Anyone know of any common issues with older Cherokees

Mantilgh

Mantilgh

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Well, I am getting a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Limited from my wife's uncle for basically nothing. I have not seen it yet, but I know it needs a few things fixed or replaced to pass inspection. I know it needs tires, and the drivers side air bag was stolen when the visited the lovely city of New York.

I am assuming it is an auto and have heard many times that the auto transmission is garbage in some year Cherokees but I think this is more for the next generation of them.

Anyone know any common problems with these? What should I check out or replace?

He also said it does not have heat on the passenger side, but I assume I can find and fix the issue.
 
They're PRETTY bullet proof, BUT there are some problem spots. Rear main seal leaks on almost every one of those things at some point. Evaporator coil is a major problem on those things if you want AC to work. Chances are if it hasn't been replaced it'll need it, and that's not cheap. The AW4 transmission in that year is great......assuming it's an auto. Other than that.....not much else goes wrong.

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I'm gonna be nice and not tell you, good luck with it and don't even think of pressure washing the engine.
 
GSKR said:
I'm gonna be nice and not tell you, good luck with it and don't even think of pressure washing the engine.
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Older ones I'd agree with that. I pressure washed the crap out of my 2000 limited all the time, never once an issue.

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Thanks for the heads up Suke. Good to know about the tranny.

Haha GSKR, now your scaring me. I guess I'll have to find out the hard way.

Good thing is that it's a one owner and I know them well and assume it been fairly well treated.


Also, any good Jeep forums out there I should join. I try to do all my mechanical work myself.
 
Naxja.org is the best out there. There's a cult following on these. I miss mine all the time. I sold it with 153k on it, and I still see it driving around town.

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suke said:
Naxja.org is the best out there. There's a cult following on these. I miss mine all the time. I sold it with 153k on it, and I still see it driving around town.

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My brother in law was looking for one in ny, they sell quick even with high mileage hot item in New England region.
 
Dunno much about Jeeps. But I did put a head gasket on one with a 4l straight 6 once.

The head was iron and weighed as much as a Kia.
 
Jeep/ Chrysler have never been know for there reliability or quality. I'd personally steer clear. I requested an SUV from a rental car company last year in Reno/ Tahoe. They provided a new Jeep Cherokee. Unfortunately things haven't changed. The doors rattled so bad I thought it was going to fall apart. The vehicle had 5,300 miles on it.
 
Had a 2000 for 13 years it was a pretty solid vehicle. We had to have the dash pulled to replace AC evaporator. They are also susceptible to heat soak on one of the fuel injectors, there is a fix to insulate it a bit. I never bothered with ours the idle smoothed out after 15-30 seconds.
 
conquistador said:
Jeep/ Chrysler have never been know for there reliability or quality. I'd personally steer clear. I requested an SUV from a rental car company last year in Reno/ Tahoe. They provided a new Jeep Cherokee. Unfortunately things haven't changed. The doors rattled so bad I thought it was going to fall apart. The vehicle had 5,300 miles on it.
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I'd never judge a car by a rental. Those things are beat to hell and back so that's not a good example to go by.
 
gsbell said:
Had a 2000 for 13 years it was a pretty solid vehicle. We had to have the dash pulled to replace AC evaporator. They are also susceptible to heat soak on one of the fuel injectors, there is a fix to insulate it a bit. I never bothered with ours the idle smoothed out after 15-30 seconds.
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Thanks. I have a Datsun 280zx with a straight 6 which has a similar issue with the fuel being boiled because of heat soak since the intake and exaust manifolds are on the same side. I never had any real problems with it, only occasionally when it hot out.

Signed up with Naxja.org, I'm sure I'll need their collective advice at some point.

Thanks Suke
 
parshooter said:
I'd never judge a car by a rental. Those things are beat to hell and back so that's not a good example to go by.
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That's my point if the problems show up after of 5,300 of miles rental use I don't foresee it lasting even 100k with normal use.
 
Yeah, it's sad to say.

I thought the Dodge Avengers were cool when they first intruduced them. Then I sat in one a couple of years later and it was like everything was loose, rattling, and falling off it. I was probably less than five years old and seemed like it was fifteen.
 
My wife owned a '95 XJ (same gen as a 2000) which we ran until around 2007.

She loved the vehicle, but it was not what you'd call reliable. We went through several radiators, all sorts of seals due to oil leaks everywhere, tons of issues with the brakes.

I also wasn't impressed by some of the under-hood plastic bits. One day while replacing a leaky hose between the radiator and the heater core, the little valve that controls that coolant flow literally crumbled in my hands by just touching it. Not what I expected in a car which was only 6~7 years old at the time.

From a design perspective, the very low backs on the rear seats were a concern for us. While my daughter was in a car seat it was fine, but once in a booster and beyond, the seat back barely came up to her shoulders. For an adult it would hit about your lower shoulder blades...with no head rests. In a rear-end collision I could see a high potential for whiplash or other neck injury.
 
That the engineering team was officially on heroin the entire time they desined those Sh!tboxes.
 
conquistador said:
Jeep/ Chrysler have never been know for there reliability or quality. I'd personally steer clear. I requested an SUV from a rental car company last year in Reno/ Tahoe. They provided a new Jeep Cherokee. Unfortunately things haven't changed. The doors rattled so bad I thought it was going to fall apart. The vehicle had 5,300 miles on it.
Click to expand...

Dapper Don said:
That the engineering team was officially on heroin the entire time they desined those Sh!tboxes.
Click to expand...

Never owned a Jeep, but every year I pick up Consumer Reports, Jeep has a black dot next to reliability.
 
Mantilgh said:
Well, I am getting a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Limited from my wife's uncle for basically nothing. I have not seen it yet, but I know it needs a few things fixed or replaced to pass inspection. I know it needs tires, and the drivers side air bag was stolen when the visited the lovely city of New York.

I am assuming it is an auto and have heard many times that the auto transmission is garbage in some year Cherokees but I think this is more for the next generation of them.

Anyone know any common problems with these? What should I check out or replace?



He also said it does not have heat on the passenger side, but I assume I can find and fix the issue.
Click to expand...

You must be talking about a Grand Cherokee?
 
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