I'm considering buying a 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4-door, 4x4, 4.0L straight 6, with a 3 or 3.5 lift and 31 inch tires for about $2,000. It's having an overheating problem at the moment (believed to be the head gasket or rings [please tell me if you know])... The cost to fix this problem will be deducted from the $2,000 price tag. I'm planning on using this SUV as a daily driver/off-road/something to pull my boat with. Current owner treats it amazingly good - drives about 25-30mph just about everywhere, has taken it mudding but not much. He has gotten the 4x4 fixed in the past, but claims that it runs strong now. Other than that, no major problems to speak of.
Please let me know if this is a good buy or not, and reasons. Thank you...
~Logan

I'm considering buying a 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4-door, 4x4, 4.0L straight 6, with a 3 or 3.5 lift and 31 inch tires for about $2,000. It's having an overheating problem at the moment (believed to be the head gasket or rings [please tell me if you know])... The cost to fix this problem will be deducted from the $2,000 price tag. I'm planning on using this SUV as a daily driver/off-road/something to pull my boat with. Current owner treats it amazingly good - drives about 25-30mph just about everywhere, has taken it mudding but not much. He has gotten the 4x4 fixed in the past, but claims that it runs strong now. Other than that, no major problems to speak of.
Please let me know if this is a good buy or not, and reasons. Thank you...
~Logan

Hey Mech. Declined,

If there was a bad headgasket it would be billowing white smoke smells slightly sweet and you'd see coolant mixed in with the engine oil.

If the rings were bad you'd see blue smoke.

Low Oil Pressure - Bad Main Seal or Not enough oil in crankcase.

Overheating - Coolant Bad, Radiator Clogged, Air Trapped in System, Bad Thermostat, Bad Clutch on Fan, Electric Fan not working, Fan Switch not working, etc.

If you can switch in/out of 4x4 and all wheels engage thru all modes you should be ok. Easiest way to see this is on lift.

Thx, Phil:smile:

Before you throw a head gasket at it get it checked out first.
Most repair shops can run a blockcheck/chemical head gasket test.
MT :lol: :grinno: :lol2:

Dude! I had an 89' Cherokee Laredo and I wish I had never gotten rid of it. For 2 grand it doesn't sound like a bad deal at all. But! Only if you are planning on replacing most(if not all) of the elements that could cause it to overheat. Overheating is the biggest enemy of an engine so I would ask him how long its been doing that. If its been a while then plan on making other repairs to the engine (fuel injectors, cleaning the carbon caked inside of the valve cover [ :confused: which is plastic on that model], replacing PVC tubes, etc.) It could turn into quite an adventure, but I can promise you that once that old Cherokee is up and running it can be one of the best vehicles you've ever owned! Any questions whatsoever about your cherokee if you choose to buy you've got my name. I'm only on about once a week, but send me messages and I'll get back to them as soon as I see them.

If the body and 4x4 is good, I'd say $2000.00 is a good deal. I'd be surprised to see a head gasket problem, but it is possible. Does the underside of the oil cap look like chocolate milk mud?

I'd personally pull the radiator and shrouds to backflush the air fins with a water hose. Do the ac condenser too if equipped. That was the most common cause I found on these trucks over the years. Don't use air because it won't clean it good enough. I'd also check the clutch fan operation.

Does it actually boil over, or is the guage just reading high?