common 89 cherokee problems?

[f4isvt]

Looking at buying a 89 cherokee and as a toyota guy dont know a whole lot about them. As a mechanic by trade I know to check alot of things but looking for any common jeep problems like rusty toyota frames to keep a extra good eye out for. The guy didnt tell me what motor was in it all I know about is its a 89 with a rebuilt engine and trans with roughly 80k on them. thanks

[RuffedUpXJ]

Cherokee's usually have a 4.0L and an AW4 auto trans. Both are pretty bullet proof. That one will come with a vacuum disconnect Dana 30 front axle, not too bad but can be upgraded. It will more than likely have a Dana 35 rear axle that is possibly non c-clip so that's better than the c-clip one. Watch for rust since the unibody is the "frame" and the rear leaf spring mounts can go and are a pain. The motors can easily run 200k without sludge.

[WrenchMonkey]

Yep, everything he said, plus saggy door hinges.

They're not hard to fix, I'll find you a link, cause you're probably gonna need it.

Robert

Here ya go:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=986973

[GPER]

My solution to the xj door hinge, welding wasn't that bad, it doesn't take much.
http://teamdevilfrogg.weebly.com/tech-do-at-your-own-risk.html

[jfiscus]

Check inside the "frame" rails for rust on the floorboards & otherwise everything else is easy to fix if it's running/driving well. If the motor was replaced the motor/trans mounts should not be worn out like a lot are. Window motors going out is also pretty common in my experience since most came with power windows. One thing to keep an eye out for is a leaky fuel injector, if they leak they leak on the manifold & you know what that leads to...

[underpowered]

sounds like everyone else covered it pretty well.

saggy rear leafs is a very common problem as well. otherwise, pretty bulletproof little rides if you don't go too crazy with them

[RuffedUpXJ]

Yeah you can easily fix the rear leaf springs, get some S10 or other spring under 2.5" wide springs. Take the long leaves out of the donor pack and build one with the combonation.