Re:"new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

[Churchlady]

Re:"new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

I had the car thoroughly gone over by garage that's been voted "Best Auto Service in Maine" for dogs' years. They did total tuneup incl.new plugs/wires/cap/rotor/air filter/fuel filter/flush trans,total lube, said car was in excellent shape--no rust, belts/seals almost new, coolant clean, belts/seals replaced last summer, AC serviced/recharged last summer, battery almost brand-new, 30" Michelin XCX-APT tires w/5K on them (had them rotated), oil change not due for another 1500 miles.

Only problem was the cat.conv., which had broken up the week before I bought car--seller discounted $300 for replacement. My inspection sticker runs til Aug 1 so I have some time to ponder its replacement. (I'm even getting fond of that companionable little rattle. It's the ONLY squeak or rattle of any kind, BTW; car was obviously gently driven; wife's 40 mi. daily commute car.)

I have a neighbor who's a fine auto mechanic & will trade car work for babysitting, so I'm hoping to have him replace the cat this summer. My questions for you are:
(1) Am I hurting anything by driving it til that happens? I got 17.27 mpg. on 1st (pre-tuneup) tank of gas & didn't think that too bad w/the bigger tires & mostly in-town driving.
(2) Help me sound halfway intelligent when I price a cat at the dealership. (My neighbor can figure it out, I'm sure, but maybe I can save him some footwork.) I should replace O2 sensors too, right? Was there just one kind of these used in the '96 Classic? What do I ask for? Is there a "kit" for this?
(3) I think I'd like to switch to synthetic oil next change. I like what I hear of Amsoil (& like to support a non-monolith when I can), but of course it's harder to get than Mobil 1. Is Amsoil worth the added trouble?
(4) Should I run some BG44K through soon? Read somewhere that if I do so I should do it twice on successive fill-ups. Read somewhere else that it was a bit drastic under normal circumstances & that a gentler one--e.g., Amsoil--would do as well.
(5) I'm in the rust belt & want opinions on that too, but I'll save it for another thread soon.

Many thanks for any advice. This is not only my first Jeep, it's my 1st used car & I'm a little nervous.

The garage uses Wynn fluids; that's what the new ATF is. Are these good products? Guess it's a little late to be asking.

 

[RichP]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

I had the car thoroughly gone over by garage that's been voted "Best Auto Service in Maine" for dogs' years. They did total tuneup incl.new plugs/wires/cap/rotor/air filter/fuel filter/flush trans,total lube, said car was in excellent shape--no rust, belts/seals almost new, coolant clean, belts/seals replaced last summer, AC serviced/recharged last summer, battery almost brand-new, 30" Michelin XCX-APT tires w/5K on them (had them rotated), oil change not due for another 1500 miles.

Only problem was the cat.conv., which had broken up the week before I bought car--seller discounted $300 for replacement. My inspection sticker runs til Aug 1 so I have some time to ponder its replacement. (I'm even getting fond of that companionable little rattle. It's the ONLY squeak or rattle of any kind, BTW; car was obviously gently driven; wife's 40 mi. daily commute car.)

I have a neighbor who's a fine auto mechanic & will trade car work for babysitting, so I'm hoping to have him replace the cat this summer. My questions for you are:
(1) Am I hurting anything by driving it til that happens? I got 17.27 mpg. on 1st (pre-tuneup) tank of gas & didn't think that too bad w/the bigger tires & mostly in-town driving.

As long as it's rattling its not melted and plugging up the exhaust system but that could change. I'd get it done as soon as possible. Might want to consider a cat and stainless steel exhaust system for replacement. The rattle could also be caused by the heat shield around it, they do get hot and decompose, getting loose from their mounting brackets but the heat shield is a necessary thing.

(2) Help me sound halfway intelligent when I price a cat at the dealership. (My neighbor can figure it out, I'm sure, but maybe I can save him some footwork.) I should replace O2 sensors too, right? Was there just one kind of these used in the '96 Classic? What do I ask for? Is there a "kit" for this?

Not a kit, I'm pretty sure the 96 uses OBD II which means there are two O2 sensors, one on the exhaust pipe down tube and one on the cat. If you reuse them make sure the installer used O2 sensor safe anti-sieze on the threads. The sensors are two different kinds too, upstream and downstream and one costs about $30 more than the other.

(3) I think I'd like to switch to synthetic oil next change. I like what I hear of Amsoil (& like to support a non-monolith when I can), but of course it's harder to get than Mobil 1. Is Amsoil worth the added trouble?

The Amsoil synthetic is the only one that Amsoil had certified by SAE so it's OK stuff to use.

(4) Should I run some BG44K through soon? Read somewhere that if I do so I should do it twice on successive fill-ups. Read somewhere else that it was a bit drastic under normal circumstances & that a gentler one--e.g., Amsoil--would do as well.

Never heard of the BG44 stuff till a week ago on this board. I have always used either Chevron Techron or the bottle of Valvoline that comes in the gold bottle, the more expensive stuff.

(5) I'm in the rust belt & want opinions on that too, but I'll save it for another thread soon.

I live in PA so for rust I generally try to stop a few days after a storm, once the streets and roads dry out again and use a self service car wash to clean out the undercarrige. I also use anti-seize on anything I take apart and when I add new items to the underside like skids, hooks, plates, brackets I sand, prime and paint them before installing them. Then over the summer I may pull them off and repaint as needed. I try to keep ahead of the rust, if I see areas where the factory undercoating has come off I clean the area around it and recoat it with undercoating. Generally while changing fluids or rotating tires in the driveway. The XJ's are soooo easy to work on, easier in fact than both our Tj's... While I'm working under there I'll just work my way from bumper to bumper on my back and using a flashlight check out the bottom, last week I found a missing tailpipe hanger that over time would have broken the muffler.

Many thanks for any advice. This is not only my first Jeep, it's my 1st used car & I'm a little nervous.

The garage uses Wynn fluids; that's what the new ATF is. Are these good products? Guess it's a little late to be asking.

Wynns is somewhat standard in garages unless they went with one of the bigger companies. My friend who has a large shop buys from Mobil and he gets 'generic' ATF that he applies additives to to make it match what the trannie needs, it's semi-synthetic and we just flushed out our oldsmobile tranny and added this, seems to work much better but as a rule the consensus is NOT to use synthetic in the Jeep AW4 tranny, it's ok in the transfer case, engine and the differentials but not a good thing sometimes in the AW4.

Oh, an welcome to the group, lot of good information here and if you decide to do any off roading the noth atlantic chapter does do Maine

 

[Eagle]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

I agree with Rich that you should have the catalytic converter replaced as soon as possible. If there are chunks rattling around, they WILL plug it up. I bought a used Comanche (the pickup version of the Cherokee) that had death rattle. When I looked at it the emissions test was expired, and with the rattle I expected that it needed a cat. The owner got it through emissions, but about 6 months after I bought it I suddenly found that it had zero power on the road, and I had to downshift to get up moderate hills. A clogged cat is like the old potato in the exhaust pipe trick -- the engine can't breathe, and it loses power.

You are correct that you should replace the oxygen sensors with the cat, and 1996 was the first year for OBD-II, so it has two, as RichP described.

 

[Churchlady]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Rich, thank you for that kind & helpful reply. Tell me more about the cat/stainless steel exhaust you mention. What kind/approx. how much $$/what does it include?

And re: my off-roading: I'm 68 & the few times I've gone off-road it was unintentional to say the least. But you're nice to invite me. I'll pass it on to my 19 year old grandson who has a Wrangler.

 

[Churchlady]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

PS. Just saw Eagle's reply & will get right on this CC matter. Eagle, do you agree about the stainless exhaust, or should I just go w/an OEM cat/O2 sensors? What can I expect--ballpark--to pay for the parts? I've heard mixed reports on our local Jeep dealership, but I guess that's the place to start w/prices? What other sources might I shop? We're kinda rural here & have to go a long way for most everything, so a reliable online source would be good to know about.

 

[RichP]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Rich, thank you for that kind & helpful reply. Tell me more about the cat/stainless steel exhaust you mention. What kind/approx. how much $$/what does it include?

And re: my off-roading: I'm 68 & the few times I've gone off-road it was unintentional to say the least. But you're nice to invite me. I'll pass it on to my 19 year old grandson who has a Wrangler.

Some online sources for exhaust stuff are
www.quadratec.com
www.summitracing.com

As for your age, you would be suprised at the number of aarp's that show up at paragon, a 17,000 acre off road park near Hazleton Pa, on a weekend. It's not about 'blasting thru mud and climbing mountains' alot of times it's about going off road to areas that you can't get to on foot either for distance or physical limitations. Meeting people with similar interests, camping out in some of those pristine areas and alot of times cleaning up other peoples messes. I take mine off road sometimes on the power and gas line right of ways just to 'take a shortcut' it may be miles shorter but takes twice as long, I do it just for the views at the tops of hills overlooking the lehigh valley where I can stop, drink my coffee and read a book for a while.
Find your local jeep club or Jeep dealer and inquire about their 'Jeep 101' course, basic off roading. They show you what you can and cannot do, mostly they are free and you bring your lunch, they won't let you get into any trouble and it's a great way to meet people while taking a nice drive over timber and forest roads. The versatility of these jeeps is positively amazing, get competent off road and comfortable with your jeep and the worst blizzard or noreaster is a piece of cake after that. As for snow, man our family can't wait for a good blow with snowfall measured in feet just so we can play.
Oh, add a pair of front tow hooks, some skid plates and a rear tow point, then put your grandson to work turning wrenches :laugh:
Personally I find working on my jeep relaxing, none of the maintenance stuff is physically hard and it gets you comfortable with the vehicle. You could also check out your local vo tech, they have nite classes for basics in mechanics stuff where you work on your own vehicle, good way to learn and not get bamboozled by a repair shop....

 

[Churchlady]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Rich, I loved reading that.

I know it's almost a crime to not let an XJ strut its stuff, & Maine has so many old logging areas people say are magnificent.
And I could certainly use some help w/how to handle a car in a snow/ice skid. I lived most of my life in Texas (native Dallasite), & though I've safely driven thousands of winter-road miles in Montana/Mich/Maine, I've had 3 bad accidents on such roads I still have no idea how I might have avoided.

I will try to find a place like you suggest to help me become a better winter driver, & it would be great to feel confident to explore parts of this beautiful state I've not even considered visiting.

 

[Churchlady]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Rich, when you mentioned a stainless steel exhaust I seemed to remember that I was supposed to have that already. I went back to intellichoice.com & they say this became standard equip. w/the 96 Sport. Did you mean a SS exhaust pipe, maybe?

 

[seanR]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Is'nt that special......extra special!

Sorry couln't resist.

 

[Churchlady]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Try a little harder )

 

[seanR]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

I could send this to the dumpster...

 

[RichP]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Rich, when you mentioned a stainless steel exhaust I seemed to remember that I was supposed to have that already. I went back to intellichoice.com & they say this became standard equip. w/the 96 Sport. Did you mean a SS exhaust pipe, maybe?

Not sure but by the looks of my 98's muffler [granted it's been used as a skid plate more than once]I don't buy that my muffler is stainless. I have a feeling that I *may* get one more year out of it. Would be nice though.
The cat may be stainless but I think thats about it. I may be wrong I normally ignore the exhaust system till something goes wrong. I guess maybe I'll dig out my jeep brochure if I can find it and see if they have it in there or someone else may know here.

 

[Eagle]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Churchlady --

You are in the North Atlantic Chapter region, so we may meet one of these days. I'm chapter pres until the end of this year. I also have a mini-fleet of Cherokees and Comanches. In the past couple of years I have done 3 catalytic convertes, and I bought them all from Summit Racing. Mine were all for the older models with only one oxygen sensor, however. The Summit cats are Catco brand, low restriction, and sell for a LOT less than what you'll pay at a dealer. But ... they don't have an opening downstream from the converter for that second oxygen sensor, but that's a simple matter of have a hole drilled and a nut welded to the pipe.

Send me a private message and let me know where you are in Maine. I may be able to connect you with a good, reliable shop that knows Jeeps.

 

[Churchlady]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Eagle, I'm in Bath. There's nothing I'd like more than to know the best Jeep mechanic nearby.

Here's the excerpt from the Intellichoice writeup on the '96 XJ:

"The 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport is available in four models: 2WD and 4WD, in two and four doors. This year the Cherokee Sport receives a reengineered 4.0L engine, heavy duty alternator and battery. The Sport features a driver air bag, all-terrain tires and reclining bucket seats. Tinted glass, stainless steel exhaust and full carpeting are also standard..."

My '96 obviously doesn't have a stainless muffler/pipe. (unless someone put a thick coat of grungy paint all over it). What part of the exhaust system are they talking about?

To confuse things further, Edmunds' "History of the Jeep Cherokee" says the SS exhaust was introduced in the '93 models. (Maybe as an option that became standard in '96?)

If that still isn't enough confusion, I know '96 was a changeover year & that the cars built late in the year had features the earlier ones didn't. But you'd think my "Classic pkg" would certainly have included it.

 

[Eagle]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Well, in the rust belt even a stainless exhaust system doesn't stay nice and shiny for more than a year or so. And they last longer than the older non-stainless systems, but they don't last forever. Your XJ is now 8 years old and has 90,000 miles on it -- there's a possibility that you now have a replacement (non-stainless) exhaust system.

Also, your XJ might have been undercoated or rust-proofed, and that would put a coating of goo on the pipes that the heat would have baked into an unrecognizable mass of charcoal.

The shop I had in mind is farther up the coast from you, in Ellsworth. I doubt you'd want to travel that far for an exhaust system, but if you're interested I'll get you the address and phone number. I'll also ask around for shops closer to where you are located.

 

[Eagle]

Re: "new" 1996 XJ w/90000ish miles

Churchlady, check your private messages