Jeep Cherokee

boggse

Older, pre 1984, Full Size Cherokees could be gotten with a V8. Is this perhaps what you are referring to?

ed96

look, im not a motorhead. what i meant to say was that my friend spoke to the gentlemen who bought and registered a new cherokee, not grand with a v-8 this was a 98. and he ordered that way . he drove for a living and wanted the power . so i say if it walks like a duck ....

sebring95

about people driving up to the factory and custom building these vehicles, but I never see any of them and the folks I know in the auto industry says it doesn't happen. Now the factory engineering/design departments have been known to do some wild stuff as testing, but the are supposed to be destroyed. Sometimes they don't always get destroyed.....but they aren't going to go out the door with a certificate of origination. A custom shop could do all the mods prior to titling it as a new vehicle. Depending on the state, it could be registered with the mods I suppose. Beyond ego, I still can't imagine why anyone would want to register the vehicle with the changes. An insurance company is going to boo-hiss regardless of how it was registered.

dunkmydonut

Hello, I'm a little short on time, so I didn't read all 700 posts. I have a friend with a Cherokee who wants to sell or trade it in. I like it for driving, not much for off roading. Nothing with the Jeep. I just don't enjoy it much. I know a wrangler can handle a small plow, which I need for the driveway. Also know the Grand can't handle a plow well because it's missing the needed frame strength strength. Hope one of you Cherokee guys can tell me if the Cherokee can handle a small personal plow. If so, could kill two birds with one stone. My friend wouldn't have to worry about the trade in dance, and I could take it off his hands at a reasonable price. TIA......Leo

boggse

Apparently so. Check out this website:

https://www.mysnowsport.com/htmls/order.asp

sbyrum

FYI - my '98 Classic (43,000k) needs a new distributor. Mechanic tried 5 different ones from various places (including a dealership) specified for the '98. The plug on each one would not fit my vehicle. He finally called another dealership whose parts person happened to know from previous experience what the problem was. Seems that for 1997 & 1998 Chrysler used a different plug, then after that, went back to the old plug. Of course, no one in town stocks these - they have to be special ordered and cost double and a half times as much!!!

ecat

Advanced Auto Parts does.

They gave me one by mistake.

boggse

You could try these folks.

http://www.auto-parts-direct.com/jeep.htm

sbear1140

i am considering buying a 99 cherokee sport. I have a 2500 lb. 17-foot boat. can the cherokee sport tow this load? I would be towing on normal highways. has anybody towed boats or campers with your cherokee sport? If so what is your opinion....good or bad. thanks.

sebring95

The weight shouldn't be too much of an issue. You'll know it's back there but that's a comfortable towing weight for the Cherokee. I might be a little concerned about the length on such a short vehicle, but you should be able to get anti-sway bars to help. I'd check with your trailer shop before buying the Jeep so you have an option if you don't like the stability. A Long-bed 1/2 pickup would pull that very well, but the cherokee is so short it can get pushed around alot by a long trailer. I normally pull a 15' trailer and Kubota tractor with mine. Does fine, but hills slow you down a bit.

sandyboy

A little while ago, herein, someone posted about a stretched Cherokee, I believe like a 1988/89 Laredo 4-Door 4WD with a couple photos.

Well, looking into something ELSE, I found out about the aforementioned! They were made by "Fairway Coach" Of Ontario, Canada. Some were sent back into America, but that # is unknown. Also unknown is how many years they made them, nor in total how many were made.

I came across a photo of one, with just about 15 words under the picture about it.

Hopefully, those who were interested in it, are still among us!!

siberianlocust

Hi there guys, I know that a lot of you may not like this post and might flame me...but here goes! My only option right now to haul my horse is to buy a steel 2 horse trailer. I realize that the steel is a LOT heavier than the aluminum, however I cannot afford a steel. I'm wondering if people have pulled a bumper pull, steel, 2-horse with a Jeep Cherokee Limited before? I realize that I have a 5,000 lb towing limit, and as long as I keep it under that limit, will I be okay? Please email me at siberianlocust@yahoo.com as I do not check the board often, but I'd really like to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

mscholtes

Hi all, I'm really new to the town hall stuff and can't find my way to the right board so please forgive me if I've posted in the wrong spot.

I am at my wits end with my 1993 4WD sport. I have had it to two different shops trying to figure out why it is overheating, had the thermostat replaced twice, and now it's even hotter than it used to be. The dealer's shop said the first shop didn't put in an actual Jeep thermostat, but the dealer's seems to be worse! I should say that it hasn't ever actually overheated, but it's come really close to the red line on the gauge. The air works just fine, as does the heat and fan. Just about everything has been replaced on this vehicle since I've had it - it seems like the interior and the engine are the only original parts left. If any of you have tips on what the heck to do with my little lemon (other than trade it in or burn it), please help! Thanks so much.

vin_weasel

Have you checked out all of the hoses as well as the radiator itself? Has it ever been flushed?

billpayer

I have a 2001 Cherokee with 37k. I've had my rotors turned 3 times already. At 9k, 16k, and 36k. My dealer refuses to replace them with new ones. I have tried everything. Does anybody have the magic words that can get me new rotors.

Also, my tires are 37k and wobble so bad I cannot drive above 50mph. Goodyear dealer checked them out and said nothing was wrong. Again, neither the Goodyear or car dealer will replace anything. Way to stand behind their product!

325

I have a 4 liter Cherokee Classic, '99 model 55,000 miles.

Lately it has been surgining when you hit a bump in the road.
The speedometer jumps, the check engine light comes on momentarily. It feels like you are being pushed from behind and then everything goes back to normal. If the cruise control is on, it turns off.

Anyone have any ideas before I spend money at the mechanic's place ???

mscholtes

I haven't had it flushed yet - it's going in next week for that. But yes, I've checked hoses and such. I hope that's all it needs, but after this, if it doesn't help, I'm stumped!

vin_weasel

DC customer service really sucks if you don't have a good dealership. I had my rotors replaced no questions asked (I found a really good dealership) at 19k km and they've been fine since. The key it seems is to make sure the lug nuts are tightened properly to about 85-95lb-ft.

If (and when) my rotors go again I'll replace them with a good aftermarket rotor. I'd try another dealership and if you can't get any satisfaction, go after DC. There is a TSB out for earlier model Cherokees that might help. The worst that can happen is you pay $100 for some aftermarket rotors and no longer deal with the dealership for brakes.

opera_house_wk

Just had one of those infamous crank sensors fail. In order to make sure it was that part failing, I had the cab instrumented with LEDs and meters. I connected my DVM to the crank sensor with a long wire. Cranking about 0.2VAC, at warm idle 0.75, normal driving 1.5 - 2.2 VAC. Resistance cold was 210 ohms and the new one was 250. The Haynes manual, true to form, sait It should be an open circuit. What was interesting was it would drive fine till I shut off the engine. Then it wouldn't start till it cooled down. After shutting off the engine, I would switch the DVM to ohms and see the resistance quickly climb. Seems the AC voltage would break down the oxidation layer of the connection while the engine was still running. Of interest is if you measure the HZ of the sensor, it's a close match for the RPM of the engine.

sebring95

I agree with vinweasel on the rotors. My dealer gave me a free set at 25K miles for free. So far (at 50K now) they are doing ok. A good set of aftermarkets will fix them for a long time.

Goodyear Wrangler RT/S suck. I just recently swapped mine for Michelin LTX-AT and they are an all-terrain tire (the goodyears are highway tires) and they do everything better than the Goodyears. No vibration problems coming up on 10K miles on them. If you don't need an all-terrain, the Michelin LTX-MS are similar to the Goodyear RT/S in terms of traction, but are MUCH more comfortable and better in every way. I don't see where you're going to get much satisfaction from the Goodyear dealer unless you have an obviously faulty tire. On the balancer, mine looked fine, but on the vehicle they vibrated like crazy no matter how they were rotated. With the Michelins I have absolutely zero steering wheel vibration, and everything else is smooth as glass as well. Jeep probably could have sold 5X as many Cherokees just by putting good tires on in the first place. It rides, handles, brakes, and runs soooo much better just with a marginally more expensive set of tires.

imaginos

I hope to get some feedback on four things:

1. For a 1997 Cherokee Sport with the "up-country" suspension package, what set of new shocks are the overall best? Or even, if there is more than one style to choose from, just want some feedback from those who have replaced their shocks lately. Although I only have 49K miles, I think they are toast due to age....

2. Same vehicle -- anyone had to replace the throttle position sensor (TPS)? Or the idle actuator valve (or stepper motor)? I have a manual trans. and when you let off the gas quickly and let it go on back-pressure (no clutch), it sometimes won't kick down the idle, and will idle at between 1200 and about 2000 rpm. You can clear it by simply tapping on the pedal. Sometimes the check engine light comes on and the code says its the TPS, but I think many things could affect the way it idles. Hate to start throwing parts at it.

3. Next, the OBD-II also has had a code for the manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor from time to time, usually after long periods of back pressure coming down long mountain roads (both dirt and paved). It seems to self-clear after a few days, but was wondering if the MAP sensor can be "slightly" bad. It's done this since it was basically new...

4. Finally, has anyone had their 4WD shift linkage rattle alot. It sounds like the transfer case is falling apart, but I can usually stop the sound by holding the 4WD shift lever up a little bit. Is there any way to tighten this or replace bushings to quiet it back down. Addionally, it sure seems like the drive-train is getting more and more noisy in this jeep...especially when in overdrive.

Thanks much for any input; Bret...

ecat

I'm in the same boat, decided to do some research.

Found that there are several companies that offer a Jeep Cooling system solution, in once case offering a bored out thermostat housing and a 180 degree thermostat for $39, all the way up to a GDI 3 row radiator, with combo tranny/oil cooler and dual electric fans for around $400

I've replaced the thermostat (author note: DO NOT overtighten the thermostat housing or that cracking sound you heard will cost you an additional $30 at Autozone) to no avail, and will be replacing the radiator with the GDI model.

If you go back and read the history of posts here you'll several related to the engine running hot.

imaginos

I ordered my 1997 Sport with a 5 speed and the "up-country" suspension package. I could not put the tow package on it with the 5 speed, but the "up-country" package included the "heavy duty" cooling system upgrade. I think the tow package did too, but not sure...

I promptly added a Class III hitch and pulled a Ski-Centurion 21 foot ski boat around with it until I bought a Silverado last year.

In all that time, even pulling on long trips, the temp always has stayed at 210. Only on the hottest days pulling up hills did I see the temp climb to maybe 230 max. But this was like one or two times and I had the A/C on because it was about 100 degrees outside in southern Utah. Other than that, the temp is always pegged at 210. It sounds to me like they should have made this cooling system stock. Does anyone know what the difference is between the two stock cooling systems? Also, is it harder to keep an auto cool versus a standard?

PS - regarding my post #712 above, I just ordered four Ranco RSX shocks. Has anyone put these on a Cherokee? I'll put my feedback up here when I've got them on....

dancerman

question number 4.... my 1999 sport has a growling driveline noise (sometimes) and dealer installed some replacement bushings in the 4wd shifter assy. i think it was a tsb. didn't fix my problem but might help U.

shanshier

I have the same problem with my 89 Laredo with it running hot and more recently actually overheating. I replaced the fan clutch, radiator, water pump, pressure bottle and cap before going to a shop here in town who did a few tests. They found I had a blown head gasket. It was hard to detect because it is apparently just between a cooling jacket and a cylinder and it only pushs exhaust gas into the coolant when the car is under a load accelerating onto the highway or maintaining highway speed or running the A/C. The car seems fine in the city but on the highway I overheat in 9 short miles. The problem has gotten gradually worse and is now rendering my Jeep with 201,000 miles pretty much useless until I can get it fixed. Take the car to a mechanic and ask them to try a block tester on the coolant bottle to see if you are leaking exhaust gas into your coolant.

hansm14

I owned a 95 Cherokee Sport, bought it brand new, and recently it saved three peoples lives, who had their seatbelts on.In a major crash and rollover it totaled the vehicle but our lives were spared. We walked away.Amazing!A good strong vehicle.I want another one.Bring back the cherokees.

momonthego

Hi all, we are new owners of a 2001 Sport. I am wondering if anyone could help me out on where we could get a cargo area cover? Thanks!

sandyboy

Your local JEEP dealer has an accessory folder of about 8 pages, (sometimes they are in the showroom) and in it there are tons of stuff! They have among 100's of other items cargo nets, cargo area protection trays (cover full area, rubber maid-made embossed with he JEEP logo, dyed to match interior in Agate or Camel and they are removable & washable) plus cargo area tie downs and wire mesh barriers to keep pets in the back from jumpin' to the front, and all kinds of other stuff. I bought a couple (tray & tie downs) and find their prices to be fair & product quality superior. Check it out + the guarantee their stuff!

boggse

Contact these people:

http://www.auto-parts-direct.com/jeep.htm

They can get anything Mopar makes for less than the dealer price.

lindsay040

Hey everyone,
I'm having major problems with my 95 Cherokee Sport. It's been in 3 different shops & now it's at the dealer because no one can seem to find the problem. For the past month or so, it randomly stalls out while I am driving. Or I can be at a stoplight & when I step on the gas to go, I lose all power & the wheel locks up. It's scary - the other day, I was merging onto the interstate (probably only going about 45mph) & the RPM gauge fell all the way to 0 & the car just stopped running. Even when I'm at high speeds, the engine misses and stumbles and it seems like the RPM gauge is all over the place. Recently had major tuneup (spark plugs, wires, hoses, distributor cap, rotor button ...) & fuel injection flushed. Everyone seems to think the problem is fuel-related but no one knows exactly what ... very frustrating. The dealer even seems to be at a loss. I'm beginning to lose my faith in Jeeps & mechanics ... can someone help???