ok, change of plans...

[1977cherokeechief]

here is my situation.

I am 18 years old, still living at home. I acquired a 95 ford probe for free. ran great for 3 days. now it is just a money pit. first the timing belt, then the head gasket is leaking, now now the rear main seal is leaking like a siv(sp).

now on the cherokee all that i know that needs to be fixed is the shifter input seal on the th400, seats finished installing, various wiring problems(all gauges)



so, here is my choices. take the probe to a shop and get the head gasket replaced, and the rear main. or try and do it myself and save a couple hundred dollars.

Or, contact the previous owner of the jeep (family friend), have him file for a lost tittle, fix the leak in the tranny, try to get the gauges to work, if not, make my own custom dash panel with mechanical gauges:cool: and drive the snot out of it. :drivin::fsj:


i know how hard it is to fix the probe, but how hard is the shifter seal on the jeep? and also with the jeep sitting over 10 years now, i do know that it will keep breaking down on me, at least that is the jeep thing to do...:o

there is too much **** going on around my house, and with the girlfriend that i cannot keep my head on straight.:(:(

***edit***
which one should i fix up?


selling either one is not a option either. once i get the probe fixed, and the jeep fixed, the probe will go to my dad, i just need to figure out which one be better/easier to fix for now.

[shiner2001]

***edit***
which one should i fix up?

The girlfriend :D

[1977cherokeechief]

The girlfriend :D

thanks for the laugh, but i do need some serious replies, hopefully by tomorrow before i go to work, i will know the cost to get the probe fixed. and if i can justify fixing the jeep first, then i might just do that.

but i have no clue.

[1991GW]

Go for the Jeep and sell the probe for parts money. Tell the Gf she will just have to cool her jets till you get your ride going or better yet hand her a wrench and let her help you

[shiner2001]

I'm tempted to say that the Jeep would be something that you would constantly have to work on, but a 13 year old Probe might give you the same maintenance schedule at this point. It might not be a bad idea to see what you can do to get them both going, even if one has to sit on the shelf for awhile while you work/spend on the other. That way you kind of have a "back up plan" in the event one of them leaves you with more than basic repairs in the future. That's probably more of a "have your cake and eat it too" scenario and may not be an option, but it's a nice thought I suppose. I guess one of the first things that you'll have to know before you make your decision is what the costs will be for each one to get it to a point that you comfortable calling it a daily driver.

Now, the Jeeper inside me says sell the Probe and drive the Jeep until the doors fall off!

Best of luck which whichever one you end up deciding though.

[1977cherokeechief]

i have been staring at the jeep the last four years, wanting to be driving it, but money, time, and yadda yadda yadda keeps getting in the way. With it being winter time, right now with it being 8 degrees out, i am literally screwed.


i have been driving my moms 99 expodition with 226,000 miles on it, and it sounds like a lifter is going out, but then occasionally i will hear it ratteling, but just around 1500-2100rpm:omfg::huh: so i have had her on my *** to fix it...:banghead:

the probe i keep droppping about 100 buck a week for parts, it just keeps getting really old, really fast.

[fireman91186]

I have been in that same boat you are in right now. When I was 18 still living at home I had my first Cherokee and when that went down I had a Probe given to me. I didn't know what to do so my dad said leave the Jeep and drive and maintain the probe. Well break down after break down the probe was always a problem. I look back on it now the Jeep would have cost more in one shot to fix the engine but after many things on the probe including the tranny I don't know which would have been worse. At least if you keep the Jeep it is easier to work on, the parts are going to be cheaper (for the most part) and you will have more fun driving it then you will the Probe any day.. I look back now if I would have just fixed that Jeep then it probably wouldn't be in as bad of shape as it is now. With that said though I would fix the Jeep and get to the Probe when I had the chance.
:banghead:

[2003 mcs]

I had a 94 Probe GT and my brother had a 94 Probe GT, I got rid of mine after a year for a Mustang. My brother kept his, around 145k the head gasket blew, and a lot of other repairs came at this point. That Mazda engine is expensive to fix. I am not saying the Jeep is the answer, but fixing the Probe is definitely not the answer:banghead: . Even after all the repairs were done it was not "like new" ( I drove it) again, maybe it was the mechanic, I don't know, but you will be dumping more money into the Probe if you keep it.

[El Jefe]

I have a 92 Mazda Protege. and I feel its just a matter of time before its DOA. I have a bunch of stuff bypassed on the electrics just to make it run. Its a good car, but its not worth putting money into other then just regular maintainence. And I feel that way about most little cars from the early 90's. they just arent worth the time and money to fix all the big things that go wrong with them. so I say fix the jeep. just get some cheapy aftermarket gauges to replace the ones that dont work and drive it. I drove my 76 Cherokee many a year like that.

[turnkyle]

If the probe is going to your dad eventualy let hime fix it and you can ix the jeep. Atleast with the jeep you will be able to work on it yourself and save yourself tons of money in labor. Plus if you get snow where you're at the 4x4 of the jeep will be alot handier than the front wheel drive of the probe. It also depends on how much you drive to, that jeep most likely has a thirsty v-8 in it that will only pull around 11ish mpg.

[Gambler68]

ditch the probe. Those mid 90s jap inspired cars are money pits once they hit that MAGIC WALL OF DOOM ie 1000's of bux in repairs for a car that's worth 500 bucks at best at this point. Get an old Volvo instead if you want something small and easy to work on.

The shifter input seal is tricky with it in the trans..you can buy a tool to remove and seat the seal though for doing it in the trans. Google it. At least it's easy to get too..

gauge cluster isn't any big deal. get your wiring diagrams off of Oljeep (google that too)

[1977cherokeechief]

ditch the probe. Those mid 90s jap inspired cars are money pits once they hit that MAGIC WALL OF DOOM ie 1000's of bux in repairs for a car that's worth 500 bucks at best at this point. Get an old Volvo instead if you want something small and easy to work on.

The shifter input seal is tricky with it in the trans..you can buy a tool to remove and seat the seal though for doing it in the trans. Google it. At least it's easy to get too..

gauge cluster isn't any big deal. get your wiring diagrams off of Oljeep (google that too)

for the gauge cluster, all of the wires are hooked up, it just seems like the circuit is not getting completed somehow. so i will have to pull it BACK out, and try it again.

[El Jefe]

your gauge cluster problem is likely the same as mine was. the little radio noise supressor thingy that you cant find anywheres.

[1977cherokeechief]

is it that thing that hooks up to the coil? really small silver canister?

[El Jefe]

its the little flat thing that looks like a piece of cardboard with metal on the ends.

[Randyzzz]

Ditch the Probe. All the techs at the Ford dealer where I work say those things are the biggest piles.... no reason to continue to hemorrhage money into a wound that will never heal...

[Jayrodoh]

Free cars always cost the most. I'd take the loss on it already, I wouldn't even consider keeping to fix, some cars aren't worth it at all. Why isn't it an option to sell it? A friend of ours had a 95 probe and it was a POS (and that was 4 years ago).

Take all that money you planned on using for your turbo project and buy a decent car. There's lots of good deals on used 2000 and newer cars for $3K - $5K right now.

Keep the Jeep as a project, you know once you tear into it after sitting 4 years, it'll be one thing after another. My wag has dang near everything new on it and I drove my Wag once in the last 12 months and there were problems from sitting, and it was stored in a heated dry garage.

At 18 years old, I'd concentrate on College, or your career if not college, and work hard at either, you'll have plenty of time to mess with cars in your life. Get reliable transportation for now.

[Jayrodoh]

Oh yeah, sorry for the "be responsible" dad-type post above, but I've been in those shoes (young, no $$$, no time).

[YellowJeep]

OK, I'll post the unpopular response.

Sell them both and get something that is reliable and gets you to your job and back. Your 18 and obviously don't have much money. Your jeep and your probe have problems that you either can't afford or don't know how to fix. What you really need is a driveable car that will allow you to get/keep a job so you can move out into your own place. Trying to keep a 15 year old and 30 year old vehicle running and reliable is not friendly on the wallet. Worry about a project car after you are established.

That's my $0.02 and I've been there and done that.

[Kali]

sell the probe, keep the jeep on the back burner, and get yourself a small loan and go down to a dealership and get a newer used car (2002-2006) that gets 30+ mpg. The smart thing to do is to have reliable transportation, and a 30 year old Jeep isnt going to offer that. slowly get the jeep running/registered/driving and enjoy what you can from it, dont focus on the major upgrades until you can actually afford them.

[1977cherokeechief]

i know that the turbo upgrade was at least a year or two down the road...

my mom will not let me sell the probe. she wants me to give it to my father after this winter when she wants me to get a newer car. i have absolutely no credit and i have no one to cosign on a loan with me. a little more back ground, my father is an alcoholic, i love him to death, but his drinking is getting really old, and really expensive. i am having to help my mom pay bills, i am paying at least 300-400 a month in bills. that would be more than enough money to get the jeep going reliably. i have thought about moving out and getting an apartment in the town i work in, but then i would have no way to get to and from work for now. and i am afraid that my mom would loose the roof over her head because my mom and dad both does not make enough money to support themselves.

[Jayrodoh]

Sorry to hear that, but giving a car to an alcoholic does not seem like the best idea in the world to me.

That's a tough situation, family vs. establishing yourself. Sounds like dad needs to get his $hit together for his family, especially if it's holding you back and making life tough for the family.

[68_Gladiator]

Im in the same boat as you, 19 live at home, roughyl $400 in bills a month. my POS mazda GLC isnt the best car either but instead of fixing it up i put all my extra cash in the gladiator. i just love it o much, dad dosent hink im goin at it the right way but hey im happy. I say go for the jeep. after a year and a half of driving mine should be ready to drive by mid january. Just spend all your free time workin out the lite bugs like i di, in no time you'll have most of em worked out.

[Gambler68]

definitely ditch the probe, because it's going to end up in a ditch most likely (not giving ya crap, been there with alcoholic family members). Toss the $$ in the jeep and maybe see if there's some local members that could give ya a hand, we're good like that :thumbsup:

[1977cherokeechief]

i hand would be really nice in times like this... lol, i just got bombarded with "what if" questions by my mom, then again by my girlfriend when she called about 5 minutes later... i just get fed up with crap like this. and in all honesty, my dad is at least some what responsible with the :alc:... he is just the stay at home type. he will down about 11 beers when he gets home from work, then he has one more when he wakes up so he wont get a hangover i guess.... right now he is driving a POS 79 chevy, the hood has been opened so much by the the PO's that it is creased so it takes about 5 minutes to shut it...


as the probe sits, it does need new tires, the jeep has decent tires that i bought from a buddy of mine a couple years ago.

i just remembered that the jeep needs new tie rods. not imediately, but soon. thats another 150 right there... but, idk. im still trying to explain it to my mom. and she is not really comprehending it all very well.

guess i need to open a couple excell spread sheets and show her what it will take to get the to fixed...:banghead:


thank you all for the help, and thanks for letting me vent.

[duncanstives]

Supporting your family does not mean enabling them.. Enabling does more harm then good. Tell your family you do what you can to help but its your car and you need the money. Then sell the probe and fix up the Jeep.

Not trying to sound like one of those columists people write letters to but I have been in the same boat with family.. Had to learn when I was helping them out and when I was just helping them to continue in a bad situation which hurts everyone in the end.

[mdill]

These are easy to find, just don't confuse the parts guy by telling what you want it for (it is a FSJ thing you do at parts stores)

http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=BOR&MfrPartNumber=G315&PartType=216&PTSet=A

your gauge cluster problem is likely the same as mine was. the little radio noise supressor thingy that you cant find anywheres.

[Gambler68]

These are easy to find, just don't confuse the parts guy by telling what you want it for (it is a FSJ thing you do at parts stores)

http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=BOR&MfrPartNumber=G315&PartType=216&PTSet=A

$62!!! :eek:

[1977cherokeechief]

thats a little high, i would rather go to a junk yard, pull a couple for 5 bucks, and see if they work.

i dont think that is what is broke. my fasten seat belts light stays on, but it does not buzz, the gas guage does not move, same with temp, amp, oil pres.

how does the gauge cluster ground?

[MistWolf]

Be grateful the buzzer is out. The Probe is useless to you. If your mom wants to give it to your dad, fine. Park it and forget it for now, but don't put anymore money into it.

There are more than a few folks your age contributing nothing to the household they live in. You're working hard to keep things together and you're to be commended. Be careful that you don't find yourself in a dead end situation trying to help. You can't fix mom, you can't fix dad and it'll only make you crazy trying.

You need a plan for your future that involves far more than which black hole to throw your money into, so I'll give you something to think about.

My son, who is your age, will be going into the Air Force Reserves in January. His total commitment will be 18 months. While in basic training and tech school, he'll be getting a full paycheck twice a month. He chose to go into Weapons (Not the choice I would have had him make, but that's minor) because it pays a $20k bonus. He's also getting money for college.

This job field will also allow him to work as a full time reservist. That means he can work full time rather than just two weekends a month and 2 weeks duty once a year and draw a full paycheck. My son is also going to college to study aerospace engineering.

Now, the above is for informational purposes only. I can't tell you what to do, I won't even try. You've proven you're a man, and a man has to decide for himself. There are opportunities out there for you to take advantage of. The Air Force isn't the only option, but it is a good one. They can train you in many high tech jobs if if joining is right for you. Whatever you do, come up with a plan for your future. You'll be able to do more than fix your Jeep