Looking at a ZJ tomorrow: advice?

[Shoobie]

Hey everyone, I'm going to look at a ZJ for a friend tomorrow. She is looking to buy her first vehicle, and she's interested in Grands. I know they aren't the most practical, but I want to make sure she isn't buying something that will give her more headaches than it should.

I know of all the 'usual' things to look for when buying a used vehicle, but is there anything specific to ZJs that I should look out for? The subject is a 93 with a V8. She hasn't told me the mileage yet ( :| ). The grill/headlights are off of the truck, but she has new parts ready to go on. The asking price is $1500. That's really all I know.

I've heard the ZJs are prone to transmission problems. Anything specific to watch out for? Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you!

[kjopen]

Hi, my Jeep is a 97 so although it is newer than what you are looking at it is the same ZJ. Here's what I would check if buying based on what I've found wrong or had to fix:-

Lot's of play in steering - turned out to be steering box need tightening - quick fix.
Sticking calipers - caused judder on braking - easy fix.
Exhaust blowing - clamps were loose.
When tank below 1/4 Jeep cuts out - fuel pump issue, I keep tank over 1/4 and its fine, however, will need to replace eventually and its pretty expensive and time consuming.
'Coolant sensor bad' error message, this is a fault on the VIC and all is ok, just annoying message - that I have fixed now.
A/C doesn't work - tried everything - just open the windows now as the next thing to try is going to be expensive!
MPG................. if you can't afford around 13/14mpg in the town, don't buy the Jeep!


Do I like my Jeep despite all the above? Yes, it's a hobby and I enjoy driving and fixing it. It's great in the winter here in Canada. I use it every day for the short trip to work - love the drive, hate the poor fuel economy!

Hope this helps....

[kjopen]

Hi, my Jeep is a 97 so although it is newer than what you are looking at it is the same ZJ. Here's what I would check if buying based on what I've found wrong or had to fix:-

Lot's of play in steering - turned out to be steering box need tightening - quick fix.
Sticking calipers - caused judder on braking - easy fix.
Exhaust blowing - clamps were loose.
When tank below 1/4 Jeep cuts out - fuel pump issue, I keep tank over 1/4 and its fine, however, will need to replace eventually and its pretty expensive and time consuming.
'Coolant sensor bad' error message, this is a fault on the VIC and all is ok, just annoying message - that I have fixed now.
A/C doesn't work - tried everything - just open the windows now as the next thing to try is going to be expensive!
MPG................. if you can't afford around 13/14mpg in the town, don't buy the Jeep!


Do I like my Jeep despite all the above? Yes, it's a hobby and I enjoy driving and fixing it. It's great in the winter here in Canada. I use it every day for the short trip to work - love the drive, hate the poor fuel economy!

Hope this helps....

1997 TSi
V8 5.2
230K km's
Owned 15 months

[sand zj]

These are not really prone to tranny problems. They are good vehicles overall and I would recommend to anyone. That being said- For $1,500 and no grill or ??? I would expect to see a very clean vehicle and w/ decent rubber.

For my money I would look for a 94+ and a v8, the 4.0 won't yield much better if any better MPG and the v8 is more powerful/fun to drive.

Dan

[kjopen]

Just remembered a couple of other things that went on mine:-

Rear wiper packed in - water ingress, had to remove motor (unsolder), free-up gearing. So - test the rear wiper.
Radiator worn out - fitted new one and water pump. Have a good look for any leakage.

[Shoobie]

Originally Posted by sand zj

These are not really prone to tranny problems. They are good vehicles overall and I would recommend to anyone. That being said- For $1,500 and no grill or ??? I would expect to see a very clean vehicle and w/ decent rubber.

For my money I would look for a 94+ and a v8, the 4.0 won't yield much better if any better MPG and the v8 is more powerful/fun to drive.

Dan

All the parts are there, some are just not attached. Why are the 94+ better than the 93? This one has a V8, not the I6. I've heard the advantages of the 5.2 over the 4.0.

As far as transmission problems, I guess it must be a coincidence. I see loads of zjs on craigslist with blown transmissions. They're usually cheap, too (wish I knew how to fix those :P ).

As far as MPG goes, I told her that it wont be cheap to feed one of these, but I don't think she's interested in an econobox.

[j.love]

I have a 94 5.2 and I am very happy with it! Most of the things the guys have mentioned aren't the things you need to be worried about...

1.) Yes the fuel pump seems to be an issue with alot of grands. What happens is it will be hard to start, will just take a few more seconds of cranking to get the fuel back to the fuel rail. There is a seal in the fuel pump in the tank that goes when the Jeep is constantly run on less than a 1/4 tank of gas. You need to drop the tank to get to it, and replace the whole pump to fix it. Its a time consuming fix but the part isn't too bad somewhere under 200 bucks for a pump. (dont know the exact price) but the dealer will kill you on labor! ... If the pump is still good, you should tell her to make it a habit to not run less than a 1/4 tank consistently! the seal gets lubricated by fuel and 1/4 tank wont lube it!

2.) The 5.2's used the 249 transfer case as a base model. that is the full time 4wd! The shifter will have 2 positions. 4high and 4 low. this TC case is known for problems. it uses a "viscus cupler" to transfer power to the front and rear. when it goes it causes the front end to "hop" in tight turns. this will only happen when its good and hot! A short test drive wont do it. you need to drive for about 15 minutes or so, then take it to a parking lot and drive in 4 high in figure 8's. if it hops its shot! to have a trans place fix this it will be well over 800 bucks! its not that hard to swap out the part if you have the mechanical ability's... but most people just swap to the 242 transfer case. look in the FAQ's section for the swap write ups.....

3.) The 5.2 where known for leaking intake manifolds at high mileage. You will know this by a lightly smoking exhaust and a rough idle. Again the FAQ's has a write up on it. It's a big job though you need to remove and replace the intake gasket. If your concerned with a smoking 5.2 with a rough idle look down into the throttle body with a flashlight and open the butterfly's on the throttle body. smell to see if it smells like old burnt oil. if so, thats what it is.

3.) Other things are small electrical problems. check to see if all the accessories are working! Some grands are full of electrical gremlins, other electrical thing are easy fixes.. look for hacked wires to see if somebody was chasing electrical problems!


The tranys are pretty good behind the 5.2's they are different from the I6 tranys. not to many guys complain about them. I always heard the same rumors about the grands too when I was looking. its an over rated problem!

Nothing wrong with going with a 93 grand! they are the same ad 94's and 95's. There are some differences with the drive train that some of the offroad guys don't like.. but nothing wrong with them for a chick doing mostly mall driving!

What trim package is this grand? some grands are good to 250k miles depending on their use and care! and Yes the 4.0 isn't that much better on gas than the 5.2!

let us know what you find! and I would expect to find a decent runner for 1500. meaning only normal maintenance things need to be done, all the electrical things working, decent interior and with good rubber! there are far to many grand out there for you to buy a bucket for that price! My 94 was cherry for 3k and stay away from craigs list!!!

[5.9 ANDY]

whats wrong with craigs list??

thats where i found my 1998 5.9 ZJ

[j.love]

That place is a cesspool.

and lets not turn this guys thread into wither or not craigs list is good or not.