Jeeps - How much trouble are they?

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071


The Dana 35 axle is weak when used with larger tires or when locked. Many completely stock Jeeps have gone hundreds of thousands of miles with the Dana 35.


I broke 2 with a 2.5L street jeep with 30's on it! Spider gears both times and the pieces of spider gears got into the ring and pinon which broke the carrier!

Bad luck maybe? But I made sure to get the D44 on my new jeep.


Yeah, your luck sounds like mine.

The Dana 35 isn't known to be that bad for a street jeep, only when heavily modded. I have two friends with Dana 35s. One has a Cherokee on 31s and it hasn't broken yet. The other has a Wrangler on 33s and she drives it very aggressively. That one has been fine as well. It might just be luck of the draw, but I think for stock jeeps they are fine. I've seen some with 250k, 300k, and even close to 400k on the original Dana 35.

 

[D189379]

Originally Posted By: buster
I'm looking at getting a high mileage Jeep Wrangler with the 4.0L I6. My friend is talking me out of it due to the maintenance costs associated with them, and he makes a very valid point.

Are Jeeps that unrealiable and if so, what are the better years to look for? I'm obviously not expecting Honda Accord reliablity, but for $5-$7K, I'd like to find something that is pretty reliable.


Jeeps aren't very reliable, however parts are cheap and they're very easy to work on.

If you want something that just works all the time, it's probably not what you're looking for.

 

[dgee]

im pretty happy with both my 4.0's
VERY easy to maintain, and parts are cheap as well.
Just got to look out for some common issues such as cracked heads and cracked exhaust manifolds.

 

[zeezee]

I've never known anyone with a Jeep with less than 100k miles and didn't have either a leaking transmission or a leaking engine.

But, hey - At least you could proudly have it wear a bumper sticker: "It's a Jeep thing!"

 

[Jarlaxle]

188k on mine...no leaks.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

120k on mine and currently no leaks.

I was leaking transmission fluid, but I ripped the line off while off roading.

 

[Chris142]

139K on mine. It seeps but nothing hits the ground.......yet

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
I have a Cherokee with the 8.25 axle ... stronger than a D44!


It's close, but it's not stronger than a XJ/MJ Dana 44.



To the OP, I like the OBDI HO motors and prefer the simplicity of leaf springs. I'd look for a nice YJ.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Zaedock
Originally Posted By: Miller88
I have a Cherokee with the 8.25 axle ... stronger than a D44!


It's close, but it's not stronger than a XJ/MJ Dana 44.



To the OP, I like the OBDI HO motors and prefer the simplicity of leaf springs. I'd look for a nice YJ.


Depends on how you look at it. The carrier itself is larger than a D44 and the newer 29 spline axle shafts (well I say newer ... the last 3 years of XJ production) are a bit stronger as well. I believe the axle housing is still a bit thinner.

 

[Jim Spahr]

Be sure to read the post on: 'Any Pentastar 3.6 L owners out there?' This is the latest V6 installed in all Wranglers and many GC . Plus many other Chrysler cars.

 

[VNTS]

Have an 02 WJ, no leaks. In 10 yrs, I have done one brake job, two sets of plugs, a few coolant changes and Trans/TCase/diffs and that is it, oh had to replace the tweeters in the dash. Basic maintenance! No rust, runs great!

Originally Posted By: zeezee
I've never known anyone with a Jeep with less than 100k miles and didn't have either a leaking transmission or a leaking engine.

But, hey - At least you could proudly have it wear a bumper sticker: "It's a Jeep thing!"

 

[CharBaby]

The folks that I know, who drive the Jeep's as a daily driver have had the most trouble with'em. Those whom I know that drive the Jeep's like they stole'em have the best luck...IDK!

Good friends and inlaws that have had Jeeps got rid of them soon due to problems. A good friend of mine(a private investigator) loves'em and drives the snot out of all the Jeep's that he's owned. He has all kinds of electronics hooked up inside the thing and I'm surprised that he hasn't had any electrical issues with any of them. Nor transmission issues!

 

[rslifkin]

I will admit mine does run better the harder I drive it (part of that being that it tends to carbon up, start to foul the plugs and gets sluggish if driven gently for too long). Some hard running clears it right out though.

 

[MCompact]

My Sahara has 110,000 miles on it and the only major problems have been a leaking plastic/aluminum radiator and a cracked exhaust manifold. I'm keeping it forever- along with my Club Sport and Speed Triple...