New to jeep, need advise

[imthegreat2004]

Hello,
I am planning to buy used jeep year 99 to 2002 with 2.5 liter engine. What common problems i should face and would you recommend 2.5 or 4L. Please share some thoughts.

Thanks.

 

[2Greys]

Recommendations all depend on what you want to do with it and how much you want to modify it from stock.

Personally I recommend 4L over 2.5, better to have it and not need it than not have it and need it.

Also are you planning to DD it, street legal or become a trailer queen?

Biggest issue you will probably have is rust. The frames are notorious for rusting if not cleaned regularly especially at the rear between the rear axle and the rear lower control arm. Certain years later had issues with the ODPA and heads (I think it was 2003-2005) but odds are they had been dealt with.
If you see a jeep that has a metal drain plug on the rear axle than a rubber one buy it. It has the Dana 44 which is a stronger axle.


Depending on how mechanically inclined you are and what you are planning to do to it can help in deciding what you buy.

Are you stuck on specifically getting a jeep? There are alternatives if you are looking at just going wheeling like a zuk or Toyota.

P.S Welcome to the Forum

 

[Kunker]

Welcome to OVO.ca. Like mentioned, getting good advice will mean knowing what you want as an end product.

When you refer to Jeep, which model do you mean? 99-02 is an odd year range for any models I can think of, and 2Greys advice above is specifically for the TJ's. I'm presuming that's what you mean based on the 2.5 vs 4.0 comments as well, but I could be wrong.

4 cyl will be cheaper, everyone wants the 4.0L I6 for a reason. Most times fuel mileage is the same between the 2 anyway, but you actually have some power with the 4.0, and they last forever.

 

[imthegreat2004]

well i am looking to do sometime off roading and some mods too like tire change. So guess 2.5 won't work eh

 

[imthegreat2004]

Yes i am looking for TJs. so you are saying fuel mileage is almost same between 2.5L VS 4.0. The reason of getting into the 99 - 2000 years is because of less price.

 

[2Greys]

There were two flavours of TJ 97-02 and 03-06. What Kunker is implying is are you looking for TJ, Cherokee, Grand Cherokee?

The big differences is a lot of the changes after 02 were to incorporate the merging of Daimler-Chrysler. One of the other drawbacks with the 03-06 is they went from the Saginaw to a Mercedes steering box which is more expensive but not any better. You also lost the ability to do the Durango steering box upgrade which are beefier and don't tend to leak. Your choice for the 03+ is the PSC ones which although good were a lot more expensive.
I believe in 2000 they moved from distributor to Coil pack and also went from the AX-15 to the NV3550 for transmission. Also the hubs and rotors changed so although bolton you can't mix and match the different years. Plus the moving of the vents from the hard top to the tailgate was done in 03.

If given a choice the best one you could buy would be a 2006 LJ Rubicon if you are planning on staying at 35" or less tire size. If going bigger (get a buggy ) then get the cheapest one you can get since you will be swapping out a lot of stuff.

 

[imthegreat2004]

2greys thanks for sharing though. As i mentioned in my previous post that i am thinking for TJ and for 2006 it will be quite expensive since i dont want to spend too much on jeep.

Hows the gas mileage for 1999 till 2000 models with 4.0?

 

[2Greys]

All depends. Running 33" tires with 4.56 gearing doing highway speed I get about 18mpg (7.6lp100km) at 110 I get 14mpg (6lp100km). That said I am driving a brick with a parachute attached. You don't buy a jeep to save gas. The bigger the tires, the more armour, the taller the lift, the more aggressively you drive the worse your mileage.

Just realize what JEEP stands for
Just
Empty
Every
Pocket

What is your plan with it, you keeping it stock? Best advice is buy a stock jeep and wheel it for a bit and then decide what you want to do and how far you want to go. You may be happy with just doing some basic trails, fire roads or power line trails. Or you may get the bug and decide rock crawling is your thing.
You can spend $2k for a stock jeep and end up spending 10x that amount on upgrades.

 

[imthegreat2004]

lol good advise You must have 4.0, yes it should be fun then. i dont want crazy mods on it though. just tires for little off road

 

[Kunker]

lol good advise You must have 4.0, yes it should be fun then. i dont want crazy mods on it though. just tires for little off road

What type of off-roading are you looking for? More expedition (camping, dirt roads, maybe some light trails with regular highway miles)? Trail riding? Daily driver, or will you still drive a car to/from work? There are different needs for each area, and the recommendations would differ (ie. 2.5L is okay for trail duty but if you were hauling a weeks worth of camping gear, 4L all the way). What you consider "crazy mods" or "just tires" might not match up with what others here have in mind.

The best piece of advice I can give is put as much as you can into the initial purchase of a good base. If the frame/body is shot, it takes a lot of work to clean up. Then get out, drive the wee out of it, and find out what works, and what doesn't, and move on from there. Chris/2Greys is a good example of that, and the well thought out direction he's taken is a result of seeing what worked and what didn't for him.

Good luck!

 

[imthegreat2004]

i would be driving my car for work. some trail riding and some driving on roads mostly i would be doing. should 2002 TJ be ok with under 200K?

 

[2Greys]

What type of off-roading are you looking for? More expedition (camping, dirt roads, maybe some light trails with regular highway miles)? Trail riding? Daily driver, or will you still drive a car to/from work? There are different needs for each area, and the recommendations would differ (ie. 2.5L is okay for trail duty but if you were hauling a weeks worth of camping gear, 4L all the way). What you consider "crazy mods" or "just tires" might not match up with what others here have in mind.

The best piece of advice I can give is put as much as you can into the initial purchase of a good base. If the frame/body is shot, it takes a lot of work to clean up. Then get out, drive the wee out of it, and find out what works, and what doesn't, and move on from there. Chris/2Greys is a good example of that, and the well thought out direction he's taken is a result of seeing what worked and what didn't for him.

Good luck!

Gosh I am flattered.
Mine is a 98 and I bought it 6 years ago for $6500 and it had a 2" lift with 31s came with a hard top that had a crack and had half of a soft top. I think it had 170,000 kms on it? Things have changed over the years but I did a lot of research and knew what I wanted ultimately. Finally got there this year but of course it never ends...

The 4.0 can get 300,000 Miles if it is taken care out of it. Like I said the big thing is rust.

 

[Garrett]

Hey i know you wanted a jeep but have you looked into the suzuki sidekick or chev tracker. They work well offroad just as good as a jeep or better and if you have a little bit of mechanic knowledge you can lift them cheap to fit bigger tires. Not saying jeeps are bad just suzukis are cheaper and fuel efficient. Also very fun to wheel.

 

[Mitko]

Hey i know you wanted a jeep but have you looked into the suzuki sidekick or chev tracker. They work well offroad just as good as a jeep or better and if you have a little bit of mechanic knowledge you can lift them cheap to fit bigger tires. Not saying jeeps are bad just suzukis are cheaper and fuel efficient. Also very fun to wheel.

believe or not this is exactly what I taught today when the guy started the tread. vitara or sidekick is much better IMHO for a beginner, not to mention much cheaper. But I was afraid to said a word about the gips because ppl will start calling me hater and such.

Chris, honestly how many 4.0 you have seen with 300K miles. in the real world, not on www. Because for more than 20 years working in the trade I havent seen even one.

 

[2Greys]

In real life none. On jf there are a couple that are close to it. That said they are southern so they dont have the environment we deal with. Right now i have 212000km on mine. It has the notorious tick but it has been behaving. As i mentioned there are alternatives to jeeps but if he wants a jeep he wants a jeep.

 

[Garrett]

Theres a 96 cherokee sittn in my yard with 340,549. 4.0l. H.o. with a manual tranny behind it. Its my buddys off road rig and ot still works good was just takn off the road last yr. So they can last for 300,000

 

[Mitko]

So they can last for 300,000

they can, maybe. but they don't. 300 k miles is 480 k km's.

 

[2Greys]

Mitko, I think the ship has sailed a long time ago on any uncertainty of how you feel about Jeeps.
Like I said down south you can't throw a stick without hitting someone who has a high mileage jeep. Up here they are very hard to find if at all probably because of our climate but odds are it will be a pile of rust before you even come close to hit that mileage.

That all said he asked a question and now has your input. Can we go back on topic.
He wants to know:
2.5 or 4?
What to look for?

From what he has said he wants something he can DD and do some mild trails.

My opinion is go with 4L, if he was looking to do an engine swap to something bigger like a Hemi or SBC then get a 2.5 to save money (although he would probably get more money back for selling the 4)

I would look for a low mileage TJ with as little rust and not go above 31's or a 2" Budget Boost. The 200,000 I would go over it with a fine toothed comb more for the body and frame but also get a proper trusted mechanics opinion on the engine. The 4L have a lifter tick that is usually harmless but you should still be sure. (yes I would get Mitko's opinion if needed). Try to go stock as well and not one that has been built. Nothing more annoying than undoing a previous owners mods.

If he can get a hard top it saves wear and tear on the soft top. It won't keep it any warmer than the soft top but at least you don't have to worry about cracking the windows in the winter while cleaning it
Problem rust areas are where the Transfer Case Skid attaches to the frame, back portion of frame right behind the Lower control arm and the front fenders.

Things to look out for:
- bigger tires with no regearing. If you go bigger tires you should regear, it is expensive to regear and if you don't you end up burning more gas and losing power at the same time.
- 31's is the magic point where you can get before you start spending money. for 31's you just need to spend as little as $100 for a couple coil spacers (aka Budget Boost) or a couple hundred for a proper 2" suspension lift (better as it reduces coil bind). It is mild enough of a tire size increase that you don't need to regear.
- 2" lift is ideal for two reasons 1. You are putting 31's you don't need it tall and being too tall can have its drawbacks. 2. Around 3-4" of lift you start affecting the drivetrain by vibrations which will kill your Ujoints. A bandaid to this is to drop the transfer case skid but then you just decreased your clearance (plus it looks like ass). To properly fix it involves installing a Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE) (~200) which also involves buying:
- CV rear drive shaft (~$300-400)
- Adjustable upper control arms ($280)
- Adjustable rear track bar and Bracket ($300-400) (this is optional but reduces chances of shearing off bracket off axle)

You can fit 33's on a 2" lift but then you need to either bumpstop the crap out of it ( or put in a body lift or aftermarket fenders) and regear which usually is close to $2k taking all parts and labour into account.

Oh and talk to your insurance company before doing any modification to any vehicle they may have a no mods clause.

 

[junkpile]

A 4.0l with a manual transmission will give you your best bang for your buck. A 2.5l is fine for bombing around town but the slightest headwind or hill on the highway and you're wishing you had the 4.0l. Also with a 4.0L You can cheaply and easily swap out the stock axles (3:07) for a pair from and automatic (3:54) to give you enough gearing to run 33's or find a set from a 4cyl (4:10) for a little extra low gear. With a 2.5l you're shelling out $$$ to regear

 

[93RangerXL]

There was a grand cherokee that used to get serviced at the shop i worked at with 450000km on it. It was extremly rusty but ran mint. I also had a friend with a grand that had 500 000 on it.