New to forum and jeeps and would love to pick your brain.

[landolakes]

Hello, I just purchased a 1996 Jeep Cherokee and have lots of questions. The jeep has a lot of dents but no rust, 150k on it. Right now it has a 2" lift kit with 31" tires( needs 2 new front tires wheres the best place?). So far I have found 3 things that need to be repaired soon, first the ignition pops out when I turn it on, second the doors alternately lock when I press the button and I cannot manually lock them and finally I got a nice surprise when I turned my first corner at speed, a bunch of water came out of under the dash from the center. I plan to make this a dd and it drove great and I really do already love it but need help with these few issues to get on my way. Thanks for any help, Lando

 

[SteelHeadz]

I go to Discount tire for replacements. Through the years i've developed a good relationship with our local Discount tire store. They fix my flats for free, swap out my 35's from one wheel to another also for free, just give them a good tip. The ignition tumbler has a lug that keeps it from coming out of the column when it's cycled (if this is what your reffering to). If that lug is worn, replacement may be in order. As for the water coming out of the dash, it may be coming out of HVAC housing thru the floor vents. There are 2 possibilities that are likely to be the culprit. First, verify that the HVAC drain is not plugged up. With the a/c on, watch where the condensation is coming out from and check that tube if there's any obstruction. I know on the ZJ body, the HVAC drain is not accesible from the outside due to the unibody design, the tube drains within the unibody frame and out a small void. If this is the case on your XJ, drilling a small hole from the hvac housing and using a compressed air to clear the drain would be nescessary. Another place to check is the fresh air intake which is located below the windshield. Make sure that the voids around that compartment is free of debris that will prevent the water from draining out. When this voids gets plugged up ,the water accumulated will end up going in the fresh air intake and down into the hvac housing.

 

[landolakes]

Ok is there a write up somewhere explaining how to put the ignition cylinder back in and it staying in, I cant figure out whats missing since i dont have one in perfect condition? I tried to find the drain tube and did not see it, is the passenger side of the fresh air intake supposed to have a solid back to it? Sorry for all of the questions, my bro was always the mechanic(I was the animal guy).

 

[SteelHeadz]

1. With lock cylinder and ignition switch in Lock position, insert lock cylinder into ignition switch until it bottoms.
2. Insert ignition key into lock cylinder. While gently pushing lock cylinder in toward ignition switch, rotate ignition key to end of travel.
3. Install retaining screw into bracket and lock cylinder. Tighten screw to 3±.5 N·m (26±4 in. lbs.) torque.
4. Install steering column covers. Tighten screws to 2 N·m (17 in. lbs.) torque.
5. If vehicle is equipped with a tilt steering column, install tilt lever.
6. Connect negative cable to battery.
7. Check for proper operation of halo light, shift lock (if applicable), and column lock. Also check for proper operation of ignition switch accessory, lock, off, run, and start positions.

The fresh air intake is part of the body. The intake opening is recessed onto the passenger side cowling to prevent a direct exposure from the elements outside the vehicle. On both sides of this cowling ,there's several voids on the body(spaces between sheet metal). if these voids gets obstructed ,water will slush into the fresh air intake opening. The HVAC drain tube is the lowest part of the housing on the passenger side.