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Comments
One question... Does anyone know for sure if Jeep is going to start putting the 3.7L V6 in the Wrangler next year or are they going to keep that motor exclusively for the Liberty for a year or two???
Whether Mobil has such a program or not, there's not much doubt in my mind that Mobil 1 oil will extend engine life. It may not be any better than other full synthetic oils, but it is the one that I have experience with. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, my '94 Z28 had quieter cold starts and got better gas mileage when I switched it to Mobil 1.
So, how's the Jeep shopping going? Did you see shuggins' post (#845) about the deal he got? That is by far the best deal I've seen posted, unless there was a trade-in involved and he took a beating on the trade-in in order to get the new Jeep at that price.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Alee and Sparx
http://sparx.muddyyellowjeep.com
Tbanks
Tbanks
Only 14 mpg, huh? I'm getting 17 with Thelma Jane and am hoping for more after she breaks in a little more. She now has 2100 miles on her, so she may be about as broken in as she will get.
My driving is mostly highway, and I try not to get above 65 mph. This is my first Jeep, so I am still in the process of trying to break my old habit of driving 70 to 75 mph. I guess I ought to use my cruise control.
Thelma is a 5-speed, by the way.
Once again, congrats not only on getting a Jeep, but in getting such a great deal.
tsjay
How is each better or worse in: snow, sand, mud, highway? again, 4&6 cyl and various years.
I am considering a JEEP, and want to weigh used versus new, and what tranny and engine.
Also, nobody answered my tire question from before.
I have a Y2KTJ and I am about to hit 10K on it. I have had no problems nor complaints. Except the nut behind the wheel always pulls towards any mud hole. I am having a great time making this baby mine. I was calling it "the shortie" because I only have the 30in package. I am leaning toward the "TJ Pepper" I am known as Jalapeno round these parts. I have added tow hooks, CB, random decals...
The best thing I did was join a local Jeep club. I am learning from the experiences & mistakes of others.
Want to know more about me & my ride? http://www.angelfire.com/geek/jeep/
Later...
Al
Y2KTJ
Also, any thoughts on ABS? I've always considered it a modern safety feature which no car is complete without. Yet I find them rarer than hen's teeth on dealer lots. Is there a reason for this?
TIA,
-cwk.
This old boy wanted that Jeep bad enough to take out a home equity loan to pay off some of that debt on the Grand Prix in order to make the deal on the Jeep. I know that that was not a financially sound move, BUT IT SURE CURED MY WRANGLER FEVER! I don't regret it a bit.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Maybe a 98 Miata in 2002, and a 2000 Wrangler in 2001? Just gotta trade in the '92 Civic. Have wifey's 96 Jetta also.
Hmmmmm.
Still no answers on tranny/engine/tire choices....
Did you read my poem in Thelma Jane's web page? Maybe you could read it to your wife, but be prepared to duck.
http://members.aol.com/tjoh298765/thelma.html
Seriously, I do hope that things work out for an early order and delivery of your Jeep.
tsjay
As far as the transmission, I much prefer the five speed. I just enjoy driving one, but some people don't like shifting gears. I think you will have a little bit better power, better gas mileage, and less engine wear with the five speed. I drove my Jeep at a steady 65 mph in fourth gear, which is a 1:1 ratio and equal to third gear in the automatic. The RPMs were around 2800. I then shifted to fifth gear and ran a steady 65 mph, and the RPMs dropped to around 2150 or something like that. I posted the results of this experiment a while back, if you want exact numbers, but I don't remember right now. I do know that the 5th gear ratio is .78:1, so whatever RPMS I was turning in fourth gear, I was only turning 78% as many in fifth gear.
I would think your engine would have to last longer by turning so many RPMs less, and, of course, you should save some gas.
Just my humble opinion.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Tranny: I have the auto just because I don't like to shift on hills, roll back. Plus they do better in the sand, don't have to push in the clutch which causes prescious loss in momentum on the sand. The 5-speed has more low end and higher high end, but I don't need to run 100+ so I'm going to gear down to 4.10 which is the same as the 5 speed. Off-road they are very similar if set up right.
Engine: I have the 4.0L. If you plan on doing highway driving this is a must if you want to keep up with traffic. The 2.5 is great for short trips and around town, but if you ever plan on getting bigger tires, you'll have to gear down and loose alot of top end. As far as gas milage differance. It's really only about 2-4 mpg differance, so it's not a big deal. The slower you drive the more mpg you'll get. As far as year, 97's and up are pretty much the same. And as far as how they preform off-road. Pretty much equal. Both have low end that are the same, so 2.5's will keep up with any 4.0 off the road.
Now for Tires:
Can't help you on the 50's jeeps. sorry. But as far as something for on road and a fairly good off-road tire. Look into www.yokohamatire.com They have one called the Geolander. Look at the All-Terrain. They have a more aggressive tread than most A/T's but they are still pretty quiet on road, plus you'll get about 40K miles out of them. as far as what fits, all tires are different so just check with the manufactures. Other options of good road/off-road tire, look into BFG's or Baja claws, more of a mud tire though.
I have a doctor's appointment this morning, so I didn't go to work at my usual time. Instead, I went to the exit ramp, parked, and waited for my buddy to come by in the Silverstone. Sure enough, at about the expected time here she came.
It turns out that my buddy is a lady. (I couldn't tell whether the driver of the Silverstone was a guy or a gal, since we are on opposite sides of the median when we meet on the way to work.) She works at a Job Corps center right beside the exit, and, like I suspected, her hours are 8:00 AM til 4:30 PM, just like mine.
It was really nice to finally meet my buddy. She seemed like a really nice person (Well, duh! She's a Jeep owner, so what did I expect?). She really loves her Jeep, but under the circumstances, we didn't have much time to talk.
My daughter told me I was absolutely crazy for intercepting that Jeep like I did. She just doesn't understand Jeep people.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
I don't think a Jeep is any different from other vehicles with manual transmissions. I haven't found mine to be any different. The clutch operates at about the same foot pressure as for other manual transmission vehicles that I have owned. The linkage on mine is smooth, and I have no trouble shifting.
So, I wouldn't make a distinction between a Jeep and other vehicles when you weigh the pros and cons of manual vs. automatic.
I can't think of any other situation where I would NOT want a 5-speed, other than the traffic jam scenario. (Well, OK, if I had a broken leg, maybe.)
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
I think my mileage is picking up some, probably because she is breaking-in and also because I am learning to drive slower. Old habits are hard to break, and I used to drive 70 to 75 mph without even thinking about it. I am trying to drive Thelma 60 to 65 mph, and I am getting settled in at that range pretty well now. I could always use my cruise control, of course, but I just want to get the feel of driving at the lower speeds on my own.
Last tank gave me 18.4 mpg, the one before was 16.7, and the one before that was 17.9. My normal driving is somewhere between city and highway: I drive on four lane divided highway most of the way to work, but then I have to drive a little in town to get to my work place and to go to lunch.
I LOVE MY JEEP! I have not one regret in trading for her, even though I had a great little Grand Prix GT that only had a little less than 20,000 miles on it.
I haver never owned a vehicle that I have talked to before, at least not on a regular basis. I talk to Thelma every day!
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
I just wanted to check in. I recently had to have my power steering hose replaced on the 99 SE. This is the same Jeep that at 9100 miles needed a new radiator and now at 10150 miles, needed a new power steering hose. It blew and shot power steering fluid everywhere. This Jeep has had numerous problems. The windshield washers did not work when I bought it. The break lights and turn signals like to quit working with no reason, and start again for no reason. The floor board on the passenger side always is full of water after every rain. The 2000 Sport has been behaving itself, the noise in the transmission has become tolerable. It does not leak and so far, nothing has broken or exploded. I would like to get rid of the 99 SE soon and get a more reliable, powerful and useful vehicle, most likely a full size 4x4 truck. The 2000 Sport will stay around for awhile, we like it a lot. Hope you all have a great day and enjoy your Jeeps.
Have you screamed at your Jeep today?
I consider that to be pretty good for a car that's a long way from being broken in. For comparison, I got about 12 MPG in my 98 Grand Cherokee on the first few tanks (same engine). It gradually improved to about 18 MPG.
Most of my driving (about 95%) is highway driving. With the shorter, higher C.G. Sport, I find that I am driving a slower 55-60 mph, rather than the 65-70 mph I do in the Grand Cherokee. I'm sure the slower speeds help with the gas mileage.
I have read somewhere or heard it said that wind drag goes up much more than just in straight proportion to the increase in speed. If I'm not mistaken, I think I have heard that it goes up in proportion to the SQUARE of the speed, other things being equal? In other words, going from 60 to 70 mph would result in not just a 16.7% increase in wind drag as it would be in straight proportion to speed (70/60 X 100), but would actually result in a 36% increase in wind drag (4900/3600 x 100). Is this correct?
I have also read that at highway speeds on flat ground and just cruising, not accelerating, that 80% of the engine's power output is being used just to fight wind drag.
If both of the above are true, then no wonder that slowing down helps gas mileage! Especially in a vehicle as unaerodynamic as a Jeep.
Somebody please tell me if I'm on the right track with this stuff.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
I guess you've read my posts and know that Thelma has behaved herself perfectly so far.
Keep a stiff upper lip!
tsjay
I am happy that you have had a positive experience with your Jeep. They are a very fun vehicle and I have always enjoyed them. The one good thing about all of my Jeep problems is that my Jeep dealership has been very good to me and always gets my Jeep right in to fix it.
Happy Jeeping!!!!!
That was a great vehicle except for a few minor problems that were fixed with no hassle at a Jeep dealer in Illinois, where I traveled weekly on business. It had the I-6 4.0 L engine, like Thelma's, and the SelecTrac four wheel drive system. A lot of people that had the V8 and the QudraDrive system were posting complaints in the Grand Cherokee message boards. They had drive train problems, including rear end whine and "ghost bumps," which was a jerk in the drain train when they stopped for traffic lights (They said it felt like someone had bumped them in the rear.).
I had both front window motors replaced, the air conditioning control module in the dash replaced, and the front brake rotors replaced after they had been turned once and gotten warped a second time (back rotors were turned once too).
There's no doubt in my mind that the GC is a much better SUV than any of the others. They are better looking inside and out, have better four wheel drive systems, and have a better ride.
Despite the few problems I had, I would definitely buy another one if I were going to get another SUV.
You might want to stay away from the QuadraDrive system if you get one. Maybe they've got the bugs out of them now, though. I would check the Grand Cherokee message boards before buying.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
How many gallons do you mean when you say a "tank?" Obviously, you don't run out the tank til completely empty, so I'm guessing you are talking about somewhere around 16 gallons, which leaves about three gallons still in the tank. When you were going 350 miles on a tank, if I'm close on the 16 gallons at fill-up, that would be right at 22 miles per gallon. That's higher than anyone has posted for their mileage in here. Now, if it's more like 17 gallons at fill-up, then you were getting around 20.5 miles per gallon, which is still better than most of us.
With the drop to 260 miles per tank, and using the 17 gallon figure for your fill-up, then you are down to 15 miles per gallon. If that is mostly highway driving, then you should definitley do better than that.
You didn't say whether your type of driving changed from the time you were getting 350 miles per tank. I'm assuming that it didn't, but if it did, that could explain a lot of the drop.
Hope you get it solved. Keep us posted on your progress.
tsjay
Drove my 2001 sport to work last night in heavy rain. When I got there I checked the right side foot wells for water and found none - dry as a bone. I thought I lucked out with this leak thing.
As I was getting ready to leave work this morning, I reached under the driver's seat for something, and guess what? The carpet under the left seat and in the left rear foot well was soaked. I too have the hard top, and there was no leak from above. There must be a hole in the floor somewhere allowing water to get in. (Yes, the floor plugs were in.)
Anyone else have this problem? What's the fix?
Service bulletin info sfjeep?
In aircraft aerodynamics, parasite drag is resistance to airflow caused by poor streamlining, skin friction , and things sticking out into the airstream .
When airspeed doubles, parasite drag quadruples. Maybe this is what you heard.
I'm not an auto engineer, but it would seem to me that this principle would apply to a car also.
Great Jeep! Enjoyed your story. I always had a thing for Daisy Duke too. (What guy doesn't.)
Have you had any water leak problems? Or tranny noise?
Tsjay and everyone else -
I was around here a few weeks ago asking about Jeeps because I may buy one later this year. Or else a pickup. Depends on what happens with my job situation.
Anyone recommend some good places to buy Jeep parts/accessories? I'd like get an ideal of what's out there. Would an air deflector on a Jeep hood improve aerodynamics or make it worse? I've never owned a Chrysler product before so I'm still concerned about getting good service from them - I've heard some horror stories.
Finally I have to say you Jeep owner are probably the coolest bunch of people I've encounter on these message boards. There's quite a bit of flaming and bickering on some of the other boards. Thanks for the help. Later - Jeffer2
As far as the air deflector, I assume you're talking about a bug screen? I don't know if that would help the aerodynamics or not, but I'll bet it wouldn't hurt it: I don't think you could make the aerodynamics of a Jeep any worse!
Hey, you don't buy a Jeep for gas mileage anyway. I wouldn't change anything about my Jeep, though, even if it gave me much more gas mileage. A Jeep is a Jeep, and they make no apologies.
I was asking the wind drag question just for the sake of understanding what's going on, not with the intent of trying to change anything. I guess I was just saying that slowing down when driving a Jeep is not only safer, but would also pay dividends in gas mileage.
I am getting about 17 to 18 mpg lately with my Thelma Jane, and that isn't too bad at all (for a Jeep).
Jeffer2, my man, you give up a lot of stuff when you buy a Jeep. You sacrifice gas mileage, smooth ride, room, and a quiet cabin. What you get in return is FUN! I am having more fun driving Thelma Jane than I've had with any other vehicle I've ever owned, and none of the others come close!
You sort of say "In your face" to practicality when you buy a Jeep. It's like dropping your pants and mooning Mr. Practicality! There's not one thing practical about owning a Jeep for most people's vehicle requirements. THEY ARE JUST FUN!
Hope you join us sometime and get in on the fun.
tsjay
Have you hugged your gas guzzling Jeep today?
What have people had good luck with for breaking these in? I have a 40 mile/day commute that covers city streets and expressway driving, but depending on how I do it I can weight it more heavily to one or the other.
TIA.
-cwk.
I have been to message boards for lots of different vehicles, and, almost without fail, the negative posts far outnumber the positive ones. You won't find that here.
In almost any other message board, there are a few people screaming about pursuing lemon laws and dealer buy-backs. There are people posting messages to the effect that they will never own another of the particular vehicle in question. Haven't seen that here.
There is an occasional post about a problem or two, but you don't hear people saying they are sorry for buying a Jeep or that they will never buy another one.
My only personal experience with a Wrangler is with my Thelma Jane, and I have had exactly zero problems in the first 2200 miles.
tsjay
What color? Hard top/ soft top/both tops? Auto or five speed?
Seriously, my friend, CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to the club!
Have you actually picked up your Jeep or did you order one? The way you worded your message sounds like the latter.
As far as break-in, you are going to hear all kinds of things, because everyone seems to have their own opinion. Some people say follow the owners manual to the letter, some say put the petal to the metal and don't worry about it, and some say drive it like you will be driving it under your normal conditions.
I guess my philosophy is sort of the "drive it like you are going to drive it" way of thinking. I do limit my speed for the first couple hundred miles, but I don't limit it to 50 mph, like the owners manual says. I just don't go to high speed and hold it there very long. A Jeep shouldn't be driven at 80 mph anyway.
One thing I am going to recommend from personal experience is that you go to Mobil 1 oil after the vehicle has a few thousand miles on it. I don't think you want to switch until about 5000 miles or so, but I would definitely do it then.
I had Thelma's oil changed the first time at 2000 miles, and they just put in regular oil. I am going to Mobil 1 at 5000 miles though.
I am a believer in Mobil 1 after what it did for my '94 Z28. When I switched that car to Mobil 1, I had quieter cold starts and got better gas mileage. I have used it in all of my vehicles since then (after they were broken in).
I don't really know if Mobil 1 is better than any other full synthetic oil, but I know it worked great in that Z28, so I have had no reason to experiment with others.
Give us some details on that Sahara!
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?