Ryan Dantrassy

Hey everyone yesterday i bought a old 1998 jeep grand cherokee limited 5200 cc with 270,000 km. I test drove it and started it up and everything. The inside is perfect and has no issues, its 9/10 condition. The motor sounds good when i start it and when it's idling but when i was revving it, it was almost like it was shaking a little bit, but it did sound good when i revved it. Im american but my wife is Colombian and we have a house here in Colombia and ive been here for years and just bought this car to be able to move around easier. I test drove the car around the block and the brakes were in great condition but the when I was giving it gas, the acceleration wasn't impressive and i floored it and it wasn't going past 40 mph. Im worried that it has a issue, the owner told me it has been parked in a garage for a long time and just needs maintenance. Can anyone give me there opinion ? The car starts up first try and sounds great but I don't have it yet and can't get it checked out more until next week when I go pick it up. And suggestions on what I can do to revive it a little bit without coming out of pocket too much? Thanks Guys, im new here and glad to be part of this jeep family

dave1123

Welcome to CF!

The first thing I would do is do a compression test so you'll know how healthy the engine is and what it expect from it. Then visually check wires, belts, hoses, oil leaks, get all the mouse nests and chicken stuff out of the engine compartment. Next, change all the fluids and flush the cooling system if it needs it. Focusing on the engine, clean the throttle body and check for cracked vacuum hoses, rotten spark plug wires, check the spark plugs and put new ones in if needed. New distributor cap and rotor. Change the oil and filter, including the air filter. That ought to keep you busy for a while. Then come back.

wingless

Welcome to the forum.

TIme (age) deteriorates the important parts w/ rubber, requiring periodic replacement to restore normal operation.

Those parts include the two motor mounts and transmission mount.

The steering and suspension also degrades requiring replacement. This reply shows the parts i used to restore normal steering and handling.

All of these parts may be installed by a normal shade tree mechanic. The only "difficult" parts are the upper control arm bushings pressed into the top of the front axle.

Other normal replacement items are the timing chain swap, the Miller 6635 tool is required for replacement, the harmonic balancer also has rubber and might be useful to replace at that time. The intake plenum gasket replacement, with info shown in this reply is a common task.

Ensure that the spark plug tsb has been implemented.

wingless

Also, get the correct Factory Service Manual (FSM) for this vehicle. The FSM is accurate and complete, with everything needed to properly maintain and repair the vehicle. It is available in a printed volume and as a PDF document file.

The transmission fluid requires periodic replacement. Inspect the pan when changing the fluid for excessive contamination. The bands may be adjusted at that time, requiring careful observance of the instructions and a properly calibrated torque wrench. If not possible to follow those instructions then leave it alone.