Jeep Cherokee

sebring95 · August 2001

Bring that cherokee back across the pond with a diesel and I'll consider buying one. That's what it would take to get me to spring for a Liberty.

dancerman · September 2001

My A/C compressor and the aux.cooling fan keep cycling on and off. On for 5 seconds, off for 2 seconds, repeats until you go crazy listening to the noise. Dealer says it's normal. Refrigerate charge is OK, blows cold air. Anybody else notice this on your Jeeps? I was thinking it may be a bad relay or sensor causing this.... it can't be good the the system.

babsj · September 2001

I have a 99 Cherokee Ltd and the A/C cycles on an off like post #403 described. Living in TX, it gets quite hot so I've had to adjust to the "noise" and now find it bearable. The A/C blows icy cold air and I love it!

Anyone else replaced the original Goodyears within the first 2-3 years? I have to rotate and balance them every 6K miles because they get out of balance so easily. Never had this problem with any other vehicle I've owned. My Jeep has 24,800 miles and has been trouble free!

ed96 · September 2001

thanks, for the heads up on the aux fan. i thought it was just mine. but, i live in las vegas and its hot as h.... here.
question though does anyone else get the rumble under the floor at approx 12-2100 rpm during i believe the 2nd to 3rd shift?
also my rotors are obviously warped at 15k miles . any body had any trouble with dealer repair?

yettibutt · September 2001

The rotors on my 2000 have warped 2 times in 12,000 miles. Both times, replaced/repaired with no fight by dealer. First time, they turned the rotors. Second time, they replaced the rotors and pads. Pads this time are supposed to fix the warping problem. They are of a lesser metallic contents which reduces heat at the rotor and thus reduces rotor warping. They are already feeling like they are warping again after 2K miles since replacement, right on par with the other 2 sets. I have a feeling that I will just have to spring for a nice set of aftermarket slotted rotors and high performance pads. I hear the ones from Performance Products work well. Its quite unfortunate that Jeep can't produce a better brake system. I am thinking of trying to get the dealer to cover the labor to put them on. The droaning noise is normal as well. There must be a certain RPM where the exhaust system resonates through the unibody. Its annoying but I have gotten used to mine.

rayp1 · September 2001

I have a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Classic auto trans that has a clunk feel as you come to a stop, and it shifts down, or something. Not shure if it's the transmission, rear end, or the transfer case.
Dealer says this is standard with the 4 wheel drive auto transmission. I feel like something is wrong, and I am being kissed off. Does anyone else experience this type of problem. If so, what was the answer, fix, etc ?. Looking for the fix.

sebring95 · September 2001

babsj: I've got 23K on my 01 cherokee and have had to balance the tires once (last week). I originally rotated them, and the vibration moved to the back so I had them balanced. The vibration in the back is gone (it was really bad when towing), and the vibration up front is very very slight at 52-55mph. The Goodyear RT/S have a bit of trouble in this area, but they aren't bad tires overall. Good combination of on-road/off-road versitility.

rayp1: the thump you described sounds normal. My cherokee does this, my inlaws grand cherokee does this, a friends 4runner does it. I think it's pretty common on vehicles with real 4X4 systems and auto trannies. My Tacoma (same as 4runner) didn't do it, but it was a manual tranny.

sasquatch_2000 · September 2001

My Dodge Magnum used to do this. I think it was u-joint problem.

I just ignored it.

mhall02 · September 2001

I have a 2000 Sport with nearly 40,000 miles, I was going to try to drain the radiator this weekend, flush it out and add new antifreeze, but the drain plug is about impossible to get to!! What was Jeep thinking? Any suggestions on what all you have to remove for an easy access to this plug? I have the DC issued Jeep Service manual and it is totally different than what the book indicates. I must give them a thumbs up on the ease of draining the auto tranny, a plug on the bottom of the pan is a plus.

dancerman · September 2001

My 1999 Cherokee Sport has 29,000 miles on it. I rotate my own Goodyear tires every 6,000 miles according to crossover pattern shown in the owners manual. They have never been rebalanced and run very smooth at all speeds. I have the steel wheels not aluminum. Also, the treads show even wear. I live in Pennsylvania where the roads are the worst in the country and the tires have held up extremely well.

My brake rotors are not warped. I always hand tighten my lugs nuts to avoid over tightening.

I do have a very noisy drivetrain. The dealer has rebuilt the front differential and transfer case and installed some new parts in the four wheel drive shift lever. The noise seems worse. There are times when it is fine and other times when it sounds like the gears are running dry. I am very concerned about this because I don't want any costly problems after my warranty expires next year.

dpayne1 · September 2001

One of the local dealers here has the above listed with 36,083 miles, air, auto, power windows, locks, in the dark green color.
It is a 4 door.

The "sale" price is $13,495.00

Is this a fair price?

Are there any recommendations on what to look and listen for when I take it for a test drive?

Any recalls or TSB's for this year?

Thanks in advance

pgooseman · September 2001

I found a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport still left on a lot. It's a 4-door 2WD and the MSRP is $23k. With the $2k rebate still available for this model what do you think is a fair offer on my part? Take into consideration that it's probably been sitting on the lot for awhile and they are willing to deal to get rid of the car. I've looked it up on this site but wanted to get others opinions.

Thanks
pgooseman

vinney · September 2001

I bought a 2001 sport in May of this year in Dallas,TX and my sticker was 21935 and paid 14650. Of course I got 3750 rebate if you finance w/chrysler on a balloon payment which is not a lease, it's a simple interest with a big payment at the end. What I did was refinance it a month later with no penalties.If you don't mind refinancing then I would go with the balloon payment.(if it's still available.) Offer 7200 off the msrp with balloon or 5500 off with just the 2000 rebate. One more thing is the Cherokee had a 1000 dealer incentive which goes straight to the dealer for selling this vehicle and that may not be around anymore as well. I hope this helps! Let us know how it turns out.

babsj · September 2001

Well, several days ago I raved on this board how my '99 LTD had been trouble free since I bought it 6/99. Can't say that anymore! Drivers window regulator had to be replaced this week. I was entering my parking garage, lowered the window to insert the access card, and the window wouldn't come back up! Just a grinding noise. So, I immediately went to the dealer and had the regulator replaced. WHEW Under warranty so no cost to me. But I'm sad that my trouble-free record has been broken. But, in the overall scheme of things I'm still very pleased with the vehicle. This repair was pretty minor, so I guess I can't complain!

ed96 · September 2001

dont feel bad babs , my drivers side window did the electric slide at 10,000 miles. maybe just particular to 99s in hot climates. its not the cost (FREE)its the annoyance factor that hurts me. plastic parts.

mhall02 · October 2001

Hi all, I just had my steering gearbox replaced last week. This is in reference to my August 28th entry on the message board concerning my problem. They originally replaced the power steering pump, but the same noise was noted and upon returning they went ahead and replaced the power steering gear box and now it seems to be working great, no noises. I have been pleased with the service we received from Royal Oaks Chrysler/Jeep in St. Peters, MO, however, I hope this will be one of my few visits.

njmike1 · October 2001

My wife drives over 80 miles each day on the NJ Turnpike. I have no problems, I work with 4 people who have, 1- Cherokee Sport 1 - 1998 JGC
2 - 1999 JGC. No problems. Last winter I pulled a Honda CRX-V or something out of the snow. I charged him $50 and told him to buy a real SUV.
Does anybody have any ideas on aftermarket "cat back" exhaust systems?

M

vin_weasel · October 2001

Check out
http://www.rustysoffroad.com/engine.html
for his exhaust replacement kit. You can also do a search on Google for "xj cat back exhaust". I got lots of good hits.
Finally, a great resource for all things jeep is the XJ-List from off-road.com. There are searchable archives with almost anything you would ever want to know about your jeep. The main page is at:
http://lists.off-road.com/xj-list/
Hope this helps.

trbby · October 2001

Love my 1998 Cherokee, I too have that annoying on/off of the fan when A/C is blowing, what ended up being the solution or adjustment to resolve this

eclipsegs · October 2001

Sorry, but I've never been so excited. I picked up my 98 Jeep Cherokee Classic today. What a beauty it is. Got home, a quick trip friends house, and off road we went up the mountains. Oh the joy of 4WD! Never had the pleasure. Would you believe I traded in my Mitsu Eclipse for it? All my friends are in shock. I'll be taking pics soon. I wanted to drive it up the mountain so bad that I forgot my camera (DOH)! I'm sure I'll be reading through these posts mor often. Cheers!

eclipsegs · October 2001

http://www.berkshire.net/~josh/webjeep/index.htm

eclipsegs · October 2001

Hello? Anyone?

(As a woosh of sand hovers into the air)

jkeck · October 2001

I have a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with about 31,000 miles. I have had work done on the brakes four times the last being about 200 miles ago. The brakes still do not work smoothly. The dealership has covered the work under the warranty but I am concerned that once the warranty expires, I am going to have repeated expenses repairing the brakes. I called the Customer Service office and got a very rude individual who was not at all helpful in coming up with any solution to the problem. He said that there was not recall for the brakes and indicated that I simply had to continue to work with the dealership. My understanding of what the service department said is that the brakes for the 1999 and later Cherokees were engineered in such a way as only to accept brake rotors that are too thin to avoid warping. Has anyone been successful in having this problem more permanently fixed? Any suggestions? I hesitate keeping the Cherokee if I am likely to have a continuing problem.

sebring95 · October 2001

If you're really concerned about the brakes, spend the money on a good set of aftermarket pads and rotors. Probably run you about $300 just for parts (front only) and you shouldn't have anymore problems. I've found alot of domestic vehicles to have crappy brakes, and spending a little on high quality parts will do the trick. I know there are some high performance rotors/pads available for the Cherokee. I would assume they have them for the Grand as well.

Just don't get mixed up when you order something because the Grand Cherokee and the Cherokee have all different parts for the most part. BTW, this is the Cherokee forum. You might try posting in the Grand Cherokee forum because the Grands seem to have more brake problems than us XJ folks.

eclipsegs · October 2001

Ah yes, someone is still around. I was thinking that since the Cherokee is no longer produced, that this board my die out. It seems a bit slow going here, no?

vin_weasel · October 2001

But it seems that I've entered the Jeep 4x4 world and this board doesn't have a whole lot of the technical information as some of the other lists I read. That okay, though because that's not the purpose of Edmunds. People should come here to get an initial idea of their vehicles and compare between others.

I looked at some of your pics and the vehicle looks nice. I didn't look through all of them because I'm used to looking at pics like these:

http://www.mike-g.net/jeep/yinyang/pics/banner/

I have a 2001 Black Sport and I love it. I quite happily put my first scratches on it this last weekend in some trees. Don't worry, though. Touch up paint a good wax job will get most of them out. I've never had a vehicle like it and I love the freedom. Scrambling up 45 deg sand inclines and bumping down forested snomobile trails are something I couldn't do before. I'm almost sad I didn't buy a Wrangler instead, but the Cherokee has some very nice features.

I've already compiled a list of almost $3000CDN of modifications that I want to make to it including new bumpers, lift kit, engine upgrades, tires, etc.

As for problems, I had an initial alignment problem (just like all the new Libertys, hmm...) and I have a few squeaks and minor annoyances I want to get rid of. I've had it for almost 5 months and I've put about 7500 miles on it (a couple of long road trips). The minor annoyances are that the tires feel out of balance because of the alignment I had done, my driver's door squeaks, and my turning stalk doesn't quite work properly when changing lanes to the right. Small problems that I'll live with until I find time to take them to a Stealer to get fixed. The only problem is trying to find a Stealership that isn't exactly that. 5-star service doesn't mean a thing. They all suck.

sebring95 · October 2001

Have you thought about shocks yet? I'm at 30K and haven't been crazy with the stock performance since about 29K miles ago, LOL. Too mushy and wobbly for me. Looking closely at Bilsteins which I had before on a Toyota. Someone said the Monroe Sensa-Tracs were also pretty good on an XJ. The Bilstein are much more $$, but I abused the heck out of the other set and they never gave up. I think the Ranchos would be too rough because I do alot of highway along with off-roadin. Any thoughts?

eclipsegs · October 2001

I only wish I had such open road to run my Jeep through, but I live in the North East. I did have fun the first day I picked up the Jeep. A budy and I took it up some mountain trails and through some woods. I'm kicking myself in the butt for not bringing my camera then. Oh well, more pics will soon follow. Upgrades might soon follow as well. My first concern is making sure it's ready for the winter.

The great thing about my Jeep was that it was in the hands of someone who babied it. I don't think it ever went off-road. All highway miles at 76K and it's a 98 model. Everything seems to run excellent so far. Anyone have any thoughts of things to look out for with the mileage I have? Thanks and keep the posts coming.

vin_weasel · October 2001

The pictures weren't my jeep but just an example of some of the XJs out there. Mine looks alot like yours, except black. The first thing you might want to do is to replace the oil in the transmission, differentials and transfer case. You are supposed to do it every 20k miles or on a yearly basis. If the vehicle has only been driving on highway, it's not as bad as if they were 4x4ing it and never changing the oils. I'm going to be going to an all synthetic plan once they need to be changed. I'm using my Jeep to teach myself all about car maintenance and I'm trying to do everything myself. So far so good. Also check the steering components for a good amount of grease.

Sebring, as for shocks I've been reading lots about lift kits and the different kinds of shocks that work well with them. Old Man Emu (from Australia) is supposed to be the best. You can find their page at www.arbusa.com I think (ARB makes OME). Rancho 9000s are popular with XJs becuase you can set the valving with a switch or dial to change the characteristics. Blisteins are supplied on the UpCountry package and are stiffer than stock. Another name I've heard around and seems to be getting some interest are Doetsch Tech.

I've been thinking about getting a "budget boost" for my XJ which will give me about 2" lift. I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep the stock shocks and maybe lengthen them with Bar Pin Eliminators or get new ones. Eventually I want to pick up the whole Old Man Emu 2-3" kit and put it on top of the budget boost. Big money, though. Check out http://www.rocky-road.com/xjsus.html

for some initial information. Watch out, it's addictive.

eclipsegs · October 2001

I'll look into it. I did check Oil, Trans, etc. fluids before I purchased the Jeep. All look good. Winter is around the corner and it gets extremely cold here, so I'll be sure to look at everything.

elight50 · October 2001

I am seeking advice on an off-road vehicle for use in the high-lake country of Colorado (around Westcliffe in the Sangres). I've never owned a 4WD or even driven one in any serious way. I'm looking for a used vehicle, something I can park at my cabin and use for a few weeks in the summer months. So, rocks and rough road are more an issue than snow (though it can snow any time at that altitude). The vehicle
will see the highway as well as it is 100 miles to everything out there.

I've asked the same questions on other boards and have received some recommendations regarding the Trooper and the 4 Runner. What I'd like to understand better is how the Cherokee performs off road, what are its reliability issues, what problems I might encounter, what features I should look for, what model years to avoid, what tires I should get, etc. I had budgeted $10k, but I can see that's not enough to get a recent model with airbags and the newer AC coolant. So let's say I'm willing to spend $15K if necessary. I'd welcome any comparisons of other brands. (I
read the Edmund reviews and by the time I was finished, it was hard to say
which model was better at what). Thanks in advance.

Elight50

eclipsegs · October 2001

Buy a JEEP! Seriously though, I too have looked around and did my research before my purchase of my 98 Cherokee. Which was only a week ago. I love it, but my opinion should be taken as just that. What it all boils down to is what you want. All this research does not hold up to anything if you don't like what you drive. Heck, you could tell me that company X has built a vehicle in which will never have problems ever, but it looks and drives terrible. Company X can keep it! I always wanted a Jeep. This is my first 4X4, and I never drove one before. I feel very comfortable in driving my Jeep.

To give you an idea where I am coming from, my previous vehicle was a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Consumer Reports gave the Eclipse very bad reliability ratings. I did not care one bit. I wanted one anyway and I loved it. In the 3 years and 44K miles I had it, I never had a problem. To read more about my Eclipse goto:

http://www.berkshire.net/~josh/eclipse

Final words....Spend the time in each vehicle that you really want. Hope this helps.

Oh, and you can see pics of my Jeep here:

http://www.berkshire.net/~josh

sebring95 · October 2001

The Cherokee is very well suited to the terrain you described. It is IMHO the best stock SUV for off-roading (excluding high dollar rovers/cruisers). The power of the 4.0L is excellent at high altitudes and has plenty of grunt for pulling itself up steep terrain.

You may want to look for one with the up-country package, which will have skid guards, tow hooks, limited slip diff, a couple extra inches of clearance, and heavy-duty shocks/springs. You can easily find a 97 or newer Cherokee (which are the years I would recommend) within your budget.

As far as reliability issues, there are no big problems on the Cherokees. The nice thing is that parts are available everywhere and Jeep dealers are always close by.

I've owned a Tacoma which is very similar to the 4runner. I think they are excellent vehicles, but quite expensive. You'll be hard pressed to find a V6 4X4 4runner under $15K that's not quite old. They are also bigger and less manueverable than the Cherokee. The 4runner will ride better on the highway, but the Cherokee will drive/ride better on the back roads/trails.

As far as tires, just get something with a good aggresive tread pattern. Unless you plan on doing serious off-roading, you should be fine with an all-terrain tire. BF Goodrich makes a good trail tire. Most Jeeps come with Goodyear Wranger RT/S which doesn't do too bad either. They are just a bit noisey on-road and hard to keep balanced for some reason.

vin_weasel · October 2001

Hi. Sebring pretty much gave all the answers. The Jeep has a bulletproof engine, powertrain and 4x4 system. It will require maintenance, just like every other vehicle. There are lots of aftermarket parts and accessories for it and the prices are good.

As for tires, I'm going to be going with BF Goodrich AT (probably KOs) when my RT/S are gone. I'm not too impressed with the Goodyears but what do you expect from the dealership? I currently have a slight balance problem on mine at about 75mph. The alternative for the real off roader are Mud Terrain or MT type tires. There are all sorts but the names I keep hearing are all the main names, foremost is BF.

elight50 · October 2001

I appreciate the advice. I can certainly get a lot more Jeep for the money.

Elight50

mhall02 · October 2001

Anyone know who made the 4-speed automatic o/d tranny used in the 2000 Cherokee Sport? When considering our purchase I noticed on various posts that there have not been any problems with this tranny. We would have got the 5-speed manual if a Chrysler overdive was offered, but the salesman said it was not made in the States, but who made it?

vin_weasel · October 2001

http://www.industryfigure.com/berkeley/Jeep/trans.htm

Check out the bottom of the page. The same transmission has appeared in a few different vehicles too. I've never heard or read of anyone having problems with the transmission.

elight50 · October 2001

In terms of off-road capability, is there a difference between the Cherokee and the GRAN Cherokee? I'm not towing anything, just driving up muddy, rocky, and uneven roads.

Elight 50

sebring95 · October 2001

vin: I wouldn't be surprised if the tranny isn't related to a Toyota. In terms of GM/Ford/DC vs Toyota, it's obvious the Toys have something going for them in the tranny department. You just don't see Toys and Hondas dropping trannies like other brands.

elight50: the Grand is great off-road as well. It has more sophisticated 4X4 systems availalble than the fairly common "part-time" system in the cherokee. A relative has a new grand with quadra-drive and it's awesome in snow/light mud. I'd be a bit concerned with seriously using a system like that off-road because it seems like alot to break. But if you aren't getting into anything too extreme, a full-time system might actually do better for you. You don't have to think about whether or not you need to be in 4X4. The Grands also have more reliability issues. I've seen quite a few posts on people losing trannies. There is a full-time system available for the cherokee that is great, but on the used side it would be hard to find. The vast majority come with a part-time system.

elight50 · October 2001

I thought saw a link to a thread where 4WD systems were explained in detail. If can point me there, I'd appreciate it.

The terrain is steep, rocky, with an occasional boulder, so the part time system sounds ok. Any advantage to a auto or manual tranny? I've read that some features useful for offroad (torque systems) only work with an AT.

Thanks for the education.

Elight50

sebring95 · October 2001

I dunno about the torque systems, etc. My Tacoma was a manual and my Jeep is an automatic. I have my likes/dislikes toward both trannies as far as off-roading. On steep hills and such, the auto is more convenient IMHO. Stopping/starting up steep hills with the chance of rolling back into a tree/boulder is a concern that is much less with an auto. Plus the clutch takes a beating on the steep hills. I'll probably keep buying auto trannies from here on out. I'm just getting older and lazy:)

elight50 · October 2001

Sounds like we are in sync. I'd hate to get to a lack and find the old knee locked up from over clutching.

I'll start shoping the Cherokee with the up-country package. I'm still looking at Troopers but they look much too big. Good ground clearance and are reported to be good off road but to me they look like a bus about to tip over.

If you think of anything I should consider, post here or email me.

Elight50

vin_weasel · October 2001

I have the auto and the Selec-Trac. It's full time, part time and part time low. On the trail I switch between them to see the difference. Once the snow hits (apparently some today) I'm going to be driving a lot in full time 4x4 on the paved roads. I also have the trac-lok in the back and I've yet to really test it out.

elight50 · October 2001

Keep me informed of your experience, especially if you get into mountain roads, etc. I'm still confused about somethings but I'll just keep reading (that what I did to fix a problem with my computer's MB). You can email me if you want to go off line.

Elight50@yahoo.com

xena1a · October 2001

The wife and I own some property south of Westcliffe and hope to build there eventually. I was in the area during the early part of September for some hiking and off-roading fun. Just love the Wet Mountain Valley! I drive a Dodge Dakota with part time 4wheel drive. A Cherokee would be a great vehicle for what you've got in mind. Almost bought one myself a couple of years back...

Tim

elight50 · October 2001

Just finished renovating a cabin about 10 miles from Westcliffe at 9000 feet. All the lakes are up from there. I'm just getting into fishing. Something about trout with a Cajun seasoning to make me want a Jeep even more.

I've read the reviews from folks who have had serious reliability problems. I'm hoping that a used one will have the bugs out of it by the time I get it. I figure on buying one in the East that hasn't seen off road action. Just hope I can find the right configuration.

Elight50

mich2001 · October 2001

Looking for RR shocks(brand)?I'll prefer more soft ride.Need an advice from you guys?

new2saab2 · October 2001

Hi. I have a '98 Cherokee Sport, which I bought new and loaded with most of the extra goodies. I like manual transmissions, so that's what I got. Except now its broken. I bought the service/maintenance contract from the dealer, so I brought it in for the 40-ish thousand mile service. I picked the car up from the dealer after the service, and less than a block away, the clutch went to the floor as I shifted, and then became stiff and wouldn't work at all. My wife and I pushed the car back to the dealer, who diagnosed the problem as a broken thrust arm bearing.

When it broke, it also sent shrapnel into various other parts, which all required replacing. Anyway, the dealer repair cost me almost $1,400, since my car is 5 months and about 8,000 miles out of warranty. The really crappy thing is that this may not be an isolated thing. My buddy in L.A. has a '98 Wrangler that had THE SAME THING BREAK. Except his was still in warranty, so it was only an inconvenience to him.

Anybody else heard of similar problems? I want Jeep to put out a recall notice if these are breaking a lot.

ralphyd · October 2001

I have a 2000 Classic with Selec-Trak with 7000 Miles on the clock. I have noticed a noise coming from the front driveline which starts at approx 20 mph and grows in pitch as speed increases until approx 60-65 mph when the the pitch of the noise becomes so high it is barely audible. Also , it is more audible under cruise/coast conditions than under load. It reminds me of tire noise at the lower speeds but I have discounted this. It seemed to start after I had it lubed at the dealer at 3000 Mi. Also , the flange on the exhaust system where the exhaust header connects to the exhaust pipe below the transmission case is so close to the transmission I can barely get a thin piece of paper between them . I was wondering if anybody else has similar conditions and if they are considered normal before I take mine to the dealer. This is my first Jeep and I don't want to bother if all this sounds normal. Otherwise the thing runs great.

robinwis · October 2001

I have a 96 Cherokee Country with an erratic cruise control. The servo's been replaced with no improvement. Anyone else with similar probs?

Jeep Cherokee

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