[wwjeeper]

I drive a cherokee XJ and one of my friends is looking at some grand cherokees to buy. I was wondering how reliable the 5.2L v8 engines are on 96 and 97 grand cherokees zj are?

 

[PolkaPower]

Chrysler 318 V-8 motors have been in production since 1967 and the Magnum 318 since 1992 if that tells you anything about their reliability.

 

[Mcclain61]

It will be as good to you as you are to it

 

[vegasZJ]

205,000 miles and i beat the hell out if it. Never had to do any internal work just my small list of mods (they were not NEEDED but wanted) arguably the best motor dodge ever made.

 

[PolkaPower]

205,000 miles and i beat the hell out if it. Never had to do any internal work just my small list of mods (they were not NEEDED but wanted) arguably the best motor dodge ever made.

Yes. Besides the 360 they are the best.:laugh:

 

[vegasZJ]

Yes. Besides the 360 they are the best.:laugh:

Lol

 

[HighLonesome]

225 slant six was the best...lol

 

[BenHoleton]

That 318 is a stud. Mine burns a little oil but that's only because i need to replace valve cover gaskets.

 

[vegasZJ]

225 slant six was the best...lol

Its always the 225 and the 318. I have owned them both personally the 225 is a better motor. Just dosnt have any power. When i was younger my dad told me if i blew the 225 up he would pay to have a big block put in it. I in turn drained all the oil out of it and made some laps around the block. The motor was making a ton of noise refilled the oil no more noise drove the truck for 2 years after.

 

[sebian]

My little 318 has been holding up very nicely. Racked up just about 220,000 miles so far. She burns some oil, but like stated above, my valve cover gaskets need a little love, but nothing internally has ever been replaced.

 

[porrsher]

Mine has outlived two trannys. 225k on the ticker. Nothing internal ever fooled with. Burns about a quart every 3k. Like the in-line 6 you can't kill these things unless you really want to.

Love mine.

 

[BenHoleton]

Its always the 225 and the 318. I have owned them both personally the 225 is a better motor. Just dosnt have any power. When i was younger my dad told me if i blew the 225 up he would pay to have a big block put in it. I in turn drained all the oil out of it and made some laps around the block. The motor was making a ton of noise refilled the oil no more noise drove the truck for 2 years after.

I don't recommend you try this

 

[vegasZJ]

I don't recommend you try this

Nor do i. I was young and wanted a big motor to drive to school. Now that i look back i did alot of dumb things when i was a teen. I blame it on girls lol

 

[RedRocket1994]

The following story is commonly told like "the one that got away", like an urban myth. But I DID THIS:
At the family garage, when I was about 16, we got a late 70's Dodge car in as a scrap, I think it was an Aspen or something, and it had a 318 in it. One of my dad's techs was tasked with getting it to the JY. We had a wrecker, so for fun, he drained the oil out of it. We then started it and stuck some piece of metal to hold the gas down. That thing ran for about 45min in the parking lot, tho it was making a real racket towards the end. But the engine did not seize or stop. When he towed it to the JY, they drove it thru the gate and into the yard. From then on, I've sworn by 318s/5.2L.

My ZJ has about 207K on it, I've never opened the motor up, just done very good maint on it. Not as powerful in stock form as a Chevy 350, but DEFINITELY more reliable, and I'll stand by that statement. Sorry to rant, I'm just passionate on this subject.

--Will

 

[Technohead]

250K and runs like new.

 

[E-rok]

its a pushrod V8, mechanically they are very sound

most problems are sensor related, I dont regret getting a 5.2 over a 4.0 at all

and the sound with a 3" catback with a FM40 :drool:

 

[Azalin_00]

Just over 200k on my 97 ZJ and it's still as strong as ever. Does burn a little oil, but nothing major and NO repairs to the engine at all. I have no mechanical skills whatsoever, so I just do basic maintenance and it's held up perfectly till now. If ur still in doubt, search through all the ZJ threads and see how many people have needed ANY work on their engines.

 

[Muddy_TSi]

its a pushrod V8, mechanically they are very sound

most problems are sensor related, I dont regret getting a 5.2 over a 4.0 at all

and the sound with a 3" catback with a FM40 :drool:

x2.

 

[Cmense]

Just over 200k on my 97 ZJ and it's still as strong as ever. Does burn a little oil, but nothing major and NO repairs to the engine at all. I have no mechanical skills whatsoever, so I just do basic maintenance and it's held up perfectly till now. If ur still in doubt, search through all the ZJ threads and see how many people have needed ANY work on their engines.

Sooooooo true!

 

[HighLonesome]

Its always the 225 and the 318. I have owned them both personally the 225 is a better motor. Just dosnt have any power. When i was younger my dad told me if i blew the 225 up he would pay to have a big block put in it. I in turn drained all the oil out of it and made some laps around the block. The motor was making a ton of noise refilled the oil no more noise drove the truck for 2 years after.

My old man bought a 67 Valiant with a 225. He hated that thing. He bought a 69 Coronet 440 w/318 and he was happy again. Was like the movie Duel.