New Jeep

[Krieger]

Im sorry I am not sure if this is the correct place to put this but I am
new to the forums and Jeeps - Going to pick up my first jeep for $300.00 tomorrow and just wanted to get some feedback.. I figured if it ends up being a bad buy I can always just junk it for 300 and get my money back. Its a 1988 cherokee laredo i believe (wouldve rather a sport) with 200xxx miles on it. I do not believe that the tranny has been rebuilt - I was wondering if that is a high amount of mileage for these jeeps or will I be fine, and should I expect to be rebuilding this tranny any time soon?

Thanks

This will hopefully be the start to a good project jeep











I know the pictures are not the greatest - it was getting dark and did not have much time.

 

[xcalibur223]

Looks decent. Just hope there's not a ton of rust under there but from the one picture it doesn't look too bad. Looks like you also have the NP242 Transfer case which has both part time and full time 4wd capabilities. Basically you can use the 4 full in the rain if you really wanted to.
I wouldn't worry too much about the mileage. First thing to do when you get it is change out all the fluids (diffs, transmission, transfer case, oil, etc) and do a tune up (plugs, wires, cap and rotor).
Oh and welcome to the forums. Any basic questions can be answered by searching or if you can't find anything most people are more than willing to answer any questions you have.
:cheers:

 

[Krieger]

Thanks for the advice. Its great to be apart of this community!

I was told by a friend that I may have to replace the seals or at least "oil" them - is this generally an issue?

 

[Krieger]

Oh and maybe I am not searching correctly but I tried looking for some general mechanical differences between the sport and laredo models and I cannot seem to find any information.
Can anyone point me in the right direction or clear it up as to what are the main differences between the two besides the exterior differences? Thanks

 

[js_customs]

I think it's just difference in the exterior/trim and whatnot but I'm honestly not sure. I have an 88 laredo, it's got about 240k on it. The engine/trans in these jeeps are pretty reliable, they'll last a while as long as you do regular maintenance.

 

[XJBeater]

You should be ok with that mileage. I've run high 240k on my last XJ for 4 years, beating it pretty good, and now my 96 has 221 and runs great also. Just check the fluid and maybe change the fluid if it's black or smells burnt.

x a million on checking for rust too. I'm sure there's some there.

 

[Krieger]

Yeah Ive heard these rigs will last a while as long as they are properly cared for - just wasn't sure how long that is. Ill take it as it comes though and replace what I need to when it is time. In the meantime Ill flush all the fluids and re-grease what I can and whatnot.

I figured the differences were mostly exterior but was just curious

 

[kastein]

The different levels were mostly stuff like options (leather, cloth, power windows, full gauges, etc etc) - you can easily upgrade whatever you want with junkyard parts these days. The basic drivetrain was mostly the same, you just don't want one with ABS because that implies a dana 35 rear axle for sure.

EDIT: aw man, that's a d35 in the rear, well, at least a stronger rear axle is like a hundred bucks at the junkyard.

 

[Krieger]

Yeah I plan to lift it already got tires I used on my bronco and some other things including a stronger axle swap

would it be better to look for a dana44 or a ford 8.8? My friend is a big chevy guy and has pointed me in the direction of possibly a ford 8.8 for some reason

 

[xcalibur223]

An XJ Dana 44 is a direct swap. With an 8.8 there are a few mods you have to do like welding on the spring perches. If you go that route go with one from a 96? (I think that's the year discs started) up explorer as they have disc brakes.
Edit: 8.8 is probably easier to find and cheaper too as long as you can do the work on it. They also come in 4.10 gearings so it might make future regearing cheaper so you can just regear the front to 4.10

 

[BillDunn83]

The different levels were mostly stuff like options (leather, cloth, power windows, full gauges, etc etc) - you can easily upgrade whatever you want with junkyard parts these days. The basic drivetrain was mostly the same, you just don't want one with ABS because that implies a dana 35 rear axle for sure.

EDIT: aw man, that's a d35 in the rear, well, at least a stronger rear axle is like a hundred bucks at the junkyard.

i disagree with the 35 being a POS I still have one in mine and I wheel blacks at rausch with no problems it is all about how you drive it and I go pretty hard ask any of these guys that wheel with me. I just dont want him to think it is one of the first things he has to do or worry about it going out on the street.

 

[Irongrave]

replace the 35 when it brakes no need to spend money on it before hand.

what size tires are you going to be running?

 

[kastein]

Bill - understood, some people get lucky or something I guess. I've got a 35 in my MJ and it hasn't done me any harm yet honestly, though I'm keeping it on stock tires. I've gone pretty hard on the stupid pedal with it and it hasn't broken. I still plan to replace it as soon as I have my XJ axle swap done because I'll have the old stock geared d30 and 8.25 sitting around by then.

One of the california guys (I think it was cal) managed to blow out a 35 on 32s open, just doing a U-turn... like I said, it seems luck has a lot to do with it.

 

[Krieger]

I Prob won't go higher than 31s for a while because I have a brand new set from my last truck

 

[XJBeater]

I've run 33's on a 35 for 4 years without an issue. If you go larger then that, I'd upgrade to a D44, 8.25, 8.8 etc.

 

[LOUD02Special]

One note on changing the tranny fluid, don't do it all at once. Drain the pan and replace its contents 3 or 4 times over a few months and stop when the fluid that comes out looks clean and new. I just started this process myself on my 96.