Are all jeeps this pathetic?

[crazyduetoiowa]

97 jeep wrangler 4 cyl automatic its 98k. I bought it a little over a year ago with 86k. Since then I have had more problems then I ever thought possible. It has needed a new fuel rail, distrubuter, downstream ox sensor, trans cooler lines, two power steering pumps, new radatior, rotors and pads(i understand some of this is rutine) now the transmison is leaking and slipping, the power brake resivor is leaking it needs a new pion seal on the front axle and the tranfer case rattles, the cat converter rattles... Plus new rims and nice tires, new soft top and tons of other non mechanical ungrades. Are all jeeps this crappy???? This jeep has never been of road or abused. The only thing its got going for it is when it runs right its a ton of fun to drive.

Thanks for any coments..........Derek

[ufatbasted]

Originally Posted by crazyduetoiowa

97 jeep wrangler 4 cyl automatic its 98k. I bought it a little over a year ago with 86k. Since then I have had more problems then I ever thought possible. It has needed a new fuel rail, distrubuter, downstream ox sensor, trans cooler lines, two power steering pumps, new radatior, rotors and pads(i understand some of this is rutine) now the transmison is leaking and slipping, the power brake resivor is leaking it needs a new pion seal on the front axle and the tranfer case rattles, the cat converter rattles... Plus new rims and nice tires, new soft top and tons of other non mechanical ungrades. Are all jeeps this crappy???? This jeep has never been of road or abused. The only thing its got going for it is when it runs right its a ton of fun to drive.

Thanks for any coments..........Derek

I have a 6 cyl 91 I bought 2 years ago with 121,000 miles. I only drive it about 10 miles a day, and use it around town and once in a while on the beach -I LOVE TO DRIVE THIS THING.

When I first bought her she needed a new distrubitor, crankcase sensor, had the fuel pump replaced-on my own I replaced some vacum lines, tuned it up plugs wires, replaced all relays and some grounds wires , cleaned all grounds and coated with di-electric grease. Tranny was very hard to shift into 2nd and reverse-changed fluid twice with redline oil and now she is better. Every car/truck goes through a point where a lot work is needed-I looked at my prior owners receipts and he replaced lots of stuff between 85-100 thousand miles. The past year she has been trouble free-I do expect things to go wrong and will replace them when they do. I will try to do this myself as much as possible.

You need to decide if the rig is worth the dough to get/keep running-Jeeps are pretty easy to work on can you replace some of the items yourself? Parts are cheap and easy to come by. I on my own installed a new suspension with no prior experience. Labor kills. You can learn as you go along if you have a second car and dont need yer rig as a daily driver. Lots of info here http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums
Prior to this Jeep I had a 89 which I kept for three months and sold as I knew it was to much of a mess for me to correct. Lost 600 bucks but knew I did the right thing.
Sorry for the long reply

That all said its up to you remember
JEEP= Just Empty Every Pocket

[MagicRat]

Excellent post.
Jeeps to need a bit more attention than a regular car, but they last a long time.......I have come across many jeeps in the 300k to 400k miles.

[fredjacksonsan]

And once you fix all those things, you'll likely not have to worry about them for some time.

[SideShow Sean]

well, from browsing around the forums i've noticed that there are a lot of complaints about the 97 4cyl, so maybe its the particular model. if i remember correctly (and i probably don't) the 97 was the first TJ so they probably just didn't have all of the kinks worked out. i have a 97 4cyl and i love it (it just gets crappy mileage, but hey it's a jeep)

[panblackrose]

Well, they're right, not all Jeeps are off that bad with good maintenance, but I drive an 01 Wrangler 4.0 I6 so i guess its not in bad condition anyway... Is it just me or am I the only Jeep owner who wants to turn it into a street machine with vinyls, neons, engine upgrades, etc, etc... or am I just that big of a loser? keep in mind I was given this car without any prior notice or questioning about what I wanted (grandparents...). And yet of course I have to fall in love with the 1993 Mazda RX7... damn... yea I'm a loser...

[fredjacksonsan]

'97 was the first year for the new model, so there were some issues. I never had serious problems with mine.

Panblack, it would be a shame to ruin your Wrangler. You'd be better off selling it and buying the Mazda you're in love with. (Of course your grandparents would be upset....)

[panblackrose]

Actually, I came up with a better idea. Keep the Jeep and make it better with lift and the usual prettiness for 4X4, and buy a used innexspensive car and transform it into my street dream. Lets face it, a maqzda rx-7 aint ever gonna land on my door step till i get the cash down the road. I can't help but love both wranglers and street cars... oooh woawh as me, to be torn between two worlds... Hehe, all the more fun for me!

[JUSTJEEPS]

Get a 4.0 !

[wfodfd]

my .02

bought first jeep in 96, a 90 with 70,000 on her now has 150,000 and is my daily driver. straight 6 with 5 speed...2 inch lift with 31 bfg mt...i beat it daily..and when some thing breaks i fix it and move on...stuff is cheap and very easy to install yourself...

since then, my girlfriend bought a jeep....2000 w/ 14,000 on it, six cyl auto..

three months ago i bought a second jeep, a 2001 with 9000 miles on her..2 " lift 32" wranglers 6 cyl auto and installed a sno-way plow....
i use it only for plowing..

all three are black...all kick butt...

cant wait to get a cj

[AZ325]

Originally Posted by JUSTJEEPS

Get a 4.0 !

I totally second that. Go huge!

[lucky1979]

i have a 94 yj with the 2.5 and just run the hell out of it everyday and the only thing i've replaced is the o2 sensor and starter. it's driven daily 60miles and wheeled hard at least twice a month. i got 4 inch susp. and 3 in. body and 488 gears. my suggestion fix it and run the hell out of it .

[CanaMark]

A good idea is to get it running smooth then sell it. I assume every time it breaks down you take it to a mechanic. And in return you get a hefty bill. Most of those repairs you stated could have been tackled by a novice mechanic. Since its a 4cyl I would sell it. Sure you get upset when things break down, you get frustrated. But you have to look at it as tho this is the ride you want. If so, keep it fix it up. I believe the 97 was the first year of the TJ. Not sure what is new on it tho.

[CoriolisSTORM]

Sounds to me like you got a bit of a lemon there. When buying a used vehicle, you never know what it was treated like before you got it. Just a thing to keep in mind. And no, not all Jeeps are bad. I just got my '98 2.5L out of the shop replacing the crankshaft sensors and working on a misfire on 2 of the 4 cylinders. haha, now that it has all 4 working, it actually does a pretty good job. Good luck, and just work it out, you can sell that one, but dont give up on them as a whole because they are great vehicles.

[89ltd]

I bought my first jeep 8 months ago and I'm still trying to get it on the road. So far, ignition switch, crank sensor, track bar, egr valve, cap and rotor, pickup coil in distributor, clutch fan, plugs, oil , filter, various hoses to correct the oil in the air box, eliminate anti lock brake system, master cylinder , wheel cylinders, drums , shoes , emerg brake cables, when I took it through emmissions, got down the street and the whole exhaust sytem blew off, and yes, it did fail. All I need now is a new gas tank and pump, tires, shocks , windshield, steering stablalizer, head liner, I think I've covered everything. Its a n 89 cherokee ltd. with 160k kilometres. But heh, the air works!!!!! Stereo works but there is no display so you don't know what station its on. I'm hoping to have a worry free winter with it.