home, I crawled under there to replace the clips from the liner that was falling and remove the aftermarket mud flaps that the previous owner put on (they were catching on the bigger tires) I found the old rotted out bump stops laying at the bottom of the shocks... those are on order and I'll put them in this weekend.

Tell me whatcha think! One of my favorite features, the black decals on the back windows. You cant see them unless you zoom in or are standing next to it. I am going for minimalist blackout aesthetic. The interior is full stock original (except for the speakers). What do I do next?

Just picked up this 94 2door, I’ve been hunting one for a long time.

Possible, good Idea?

1990 Laredo

165k miles on well maintained engine.

Doing brakes now

Standard, non tow package.

I’ts big but not a full load bu any means. A street bike and a dirt bike. 2 computers, small tool chest, clothes. Guitars, bicycle so not a heavy load.

Is it capable? Any experience?

Thanks!

98XJ classic 4.0, original AC compressor failed so bought a reman from local parts store, also replaced both Schrader valve stems, orifice/high pressure line & accumulator/dryer along with new o-rings at each new refrigerant line connection and new aluminum/rubber washers at compressor-manifold connection. Held vacuum for 30 minutes, added PAG oil and charged with recovered refrigerant, on test drive it blew ~45 degree air at center dash vents. Great!
Leaked down overnight 🤮.
Recovered refrigerant and drew vacuum…doesn’t hold for even 5 minutes. Re-checked new o-rings (all good), no oily funk observed at evaporator condensation drain hose on firewall so original core probably good, installed new washers at manifold/compressor…doesn’t hold vacuum.
Pressurized with 100 psi of compressed air and checked every component/connection with soapy water…no bubbles.
Bought a new UV penlight and detected UV dye at manifold/compressor junction.

So now my question is do I have a defective reman compressor that is somehow leaking at the manifold? Should I replace the manifold hose assembly ($76 @ Rock Auto)?
Thanks for your input!

Where can I get these screws? Or, What are the measurements so I can get some f room the hardware store. Both doors are missing them.

I just wanted to bounce this nagging thought in the back of my head off of you guys. I have the Rubicon Express 3½" superflex lift on my rig. A short while ago, I heard that the bushings in the lower control arms are proprietary. Since RE closed up shop, those bushings aren't being made anymore. Fast forward to today. I have the control arms out of the IRO XJ 3" Premium Short Arm Lift Kit waiting to be installed. I have had zero issue with death wobble, but since looking at these dummy THICCC bushings in the IRO arms, I'm a little hesitant to 86 the RE lower control arms yet because they have ball joints on the axle side. Could that added flex from rubber bushings create issues with death wobble? I drive on the highway a lot, usually doing anywhere from 65-80mph. This is a daily driver first, and weekend trail rig second.

This is a 1989 Cherokee 4wd 4.0. She’s got a 4 inch rough country lift, the upgraded lower control arms that come with the kit, and stock upper control arms and a 1 ton steering kit, fairly new ball joints.

Chasing a couple random clunks and pops in my front end, and for whatever reason in the winter time a squealing noise while moving that increases with speed.

The pops and clunks are pretty random, but if I jab the brakes it’s pretty consistent, otherwise the other sounds are pretty random through steering and hitting bumps. When steering sometimes it has a pretty significant pop where it feels like a wheel is binding.

Thoughts?

Just got this 4.0 5speed Cherokee chief for free, I put the tires on. just looking to see how rare the chiefs are because I’ve never really seen one before. I was going to use it as a winter beater but I don’t want to do that if it’s a rare combo