Hello and some questions regarding WJ Grand Cherokee V8

[Hanna]

Hi everyone.

This my first post after joining this site, so bear with me as I am a complete noob when it comes to Jeep’s.

I have just put a deposit on a Black 2000 WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited V8 after taking it for a test drive on Saturday and settling on a really good price with the seller. It has 209,000km on the clock (which I thought was relatively high) but it is in showroom condition, apart from a couple of very minor scratches here and there and has a lot of nice gear installed; such as dark tinted windows, alloy nudge bar, driving lights, roof racks, hayman-reece towbar and best of all, a sequential vapour injection LPG system with donut tank.

I was totally unsure about the car when I first saw the ad due to the kilometres it had travelled; however I thought I’d give it a try anyway. The car drove ran really well, it drove very nicely; it had heaps of power on both petrol and LPG, didn’t blow any smoke, the brakes/suspension seemed to work well, all the electrics worked and the low-range 4x4 worked. I had a good look underneath and the only trace of a leak was a semi-dry leak at the front diff. The only thing of any concern was a very slight wallowing noise in the front end at different speeds which I thought could be either diff noise or the chunky-treaded tyres on the bitumen. Also, when I tested the low-range 4x4, the 1st to 2nd gear change in the automatic transmission seemed harsh, but then again I have never owned or driven an automatic 4x4, so this may be normal? *cue Jeep experts*

The other thing that I should mention is that the Jeep was owned by a genuine, late 30s to early 40s couple and the car was predominantly used for transporting the kids to school up and down the highway, long trips to visit their families interstate and family camping missions. I’d say the Jeep has experienced very little, if any serious 4 wheel driving. In fact when inspecting the car, the female owner kept saying that her husband did not want to let go of the car (even though they had already purchased a more mum-friendly people-mover) and that he still kept “his baby” in the garage, whilst the new car sat out in the weather!!

I suppose the main question I have to ask is: have I made the right decision based on my impressions/inspection of the car? I mean, I know that it is a very broad question, but I spent a bit of time researching the model on this forum and couldn’t seem to find any glaring issues to be aware of (apart from those listed in the common faults and issues) and I certainly couldn’t find any on inspection of the car. Roughly how many km’s are the engines and gearboxes good for and do they blow head gaskets or any other expensive major maintenance items (timing chains, diffs, cylinder heads, cooling systems) at any particular time in their lives?

I understand that I will probably have some issues somewhere along the way with the electronic components and the like but I suppose my main concern is the driveline and the huge costs and bother associated with replacing an engine and/or gearbox. Does anyone have a WJ Jeep V8 (or similar) with high km’s and what problems have you had over its lifespan?

P.S. Sorry to waffle on so much.

Cheers,
Hanna

[pmac]

It really is a "Jeep thing". They are smooth, comfortable, powerful, opulent and basically just a nice car to drive.

Saying that, they are certainly not the most reliable cars on the planet, and when things do go wrong, it's expensive. This weekend, it looks like I need to get a new front drive shaft. And new, it's anywhere up to $1250 for a two foot tube. But if you hunt around you can get much cheaper.

But paying the price is better than being mediocre and driving a Toyota!

[turbomart]

Mines coming up to 190k with hardly any probs so far.
Motor ,trans etc are good for long life but regular servicing (with correct fluids) is extremely important.Tho this is true for all modern cars.
If you play hard offroad expect to have to replace things more often.
Parts can generally be sourced for reasonable prices but you need to think outside of the box a bit ie jeep specialists & USA (genuine prices are exorbitant).
Btw,I have mates with low km toyatas who have spent a fortune keeping em going.

[Hanna]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your responses.

I suppose it all comes down to fear of the unknown..... I have always worked on my own cars and have done everything from head gasket changes to full engine rebuilds and I guess moving to a different type of car that I know nothing about is the real issue.

I am really happy with the car - it looks great, is very comfortable, powerfull and my girlfriend loves it!! I was thinking about buying a P38A Range Rover before this came along and whilst the Range Rover was more spacious and slightly more comfortable - it was one heavy MF and felt so underpowered. As soon as I took off for the test drive in the Jeep, I knew I was going to get one - it has great power for its size!!

I am not looking at doing a lot of off-roading in it, however I do want something that I can use to tow my dirtbike into some pretty muddy, remote areas, and I'm sure the Jeep will accomodate this nicely. It will also be great for taking on our camping trips and for transporting the dogs in the back (once I get a cargo barrier of course)

On the questions that I asked earlier: Is it normal for the gear change from 1st to 2nd in low range to be a bit harsh? Do the front diffs make a deep wallowing noise when they are on the way out, or will that just be the front tyres? (the diff doesn't whine at high pitch like cars I have owned)

Cheers,
Hanna.

[turbomart]

Any harshness in the gearchange will be amplified in low range, but Ive never noticed this with mine ,might need trans service, just be sure they use right oils.
The noise could be diff or tyres, cant really say w/out hearing it.

[MelbourneOnroad]

best way to tell about that wallowing noise...
drive along at about 80km/h and put it into neutral and try and listen

sometimes its hard to tell the difference between road noise and a bung diff

[Turismo07]

Originally Posted by Hanna

On the questions that I asked earlier: Is it normal for the gear change from 1st to 2nd in low range to be a bit harsh?

Hi Hanna, congrats on the purchase!

My Jeep is pretty smooth from 1st to 2nd in hi range, however in low range it can be harsh like you mention. I have found throttle position during the time of change has an affect on this. If I completely back off just before the change or I have the throttle open quite a bit (closer to wide open), it'll shift fairly smooth. But if the throttle is somewhere in between for say for moderate accelaration the gearbox will buck a bit into 2nd.

As Turbomart said, when you're in low range the shift quality is amplified, and I have been able to notice the same shift characteristics in high range, but it's only noticiable if I try really hard to look out for it. Therefore, the 'harshness' is prob a natural shift characteristic which is barely (if any) noticeable in high range, but in low range it is amplified.

So I wouldn't worry about it at all. But I would still check the fluid to make sure it's corrrect and fresh.