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would you buy a '99 4.0 4x4 140k?

Mediaslave

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Texas
Hey Guys,

New Guy Here. Been searching, reading and learning for about 5 weeks now during my search for my first XJ. Thank you all for the limitless resource of information. You Guys/Gals are GREAT! Smart enough to due research on other newbie's questions before I start askin stuff that's been covered time and time again. Always wanted an XJ, have had many friends with 'em, never owned one myself. Gonna Buy tomorrow... Maybe?

I have personally inspected 16 XJ's now and turned most down, Lost 2 due to price. Finally found one I can afford and seems to fit what I want.

Would like to hear from you "experts out there" Here we go..

Would you buy a '99 4.0 4x4 with an "Intermittent Stutter/Miss" that has had replaced : O2 sensor, battery, alternator, harmonic balancer, serpentine belt and TPS sensor "cheap one from Napa/whatever"... ???

I've read the posts: Don't buy the cheap TPS, Buy the Good one from JEEP, and I plan to. It could very well be the problem still. Also could just need a "tune-up" Plugs "champion", cap, rotor and wire set... Plan on doing that anyway. Maybe it's the "CAT"? Could use some seafoam??? Might just be wrong/bad battery? Worst case scenario New fuel pump?

Am I missing anything here? Should I be scared of this JEEP? What really is the worst case scenario for this issue?

Like I said... would love to hear from the experts.

Just don't want to get Burnt on my first one.

Would be proud to be a "Real Member".
 
I would ask to do a compression test and go from there. If it has fairly even compression, and the plugs don't show any coolant, you have something to work with.

Good luck!
 
I would buy a 99 with that mileage no problem, I would bargain down hard though

studder could be fuel pressure or ignition, my guess is fuel pressure. Unlikely to be anything else you listed.

I agree, a 99 with 140k is a nice little rig. :thumbup:
 
Thanks Guys. Just needed some reassurance. Thought I found a good deal. Can't wait to post my fixes/solutions to help others like you'all have helped me. Cheers!
 
That would be ok. Not so.scary. I thoughy I had all the bases covered maybe missing a few?

Now i'm starting to find some real horror stories about valves, cylinder heads and complete rebuilds to fix the problem. Wondering if these people are getting scammed by the shop or if this could really be a very serios problem?

Thanks for your reply.
 
It would help if we knew what the asking price was. Price of course, is a very important part of the buying equation!

As for the year, the 1999 is an EXCELLENT year.

As for the miss, as mentioned....could be ignition, could be fuel, could be something a little more serious, but the odds are with you that it probably isn't a big deal. But of course, you wouldn't know until you dig in. Without a proper tuneup (job #1), and or diagnosis, we are just guessing.

I do like the idea of running a compression test on all cylinders, unless the price is so cheap that you could afford to put a major repair into it and still be okay with the total of the cost of the vehicle and the repair.

Good luck!
 
Not to be a nay-sayer and certainly buying a fixer upper can save a lot of money. That being said, it can also be more money and trouble than its worth. If its not fixed, why didn't the present owner fix it? There's a lot of risk here,... of course depending upon price as mentioned above. If its too good to be true, it probably is. No one "gives" anything away these days particularly given the economy. As I found out when I was younger there are plenty of unscrupulous people out there who will charm you into thinking you are getting a great buy when in fact they are unloading their troubles on you. Just saying,... don't be a victim. I'd rather spend a little more money up front and buy a Jeep that is running properly from the get-go than spend less and not know what it is that I'm getting into. It would be foolish not to plan for the worst-case scenario with this Jeep. If you can deal with that, than go for it. If not, I'd back away slowly and then break into a run. Just food for thought.
 
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Price is $2500

I'm thinking if it were a more serious problem than the stutter/misfire would be constant not intermittent. I will definitely examine the wires and cap to see if there new or not.

Also, what do you think about the tailpipe paper test?
 
I would be more worried about the condition of the body (rust or previous damage) than the ignition. I'd scan it for OBD codes before purchase as well. Some people ignore the check engine lights, and randomly throw parts at problems, so there's a slim chance the Jeep will tell you what's wrong, even if the owner can't.

It's a used car, so go over it as thoroughly as you can- comp/leakdown test, fuel system pressure, scan the codes, check the fluids carefully, etc. Good luck!
 
Well I guess if worse comes to worse... I can always part her out for more than I'm paying 'eh?
 
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I say go for it and follow the above advice including comp check(after it is warmed-up). As these Jeeps continue to age, the most important thing I look for when buying is the body--everything else can be fixed and replaced. Get on your back and look at the floorpans under the driver's and passenger's side. If you see rust, ask the owner to let you take off the kick panel, sill plate, and pull back the carpet(if so, definitely a bargaining point). They usually rust from the inside out so the windshield, door molding, blower motor, or antenna is leaking. When you get it, do the tuneup, clean and tighten all grounds. Remove, clean and tighten the coil. Unplug, clean, and replug all sensor connectors. Take off the TB, remove IAC and Map, and clean the ports. BG44K in the tank, Seafoam from the brake booster hose(don't be afraid to use the whole bottle and let it sit for an hour). If the owner can't tell you when the Upstream O2 was replaced, get yourself a new Bosch. What else. . .oil in the air filter--take off the ccv hoses and spray and blow w/ compressor. You should be able to pull the rear one off the intake manifold and blow into it but not be able to suck while it's still connected to the valve cover. If miss is still there, you might need to verify that the cam sensor in the dizzy is clocked correctly. Yada, yada. . .
 
I've been through a few TPSs in the last two years with my '96, and I can tell you that they can cause a variety of problems, including those you've mentioned. The engine has raced for no reason, stalled, surged, tried to pull at redlights, tranny shifted too fast up the gears, refused to shift, torque converter locked and unlocked at inappropriate times, all caused by a new, premium, name brand TPS. Right now there's a junkyard piece in it, and it is happy and behaves fine. It could be something as simple as a five dollar junkyard part!
 
I went for for it! Brought her home today.

4 hour straight drive from dallas to south austin enduring waves of misfires. Scary at first, but then I got the feel for it and just kept driving.

Temp stayed at 200 never moved.

Oil pressure stayed at 51-2 never moved.

Voltage stayed at just under 14 also never moved.

Gas went down LOL.

Every time it started missing I would release the gas pedal and it stopped. Then started up again.

After about 2 hours "about half way home something weird happened... While missing the AIRBAG light came on then Spedo, fuel and Tach dropped out. above guages stayed the same. this occured for maybe a minute... no misfires. Above guages stayed the same. Then (after the minute) the AIRBAG light went out and Spedo,Tach,Gas returned to normal. Didn't happen again.

Started to wonder why the check engine light was not on "maybe disabeled???" Well got to north austin "about 45mins" from home and the check engine light popped on.

Made it home. Misfires and all. Never stopped. Wheww!!! Thats all I wanted for now.

When she wasn't missing she drove-sounded-responded Great.

Tune-up tomorrow. We'll see?

Thanks guys for all your suggestions/help I will be doing pretty much everything you guys advised.

Cheers! I now have a '99 4.0 4x4 XJ that needs some love.
 
I bought my 99 last year and it has been awesome. The gauge drop is a typical thing for that year, search for some explanations and TSB. I just push gently on the airbag light and my gauges come back to life and haven't worried about it since searching and reading about on naxja. Good luck with that check engine light. I am sure something simple.
 
Well got to north austin "about 45mins" from home and the check engine light popped on.

The fact that the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT popped on is actually very good news!

Job #1 in figuring out that miss is to pull the codes, identify them, and correctly interpret them. OBDII is very good at pointing you in the right direction and the right circuit that is problematic, but interpreting the code(s) is not always straight forward.

You will need either a code reader or a scan tool to pull the codes. Or find a parts store like Autozone that reads codes for free.

Once you get them, post the EXACT numbers here. Not just a description; we need the exact numbers.We can go from there!

And you may want to try removing the cluster, cleaning the cluster connector, adding dielectric grease and reconnecting for that intermittent flaky gauge issue. Not that uncommon.

Along with those codes, I would absolutely start with a tuneup. Fresh Champion plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, check air filter.

Enjoy your '99
 
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sounds like you got a winner...the computer will definitely get you close to what is going on. my 98 used to have the same gauge issue and once i had to take my gauge cluster off and ever since putting it back on it hasn't been a problem. scared bejeezus out of me the first time it happened in rush hour in nyc!
 
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