dave1123

I bought a 97 ZJ 4.0 with 185K on it from 3 soldiers from Fort Drum who used it between deployments. It was cheap and pretty and my first Jeep. What a sucker I was. This Jeep had been "ridden hard and put away wet" too many times. The transmission started slipping after about a week, requiring a total rebuild. Then the rear axle started whining. Then it was the whole front end; ball joints, bearings, axle u-joints, driveshaft u-joints, brake rotors and calipers. After that I had a decent Jeep until the frame rotten out and the control arm mounts broke loose from the frame.

All in all, ZJ's are good vehicles IF TAKEN CARE OF. The only major problems are the superfluous electronic "bells and Whistles" that make it a Grand. If it's got an aftermarket alarm system or a remote start, get rid of that ASAP. It will only become a problem later.

The 4.0 never gave me a bit of problems and never overheated. I replaced the water pump because it was rattling, not because it was leaking.

Hymie

I have a 2000 WJ – purchased around 5 years ago - and I’d have to say yes, they are problem vehicles.

Prior to owning the Jeep, I owned a Ford Mondeo (I believe called a Corsair the other side of the pond), and it ran faultlessly for over 10 years. I only changed the oil and oil filter every year, nothing else.

My Jeep reminds me of motoring in the 1970’s – when owning a car was not a mode of transport, but a weekend hobby.

My Jeep has just failed its MOT, requiring over £1,000 of work to make it road-worthy (and it only has 90K on the clock) – I think it is heading to the scrap-heap.

Based on my ownership of a 2000 WJ, I won’t be buying another Jeep in a hurry.

Willys55

Every time I come across someone who states that this model or that model is crap, I just laugh at them. I have been a mechanic for 30 plus years, work on everything from small "pony" engines to Mack Trucks. Talkers are just that talkers.

I have owned at least 11 ZJ's, 2 XJ's 5 CJ5's a CJ8 and now have a WJ. Take care of them and they will take care of you. BTW, WJ rides better than any ZJ I ever owned, but that don't make them junk.

zodiac

I have to say that my ZJ has been the best, for lack of a better term, "beater" that I've bought. Like I said before, she's never left me stranded and has only needed regular wear and tear parts and maintenance.

I also 100% agree with what others have said about if properly maintained these trucks will run forever. Especially considering that mine had been obviously neglected and run hard and is still the most reliable $1,000 vehicle I've owned.

Creature85

I'm curious to know what issues you have/had with your WJ. My 04 hasn't given me a lick of trouble. I hope you didn't go between oil changes on your WJ as you did your Ford lol.

dnuccio

well see your problem is that you bought a WJ

rgs80074

wow can't be comfortable sitting on the floor like that though

rgs80074

as i mentioned in the first post that i know most stuff on a forum for vehicles is people asking about problems thats why i found the forum.

i've had some problems but nothing major and nothing thats kept the jeep from running.

my only real problem has been the ac system everything else seems to have preformed really good.

the other problem was a cracked manifold but that had been cracked and patched before i bought it and the patch eventually failed.

my jeep had been such a good vehicle i was looking at another one which was real cheap at 1800 bucks for a 96 4wd but it had some front end issues which might have been nothing but an unbalanced tire or major front end problems and the brakes didn't function like they should but the guy would not have his shop mechanic even look at it to address my concerns only saying for that price he thinks it drives good.

it looked nice i had posted a thread here before, so after all this time at this price which should be a steal i would think they still have it listed, i assume everyone test drives it and declines buying it.

dave1123

The main reason the exhaust manifolds on the 4.0 are a problem is the design of the header itself. The long reach of the steel tubes from the #1 and #6 exhaust ports creates too much expansion and cracks the weld at the outlet collector. Aftermarket headers have an expansion joint in these two pipes and allow for the flexing of them. This is one of the reasons for the separate two headers on the WJ.

Bustedback

A bad transmission mount can also cause the header to crack.

Hymie

Since you have asked of the problems I have experienced with my 2000 WJ, here is a list (off the top of my head):-

Cabin fan/blower failure (inadequate current carrying connection at the control pcb)
Air-con blend door failure (fix entails complete removal of the dash)
Wing mirrors not opening/closing correctly (plus flapping about)
The ignition key will often not turn, once introduced into the lock mechanism
Bonnet (hood) gas strut failure (both)
Front passenger window failure (stuck in closed position)
Driver 1-2 memory suffers from chronic amnesia (making the system all but useless)
Random operation of the heated front seats
With the cabin fan energised – random operation of the air-con
The remote fob range (both keys) is limited to approximately 1ft from vehicle
Opening the vehicle without using the remote fob will cause the alarm to sound.

Although not a fault per se, the sound system leaves a lot to be desired. At any appreciable volume, the speaker distortion has to be heard, to be believed.

Based on posts on this site, many of the above faults are clearly inherent to the WJ (1999 – 2004 Grand Cherokee).

The above faults occurred within 5 years of owning my Jeep, in comparison, in over 10 years ownership of my Mondeo, I can only recall having to replace the battery and a number-plate bulb (other than the normal consumable items).

Bustedback

And how many gizmos did your mondeo have?

rgs80074

wow the more i hear and see the more i feel lucky.

sure the ac was a big thing especailly in florida

but i've not had anything go bad that would casue the jeep to not be able to be driven.

sure during the summer days i feel like a hog at a pig roast

the exhaust manifold didn't seem to effect drive or gas mileage for that matter only a increase in noise.

radio was or has gone dead but it was stock and i don't always put much faith in stock as did the amp.

is kinda bs to have to replace the regulator due to a little plastic clip breaking you'd think they would make a replacement or something.

overall i feel i got good deal when i bought this vehicle in 05 or early 06

this recent series of fixes was really the first time any of its been done, everything else was normal maintenance with the exception of a rear axle seal.

CherockeeXJ

As someone who just bought a 5.2L V8 1997 Grand Cherokee Limited... thank you...

Bustedback

Saying all ZJs with a V8 are junk is just plain stupid. Grand Cherokees have no more problems than any other SUV built in the same time period.