2000 Cherokee XJ. The winter beater.

While shopping for a completely different vehicle I kept driving past a '00 XJ with a for sale sign on the windshield. It had no contact info and no price so I just kept driving past it...for 7 months.

I finally stopped by to look at it on my way to work, shortly after we got back from our October Disney trip. The battery was dead but it looked decent, if a bit rusty. The 215/75R-15 all-season tires on it were bought in late 2016, then the owner bought a newish Escape and put the XJ up for sale around May of this year, so the tires are quite new. The suspension is stock but the shocks are toast and exhaust is a cobbled together mess.  

A few days later I stopped by (once again on my way to work) battery in hand, ready to hear this thing run. After checking the fluids I fired it up. It had a slight tick but no smoke and otherwise sounded solid. It drove fine and the T-case shifted in and out of 4WD, albeit a bit stiffly. The heat blows nice and hot and didn't fog the windshield or drip so, hopefully I can avoid changing the heater core.

The hatch didn't open and the driver's seat is broken.

A deal was struck then I drove it home. 

It also needs front brakes since the pads are VERY thin and the calipers are sticking. 

The specs:

4.0 I-6 Engine (no surprise to anyone here)

AW4 Transmission

NP231 Transfer Case, 2.72:1 ratio

Chrysler 8.25 open diff. rear 

The plan:

No lift, just some decent shocks.

Change all of the fluids and filters. (Rotella T5 or T6 in the engine and Dex III in the trans and T-case)- done

Grease all of the zerks.- done

New brake stuffs.-done

Fix the hatch.- done...undone...done...undone...done...undone...done-ish (the latches in these things suck! LOL)

Junkyard driver's seat.- kinda fixed the stock seat with a drill and some bolts. Good enough for now.

Repair or Replace the exhaust. 

Other stuff, but I'm short on time and need to buy some parts and turn some wrenches.

Score!

Congrats!  They're notorious for sticky brake calipers.  I've put the Raybestos "professional grade remanufactured loaded calipers" on 2 XJs and 1 TJ now with great success.  They're around $60 a pop on Amazon.

Just swapped out both front calipers, put fresh oil in both diffs and will soon put fresh ATF in the T-case.

Definitely digging it so far. 

I searched the VIN and found the original equipment build specs (format will probably be murdered) :

Monotone Paint 124 Amp Alternator 500 Amp Maintenance Free Battery Power Front Disc/Rear Drum Brakes Highline Door Trim Panel Reclining Front Seats Rear Fold w/Removable Cushion Seat Traveling Inboard Seat Belt Buckle Next Generation Front Air Bags** Carpets - Floor and Cargo Area Cargo Compartment Carpet Cargo Tie Down Loops Plastic Liftgate Trim Panel Passenger Assist Handles Lift Gate Assist Handle Full Length Floor Console

4-Speed Automatic AW4 Transmission

Command-Trac Part Time 4WD System

Corporate 8.25 Rear Axle

Tinted Windshield Glass Front Door Tinted Glass Tinted Rr Drs/Qtr/Liftgate Glass Rear Window Defroster Rear View Day/Night Mirror STANDARD EQUIPMENT 1 11/06/17 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Deluxe Insulation Group Analog Instrument Cluster Instrument Panel Black Bezel 100 MPH Primary Speedometer Var Intermittent Windshield Wipers Dual Note Electric Horns 12V Auxiliary Power Outlet RADIANT SILVER MET. C/C - BADGE - CH RADIANT SILVER MET. C/C - BADGE - JE RADIANT SILVER MET. C/C - BADGE - 4 RADIANT SILVER MET. C/C - JEEP Delete Bodyside Molding BLACK - FENDER FLARES Headlamps On Warning Chimes Front Dome Lamp Halogen Headlamps CHMSL Lamp Black Front Bumper Black Front Bumper End Caps Black Rear Bumper Black Rear Bumper End Caps Front Bumper Guards Black Headlamp Bezels Black Grille Black Windshield Moldings Rear Qtr Solid Window Insert Belt Moldings Body Color Drip Trough Molding Black Door Handles 2 11/06/17 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Black License Plate Brow Silver/Chrome Badging EVAP Control System 20 Gallon Fuel Tank Sienna Pearl Coat AM/FM Cassette Radio Fixed Long Mast Antenna Power Steering Luxury Steering Wheel Normal Duty Suspension Front Stabilizer Bar Rear Stabilizer Bar Compact Spare Tire Inside Mounted Spare Tire P215/75R15 BSW Wrangler AP Tires 15X7.0 Styled Steel Wheels Upgraded OBD-II Connectors Tethered Fuel Filler Cap Protective Coating and Remover Build To U.S. Mkt. Specifications GVW Rating - 4900# U.S. Dealer Retail Zone 51-Chicago U.S. Specifications Label Illinois Ship to State Code Illinois Sold to State Code Prem Cloth Hi-Back Bucket Seats OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT 3 11/06/17 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Agate SE Value Group Smoker's Group 4.0L Engine(ERH)/4Sp Auto Trans(DGS High Back Bucket Seats Front & Rear Ash Trays All 4-Speed Automatic Transmissions Lock-Up Torque Converter Floor Mount Automatic Shift Lever

Dana 30/181MM Front Axle 3.55 Rear Axle Ratio

All Engines 4.0L I6 Power Tech Engine Power Mirrors, Fold-Away All Vehicles W/Power Mirrors Sentry Key Theft Deterrent System Air Conditioning Rear Window Wiper/Washer Cigar Lighter RADIANT SILVER MET. C/C - 4.0L Cargo Compartment Lamp Front License Plate Bracket Federal Emissions Sienna Pearl Coat All Radio Equipped Vehicles 4 Speakers Goodyear Brand Tires All Steel Wheels Manuf Statement of Origin 4 11/06/17 * * * * * * * * * * *

8 Additional Gallons of Gas (WAT)

Spring - Left Front

Spring - Left Rear

Spring - Right Front

Spring - Right Rear

SPRINGS!!! YAY!!!

FAM: XJ TRACKING: 90729J07 MY:2000 FAM: XJ TRACKING: 90803J04 MY:2000 Customer Preferred Package 2TB Customer Preferred Package 26B SE Plus Group Discount Spring Special Discount

Dana 44 is a direct swap from the Wagoneer Edition XJ ‘s (look for wood grain and quad headlights. I paid $100 for mine and an $86 mini-spool)

doesnt look like you’ll need it but it’d good trivia 

XJ's are superb winter vehicles.  They seem to go over the snow rather than through it.  Or at least that's how my '86 felt to drive in the snow. 

I've been researching different shock options and Rancho's RS5000 keeps popping up for those who intend to use their XJ the same way I do, as a stock height, mostly on pavement winter beater. I also found the good old KYB Gas-A-Just shocks for a fantastic price on RockAuto.

Also before purchasing and since purchasing the Jeep I've been researching "Death Wobble" as thoroughly as Jake Brigance researches insanity cases. 

I found this video rather informative:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07yvJuhnUYM

Particularly the slow motion portion. You can see the axle begin a side-to-side oscillation which is taken up by the engine. It crescendos until they reach the dreaded wobble resonance. 

To me it seems like the motor mounts and track bar bushings are collaborating culprits. I'm sure the shocks play a role as well and there may be a few more causes that I've yet to uncover. 

So high on the list of to-dos are:

motor mounts

track bar bushings

shocks

Just as a preventive measure, though hopefully since I plan to stay at stock height the Wobble won't be an issue.

So, back to the original intent of this post; have any of my GRM brethren or sistren run KYB Gas-A-Just shocks on their XJ?

I have them on my Crown Vic and I'm a big fan in that application.  

Assuming correct geometry and alignment, the track bar is to blame 80%+ of the time for death wobble.  Followed by bushings, alignment, or a combination. 

On lifted Jeeps, Dodges, Fords, etc. with the similar 4 or 5 link sold axle front end, poor geometry is usually the culprit.

Don't discount properly balanced tires too, they can be contributing factors.

A good steering dampener can mask minor death wobble, some claim it as a "fix," but I believe it's a band-aid, sure a steering dampener helps, but you still need to fix the underlying problem.

I'm well versed in death wobble, and experienced it many times in Muffin the TJ.

Speaking of Muffin, she has Rancho RS5000s at all 4 corners, I'd recommend something else, they're really not very good shocks, really harsh.  Granted they're old, but they don't have a ton of miles on them.  I've often said I could cut a 2x4 piece of lumber cut to length, swap it in place of the RS5000s, and not notice any difference in dampening.

On the Brother-in-Law's XJ, I redid the whole front end steering with Moog parts for a V8 ZJ, direct swap with beefier components from the ZJ, new Moog track bar, and clevite bushings in the axle and control arms.  I used Gabriel (Heavy Duty) ProGuard shocks from RockAuto, 61535 front and 61536 rear.  The Gabriels have been great, no complaints, and a decent ride quality.  His Jeep is a stock ride height, winter beater as well.  He's a detective, and needs to be able to get places in the snow and ice when on-call, that his Crown Vic won't allow.

The only advice I can add is to check the axle side mount for the track bar. They are thin and are prone to become oval shape. The front of my MJ had developed a shimmy. Track bar bushings and rod end were fine but mounting hole was "wallered" out. 

If you want good shocks instead of Monroes, drop me a line. I've got a set of stock-length Fox rear shocks with about 50 miles on them, they got replaced with longer ones.

XJs are fun.

I had rs5000s on my XJ years ago.  They were terrible.  I replaced them with some Bilstein 9100s that were much better.  Take Keith up on his offer.  Shocks make such a big difference. 

Email inbound, Kieth.

Thanks for the info, everyone!