1989 Jeep Wrangler YJ Islander from North America - Comments

Can anyone tell me why the front wheels act differently than the back wheels? When I am in deep snow, the back wheels will turn, but the front wheels do not always turn. Is this normal? I have an 89 Jeep YJ.

Thanks, Jerry Coulson.

I'm planing on buying Wrangler sahra 1989, and I heard a lot from you guys, any tips or suggestion on how should I examin the JEEP. 10x.

All I have to say is JEEPS RULE!!!

Well Hello All... I am the original poster of this thread. Thanks for all the comments... nice to know that loads of us have had issues with our Jeeps.

I am going to continue the story from where I left off 5 years ago...

So I managed to finally sell my Islander... I ended up losing a lot on it (I sold her for 3400 CAD)... which I was really happy with!! Here in Vancouver BC we have an air care emissions program. Let me just tell you... It was nearly impossible to get that jeep through the standards. I ended up taking it to a Chrysler dealer to have it 'de-tuned' to pass. Really they had no interest at all in dealing with me and I failed the test four times... and each time I took it back to Chrysler, they said it was something else and charged me!... In the end I changed the cat converter myself for 60 bucks and she flew through the test... :) I found a buyer and took what ever offer he gave...

So in the 5 years since I have owned a few different trucks My fav being an old school Ford Explorer... but 4 weeks ago I passed by a little white Jeep three blocks from my house... A little dealing... and an hour later I picked her up for $2100 CAD. She is a 1994 2.5 4 cyl... but with the price of gas at $1.50 a litre (and going higher) I was quite happy... Trust me, I remember my 4.2 and she was a thirsty girl. She has not an once of rust, all kinds of extras (chrome bits, hard top, trailer hitch, great wheels and tires, Body lift, etc) a very pretty Jeep.

So here are the things I've had to do. Being older now and a little more on the smart side, it's been a piece of cake.

1) The transmission was grinding going into second. A little research And I discovered that the AX5 Trans does do this. So rather then pay for a rebuild... I found a low km, wrecked TJ online and offered $300 for the trans. The offer was accepted.. but I had to remove the trans myself... cool.. a great way to learn. Only took an hour to remove. I ordered a clutch kit on Ebay for $100 including shipping (Ebay is the best was to part up your jeep... prices seem to be a third of the part shops)... a week later it was here. I removed my old trans... installed the new clutch and 'new' tranny... and she drives like a new car! Shifts like a hot knife through butter. It only took about six hours with hand tools and I did it myself. The hardest part was trying to turn the shift lever lock ring with a greasy hand... LOL.

2) Rear wheel cylinder was leaking. Cost $17. Parts were so cheap that I decided to replace all the brakes (calipers, rotors, pads, shoes and drums). All told it cost $180 for everything and a Saturday afternoon (with a couple beers!)

3) I replaced the spark plugs, wires, O2 sensor etc. Parts are cheap and easy to do. Total bill was about $60 (gotta luv ebay)

4) Jeep front seats really annoy me. My Islander was really uncomfortable (remember... I had to replace one of the seat cuz the welds broke)... So I decided to investigate options for cheap. Thanks to the Internet I discover that late 90's Caviler/Sunfire seats are direct bolt in replacements. Off to the scrap yard and I found a great pair of Grey seats (total match!) from an '03 Sunfire. $100 for the pair and 1/2 hour later... driving in comfort.

5) I replaced the crap radio with a Sony IPOD control unit ($90 on ebay brand new - $260 at best buy... so Ebay won again), I replaced the sound bar speakers and dash speakers with sony's ($60 on ebay)... Also added a CB (for camping up the logging roads of BC), a climbometer and vacuum gauge.

Being older and wiser (and a little more money to play with LOL)... I am loving this Jeep. Granted it is just for fun now as I have a couple other vehicles for daily driving... but here is some advice. STAY AWAY FROM THE EARLY YJ WRANGLERS!. Do not buy a 4.2 with a carb. The later Jeeps with multi-point Fuel injection are reliable. I also think they are built better. Less rust issues (here on the west coast anyway)...

Thanks for the read... :)

I am the sorry (but somehow happy) owner of 1989 Jeep Wrangler YJ with a carburated 4.2 litre. I have owned for 2 years now and I can honestly say that all the vehicles I have owned put together, have had less time and money put into them than this jeep.

The things I have managed to fix are all brake lines, 2 drums, 4 wheel drive, master cylinder, valve cover gasket, intake manifold gasket, patched holes in the floor, the radio, temp gauge, rear main seal, wiring harness, heater, and more.

It still doesn't idle and the tranny jumps after about 45 minutes of driving. But just like many Jeep owners, I still love it, even though it empties my wallet.

Hi, I have a 98 Jeep YJ 4.0 L 5 speed, and have owned a wide variety of vehicles in the past.

But I have to say that no matter what it costs to keep it on the road, I will gladly pay. It is the best all around vehicle I have ever owned.

The only one I can bury in the mud so deep you can't see out the windshield, pull it out and run it down the interstate.

Of course there will be issues, but if you know how to drive and you know how to fix it, you should buy one, and learn how to wade in the mud (my favorite part).

All vehicles have their little quirks, but when you pull up to the light with the top off, everybody looks, all the ladies want to go mudding, and all the guys wish they had a JEEP!!!