If you check your owner's manual, I believe it states that that using premium gas isn't required and is not recommended. That by using premium, your engine's performance could actually suffer.
I know that sounds crazy and I couldn't believe that when I read it myself.
I've only had the JGC V8's, so I can't speak for the I6. I tried premium gas in 2 of my JGC's and I can honestly say I didn't notice any performance improvement and actually had a slight drop in gas mileage.
That was just my experience... give a tank or two of premium a try in your I6 and see what results you get.
I thought of adding the tow hooks to my 2001 Limited but the advice I received is that it was a big job. Let me know how it works out for you. If it is not that bad I might go for it.
I've used Plus in my 93 JGC 4.0 L 6 for the entire life of the vehicle except when towing. I found that it was pinging on Regular, and that Premium would give me a boost when towing, but did nothing for performance empty. The Plus grade has shown a great improvement in both mileage and performance as the vehicle has aged. I now have 130,000 miles on it, and the only problem seems to be rough idle with A/C on.
I know there are lots of hilly, curving roads in Arkansas. Still, my '02 Jeep GC v8 actually averages close to 17mpg in city/highway driving although the vehicle information center still shows 15.9. Lots of things could be amiss. Maybe your fuel injector, fuel filter, or air filter are clogged. Spark plugs may not all be firing. Maybe the engine computer needs adjusting. How about fuel quality? Do you go to a reliable gas retailer? Unless your Jeep is heavily loaded, 11mpg seems mighty low and maybe worth a trip to the dealer.
Thanks for the advice. I will let you know what happens with the install. I have a buddy whose a mechanic and I think with his air tools and some time we can do it. I am not opposed to removing whats needed to get in there. Time will tell.
On the fuel economy. 02 JGC I6 I do 17 consistent average. Better on long trips. I did 360 miles last week and was home with over a 1/4 tank left and I drive 75 ish. Hope this helps.
I am considering purchasing the 02' Dodge Ram 1500 quad with the 4.7 next generation magnum. I would appreciate any feedback from jeep owners that have experience with this engine. Thanks
Let's see, this Jeep has had one set of front rotors......due to a recall, brake pads, tires, and shocks, until now. We made the first repair on it a week ago, the oil pressure sending unit was going wacky. Cost $34.02 and took 5 minutes. I can't say I'm complaining, it has 64K on it.
I have a 4WD 99 JGC I-6. My computer shows 18.6 miles per gallon on average. I have 36000 miles on the vehicle now. I do mixed driving but about 75 percent highway driving. 11 mpg sounds awful low to me. BTW, I love my jeep. I haven't had the problems discussed on this thread except for the fuel pump problem which was fixed under warranty about a year and a half ago. Been fine ever since. I do have a cracked windshield which happened in Sept 2001. I still wonder if it is a design flaw in the windshield, I am not convinced it was a flying object that caused the crack.
Tomorrow, my wife's 2000 JGC goes to the shop for the second time in less than two years of ownership for brakes & rotors. Bought in 9/00 from a rental fleet w/22K miles, replaced pads & turned front rotors at 38K due to warpage from heating (dealer said pads were skimming rotor surface). Now, at 53K miles, back we go with the same symptoms: steering shimmy/shake on brake application and pedal pulsing. Given what I have seen on NHTSA website from people complaining and the TSBs, this is an on-going problem for many. From my experience, I would counsel anyone considering any DC product to think again because I don't have any sense that anyone there cares that this vehicle is so crummy.
Your GC is not really too bad. I had a '99 and dumped that back to the dealer for a '00 GC when they had good incentives and before the used market crashed. '99 had new rotors at 5,000 and needed them again at 22,000 when we traded. 5 star dealer was no help and wanted $75 to turn the rotors. ('99 also had rear end whine, 2 power window failures, starter shift lockout & loose air conditioner fitting all fixed under warranty. )
'00 needed rotors at about 14,000 miles. Dealer and DC would not stand behind them (brake warranty is only 12,000 miles.) Dinged them on service survey and service manager called whining. Ended up replacing rotors with aftermarket for less than $100 (from AutoZone with 24/24000 warranty.)
DC can kiss my a**. I will never buy another product from them once this one is gone.
Had an 99 4wd 1500 Quad for 3 years. Loved the truck and it loved me. Issues to consider that I felt were out there with my model -
dismal fuel economy - this is not good for commuting. I got 13 mpg and was drinv 75 miles a day plus
large with huge turn radius. makes parking in mall lots, parallel etc difficult.
I had the suicide doors, but I understand thats be changed to regular rear doors which is good. It was very difficult to load into the extended cab with the old doors especially when parked between cars.
maitenance - I had the 318 MPFI in mine and had some minor issues but it was very dependable
tires - the truck responds very much to road crown as most full size trucks do. this can be annoying on long trips . get the LSD with lock up, tires like to spin on the wet road
utility - hauled, towed and pulled very well for me - never got stuck etc.
height - I had trouble in state/commercial parking garages with the height of the vehicle
extras - would recommend heated mirrors and seats, fog lights, tonneau cover
I realize you didnt ask for this info but I felt compelled to share. Good luck - its a great truck. BTW before I came to Jeep I had driven a full size 4wd pick up for 10 years of various makes and models Chev. GMC and Dodge - never a Ford-just dont like them and their reliability.
Well, the dealership turned the rotors to minimum acceptable thickness at no charge, didn't replace pads, didn't even check the rear. I like getting out of there without paying money but now must head for trading vehicles ASAP before the symptoms return. A pox on DC.....
Having owned both the 5.3L (318) and the 4.7L in JGC's, the 4.7L is hands down the better engine. It's been the most reliable engine I've owned (along with GM's 454).
The 4.7L is a very smooth, powerful engine. Fuel economy and power is better than the 5.3L.
You didn't state what style of 02 Ram you were considering. I've driven a regular cab, short box 02 Ram with the 4.7L engine and it seemed to have plenty of power. However, I can't vouch for this engine in a Quad-cab. That's an awful big truck for an engine this size.
DC was supposed to be offering 2 new hemi V8's with the new Ram, but they weren't ready at first production. That's why I didn't buy the Ram. When they do come out, I'll take another look at the truck.
Am considering replacing oem tires on my 2000GC with Michelin Cross Terrains. Also am looking into changing shocks to Eldebrocks. Any experience or comments? Thanks.
My JGC has 43,500 miles. Developed a gear whine and I took it upon myself to have my local garage change the rear diff. fluid with synthetic. No change. Went to Jeep dealer for fix - diagnosed as bad bearings. Asked what Jeep was going to do about it (had copies of Edmunds postings with same problem). Service Mgr told me that they would repair for $200 / one half of cost) I approved and when they took off the rear diff cover, the ring and pinion had pieces of metal missing. He told me I would need a new ring and pinion. Changed ring and pinion / bearings. Cost - included in the $200. This probably saved me $1000.
Last evening my 1999 JGC was working normally until we made a stop and turned off the ignition. On trying to restart, the vehicle would not turn over. Got some flashing of the dash lights and saw the needles on the gauges go from left to right and back a few times. Also heard a clicking sound from behind the instrument panel -- even when we were not trying to start it. When turning the key in the ignition, the clicking got faster.
Had AAA come and jump the vehicle. It started up OK and the man said he was getting a good "charge back" on his battery starter, indicating that the battery was OK. Drove straight to dealer's lot (after hours) and after shutting it down noticed the whole thing starting over again. Dash lights flashing, needles wavering, remote keyless would not work when we tried to lock it up.
I think I have heard about this before on this board, and I have the impression it is not so uncommon. Vehicle has been in service for three years with 27,000 mi. Anybody have this problem also? What was the fix and approximate cost? How common is this problem?
Thanks to the board for any help you can give. This is a great forum for chasing down these JGC issues and becoming better informed about how to handle them.
"This is a great forum for chasing down these JGC issues and becoming better informed about how to handle them."
It's too bad that all those "award winning 5-STAR" dealers weren't as helpful or as knowledgeable. Things would be a lot better. If you had 27,000 trouble-free miles, you are very lucky.
Wish I could offer some advice, but Chrysler products are no longer in my garage.
Several years ago my '93 JGC Laredo had a similar experience. Battery was fine, clicking sound when ignition switch was turned and no start. Jeep dealer diagnosed and replaced electrical coil same day. This was the only significant, not major, problem I had during the seven years I owned that Jeep. Hope this helps.
As for 'fastdriver', Confusious say "If one has nothing good to say, don't say it."
I will be adding tow hooks soon as i am going to camp jeep in July and want to go on the intermediate trails and that requires tow hooks. Here is a link for those interested in adding tow hooks to a 98 grand cherokee.
As a long time Chyrsler owner (4 vehicles over the last 11 years), I'd like to add my 2cents. While my dealer is not a "5 Star" dealer (I truly believe that this is an advertising gimick developed by Chrysler to soak the dealership for more cooperative advertising dollars), my dealer, Bridge Chrysler - Jeep, Long Island, NY, has always been golden in their dealings with me. When my 96 Concorde's driver side seat track cracked after 39K miles, their service manager interceeded with DC. What would have been an $800 repair cost me only labor (about $150.00). DC paid for the replacement part. My only beef might be about trade-in value. I traded my 96 Concorde LX with 76K miles about 2 months ago for an 02 Liberty Sport, and the car that cost me $18K 6 years ago got me $2,500 in trade dollars. This was the same amount offered to me by 4 different dealers (all different brand dealers). What really frosted me was that I saw my car advertised a week later by my dealer in the newspaper for $5,995. I feel more sorry for the poor soul that bought the car for that than for me.
how good of a deal do you want? Pretty much the going rate is a couple hundred over invoice plus the rebates/interest. If a dealer wants more than $300 over invoice, there are plenty out there more than willing to sell them for that. We have two Jeep dealers in our area, one advertises $300 over invoice on all Jeeps (and that's the deal, we've bought several Jeeps from them). The other dealer basically tells people to buy from the other dealer if they don't want to pay $500-$700 over invoice. Wanna guess which dealer has six Jeeps on their lot, and which one has about 50? $300 plus the holdback is pretty good money when you turn them as often as he does.
1st Week-Replaced Windshield Molding(outside)-ripped off on the highway.
3rd month-Wheel Alignment-Jeep was (and still is) pulling to the left constantly. Problem never corrected. After bringing in car for same problem 3 additional times. Dealer convinced me that it is the highway crown. Yeah Right.
7,200 Miles-New Rotors and Brakes (covered under warranty)-Squeeking alerted me.
14,000 Miles-New Rotors and Brakes (dealer tried getting me for $350-not covered after 12k miles). I convinced them that 12k mile warranty started when the brakes were replaced at 7200 miles). They nailed me for fuel injector cleaning ($80).
Off the record with the repair shop supervisor (who was the salesman when I bought the jeep), I was told that the rotors are crap and actually fall apart in areas that see a lot of road salt, etc.
By the way I get about 17 mpg using 87 octane always.
I will never by another Jeep. Dealer assured me brake problem was fixed in '99 year.
Just finished driving 2002 GMC Envoy for a week while on vacation. I wished I bought that.
Cost for my JCG Laredo. $100 over invoice, above Kelly and Edmunds TVM on my trade, 2500 cash back, 5% financing.
Repairs - the rotor issue that wont die. Personally I think its horrible to have such constant repair issues for brakes, which clearly have a safety element. This was obviously a Jeep error but I have 6K so far on my Jeep and no problems/issues. Just rotated the tires and the rotors and brakes look brand new.
Envoy - See my other posts on the Envoy. Nice truck, but a close friend whom is a GMC mechanic at a busy dealership says the truck has many many repair issues and quality problems.
If you are that unhappy with the Jeep - perhaps GMC is not the way to go.
First off, what engine does it have? The I6 or the V8?
With 140K miles, there probably will be some issues as that's quite a few miles worth of wear and tear. Nothing out of the ordinary compared to any other engine at that mileage though. Do you know the service history of the vehicle?
I also assume this is a 4WD model? If so, you need to consider the 140K miles of wear placed on the entire drivetrain. Transmissions (which were already prone to failure), transfer case, driveshafts, u-joints, differentials, bearings, etc. could all be near replacement or rebuilding by this time. There's nothing cheap here... any one of these major assemblies fail and you'll easily be looking at a 4-figure repair bill.
I'd think long and hard about this and have it inspected by a mechanic you trust. That "good buy" could really cost you and arm and a leg if there are any hidden problems waiting to happen.
Just a quick note, I am a little baffled how artbinct bought a 2001 JGC in April 2000 when the factory would still be producing 2000 until July when they change over to the next model year?
After some hard thinking, I decided to replace my '99 JGC Laredo, F pkg, V8 with a new '02 JGC Laredo, T pkg, V8. I actually enjoyed driving the '99 despite the drive shaft noise, ghost bump while breaking and warped front rotors. It never broke down on me, the problems were always addressed by the dealership where I had it surviced and everything was covered under waranty. The V8 has great power and the vehicle suited my needs perfectly. The only thing that came close to preventing me from replacing my '99 was the warped rotors. Having only driven the '99 just 30,000 miles, it was on its forth set of front rotors and third set of front break pads when I turned it in.
The 2002 JGC is quieter and rides much better than the '99 I had and so far I am pleased with my decission. In expectation that I may again experience warped rotors with the '02, can anybody remomend a quality aftermarket replacement?
Any reputable parts supplier (like NAPA, PepBoys, Midas, etc.) should be just fine for replacement rotors. That should be the last time you'll need to deal with the brake rotor problem, and at a fraction of the cost of Mopar replacement rotors.
The big thing is to stay away from the Mopar replacement rotors your dealer will use. They're as bad as the OEM rotors and you're doing nothing more than starting the problem all over from the beginning.
actually, you'll need to spend more than the Mopar rotors to get a quality piece. The general run-of-the-mill rotors are no better. Overall, I think you'll find most domestics and alot of imports have cheap rotors from the factory, although the actual symptoms (noise, vibration) are more obvious on certain models. SUV's and trucks are more prone, probably just from a weight stand-point. Through business and personal I'm familiar with just about every make under the sun and rotors are the biggest "routine" problem on alot of vehicles. Many people you've seen on this site saying they've had the pads replaced 4 times in 20K miles most likely did not wear out the pads/rotors. They were making noise and the easiest way for a dealer to fix the noise is to slap on new parts. You'll need to spend about $100 for each rotor to get a quality part that will last on these types of vehicles.
Kkulig and sebring 95 thank you for your comments. Any specific manufacture of high quality aftermarket rotors that anybody would recommend for the JGC?
I will voice one minor gripe I have with the '02 JGC over the '99 is with the sunroof. On the '99 you were able to open the sunroof all the way beyond the express stopping point. The sunroof on the '02 only goes back to the express stopping point, 7/8ths open. I would gather they did this because of the wind pressure that was created when all the windows were up and the roof was fully open. I still would much prefer to have the option of being able to open the sunroof on the '02 all the way back.
I found a set of front rotors at AutoZone for about $100. They are working fine with about 16,000 miles on them. They came with a 24,000 mile/24 month warranty if I remember correctly. These are on a '00 JGCL I6 2wd. Started with a '99 and dumped it when they would not cover the second set of rotors at 23,000 with 15,000 on the replacement rotors. 5 Star dealer wanted $75 to turn the rotors on the '99 to try and correct the problem.
posts 459, 461, & 462 for specific rotor brands. Other posts on this thread that may provide valuable information about rotors include 431,459-462, 501-504, 508-510, and 640. I haven't had rotor problems with my '02 so can't speak from experience.
I can't argue the known fact "that you generally get what you pay for." For what it's worth, here's my experience:
Of the 4 JGC's I've owned, 2 had the warped brake rotor problem (still waiting to see what's going to happen on my 02). Of those 2, I replaced the rotors with no-name, generic local part supplier rotors. They worked great! Never experienced the problem again in the 50K+ miles I drove each vehicle after the replacement.
Now today, you could very well be right, and even these kind of replacement rotors are in the $100 apiece range (it's been awhile since I had to replace brake rotors). That's still less than what the dealer will charge.
My main point is that it scares me to read some of these posts and hear people recommend to others that they should go out and plunk down $1000+ for a set of exotic cross-drilled or slotted H-P rotors to solve this problem.
This is an excessive amount to spend for brake rotors and it's totally unnecessary when any decent local parts supplier "brand" will do just as well. That's just my experience with the rotor problem. If someone wants to spend the big bucks, well, that's their choice.
But like I said earlier, stay away from the Mopar replacements! I think many of the JGC brake rotor "veterans" out there will agree.
I just bought a 2000 JGC. I noticed a "shake" when taking hard turns. I seem to recall this on a 1995 I had; however, I want to be sure. I had the dealer check it and they said that this is normal on most 4x4s.
I have 7 days to return the vehicle for a full refund, so I want to know (quickly please) if everyone else noticed this.
Also, I had the rotors checked and they are perfect (independent service). Has the brake/rotor problem been fixed in this year?
If you're refering to a binding, or jerking feeling coming out of the front end when making a tight turn (like turning into a parking spot), then this is pretty "normal" for most 4WD's... especially the older systems.
The differentials, whether in the axles or transfer case, aren't opening fully to allow for the difference in turning speed between the inside and outside wheel.
The question is how "normal" is this for a JGC? I guess a person could debate this forever.
I've had 4 JGC's. My first (a 93) never did this until about 30K. The dealer replaced some of the transfer case viscous coupler parts and the problem went away.
This hasn't been a problem on the other 3 JGC's I've had (a 98, 99 and 02). Some JGC's seem to have this, others don't.
One of my friends bought a used 94. From day one, that thing growled, jerked and you could actually see the right front jump like crazy when he turned sharp. He put over 80K on it like that and nothing up front or in the drivetrain ever failed. Amazed the hell out of me!
If you keep the vehicle, my only advice would be to try not to make too many tight turns, and when you do, do them as gently as possible. Can't say what kind of strain this puts on the drivetrain, but it obviously puts more wear on the tires if they have to fight rotational speed against each other.
Your call as to whether you want to live with this or not. I know they had TSB's on this problem in the earlier model years, but they went to an entirely new drivetrain in 99 (which had their own peculiar set of problems). I'd have a serious talk with your dealer about this. Good luck!
Any sugestions? At, or around 60mph my 98 JGC develops a whirling gear noise. The sound seems to be coming from the front axle's. Has anyone encountered this problem ? It's driving me crazy! The noise seems to ease up if I let of the gas. Any comments would help.... Thanks
Today I went looking for a Jeep. I found a 1993 Laredo inline 6cylinder 4x4 with 119k miles on it. It's silver with new tires and looks excellent for a 93 model. He wants $6850 for it. Is that a good price? I had thought about offering $6500. I have never owned jeep products before I have a 01 Yukon. The jeep will be for my son. Was this a good year for jeeps? You all seem to have a lot of experience with them. Also is there in problems I need to be aware of before I buy? Thanks in advance. Any comments will be appriciated Marty
Some of the problems to watch out for on the 93 JGC's are transmission failures, transfer case viscous coupler failures, steering gear box failures and the infamous warped brake rotor problem... just to name a few.
was first made in model year 1993. My first Jeep ('93) had the usual minor problems and recalls. It was remarkably reliable and relatively trouble free. The biggest shock I got was going from 27mpg on my '86 Toyota Celica to 17mpg on the '93 Jeep. To me, it was well worth it. The brake rotors were a nagging problem. The liftgate latch was defective (new). The electrical coil went out after 4 years. The A/C died and was replaced after 5 years (typical for early GC). I had the V8 engine. I followed the mfr's maintenance schedule as close as I could and sold it to a family friend with no regrets. My '93 was a good Jeep.
Looking at Edmund's and Kelly Bluebook will give you a good idea of what price to pay.
Get the VIN# from the vehicle you are considering and check carfax.com for the vehicle history.
i saw an ad for a very nice looking silver 1997 jeep grand cherokee limited 4x4 8cyl, 5.2 L. after reading these messages i have become a little discouraged. the car has 87,000 miles on it but its fully loaded with heated seats moonroof etc. the seller is asking 11,900. how much do u think its worth and how many more miles can it handle? is this going to end up dying on me before it reaches 100k. what would you do.
I notice that many people post that you should run a check of the vehicle's history through Carfax when considering the purchase of a used vehicle. I believe this costs approx $20 for a report?
Let's say you're interested in buying a used vehicle and you want to check to see if it's a lemon. Before you spend the money, please consider this...
Most states maintain a database and require vehicle titles to be "branded" if a vehicle has been flood damaged, salvaged, reconstructed or is a lemon. Who wouldn't want to know this before buying one of these, right? Well, there are a couple of holes in this system...
One problem is that not all states share this info between themselves or make it available to private parties, like Carfax. Despite what Carfax advertises, they do not have access to vehicle history databases in all 50 states. They don't tell you this either. They make it sound like they do because they're trying to sell you their services.
For instance, let's look at a lemon vehicle because there are probably more of these floating around than the other types I've listed above. I can speak with firsthand experience on these.
There's a problem here too... not all lemons end up being "branded" as a lemon. If you initiate lemon law action against a manufacturer, and it gets settled through arbitration (or out-of-court so to speak) and the manufacturer is willing to buy back the vehicle or replaces it with a new one without being ordered to by a court... well, not all states would brand the vehicle as a lemon. This is a "manufacturer's buy-back."
True, some states will indicate this on a vehicle's title also. But they treat a buy-back differently from an actual lemon. How so?
I had a 98 JGC bought back by DC because of a major drivetrain vibration that couldn't be found or fixed. Within 2 minutes of me turning the car back in to my dealer for a new one, they stuck a big sign in the windshield that said, "This vehicle is not available to be sold at retail. Vehicle to be sold at dealer wholesale auction only."
Because my vehicle was a buy-back and not actually taken back under our state lemon law, DC was free to turn around and resell the vehicle as they saw fit. They sold it to some other dealer, probably out-of-state, or at least out of our immediate area. Care to bet whether some unlucky person is driving it today?
Several months after I turned the vehicle in, I ran a history check on the VIN through Carfax. It came back with a "clean" title. 3+ years later, it still comes back with a "clean" title today.
Now if my vehicle can slip through the cracks, what about all the other lemons, salvaged and flood damaged vehicles out there? Can you truly believe anything you see in a Carfax report?
In all fairness to Carfax, they can only report the info they have access to. Just because they find nothing indicating the vehicle is a lemon doesn't mean that it couldn't be. The system is far from perfect, but probably better than nothing. Your best bet is to always try to contact the previous owner before buying. If you can't, or have any doubts about the vehicle... walk away!
That price of $11,900 seems very reasonable if it has a clean carfax report and is in clean condition. The same vehicle sells for about $13,900-15,000 here in central Texas. In March I purchased a 98 SE 4X4 6cyl with 52k miles for $13,900 it was in good condition and had a clean carfax report, I have no regrets and was my first Jeep vehicle, purchased for my wife. Im now thinking of trading in my escape for a Liberty or a JGC new, as I enjoy driving the 98 so much.
Hi, I like GC's looks. I am not able to decide between GC and a Honda Odyssey. Also worried about GC's mechanical problems. Is the 02 JGC more refined and major problmes solved? Experts please help, in my decision making process. Thanks.
Why not consider a T&C AWD minivan. I have a 2002 T&C AWD and absolutely love it. It rides and handles like a midsized car. The Honda is also terrific, but the AWD works beautifully, giving excellent traction in slippery weather. At least give it a test drive, you will be amazed at how good it is.
I have been looking at Jeeps the past month and have come across a 96 with 103,000 miles on it. It is in excellent condition inside and out. The dealer will take $7,765 total taxes and tags included. I found three problems but everything else checked out. The first one was a whinning noise coming from the rear he said it was the differential. Also while driving the check gauges light came on and the oil pressure gauge went to zero only while braking and at idle, but would go back to normal at higher rpms. Has this every happened to anyone here? He said he would take it to a shop and have them fix that. And finally the tailpipe/muffler was leaking something, a clear liquid. Towards the middle of the vehicle. I have been looking at a lot of Jeeps lately and I have not come across a quieter one. Do these problems seem like anything to worry about. I have never owned chryslers so this will be the first, it is for my son. It has the inline 6, should he be able to get some miles out of it. He needs it to get to work and school. I have read through these posts and have seen all the problems but for some reason he realy wants a Jeep. Also is there any other problems that I should check for before buying. He also had a carfax report on it and it was a lease car in the begining and then auctioned off to a person and then he bought it. Sorry about the long post just don't want to make a mistake. Any comment would be appricieted thank you Marty
Comments
I know that sounds crazy and I couldn't believe that when I read it myself.
I've only had the JGC V8's, so I can't speak for the I6. I tried premium gas in 2 of my JGC's and I can honestly say I didn't notice any performance improvement and actually had a slight drop in gas mileage.
That was just my experience... give a tank or two of premium a try in your I6 and see what results you get.
On the fuel economy. 02 JGC I6 I do 17 consistent average. Better on long trips. I did 360 miles last week and was home with over a 1/4 tank left and I drive 75 ish. Hope this helps.
I would appreciate any feedback from jeep owners that have experience with this engine.
Thanks
'00 needed rotors at about 14,000 miles. Dealer and DC would not stand behind them (brake warranty is only 12,000 miles.) Dinged them on service survey and service manager called whining.
Ended up replacing rotors with aftermarket for less than $100 (from AutoZone with 24/24000 warranty.)
DC can kiss my a**. I will never buy another product from them once this one is gone.
dismal fuel economy - this is not good for commuting. I got 13 mpg and was drinv 75 miles a day plus
large with huge turn radius. makes parking in mall lots, parallel etc difficult.
I had the suicide doors, but I understand thats be changed to regular rear doors which is good. It was very difficult to load into the extended cab with the old doors especially when parked between cars.
maitenance - I had the 318 MPFI in mine and had some minor issues but it was very dependable
tires - the truck responds very much to road crown as most full size trucks do. this can be annoying on long trips . get the LSD with lock up, tires like to spin on the wet road
utility - hauled, towed and pulled very well for me - never got stuck etc.
height - I had trouble in state/commercial parking garages with the height of the vehicle
extras - would recommend heated mirrors and seats, fog lights, tonneau cover
I realize you didnt ask for this info but I felt compelled to share. Good luck - its a great truck.
BTW before I came to Jeep I had driven a full size 4wd pick up for 10 years of various makes and models Chev. GMC and Dodge - never a Ford-just dont like them and their reliability.
I doubt it was designed or intended for commuting.
"large with huge turn radius. makes parking in mall lots, parallel etc difficult."
Who cares, it's a truck? Then again, these features do come in handy when between trees or rocks or on construction sites.
"
tires - the truck responds very much to road crown as most full size trucks do. this can be annoying on long trips ."
Who cares? It's a truck. Take the car for long trips.
"extras - would recommend heated mirrors and seats, fog lights, tonneau cover"
NEVER!
The 4.7L is a very smooth, powerful engine. Fuel economy and power is better than the 5.3L.
You didn't state what style of 02 Ram you were considering. I've driven a regular cab, short box 02 Ram with the 4.7L engine and it seemed to have plenty of power. However, I can't vouch for this engine in a Quad-cab. That's an awful big truck for an engine this size.
DC was supposed to be offering 2 new hemi V8's with the new Ram, but they weren't ready at first production. That's why I didn't buy the Ram. When they do come out, I'll take another look at the truck.
Had AAA come and jump the vehicle. It started up OK and the man said he was getting a good "charge back" on his battery starter, indicating that the battery was OK. Drove straight to dealer's lot (after hours) and after shutting it down noticed the whole thing starting over again. Dash lights flashing, needles wavering, remote keyless would not work when we tried to lock it up.
I think I have heard about this before on this board, and I have the impression it is not so uncommon. Vehicle has been in service for three years with 27,000 mi. Anybody have this problem also? What was the fix and approximate cost? How common is this problem?
Thanks to the board for any help you can give. This is a great forum for chasing down these JGC issues and becoming better informed about how to handle them.
"This is a great forum for chasing down these JGC issues and becoming better informed about how to handle them."
It's too bad that all those "award winning 5-STAR" dealers weren't as helpful or as knowledgeable. Things would be a lot better. If you had 27,000 trouble-free miles, you are very lucky.
Wish I could offer some advice, but Chrysler products are no longer in my garage.
fastdriver
As for 'fastdriver', Confusious say "If one has nothing good to say, don't say it."
Just trying to keep everyone AWARE of what happens AFTER you sign the papers, so they don't make the same mistake I made!
Better to be informed than quiet- I always say!
fastdriver
http://www.lovewellfence.com/zj/towhook/
1st Week-Replaced Windshield Molding(outside)-ripped off on the highway.
3rd month-Wheel Alignment-Jeep was (and still is) pulling to the left constantly. Problem never corrected. After bringing in car for same problem 3 additional times. Dealer convinced me that it is the highway crown. Yeah Right.
7,200 Miles-New Rotors and Brakes (covered under warranty)-Squeeking alerted me.
14,000 Miles-New Rotors and Brakes (dealer tried getting me for $350-not covered after 12k miles). I convinced them that 12k mile warranty started when the brakes were replaced at 7200 miles). They nailed me for fuel injector cleaning ($80).
Off the record with the repair shop supervisor (who was the salesman when I bought the jeep), I was told that the rotors are crap and actually fall apart in areas that see a lot of road salt, etc.
By the way I get about 17 mpg using 87 octane always.
I will never by another Jeep. Dealer assured me brake problem was fixed in '99 year.
Just finished driving 2002 GMC Envoy for a week while on vacation. I wished I bought that.
Repairs - the rotor issue that wont die. Personally I think its horrible to have such constant repair issues for brakes, which clearly have a safety element. This was obviously a Jeep error but I have 6K so far on my Jeep and no problems/issues. Just rotated the tires and the rotors and brakes look brand new.
Envoy - See my other posts on the Envoy. Nice truck, but a close friend whom is a GMC mechanic at a busy dealership says the truck has many many repair issues and quality problems.
If you are that unhappy with the Jeep - perhaps GMC is not the way to go.
With 140K miles, there probably will be some issues as that's quite a few miles worth of wear and tear. Nothing out of the ordinary compared to any other engine at that mileage though. Do you know the service history of the vehicle?
I also assume this is a 4WD model? If so, you need to consider the 140K miles of wear placed on the entire drivetrain. Transmissions (which were already prone to failure), transfer case, driveshafts, u-joints, differentials, bearings, etc. could all be near replacement or rebuilding by this time. There's nothing cheap here... any one of these major assemblies fail and you'll easily be looking at a 4-figure repair bill.
I'd think long and hard about this and have it inspected by a mechanic you trust. That "good buy" could really cost you and arm and a leg if there are any hidden problems waiting to happen.
After some hard thinking, I decided to replace my '99 JGC Laredo, F pkg, V8 with a new '02 JGC Laredo, T pkg, V8. I actually enjoyed driving the '99 despite the drive shaft noise, ghost bump while breaking and warped front rotors. It never broke down on me, the problems were always addressed by the dealership where I had it surviced and everything was covered under waranty. The V8 has great power and the vehicle suited my needs perfectly. The only thing that came close to preventing me from replacing my '99 was the warped rotors. Having only driven the '99 just 30,000 miles, it was on its forth set of front rotors and third set of front break pads when I turned it in.
The 2002 JGC is quieter and rides much better than the '99 I had and so far I am pleased with my decission. In expectation that I may again experience warped rotors with the '02, can anybody remomend a quality aftermarket replacement?
The big thing is to stay away from the Mopar replacement rotors your dealer will use. They're as bad as the OEM rotors and you're doing nothing more than starting the problem all over from the beginning.
I will voice one minor gripe I have with the '02 JGC over the '99 is with the sunroof. On the '99 you were able to open the sunroof all the way beyond the express stopping point. The sunroof on the '02 only goes back to the express stopping point, 7/8ths open. I would gather they did this because of the wind pressure that was created when all the windows were up and the roof was fully open. I still would much prefer to have the option of being able to open the sunroof on the '02 all the way back.
Of the 4 JGC's I've owned, 2 had the warped brake rotor problem (still waiting to see what's going to happen on my 02). Of those 2, I replaced the rotors with no-name, generic local part supplier rotors. They worked great! Never experienced the problem again in the 50K+ miles I drove each vehicle after the replacement.
Now today, you could very well be right, and even these kind of replacement rotors are in the $100 apiece range (it's been awhile since I had to replace brake rotors). That's still less than what the dealer will charge.
My main point is that it scares me to read some of these posts and hear people recommend to others that they should go out and plunk down $1000+ for a set of exotic cross-drilled or slotted H-P rotors to solve this problem.
This is an excessive amount to spend for brake rotors and it's totally unnecessary when any decent local parts supplier "brand" will do just as well. That's just my experience with the rotor problem. If someone wants to spend the big bucks, well, that's their choice.
But like I said earlier, stay away from the Mopar replacements! I think many of the JGC brake rotor "veterans" out there will agree.
I have 7 days to return the vehicle for a full refund, so I want to know (quickly please) if everyone else noticed this.
Also, I had the rotors checked and they are perfect (independent service). Has the brake/rotor problem been fixed in this year?
Thanks in advance.
The differentials, whether in the axles or transfer case, aren't opening fully to allow for the difference in turning speed between the inside and outside wheel.
The question is how "normal" is this for a JGC? I guess a person could debate this forever.
I've had 4 JGC's. My first (a 93) never did this until about 30K. The dealer replaced some of the transfer case viscous coupler parts and the problem went away.
This hasn't been a problem on the other 3 JGC's I've had (a 98, 99 and 02). Some JGC's seem to have this, others don't.
One of my friends bought a used 94. From day one, that thing growled, jerked and you could actually see the right front jump like crazy when he turned sharp. He put over 80K on it like that and nothing up front or in the drivetrain ever failed. Amazed the hell out of me!
If you keep the vehicle, my only advice would be to try not to make too many tight turns, and when you do, do them as gently as possible. Can't say what kind of strain this puts on the drivetrain, but it obviously puts more wear on the tires if they have to fight rotational speed against each other.
Your call as to whether you want to live with this or not. I know they had TSB's on this problem in the earlier model years, but they went to an entirely new drivetrain in 99 (which had their own peculiar set of problems). I'd have a serious talk with your dealer about this. Good luck!
The noise seems to ease up if I let of the gas.
Any comments would help.... Thanks
A good place to check for TSB's and recalls on this model year is at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
The price is fair but the mileage is up there. Any service history on this vehicle? A transmission failure alone could cost $2500+ to fix.
Looking at Edmund's and Kelly Bluebook will give you a good idea of what price to pay.
Get the VIN# from the vehicle you are considering and check carfax.com for the vehicle history.
Let's say you're interested in buying a used vehicle and you want to check to see if it's a lemon. Before you spend the money, please consider this...
Most states maintain a database and require vehicle titles to be "branded" if a vehicle has been flood damaged, salvaged, reconstructed or is a lemon. Who wouldn't want to know this before buying one of these, right? Well, there are a couple of holes in this system...
One problem is that not all states share this info between themselves or make it available to private parties, like Carfax. Despite what Carfax advertises, they do not have access to vehicle history databases in all 50 states. They don't tell you this either. They make it sound like they do because they're trying to sell you their services.
For instance, let's look at a lemon vehicle because there are probably more of these floating around than the other types I've listed above. I can speak with firsthand experience on these.
There's a problem here too... not all lemons end up being "branded" as a lemon. If you initiate lemon law action against a manufacturer, and it gets settled through arbitration (or out-of-court so to speak) and the manufacturer is willing to buy back the vehicle or replaces it with a new one without being ordered to by a court... well, not all states would brand the vehicle as a lemon. This is a "manufacturer's buy-back."
True, some states will indicate this on a vehicle's title also. But they treat a buy-back differently from an actual lemon. How so?
I had a 98 JGC bought back by DC because of a major drivetrain vibration that couldn't be found or fixed. Within 2 minutes of me turning the car back in to my dealer for a new one, they stuck a big sign in the windshield that said, "This vehicle is not available to be sold at retail. Vehicle to be sold at dealer wholesale auction only."
Because my vehicle was a buy-back and not actually taken back under our state lemon law, DC was free to turn around and resell the vehicle as they saw fit. They sold it to some other dealer, probably out-of-state, or at least out of our immediate area. Care to bet whether some unlucky person is driving it today?
Several months after I turned the vehicle in, I ran a history check on the VIN through Carfax. It came back with a "clean" title. 3+ years later, it still comes back with a "clean" title today.
Now if my vehicle can slip through the cracks, what about all the other lemons, salvaged and flood damaged vehicles out there? Can you truly believe anything you see in a Carfax report?
In all fairness to Carfax, they can only report the info they have access to. Just because they find nothing indicating the vehicle is a lemon doesn't mean that it couldn't be. The system is far from perfect, but probably better than nothing. Your best bet is to always try to contact the previous owner before buying. If you can't, or have any doubts about the vehicle... walk away!
I like GC's looks. I am not able to decide between GC and a Honda Odyssey. Also worried about GC's mechanical problems. Is the 02 JGC more refined and major problmes solved? Experts please help, in my decision making process. Thanks.
At least give it a test drive, you will be amazed at how good it is.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
Ed
Ed