Jeep Cherokee for $200!! How bad could it be!??? 

i just recently bought an xj for $150 with 180k miles that's been sitting since 2017 and after some simple maintenance, new fluids, valve cover gasket, and fuel flush, it started right up and runs great. it had a little rust in some spots, but I already fixed most of it, and now it just needs the NSS cleaned, speed sensor, and temp sensor and it will be ready to go

Matt if you drain the ball bearings out of the oil pan it will sound better.

$200 seems like a good price for a bunch of Jeep parts in a box shaped like a Jeep.

Make this into a mini-series: replacing the engine, fixing rust issues, window control replacing, etc. ❤

The man who sold you this for $200 is watching this video and loving his beer-and-pizza trade.

19:25 sawmill and new excavator came eventually! I like coming back to look at these older ones again. Also 29:10 the bigger shop came along for you too!

It sounded like it was laughing at you every time it died.

I think I've those words before " We're about to test the tensile strength of anything that may still be attached to the engine ". Lol

When you put your new engine back in, make sure you replace the top torx bolts with regular hex ones so you can easily get them with a ratchet wrench.

All I want for Christmas is MORE Diesel Creek videos! Merry Christmas to Matt and the wife!

This is a no risk gamble. Scrap value has to be more than that. Good deal in my book.

I had a jeep like that. Cylinder 5 grenaded and Other than sounding exactly like that it drove to the repair shop. No power loss. The piston and con rod were both broken. Loved that jeep.

I am just amazed, Matt. I am amazed at your "can do" attitude on your projects.

Make sure the freeze plug on the back of the head is ok . Not fun to change when the motor is in. Don't ask me how I know.

Yes, I bought one E12 wrench specifically for those bolts on the back on the block lol You also want to keep the original intake, it has better efficiency as far as airflow if you can clean it up, not sure why the new engine would have an older style intake on it. As an owner of 2 XJ's and 2 more previously it is always a treat to see an XJ being worked on and brought back onto the road, and it was always a blast buying them cheap, spending whole afternoons wrenching on them and listening to them roar back to life. Hope you can enjoy it as well.

6:17 - WTH is wrong with your garage?! I can see the floor!

What a great find at $200! I had a '94 Sport Cherokee with the same 4.0L-6cyl for years. Only issues other than routine maintenance were a AC compressor clutch bearing that went out. Which, of course, took out the serpentine belt as well. Also, it developed rust along the top of the windshield that I had to repair twice over the years. It had a little over 267k miles on it when I sold it to a friend. The engine was still running strong, used no oil and started every day no matter how cold the weather. Hope you get the same satisfaction out of yours. That 4.0L engine has lots of power and will last a long time if properly maintained.

This makes me miss my old XJ. Got a ZJ now (bought it for

“Looks like a Chrysler invention...” 😂😂😂

Good thing your shop was downhill from where your Jeep was, gotta love them brakes and steering with no power. I agree with you about working on older equipment, most of the newer equipment is a nightmare to work on. What usually breaks down on our farm equipment is computers, sensors and mice eating wires. Good luck getting your motor in.

We have a saying here in the UK - 'What does JEEP stand for? - Just Enough Essential Parts'

The fact that it even started is a testament to the engine design. I have a 97 Grand with 195 and it starts every time...

Hi Françe, finding a garbage can of this kind here at this price is a dream that cannot happen I will follow this restarting carefully, I am a mechanic so I am laughing but the engine of the crane truck has worked well again so it is cool ...

This was made in the era when Chrysler ( and all it's siblings ) should have closed it's doors and gone away,... for good! Hear that laughter there in the background, that's the guy who sold this to you, as he's counting his $200.00 Other than that,...this Cherokee will keep you busy for a while, and us entertained, this is an enjoyable video to watch and listen to. Thanks!

You are fearless when it comes to ripping into this stuff 💪

I got a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the inline 6 last year for $600. 247k miles. I changed the front driveshaft and a bunch of sensors (O², camshaft, engine coolant temp, thermostat, mass airflow, etc), put in a new battery, air filter, plugs and coil rail, and topped the cake with new tires. Winters first snow hit this week, no regrets in investment. Especially since I got all the parts at cost. I was amazed how easy it was, even for someone like me who isn't a mechanic, to work on it. I'm a believer in the first and second generation Jeeps now.

Would like to see the damage in the old engine.

My son had a 2000 Cherokee. He had a lot of coolant system problems with it. He was not mechanically inclined. He lived to far away for me to be to much help, so he got taken to the cleaners. He got rear ended and sold it for 600.00. Then he bought a Durango, more Chrysler crap. I advised against. Had coolant and trans problems with that. Now has a Ram pickup probably be looking foward to trans problems with that. I had my season with Chryslers in the 70s and was cured. I've learned advice seldom goes further than the end of your mouth. Chrysler is crap, but for the 500.00 you have in it, probably be a good runner. Wouldn't waste time glueing headliner. Just cut it out and live with the rat rod beauty of the ceiling. Did that with a 500.00 Nova I had. Ran good.

Go check out Matts off road recovery to see what you can do with these old Jeep XJs

that was the sound of a mechanic going insane! 6 hours later! sometimes it takes just stepping away and coming back to it with a cooler head. love the videos Matt!

"controlled lowering"...a technical term for when the engine doesn't hit the floor because of the pipes/cables you forget to disconnect ......

Not a Jeep expert but here's my store of my wife's 1994 Grand Cherokee. Note, she has had this jeep longer than me, I'm only her auto mechanic. - Engine 4.0, todate 295K miles, still running. - Exhaust manifold checked at flange. - Transmission replaced at around 200K. - PCM replaced four times. - Crank and cam position sensors replaced I lost count. - Heater core replaced, only took four times to get one to fit. - Front differential rebuilt, bolts came lose from the ring gear. - Lost count on the coolant system repairs. - AC unit quite years ago. - Headliner hanging down due to the foam it's glued to dissinarated. - PCM wiring harness replaced, sprayed it with contact cleaner and it eat the plastic in the 60 pin connector. - Replaced front door hinge pins, door latch broken, repaired with large gender washers. - Front driver's door wire harness that goes though the jam needs replaced, windows and door locks won't work. She's paid for and runs, I know if i get rid of her we will have another snow storm of 1977 and 78. Put this girl in the snow and she will dig her heart out.

Excellent as always. I have never heard an engine sound like a metal bucket full of nuts and bolts and then shaken!

Although I live in Orlando Florida I was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania I love your sense of humor it reminds me of when I used to live in Pittsburgh especially it runs and drives and has a heater you're one of my favorite RU-vid channels keep up the good work

In 1997 I bought a year old Cherokee with about 20k on it. It was about as base as they come, 2 doors, 2wd, stick, 4.0, AC and not much else. It's now almost a quarter century later, I still have that old Jeep, only now it's got about 600k on it. Best car I've ever had.

I pulled engines this way for 15 years. Finally got a shop with a 11,000 lb two post lift. Absolutely cuts the time in half and saves your body in the long run.

Engine hoist: The tool used to test the tensile strength of everything you forget to disconnect.

Young and poor, 1978 Malibu, took me two days to get the top two bolts out of the bell housing. I still remember the pain.

Had a 1991. Bearing went out in the bottom end of engine. Rusted and broken. Still miss the old girl. Live 8n NEPA

Old retired diesel mechanic from Salt Spring island off the coast of British Colombia Canada. Could not agree more on the Equipment vs cars . Good luck on the new motor.

I read "6 hours later" in the voice of the Sponge Bob narrator.

I checked Webster's Dictionary for the word Neglected, thinking I would find a picture of this XJ. To my surprise, it was not there. Cared for, these 4.0 can go twice as long without any major maintenance than what's on the clock for this one, not withstanding the glaring "half fixes" (if even that) of everything else. I'm 700 miles from 300k on my '98 XJ and she's still going strong. Wish you good luck on breathing some life back into her!

Check the wiring between the door on the drivers side, they are notorious for breaking apart

All I want for Christmas is a Dewalt Impact driver like you have . I learned several things about a Jeep as I've gotten lucky and will be helping my nephew remove and repair the transmission and transfer case in his Jeep . Oh how lucky I am ? Great video Matt . Keep'em coming .

13👍's up DC thanks again for taking the time for us all to be with you for the rest of the story

Ref gluing the headliner. The old foam backing doesn't glue well. An easy fix is diamond tuck pleating with a Swingline stapler.

She’d still go for 2grand around my parts lol

I've got a 1993 Cherokee with 339,000. I use it for my hunting rig. I don't know if someone rebuilt it before I bought it. I've replaced all the basic stuff through the years and she still starts and runs great. And get this; the A.C still works great. I run 30× 9.5 ×15 tires on stock rims. No clearance problems.

I’ve had a jeep since I was 17 love them. I’ve had both the 4.0 and the 2.5TD XJ. JEEP- Just Empty Every Pocket.

Bent push rod due to over heat lock up. Might be an easy fix. The new thermostat in the back makes me want that valve cover off

Sounds like you got a tin can full of marbles sitting on the engine ...

Good project! "Beater with a heater" describes what a lot of us drive. We've had 3 Wranglers and I have an '83 Scrambler that is a close to a sports car as I'll ever get. Also have Willys CJ5's from the 50's. We've been pretty happy with them. OTOH, we had 2 Cherokees, an '83 and a new off the lot '89 IIRC. Horrible vehicles! The 83 was during that AMC/Renault fiasco and had a AMC/Renault "world design" engine of some sort, or so I was told. Absolute junk. The other one had the straight 6 but the transfer case split in half the 2nd week we owned it, and it didn't split across the bolts, it split across the case. We lived 100ish miles from the dealer and it took them 2 weeks just to come get it. That was the high point of our owning it. The rest of the story goes down hill from there. No heat to speak of out of those things no matter what we did. Wonderful attribute for northern NY along the Ontario border! Anyway, the basic vehicle is ok and yeah, the 6 is a good engine. I wouldn't cross a newer one off my beater list, but it's no Suburban!

The laugh tinged with hysteria was absolutely awesome

Getting the engine out reminds me of how it went when I pulled the 4.2 out of my 85 CJ7. I'd burned a hole thru a piston, this jeep sounds like I remember mine sounding. Ended up folding one of the spring fingers on the clutch. Had to redo the T176 transmission anyway, so I put em together before dropping them both back in. Was a whole lot easier!

"Miles left in her"? Sounds more like inches left in her.

I just replaced the headliner on my '98 Grand Cherokee. Hobby Lobby sells headliner fabric cheap. It's fabric with foam rubber. Clean all the rotten foam off the headliner. It's like foamboard with some fiberglass strands for strength. Use 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. Mine turned out nice! Unless you just plain take it out and leave it out.

ah engine hoists. the best way to test the tensile strength of everything you forgot to remove

Couldn't help but laugh when you were coasting down the hill with no power steering etc. I know that feeling and you're commentary was hilarious.

As worn out has the driver door hinge pins are, i can guarantee almost half of the driver door wiring harness is completely frayed and split in two. That's why your windows, locks and mirror won't work.

My buddy had a "99"cherokee which we used to go booney hopping with.It had major electrical problems/ ignition.But it did good over a few years!

Stay tuned for next episode "how to wiggle the bag of marbles out of your engine!" :-D Great project! :-D

You’re more man than me brother for your efforts on vehicle mechanics! I can’t stand how the builders put something in a tight space!

I know you’re probably do not have time for it but I’d love a teardown of the bad engine to see what went wrong

I used some 3/4" strips of paneling I had to hold up the headliner. It worked great.

there's more than $200 just in parts lol

It's way worth the time to fix it up, Old jeeps like that can last a lifetime and are just fun as hell to make an off road truck too. Keep the faith on it.

Good heavens brother I said when hearing that poor thing. Good on you for disassembly Best of luck on the re Central California Watching

Imagine getting it back in brother, that’s why I’m a welder and not a mechanic my friend! 👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻

It doesnt hurt that you have a video to go back to watch to see where a part came from if you cant remember.

You got the bolt out and blew out my ears at the same time. That's amazing.

"Oh no, shes got MILES left in her." I died laughing... Shes at least got a mile left.

Now I can appreciate why you like diesel engines so much!

As I’m in the hospital with covid watching this, my wish is that I get to go home to my family for x-mas! Happy hollidays to you and your loved ones! 🎅🏼

A "running" car for $200? That by itself is amazing. Body looks good for a 20 year old PA car. Ya dun gud Matt. Sweat equity will get you a great 'beater with a heater' for the winter, and, if the replacement engine is good, for several more winters. Looking forward to the teardown of the old mill. Thanks for sharing.

Love your content, cant wait for part2

The amount of one liners in this videos is just incredible😂😂😂😂 good work buddy!!

Sounds like a rocker arm isn’t where it’s supposed to be pop the head off to check things !

The extra 300 I paid for my 90 XJ five years ago was worth it. And since Montana doesn't do salt (much less snow removal) it is solid. Now I just need to chase down the electrical issues so I have dash left gets, tail lights, heater..., basically everything behind the sterling wheel that needs electricity.

make sure the cam in the new engine has a distributor drive gear.

You've quite a job ahead of you, Matt. Winter temps won't make it any more pleasant. As for Christmas, my wife and I buy our own gifts all year long.

I think that Cherokee _took an arrow to the knee_ ... it's hurt'in God speed my son. :D

Well what ever the problem is it sure made for a great video so far bro. Safe travels

If you didn’t show us under the hood I woulda thought they diesel swapped it.

Looked good from far....., enjoyed it. I had an ~84 AMC Eagle (2 door hatchback with 4 wheel drive) that had the 4.0 in it. I bought it way back when for about $1200, sold it 2 years later for the same amount.

For Xmas we want a Diesel Creek, Mustie1 and Watch Wes Work video.

Best part is I don't even see the CEL lit up haha.

You gonna be one of those guys that say “ it’s a Jeep thing😂” i guess u could say it’s a cheap Jeep🤦‍♂️😂 Good luck bud

The spot by the marker, when it broke in i had a good giggle

“Jump pack” lol

Just get a whole lot of drawing pins onto that sagged hoodliner. Works a treat for a work vehicle that doesn't need to be pristine. Save you time & cash too. They stick into the fome underlay really well in my experience and don't do much damage to the trim.

I think you could have pushed it by hand into the garage faster than that. 😂🤣😂 What was the official kill count trying to get it in the garage? Good luck with the new install and thanks for the awesome videos.

Just sold my 1998 jeep cherokee classic for $10,500 a month ago, lots of love and time put into it, and definitely the cleanest one I've ever seen. Glad to have owned it, on to the next owner.

He design is to remove the engine and transmission as a unit, just like it is assembled in the factory.

My muffler rusted clear off the pipe at the welds. I took a section of the tail pipe and bolted it up to dump the exhaust out the passenger side just in front of the rear tire. It sounded phenomenal. At 3500rpm that baby sounded like a racecar.

You should definitely tear into the old engine I'm kind of curious what broke!

i too bought an xj for $200, had it about 9 months. been my daily for 8 of em. also may I congratulate you on getting one with rockers.

sort of like a Doug DeMuro -- quirks and features -- video.. "sort of" :):)

The best thing about it is a kid with a basic tool box can do everything to it. The engine is a Lego set. The transmission is still supported today and easy to change. It is a forever vehicle. There is nothing that can go wrong that can not easily and affordably be repaired by you.

I understand that you can't have holes rusted through the body in PA., is that true? will you need to fix those?

I took the engine and transmission out of my 1962 Pontiac Bonneville all at one time and still together. I feel your pain! Not being a mechanic no one told me you can't do that so I did it. LOL!!!