WHAT TO LOOK FOR
1984 through to 1997 Cherokees can rust impressively. Tailgates are glassfibre, as is the nosecone, but the structural bits are ferrous metal with a fierce urge to become ferrous oxide. Rears of sills, the roof along pillars and tailgate hinges, scuttle, floor and footwells are all choice rotspots. Facelift models have better rust protection.
CRISPY TOPPING
The AMC straight-six is a robust engine, unstressed and simple. The fuel injection system and cooling system can give problems like any car, and be particularly aware of early injected models with aftermarket immobilisers. Head gaskets can fail on any example however, and the Jeep’s robust nature means it can be neglected. Check for airlocks, functional heater and clean coolant. The four-cylinder petrol is robust, but coarse. The VM diesel is prone to head gasket failure.
MAYONNAISE
Particularly on early XJ Cherokees, be aware of failing rear leaf springs leading to a sagging rear end. These are not particularly
SAGGING
expensive to replace or upgrade, but are often ignored, particularly on cars that tow. Leaving them in this state is borderline dangerous, and ruins the usually well-mannered road behaviour.
Jeep’s significant introduction for the XJ Cherokee was the Quadra-link front suspension. This uses a track bar to maintain the axle location, and when new, contributed to a stable, predictable attitude even at speed. When worn, the suspension can develop a high-speed wobble. Vibration above 60-65mph will give you a very good indication that this is the case. New bushes and dampers will restore normality.
DEATH WOBBLE
Thankfully, the transfer cases used are tough. The selector linkage, however, is not, and problems shifting on the fly can be down to a loose or misaligned link. On 4.0-litre models, Selec-Trac should shift between 2WD and 4WD easily. Any sign of wind up, and the car is in part time 4WD or has issues elsewhere. Older Cherokees may be reluctant to shift back to 2WD until driven on loose surfaces. Four-
TRANSFER CASE
cylinder models only offer part-time 4WD with locked centre differential, and should be tested on appropriate terrain, not Tarmac.
Electric window and seat switches look cheap, and they are. Trim is also cheap and fragile on the early model – watch for the Limited SE with leather-trimmed dashboard. Light switches, fan switches and window motors can all give trouble, as can door locks. The most persistent problem is the immobiliser, which can fail due to wiring problems, particularly in the instrument cluster or on early models, or the simple variation of aftermarket installations.
GREMLINS
Although the Cherokee’s smaller engines may be tempting for economy reasons, in the real world the 4.0 is the only one that makes sense. Not only is it paired to the automatic that suits the car best, the transfer case has both full-time and part-time 4WD with low ratio and shift on the fly. Once you’ve settled on facelift or original and the factory immobiliser is behaving, your real mission is to check for rust.
RIGHT ENGINE CHOICE