Jeep 4.0 well?

charlie_the_tuna · #1 12-30-2010, 12:12 AM

what do you guys think of the jeep 4.0? ferm? spare? anybody? looking at a grand cherokee with over 100k and want to know what to expect with this motor.

THEFERMANATOR · #2 12-30-2010, 12:04 PM

The 4.0L is a really a GOOD engine, I would say it is like the old JOHNSON/EVINRUDE 150 V6 loopers. Not the most powerful, not the best on gas, but just seems to run forever with a little bit of maintence and care. They do tend to be noisy when cold as the inline 6 design is prone to piston slap, and they are very unforgiving to being run hot(235 is the limit). The big down fall to them in the GRAND CHEROKEE is the trans that CHRYSLER put behind them in the GRAND. They used the old style CHRYSLER 4 speed slush boxes and many of them fail around 60-70K, but most all of them will need work before they hit 125K. The smaller CHEROKEE doesn't have this issue as they used the TOYOTA trans.

What year are you looking at?

charlie_the_tuna · #3 12-30-2010, 12:51 PM

looking at an 04. nice truck. good condition. gonna go drive it this weekend.

spareparts · #4 12-30-2010, 01:09 PM

I've got a regular 96 Cherokee 2wd with the 4.0HO. For what I've put into it, its probably the most reliable vehicle I've owned. Its got 185K on it now, I've never let up on it. When my Ford 150 Van motor blew up at only 100.000 miles, I threw all my tools in the Jeep and worked out of it for over a year. Its by far one of the toughest vehicles I've owned. I've put fuel pump in it, new radiator, brakes on all four corners, regular tune up and oil change, transmission fluid. Had the crank position sensor go out. I was able to fix it all, pretty easy car to work on. I'll probabl keep it till the wheels fall off

THEFERMANATOR · #5 12-30-2010, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlie_the_tuna

looking at an 04. nice truck. good condition. gonna go drive it this weekend.

They're pretty good vehicles with the exception of the trans being known for going out in them in the milage I posted earlier. Also rear ends in the later grands like the 04 were known to be a bit noisy.

Destroyer · #6 12-30-2010, 07:59 PM

Like Spare, I've got a regular Cherokee. 1998 with over 160,000 miles on it. Used it this last summer to go to Fla and pull my boat home. 1600 miles each way. I've really never had a problem with it, other than a blown upper radiator hose where it rubbed on a bolt over time. I just change the oil when it's due and do the normal plugs and wires stuff. It's got a distributor cover and a coil, so you need to change them too, but that's it. They run forever. You can expect 300,000 miles on average from the engine. It is, undeniably, the most reliable engine I've ever driven.

THEFERMANATOR · #7 12-30-2010, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Destroyer

It's got a distributor cover and a coil, so you need to change them too, but that's it.

Not on an 04 it doesn't. 98 in the grand's and about 00 in the cherokee and wrangler they went to a one piece coil pack set-up with 3 coils all mounted in a large pack that bolts to the head right over the top of the plugs. Just make certain to only use the correct CHAMPION plugs in them as I can't tell you how many of em I fixed by simply changing the plugs out when people would put in bosch or NGK.