'93-'98 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 - any experiences?

[dnastrau]

Greetings:

I am looking to get rid of my wife's '98 Nissan Quest van and pick up something inexpensive (and hopefully reliable) to get us through a couple of years until we can afford to buy something new/nearly new. I don't want a car payment right now. The van has 160K on it and now needs a lot of work; because the transmission is iffy I don't want to put the money into it. With the tranny and the other repairs I am looking at more than the van is worth.

I found a very clean '93 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo with 120K on the clock at a used car lot. It has no rust and runs great - everything works. It has the 4.0 six and 42RE transmission with part time 4WD.

After research it sounds like the 4.0 engine is bulletproof. The only trouble spots that I found were the A/C evaporators are known to fail and some say the 42RE tranny isn't the best. That actually suprises me since it is related to the old 904 TorqueFlite which was a very good unit.

The Jeep is attractive to me because of the relative simplicity and ease of maintenance. I am sick of working on the van but I don't want to buy another money pit. Any thoughts on the '93 - '98 GC from personal experience?

Thanks!

Andrew S.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

I have a 92 Cherokee Laredo with the 4.0 inline 6 cylinder. It has 203,000 miles on it and while it runs, it has a bad rod knock and a bad head gasket making it overheat quite often. Probably wasn't taken care of that well.

Trying to get this old beast back to health has turned up that replacement parts are very cheap (95 dollar radiator, 40 dollar water pump, 1200 long block engine, etc.)

I have noticed that the Jeep is quite a gas guzzler, but the 4.0 six is not known for its fuel economy, nor should it be.

My Cherokee is 100% original, including the tranny, which shifts very smoothly and works very well.

Alas, now with the discovery of the rod knock it is only a matter of time before the old girl goes off to the scrapyard, but if I had owned it a lot earlier in its life, I think its condition would have been much better today. I just go to her too late.

I would recommend one highly as I don't see too many rusted out and very abused vehicles still run at over 200K on them like my Cherokee does.

Oh, and the 4 wheel drive part time, high, and low still work very well and who knows if the fluids in them were EVER changed.

As a side not note to anyone out there. Would an extreme regimen of Auto-RX somehow help this rod knock? I'd sink the cost of 2 or 3 bottles to try and save this engine.

 

[Johnny]

dnastrau, if it's in good shape it will make a dependable vehicle. The 4.0L six is a tough old motor, but as stated, it is a gas pig.

Mucho, if it is actually a rod knock, nothing you can pour in to the engine will fix it. Ever think about dropping the pan and just replacing the bearings in that rod? That sometimes works to get you by.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
dnastrau, if it's in good shape it will make a dependable vehicle. The 4.0L six is a tough old motor, but as stated, it is a gas pig.

Mucho, if it is actually a rod knock, nothing you can pour in to the engine will fix it. Ever think about dropping the pan and just replacing the bearings in that rod? That sometimes works to get you by.


Johnny,

I thought about going that route actually. After some research, this is what I think happened. Previous owner told me he put a new head gasket in, which I believe he did. Problem is I think he took a shortcut and didn't drain all coolant out before removing head, thus introducing coolant into the oil and leaving it in there resulting in my problem. An interesting quote I found about this: "Many tests have shown that as little as 0.04% (400 PPM) water in lubricating oil can cut the fatigue life of bearings by as much as 48%". This idiot took a shortcut on this Jeep. People are so short sighted sometimes. Why not do it right when you are already have the head removed and changing out a HG.

The only bright spot is that I only paid 500 bucks for it and it does still run. If I run the Jeep with the heater on full blast it doesn't overheat. I use it to tow my boat, launch, recover and go home. I am only 5 miles from the lake, so if I might just get used to running heater on full blast when its 85 degrees outside!

 

[dnastrau]

Thanks Mucho_MPG and Johnny for your feedback on the 4.0's durability. The gas mileage is already known to be mediocre (as with any SUV), but our current van isn't much better.

Mucho, your Cherokee is the smaller chassis version (XJ series) that has the Aisin Warner AW4 transmission which has a very good reputation for lasting. Nearly all Grand Cherokees (ZJ series) have the Chrysler 42RE auto box. Only a small number of the '93 GCs got the AW4. The '93 that I am looking at has the 42RE. That concerns me somewhat based on the checkered reputation...

 

[Mucho_MPG]

Originally Posted By: dnastrau
Thanks Mucho_MPG and Johnny for your feedback on the 4.0's durability. The gas mileage is already known to be mediocre (as with any SUV), but our current van isn't much better.

Mucho, your Cherokee is the smaller chassis version (XJ series) that has the Aisin Warner AW4 transmission which has a very good reputation for lasting. Nearly all Grand Cherokees (ZJ series) have the Chrysler 42RE auto box. Only a small number of the '93 GCs got the AW4. The '93 that I am looking at has the 42RE. That concerns me somewhat based on the checkered reputation...



Your very welcome for the feedback! What is ironic to me is that you always hear that the engine will outlive the rest of a vehicle. With mine, the automatic tranny, four wheel drive system, steering, electrical, etc. will probably outlive the engine! LOL I can't win.

 

[exranger06]

My uncle has a 1998 Grand Cherokee. (Last year of the ZJ) He had the transmission rebuilt right around 100k miles. I also knew someone with a ZJ with about 120k miles and the transmission was starting to take a dump too. Other than that, they seem to be good vehicles.

 

[dnastrau]

Yep - the more I read about it, the 42RE transmission in the Grand Cherokee has me worried. It is frustrating as the smaller Cherokee with the same engine got the superior Aisin Warner AW4 transmission.

I like the more carlike interior and ride of the Grand better. It makes the decision harder...

 

[Dupree]

I have a 42re and it isn't as bad as it cracked up the the 42re is a strong tranny for its use. I just has its share of electrical gremlins, quite easily repaired. The problem is many transmission shops have taken advantage and rebuilt a tranny for a bad valve body or pressure governor etc. My zj has 100k on it and shifts as new. I have been very meticulous about tranny fluid changes. ATF+4, every 10k and filter every 20k. The electrical issues are mostly valve body associated from excessive gunk and lack of fluid change. I did do an auto rx on the tranny which has helped immensely. I have owned multiple cherokees and grand cherokees. The cherokee does have a better transmission,but is plagued with other various problems. motor mount brackets that shear bolts of in the block (redesigned for the grand), sagging doors and rear hatch problems. The cherokee does better on gas and is fun to drive, it is more of a jeep in the sense of the crudity. The grand does have a weaker tranny though a fine tranny that will last beyond 100k with maintenance it does have more complexity of features which brings about more repair costs. But it is much more refined and quiet........man the choices

 

[Dupree]

just some additional. The 42 re is a 904 with electronic control instead of hydraulic. it is still a good tranny as for mileage as I said they will go beyond 100k no rebuild if maintained otherwise yes 80-120k plan on REPAIRS it should only need a rebuilt valve body. Most the well taken care of 42re go 140-190k until rebuild. If you find a good one buy it and auto rx it and while in the tranny do as I did. Put a drain plug on the pan, and buy the reusable mopar tranny gasket. Also you can check trouble codes on 93 to 98 jeeps without a scanner, with a Key on off cycle method when checking the prospective vehicles out

 

[Chris142]

Just
Empty
Every
Pocket

 

[dnastrau]

Update:

I ended up buying a really clean one owner '96 Grand Cherokee with 133K on it. It has no rust anywhere and appears to have been garaged. It has the 4.0 six/42RE/NP242 T-case/D30/D35 diff drivetrain combination. It runs great and I am very happy so far.

The first thing I did was a pan drop and filter change on the 42RE. I added a drain plug as well. It was really clean inside with very little metal on the magnet. I adjusted both bands (the front one on the outside of the case is a real %$@!^!) I also flushed the trans with 8 quarts of ATF+4 through the cooler line method. The fluid that came out was clean and red so I think the trans is still healthy. I am adding a Long "Tru Cool" stacked plate external auxillary cooler this week for good measure. It shifts perfectly and I hope to keep it that way.

I changed the NP242 transfer case fluid (used ATF+4 as well.)

I also changed the front and rear differential fluid (D30/D35 open units) and used Shell Rotella 80w90. They are nice and quiet.

The 4.0 engine runs like a train and is so easy to work on (as is the rest of the vehicle compared to the minivan that it is replacing.) It will get a full tune up shortly. So far, all I have done to it is a new air filter and an oil change/lube; 6 qts. of Havoline DS 5W30 and a Motorcraft FL300 filter. The cooling system will also get fresh green stuff with 50% distilled water soon.

Thanks for all of the advice!

Andrew S.

 

[Johnny]

Congrats on the Jeep.