10th Feb 2008, 18:39

I bought a 89 XJ pioneer for $300 2 years ago with 375000 KM. What a piece of junk. It was not maintained at all. I have had all the problems mentioned above and I also had to take the tranny apart because it was stuck in overdrive. Mine was equipped with the 5 speed manual overdrive made by Peugeot and is not able to be fixed from the top. I also had the drivers door come off in my hand. I love my jeep. People call it garbage and it just makes me want to keep driving it so it outlasts there rigs. I want another one, but mabey this time I will spend $500 and get one in better shape.

16th Apr 2008, 02:27

I just purchased a 1989 cherokee laredo today, 78319 miles, it runs great, one owner, I will keep and eye open on the heating aspects, There is a small noise when you accelerate, The guy I bought it from took it in to his mechanic and he said the noise is in the water pump bearings??? or something like that..??? I hope I can get to the 200000 mile mark with out spending to much $$$. Any issues with the serpentine belt or the pulleys?? I did have a Jeep truck years ago tough. Talk with you soon wish me luck...

N.

15th Jul 2008, 13:50

I own a '90 Jeep Cherokee which crossed the US-Mexico Border in 2000. It has had 3 owners in US and 3 here in Mexico. It has had all the issues related above (window motors out, A/C out, headlights switch burnt, burnt head gasket, cracked coolant reservoir, steering box grade 8 bolts broken in half, etc), but with proper maintenance all issues can be even avoided. Let's see.

Burnt head gasket: It overheated, because the fan did not kick in. Install a direct switch to start the fan and place it near the hood opening lever under the steering wheel and whenever you see the temp rising, it may mean the fan is not kicking in due to some sensor failure, switch the fan on and continue driving and checking the temp, and so later you can have it checked. The gasket being made of that wood-like material is great, as the aluminum gaskets melt and cause the engine head to bend and then they need to be rectified which is very costly. The coolant reservoir can be changed for that of a Golf with some minor adaptation, I was able to find two used bottles for $5USD each before making the adaptation. Something to put attention on is the radiator, as mine had come plugged with aluminum and some other welding material, thus making it inefficient. I had to buy another one. Always use coolant fluid instead of water, this engines are natural to be very hot, so plain water won't work.

Headlights switch burnt: Some times the headlight switch (the one you have to pull twice) gets dirt and causes shorts, burning the harness and sometimes the switch. Also, if you open the start switch and turn the lights on, it may also cause shorts. Better turn the lights on when the engine is already running and before making any gear change. It is not very expensive to replace anyway, just ask for a Chrysler part instead of Jeep, because the price difference, at least here in Mexico, is considerable.

All the issues I currently have with my Jeep are because of the spare parts being impossible to get in Mexico. Take your Jeep to maintenance every year, change all oils (differential, engine, automatic transmission, steering, brakes) and have the lines drained / cleaned with compressed air to get rid of dirt. Is not expensive and makes the Jeep go better.

15th Jan 2009, 19:19

Can a water coolant reservoir cause an engine to run hot? Changed the thermostat, but still building pressure up.

9th Aug 2009, 04:37

I've just recently acquired a 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with 220,000 miles on it. The radiator, alternator and starter recently died, and also the radio. But all in all, after this much time the Jeep runs great. It has power and response. It has been run into the ground by other people for years. But in the hands of someone with care, it is a truly trustworthy vehicle. Jeeps stand as a definition of battle vehicles.

9th Jan 2011, 22:07

I have a 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with the 4.0L six and 4 wheel drive. I purchased the vehicle in 1997 when the vehicle had 110,000 miles on it. It now has 398,000 miles, with the original engine and Aisan Warner automatic transmission, and New Process 242-J transfer case.

The worst thing about this vehicle are oil leaks, which I repaired by replacing the gaskets and rear main seal at about 200,000 miles. At the same time I had this work done, I had the timing chain/gear replaced and a new high-volume oil pump installed.

A vehicle with this many miles wears all kinds of stuff out on normal order. You imply that a vehicle is a piece of junk because stuff wears out. You chose not to fix it, and then major problems happened because of that decision.

I have replaced the following on this car:

3 radiators - 1st US made, 2nd Mexico, 3rd China.

3 water pumps - besides the OEM, all were limited life-time warranted parts from either Auto Zone or O'Reilly.

8 fuel injectors.

Pressurized coolant tanks - more than 6 - bad design, so buy the least expensive from Rock Auto and do not unscrew the cap under pressure, or the threads will give way.

Front/rear axle pinion seals and front/rear output shaft seals on transfer case.

2 exhaust manifolds - Defective design that OEM won't cover on warranty, but Auto Zone does.

Replaced power steering pump.

Replaced air conditioning clutch.

Replaced distributor cap /rotor 10 times.

Replaced u-joints on rear driveshaft 2 times.

Rebuilt front driveshaft once.

Oxygen sensor four times.

Flushed transmission/torque converter at purchase, and then filter/fluid at each 40,000 miles.

Oil/Fram PH3985 filter every 3000 - 3500 miles.

Fram CA3901 air filter every 10,000 - 12,000 miles.

Crankshaft rotational sensor twice.

Rocker arm cover RTV seal replaced with cork gasket.

Even with all this stuff replaced, this car has only left me stranded twice - once with a defective rotor and second time with crankshaft sensor that had to be replaced.

This Jeep engine still doesn't use any oil, has been running on Wal-Mart SuperTec 10W-30 Synthetic and Pennzoil Platinum and Ultra 10W-30 ever since I got it.

Before the 10% ethanol, my Jeep would get about 21.5 mpg at about 75 mph. Now the best I can get is about 20.5 mpg.

In summary, this car engine/transmission/and transfer case was built to last. What a cool thing to have been on the design team for it.

23rd Nov 2013, 22:06

Dear Sir,

I have a 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 6 cylinder 4 wheel drive. I purchased it used with 161,000 miles on it, and it has proven to be quite reliable for a vehicle with 196,000 miles on it now, and I can say with confidence that over 10,000 of those miles were spent in very harsh conditions off the paved road, 4 wheeling. With all of the problems you have experienced, I feel that the Jeep you have purchased is a genuine lemon.