How reliable is your old XJ?

[stewie]

as long as they are properly maintained then the mechanicals will most likely outlast the body. my jeep was neglected by its prior owners so it has not been the most reliable, but its doing better. heck with 208,000 on her i think she is doing quite well.

when non-jeepers find out how many miles on mine they usually are amazed that she runs with that mileage. i tell them that she is just barely broken in

 

[bchulett]

I've had 2 XJ's and my current MJ.

I bought the 1st one brand new in 1988 and other than the hydraulic throw out bearing and 1 water pump I had ZERO problems from mile 1 to 185,000 when I finally sold her in the mid 1990's.

The second one was a 2000 XJ, I only had her for 30,000 miles but ZERO problems. I miss her. :bawl:

My current ride, My 1988 MJ has 180,000+ original miles, still has original engine, AW4, etc. It has no leaks, uses no oil, and never misses a beat. Virtually everything functions on it as it should. I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a trip to Alaska and back right now, I have that much confidence in her.

I think alot of why my vehicles seem to do so well is I always keep all my maintenance up to date and I mean everything. If something isn't 100% right it gets corrected immediately, I don't just " let things slide". When is the last time you flushed your entire brake system as general maintenance? How about your cooling system? Even change your power steering fluid? Or do you wait until there is a problem?

I come from an Aviation background where maintenance items get done or the plane doesn't fly. Adopt a similar stance & I bet you'll see your Jeeps reliability skyrocket.

Yep, I have service records that date back to the beginning, 18 years... brake system flushes, cooling system, transmission, etc... all part of general maintenance.

I think I went overboard though, I decided to change everything that had anything to do with the brake pedal... including the proportion valve. The only thing that hasen't been changed are the rear backing plates the shoes ride on and the pedal itself.

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[pantera1973]

Yep, I have service records that date back to the beginning, 18 years... brake system flushes, cooling system, transmission, etc... all part of general maintenance.

I think I went overboard though, I decided to change everything that had anything to do with the brake pedal... including the proportion valve. The only thing that hasen't been changed are the rear backing plates the shoes ride on and the pedal itself.

.

Would I be correct in saying in 18 years of ownership she's never let you down? :wave:

 

[bchulett]

Would I be correct in saying in 18 years of ownership she's never let you down? :wave:

This is the best vehicle I've ever owned... and she'll never see a wrecking yard... in fact, I'm currently restoring her to factory original condition, with some choice mods.

Interior is done... I went as far to have special formed aluminum armor made for the plastic molding on the door sills... can't buy those new anymore, so I protected them from the car wash monkeys.

Next, custom made rear springs from Deaver...

atriot:

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[pantera1973]

That's great! I'm not ever letting loose of this MJ either. Zero rust, well maintained from new, she's a keeper. Take care of them and they'll take care of you.

Don't take care of them and you too can bitch and cry around about how terrible they are.

 

[bchulett]

That's great! I'm not ever letting loose of this MJ either. Zero rust, well maintained from new, she's a keeper. Take care of them and they'll take care of you.

Don't take care of them and you too can bitch and cry around about how terrible they are.

MJs are special, most people don't know how well they did in the SCCA truck series... ever hear of Archer Brothers Racing?

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[pantera1973]

MJs are special, most people don't know how well they did in the SCCA truck series... ever hear of Archer Brothers Racing?

.

Yep. Last week I almost scored a brand new Archer Brothers front airdam but I'm unfortunately laid off right now and couldn't justify getting it. :tears:

My MJ is 2wd & I'd love to incorporate some Archer Bros stuff into it. :roll:

 

[FireFly]

wow you guys are all lucky. 196000 miles on my heep and every other week the thing breaks it feels like. prolly has something to do with it sitting for 2 years not properly stored then all of a sudden flushed and ready to go. but still. when it runs, i can out run, maneuver, crawl, tow, push, pull, anything out there today in its category and then some. ut alas the one thing tat sucks on all 4.0 is the gas mileage 19 highway if im lucky...

 

[dagr8tim]

My XJ had 248K on the clock when I bought it. Ofcourse this was a 3rd vehicle for my girlfriend and I. So I wasn't as worried about needing this thing as my DD.

The body is in awesome shape with only some very small (smaller than a dime) areas of surface rust. All the wear parts that I've checked/replaced were Mopar parts. I've taken this jeep on several multi hour trips around the state of Ohio, and have no qualms about taking it again.

If my engine/transmission were to go. I'd have no issues replacing those parts and going on.

 

[RTFM]

Hey everyone THANKS for all the replies.
Looks like she's a keeper!

As a side note, when I bought my SJ - I was actually looking for an MJ to share parts commonality with the XJ

Might as well post up a mug shot of the dastardly duo.
'89 XJ -- 77' SJ

Thanks.
:us:

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Take care of them and they'll take care of you.

Truth.

Saw this line and the first thing that popped into my head was "...you treat her like a lady, and she'll always bring you home." Call me nuts, if you will, but hey, why not?

 

[clunk]

Yeah I think that routine maintenance is the key to long life. The previous owner of mine didn't take great care of it (as evidenced by the sludge in oil pan and the carbon up top) and it's dying pretty quickly.

 

[Boatwrench]

My 1988 is more reliable than my 2000, doesn't ride as comfortably.

 

[hiimmred]

My '90 has 225,000, and is running strong mechanically, it's all the peripherals that are starting to go by the wayside. That's to be expected though, and it's way cheaper to repair/replace as they go than to take on a car payment and full coverage insurance. I wouldn't trade it for anything right now. Maintenance is the key!

 

[calvynandhobbs]

My 89 shows 245k on the odometer, but I've had 33s under it for about a year and a half without a correction of the speedo so I'm guessing 255-260k. Still has original drivetrain. I drive it back and forth from Connecticut to Michigan about 3 times per year and wheel it really hard. I bought this XJ 3 years ago for $1200. It's getting the axle replaced soon because it's humming and grinding and the engine is starting to get tired. No smoke out the tailpipe, but I'm starting to get oil in the air filter.

 

[scully]

198xxx on my 91, and purrs like a kitten, starts every time and hasnt dared to let me down yet...
:looks around:
fingers crossed

 

[xcm]

1990 xj, 170k...

drivetrain/suspension/brakes... very reliable....

motor.... thats another story.... not very reliable at all... one problem after another
it comes w/ the territory, if you think an 800 care is gonna be reliable... youve got another thing coming...

get an AAA membership

 

[scully]

lol i paid 400 for mine.
been aaa'd once,because i had no visegrips to pinch a broken brake line from a wrapped up tow strap.
25 buck tows ftw!!

 

[Wayne Sihler]

Last fall for the 25th anniversary event,I had no problem leaving Va with a 280,000 mile XJ (96).
Only real prep was replacing a weeping rear main,a coolant swap and fresh oil.
Put 4587 miles on her for that trip,only topped off the brake fluid.
I could take that same trip today without a second thought--

Wayne

 

[RTFM]

...No smoke out the tailpipe, but I'm starting to get oil in the air filter.

I too had that problem - I replaced all the vacuum lines and fixed the oil in the filter problem - for what it's worth - it may fix yours too.