Hey Ferm......

C YENSEN

C YENSEN

God
Hey Ferm......and anyone else with Jeep knowledge

I am looking at a 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. 75K miles. V8. Loaded.

what is the good and bad with this vehicle. I can get it for $3800
 

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C YENSEN said:
i have heard the front ends and axles are bad? and the fuel mileage is 15 on the highway:head:
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The front ends are troublesome if it is a full time 4WD model, the 2WD didn't give alot of trouble. If it has the aluminum rear axle in it, then it is a PITA MFer that is forever giving trouble. Most of the V8's in 97 and 98 got the aluminum housinged DANA 44 that was a constant nightmare of problems due to CHRYSLER assembling them incorrectly from the factory. The good news is that a reman from CHRYSLER didn't use to cost much because of all the issues with them. Since you say it's a 98 with a V8 and I don't see the hood scoops on it, that it is a 5.2L. If so there a good proven engine that gave minimal trouble. The common problem on the 5.2L/5.9L's were the intake gaskets, but CHRYSLER now has a revised steel gasket you can put in them to fix them. If it is a full time 4X4 then the transfer cases also gave trouble in them if you put straight ATF back in them. They need a limited slip additive added to them although CHRYSLER didn't put that in the owners manual. The transmission in that thing would be my biggest fear of any. 60,000-100,000 is considered the life of them, but many failed ALOT sooner. Those 44RE's kept the tranny guy busy at the dealership I worked at. Although most all of the GRAND's from 93-98 used that same POS CHRYSLER slush box design.

$3800 sounds reasoneable, but with the way those things use gas(15MPG is considered good, 17MPG is considered excellent, and I knew one lady who got 20 out of hers but she NEVER hit the throttle in it) there resale has plummeted. I would have the tranny serviced in it first and see what the inside of the tranny pan looks like.
 
C YENSEN said:
Thanks.....I think??? lol. so are the 99-04 models any better?
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V8's, yes. The 6's used the same basic drivetrain still. The CHRYSLER tranny's scare me, I guess I've seen too many of them fail for no reason. The 45RFE used from 99+ behind the V8 though is a good tranny, same one that is in my DAKOTA and the same that comes in the full size trucks with a HEMI. With the exception of the transmission that 98 wouldn't bother me a bit. Have it checked out before you pull the trigger. The big thing to look for is when you drop the tranny pan you don't want to see copper colored material in there. A little black is normal, but chunks of copper colored is VERY BAD!
 
The 2 biggies to check is first remove the oil filler and look for signs of sludge. The 4.7's are great engines, but they do require the oil be changed reularly for them not to clog the timing chain oiler. Second make sure and put it through a tight turn, direction doesn't matter. You want to go through a tight turn like in a parking lot and make sure none of the clutch packs in it are bad. If it chatters or jerks in a tight turn then it probably needs a viscous coupler in the transfer case. And of course do the regular checks for any car, and be prepared to have a grin from ear to ear as that 4.7L is fun in a GRAND CHEROKEE.
 
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