My First Jeep - 1998 XJ

[Huffster]

Well, I finally did it... I bought a Jeep! I wasn't really looking for a Jeep, but I sold a Ford F-250 7.3 diesel and needed something to get me back and forth to work so I thought "why not a Jeep". I was online looking around for some info on my new ride and I came across ExPo and have already learned a lot. Some great stories and pictures, too!
At this time I do not plan to do any serious off-loading or crawling, but will drive it when we go camping and plan to install a hitch and/or a new bumper with an integrated receiver once the weather breaks. I would like to be able to pull a small trailer that will allow the family to get back a bit off of the main roads for some good camping, fishing and hunting.
I don't plan to make any significant mods to it, but would like to make a few changes over time. I live near Dayton, Ohio and found the XJ on Craigslist for what I believe to be a fair price considering the nice condition (no rust, regular maintenance, etc.)
I'd like to share some of the details here and ask for your feedback on what's good and what I may need to correct now or watch out for in the near future.
Newly installed items by PO include:

• 3" lift, shocks, joints, alignment, brakes, rotors, tires
• fresh fluid and tune up done with radiator upgrade
• New water pump & hoses and belt
• New header and exhaust, headliner and sound bar

Looking forward to hearing back on what you think I need to look out for or take care of immediately. Also, any specifics on gears, transmission type and axles would be appreciated. I have sort of gotten lost in reading all of the variances that may be possible on the XJ.

Thank you!

 

[jeepgc]

Wow.

Congratulations, that's an excellent looking xj.

 

[TexasGuidedExpeditions]

Oh, man! Guess we have another under our wings....our numbers are growing and our dark side will be stronger than ever! hahaha....

Sent from my lifted UFO!

 

[camodog]

Welcome to both jeep ownership and the forum. Very clean looking XJ you have there.

 

[Chi-Town]

Congratulations! 98' is the best year

 

[Huffster]

Wow.

Congratulations, that's an excellent looking xj.

Thanks! It's hard to find older XJs that are not rusted.

 

[Huffster]

Congratulations! 98' is the best year

It's fun to drive in the snow! I got a surprise the other day though... the CEL came on after sitting in my garage for a couple of days. I had the code read and it showed "89". I did a search and saw the "89" question quite a few times in several forums and various other places on the Internet but didn't see any clear cut answers as to what the code means. I then filled up with fuel and the CEL went off for an entire day and then showed back up this afternoon. Any ideas?

 

[Chi-Town]

I think it's a transmission code for one of the solenoids. I'll try and find my fsm and see exactly which solenoid it is.

 

[mudbutt]

Nice clean XJ...

1. WELCOME!! Nice score in a great looking Cherokee.

2. Don't be in a hurry to modify your XJ. Do a lot of research first. There are so many options out there you will want to be as informed as possible before making any high dollar decisions.

3. Never heard of a code "89"... It should be something like "P0189" (Fuel Temperature Sensor 2 Circuit Intermittent)
See here: http://www.allpar.com/fix/computer-codes.html

4.There's a ton of great info over at NAXJA. They are more geared towards rock crawling, but are generally pretty helpful.

 

[camodog]

2. Don't be in a hurry to modify your XJ. Do a lot of research first. There are so many options out there you will want to be as informed as possible before making any high dollar decisions.

To add to this, don't always skimp on quality. You would rather have something that is built right and will last years of abuse for slighty more money than a cheaper variant of sub par quality.

 

[Huffster]

I think it's a transmission code for one of the solenoids. I'll try and find my fsm and see exactly which solenoid it is.

Thanks for your willingness to check it Chi-Town! The light went off this morning and has stayed off all day. Funny, huh?

 

[Huffster]

To add to this, don't always skimp on quality. You would rather have something that is built right and will last years of abuse for slighty more money than a cheaper variant of sub par quality.

Agreed! Not planning on much except some rock rails (more as a step to get in and out than for boulder protection), rear bumper with a receiver hitch and maybe a beefier front bumper. The truck already has a 3" lift so that seems enough for me. I plan on keeping my eye out for some OEM rims to make it more stock and some fog lights.

 

[Morticon]

Agreed! Not planning on much except some rock rails (more as a step to get in and out than for boulder protection), rear bumper with a receiver hitch and maybe a beefier front bumper. The truck already has a 3" lift so that seems enough for me. I plan on keeping my eye out for some OEM rims to make it more stock and some fog lights.

Stock fogs are expensive do yourself a favour and get some Hellas or IPFs

 

[Huffster]

This weekend I picked up a set of steel wheels and I'm planning to swap out the rims that came on the XJ when I bought it. I really enjoyed MCOBRAY's '99 build and got some great ideas. I especially liked the "stockish" sawblades that he added. Found this set on CL and brought them home for $75.


Here's what I'm taking off.

 

[Morticon]

Good call love the saw blades