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Jeep Wranglers

#21
I'm not kidding about the water leaks....I don't know what the weather is like where you are but if it rains a lot then your jeep will be in the service department over and over. Of course I live in a super rainy part of the country so I see it all the time.
 
#22
68Goldfish said:
I'm not kidding about the water leaks....I don't know what the weather is like where you are but if it rains a lot then your jeep will be in the service department over and over. Of course I live in a super rainy part of the country so I see it all the time.
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Real Jeepers just get used to it and get water-resistant clothing. I've been rained on, gone topless in sub-50*F weather, left my top down and had a monsoon come through while I was sleeping, and even sleeted on once. Eventually you get to know the weather patterns so you can just leave the bikini top on and at least your seat will be dry in a rain storm. Additionally, above 25 mph you can have everything off and still be dry unless you're driving right through a hurricane. Weird, but true.

Peace,
Greg
 
#23
Humbled said:
^^^^
Just a wee tad of exaggeration.

I have a 2006 Wrangler that I bought new. It gets more like 14 mpg. Mine has the 300 inline six and a six-speed manual transmission, 3.73 axle ratio. It is not miserable to drive, although mine is more of a farm vehicle than daily commuter. I've put dang near 9,000 miles on it already. :p
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the one my buddy had was i think from 1991, so that could account for why he hated it, and definitely has something to do with the reported 10 or so mpg. it was loud as hell on the highway from the wind noise, that was a part of the misery for sure..
 
#25
68Goldfish said:
It's hard to beat a TJ with a 4.0. Stay away from JK's with the freedom panel top unless you don't mind relentless unrepairable water leaks. Or 3.6 pentastar engines with cylinder head issues.
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How common are the problems? I've read about it briefly on some of the more Jeep specific forums but have yet to talk to anyone that's actually had an issue. I've got a '12 2dr that I've had zero problems out of thus far. I'm with you on the freedom panels. Those things leak like crazy.
 
#26
If you get a Jeep and are looking for accessories be sure to see if Black Horse has perfected rusting vinyl yet. Back when I was into Jeeps, that was the only thing they sold which wasn't guaranteed to rust. Im sure they have that problem solved by now.
 
#27
I'm a mechanic at a jeep dealership. I don't do water leaks but the younger hourly guys do two to four a day year round. We have a water leak area where they spray them down to find the leaks but the manufacturer just gives them foam kits and butyl tape to try and plug the leaks. If the do manage then the next time the tops (freedom panels) are taken off and put back on they will undoubtedly leak again. Not a problem in Arizona perhaps but in Washington it's frustrating for the customer and the techs. A 2012 3.6 is prime time for a left cylinder head though. Illuminated CEL with a rough idle, on cold startup....p0302,304 or 306 miss fire codes. Valve issues. One day job (actually about 2.5 hours) I sometimes do two a day. I'd do them all day long if I could. One of the few warranty jobs that it's possible to make money on. But it's not just jeeps. Minivans and grand Cherokee and Durango to a lesser extent.
 
#28
68Goldfish said:
A 2012 3.6 is prime time for a left cylinder head though. Illuminated CEL with a rough idle, on cold startup....p0302,304 or 306 miss fire codes. Valve issues. One day job (actually about 2.5 hours) I sometimes do two a day. I'd do them all day long if I could. One of the few warranty jobs that it's possible to make money on. But it's not just jeeps. Minivans and grand Cherokee and Durango to a lesser extent.
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What kind of mileage do they usually have when the problem presents it self? I'm at a little over 12k miles and haven't noticed any valve ticking or had any codes or anything like that. Is there a specific cylinder head part number that is known to have issues?

Sorry for all of the questions, I'd just like to know if I've got a grenade waiting to go off under the hood.
 
#29
I've seen them with anything from 5k to 30k. There's not usually any ticking involved just a slight missfire upon startup that usually goes away shortly thereafter. Accompanied by a CEL though. It's not a big deal if it happens. Once the head is done (and I think there's also a PCM software update now) it runs perfect and you shouldn't be able to tell anybody was in there. They seem to have updated the head because I've not seen any issues with 2013's and up.
 
#30
68Goldfish said:
I've seen them with anything from 5k to 30k. There's not usually any ticking involved just a slight missfire upon startup that usually goes away shortly thereafter. Accompanied by a CEL though. It's not a big deal if it happens. Once the head is done (and I think there's also a PCM software update now) it runs perfect and you shouldn't be able to tell anybody was in there. They seem to have updated the head because I've not seen any issues with 2013's and up.
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Cool man, thanks for the info.
 
#31
I just drove my Grand Cherokee from Fort Wayne, IN to Minneapolis and back. It was a great ride!

GC9_zpsf271af16.jpg
 
#33
If you buy one get it from Suzy or another girl.
Billy beats the %^&** out of them.
Watch out for mods and rear end gear ratio changes.
They are rust buckets.
If you find one you like have a mechanic run a new car inspection on it.
It will be the best money spent on a vehicle.
 
#34
A buddy of mine used a retired USPS Wrangler as his only vehicle for a few years. I was always amazed at how much stuff he could tetris in there. It was also fun messing with jerks on the road by leaning way out the 'driver's side' window and gesturing furiously. Remarkably few people seemed to notice that the wheel was on the other side.

I'm actually looking pretty hard at a Jeep product, too. But in my case, it's the Cherokee. They apparently just quit making the regular Cherokee at all for a few years and only made the fancier 'Grand' Cherokees. Finally I guess someone pointed out that that was dumb and they shouldn't really claim to have a deluxe model of a vehicle without also having the basic one, so they're back.

So now I want to check out a regular Cherokee. I'll need serious headroom. But that's a permanent problem. But I just want more cargo space/interior room and towing capability than my Hyundai Tucson.
 
#35
I drove a 2 dr Cherokee for years. Very nice rig. Different drive trains get different turning radii. My wife had a 4dr full time rig that was "average" with most stuff out there. Mine was 2dr part time, and could turn around just about anywhere. Was awesome for pulling a trailer, other than being light weight.

Watch for rust, as that's what kills them.
 

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