Jeep Cherokee

[Cris Schroeder]

Is there anyone who is currently chasing, or has previously chased, in a Jeep XJ Cherokee? I'm planning on picking one up next spring. We need something to tow behind our RV and we enjoy off-roading, so the XJ sounds like it would fit the bill and make a capable chase vehicle, also.

For those that chase/chased in the XJ, are there any major issues I should look out for? I'd like to set it up with a dashcam, ham radio, etc. and it looks a little tight inside. Just FYI, I'm looking for a '97-'99 XJ with the newer interior style. I'll take either the NP231 or NP242 transfer cases, but I plan to hunt around for the Chrysler 8.25 rear instead of the Dana 35. I see a lot of nice XJ's around but not many are for sale...I assume this is a good sign.

In the end I'll probably add 3-4 inches of lift and run 31's on it. Maybe ARB lockers, some Bushwacker flares, a winch bumper, etc. as time goes on.

Any advice or comments would be appreciated!

 

[Steve Miller]

Cris - I'm really surprised this thread hasn't had more attention by now. I know at least two people who currently chase in Cherokees and I have chased in two prior to my truck that I currently use for chasing.
My first Cherokee was an 89 and I ran it up to 176K miles before selling it to a guy who I hear is still driving it around my old hometown.
Cherokee #2 was a 94 model I bought with 13K and ran it up to around 100K before letting it go.
Both vehicles had the 4.0 inline 6. Neither of them ever had a mechanical problem. Both had Dana gears too...
The Cherokee is an amazing, very capable vehicle and I would have one again in a heartbeat.

As you mentioned, Jeeps aren't roomy. I'm 6'4" and managed to fit in just fine though. It's more of a side to side room problem. Fitting two adults with a ram mount is a little challenging but can be done as well.
The dash is tiny. A dash cam would be best integrated into the ram mount.
One interesting Jeep problem is the ignition. For some reason it throws more RF than anything I have seen so far when rigging my own vehicle or helping someone else with theirs. I ended up using shielded coax cable to run power from the battery to help suppress the noise. It worked.

I've owned four Jeeps, two Cherokees and two Wranglers. I left the Cherokees stock for the most part. The Wranglers I modified. I can tell you from experience that as soon as you go lifting, upping the tire/wheel size or doing anything that will change the stock angles of the drivetrain in a Jeep, you begin to put yourself at risk for failures.
Yeah, it looks great and you will turn some heads but in the long run, changing angles of the drivetrain with everything going on under that rig will eventually catch up to you. In addition, you will lose a lot of stability on the highway and your gas mileage will hit new lows too. My current Wrangler is just a toy and I still fight it constantly when I drive it on the weekends. It's more of a pain in the butt to drive than anything I've had before - but it looks great! It has a 4" lift, 31" tires and some other additions. Would I chase in it? Never. Would I chase in a Cherokee with a similar setup? Never!

Hope this helps.

 

[Shane Adams]

Is there anyone who is currently chasing, or has previously chased, in a Jeep XJ Cherokee? I'm planning on picking one up next spring. We need something to tow behind our RV and we enjoy off-roading, so the XJ sounds like it would fit the bill and make a capable chase vehicle, also.

For those that chase/chased in the XJ, are there any major issues I should look out for? I'd like to set it up with a dashcam, ham radio, etc. and it looks a little tight inside. Just FYI, I'm looking for a '97-'99 XJ with the newer interior style. I'll take either the NP231 or NP242 transfer cases, but I plan to hunt around for the Chrysler 8.25 rear instead of the Dana 35. I see a lot of nice XJ's around but not many are for sale...I assume this is a good sign.

In the end I'll probably add 3-4 inches of lift and run 31's on it. Maybe ARB lockers, some Bushwacker flares, a winch bumper, etc. as time goes on.

Any advice or comments would be appreciated!

Start saving now for gas.....for 2015.

 

[Cris Schroeder]

I appreciate the comments, especially regarding the electrical noise. I've heard good things about XJ reliability as well, and the 4.0 sounds like a good engine. I used to have a '66 Mustang with a straight-six and it was the smoothest engine I've ever driven.

It will be a challenge weighing offroad capability against highway driveability; the XJ will be my daily driver for work. We had a blast driving some trails on the Alpine Loop near Silverton, CO last year, and we also played around the Moab area, using rentals both times. I'm not looking to clobber Black Bear Pass or Hell's Revenge anytime soon, but a couple of extra inches of ground clearance would be nice.

I would be interested to see how other XJ owners mounted their ham gear. I've been searching the internet but there is surprisingly little info on XJ radio installations.

 

[Steve Miller]

Well, let that be a good indicator of the Jeeps capability. I'm sure the rental jeeps were stock units. That area around Silverton and Ouray, Colo is rough and Moab is even worse. If that's the kind of riding you plan on doing, I would keep the suspension stock and upgrade the width and tread of the tire. For onroad/offroad I like Bridgestone's products. If you plan ot go mudding, get the monster tires and 4" lift.
I have the latter and my jeep has never seen mud - unless the trail is a little wet! I wish it were stock 90% of the time.

The 4.0 is a good engine indeed - and very strong. Back when I used to change my own oil, I would note in two of the jeeps (one was the 176K mile jeep) the oil, after 3K-4K miles was clean and clear. I've never come across that in a V engine. That thing must have the lease wear of any engine.

Shoot some pics over when you pick one up.

 

[CraigFisher]

I currently chase with 2001 XJ. 3" lift, 31's, 4.0 Auto, NP 231, 8.25.
Near future upgrades will be winch bumper - like Nates 4X4 slimeline(can be seen on ebay), front locker, Ram Mount and wireless cell booster.
I used to crawl at Tuttle Creek with a 91 YJ, SOA, 35's, lockers front and rear, etc, etc. I love jeeps!

With the XJs, once you get to 3.5" lift, expect to instal a Slip Yoke Eliminator. Even with my lift, had to drop the transfer case 1" to get the proper DL angle.

 

[Aaron Blaharski]

If it's going to be a daily driver / chase vehicle, be sure to do it right and address driveline angles and steering setup, and any other components which operating condition you change. A few of the posters already touched on this, but it's worth repeating as it will be a deciding factor of whether you end up with an enjoyable ride, or a rough, poorly handling Jeep. At 3"-4" I'd expect to do some correcting on the pinion angle and driveshaft setup. Some kits do a good job at adressing steering setup, other do not.

Good call on the 8.25", it's a superior unit compared to the D35, especially if lockers may be in your future. The 4.0 is no gas saver, but it's a benchmark for reliability.

You may already know about it, but http://www.jeepforum.com is a decent resource. As with any loosely moderated public forum, there is a fair amount of BS to wade through (kudos to the ST mods who keep this one up). But, it's a pretty large forum, so if you have a specific question/issue, chances are someone has encountered it. Good luck, and good Jeepin' .

 

[Cris Schroeder]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I tend to over-research things like this so I have been soaking up everything I can find. Having never driven one, the handling changes will be something I have to try out before I can decide how aggressive to go.

 

[Blake Michaleski]

I currently chase in a 92 cherokee with a 4.0 that was a Katrina Flood recovery... paid $500 and put another $700 or so in it and I have a nice chase rig. This one won't see the plains I'm afraid as it has 215k miles on it, yet runs strong as can be. I'm looking to pick up a newer one, probably a 2001 (last year). This one is being saved for hurricane intercepts. IF something happens beyond my control and I lose the vehicle, it's no big deal, financially to me.

Mine is a 2wd which saves a bit on gas.. i rarely see the need for 4WD while chasing. i do have a small lift and 33" tires (had them sitting around from the other jeep) the larger tires actually increased my MPG a little on the highway (lowered it some in the city) because i retained the same 3.55 gears. it kinda has that whole jeep speed/prerunner /desert-race look to it. I have a Prerunner front bumper with 3 long range offroad lights.

I love the rig but I will need something newer before next spring. but realistically, It'll probably end up being a newer XJ

I too am a jeep guy, I have a YJ that I crawl in north AL.

I would say to look for the NP231 case over the 242... and yes on the 8.25 chrysler rear axle... Dana 30 up front is fine. the 97-99 has the more desirable high pinion front axle.

The 4.0L is hard to beat, you wont get exceptional mileage, (I get hand calculated 19 mpg highway) but the power is more than sufficient and the engines respond well to simple mods... free flowing air intake and exhaust will free up a few HP and increase your MPG some.... don't bother with a high energy ignition setup, the factory setup is more than adequate and many jeepspeed racers maintain the factory setup.

being that this is a straight front axled vehicle... it isn't going to ride like a Cadillac. spend the money on good monotube shocks (bilstein, rubicon express) for a chase ride I'd lift it no more than 3" with 31's.... I'm 3" with 33's and a major fender trim job. if you lift it more than that, the short arms will cause kickback over big bumps.

As far as mounting a ham radio... get a remote head capable unit. I have my RF box mounted in the back cargo area and the head mounted on the windshield with the bracket form an old rearview mirror. I had posted a thread about that but never got a good pic of it. I'll try and get one up.

anymore questions feel free to ask...

 

[dbarker]

I'd like to see that setup for your radio, Im a novice chaser, just do the local stuff as im in a 02 mustang gt with a handheld ham.

However, I plan on joining the big boys this upcoming season and have been considering a 98 Cherokee thats in the area for cheap.

For the life of me, I can not figure out how to mount the equipment inside.

 

[Daniel Barker]

cherokee people

since i see another barker here, thought i would mention common problem with the jeep cherokees is the crankcase position sensor

if you find yourself in the boonies and the jeep turns over , but doesn't start, and you have gas in the tank, hopefully you can grab somebody to see if you have spark by removing a spark plug

if it turns over with no spark try removing the crankcase position wire and putting it back on

the wire i think comes off the firewall i think it goes to the rear , drivers side, rear of the of the engine

side note-as costly as gas is you may want to stay away from tall tires, many multi state chasers are going to 4wd subarus chasing on dirt roads once wet is to be avoided, unless it is really got a lot of gravel in it, or the storm isn't moving. once you have ponding and or mud you will wish you were on pavement, negating the advantage of rock crawler characteristics. I do know some pro rock crawlers and shops in colo thou, if anyone needs help. I putt around in 4 runners, stock some have a rear locker, good feature, for stuck situations, wishing at the pumps i had greener ride.