Oil Suggestion 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee I6

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97JeepZJ

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I have a 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee on 31" tires. It has 175,000 on it. I've had it since ~150,000 miles, and have had it for a year and a half now.

The last oil change was around 170,000, so I'm a bit overdue (I was going to change it when I got back to school over winter break two weeks ago, but i've kind of slacked off on it). Other that this oil change i've been good and changed it every 3 or 4k miles

I'm not sure what the previous owner put in it, but I put synthetic in it when I got it, forgot that I put synthetic in it, and got conventional the next time, and since then have been running pure synthetic.

I run 5w-30 and do not have ANY oil leaks. My oil pressure is fine... needle sticking anywhere from high 30s to low 50s.

I drive between 70 and 80 on the freeway, depending on the flow of traffic. I accelerate with a somewhat heavy foot, but I usually don't rev past 3,500 rpm.

I do go offroading from time to time, usually the sand dunes. Because of that I've been using Fram's tough guard.

I live on campus on the central coast of CA, and other than occassional ~300 mile drives to LA or SF, most of my trips are less than 10 miles both ways.
 
I should probably also mention that it runs slightly cool... I've heard that most ZJs run around 210 degrees... mine runs around 195 unless it is a very hot day and/or I'm idling a lot.
 
does it use any oil? if so how often do have to add?

if it uses oil i would go with a hm oil like maxlife, if not i would run whatever syn is on sale. i have had pretty good luck with the pennzoil products like platinum. you can drive with a synthetic without worry to 5k, anything more and you should have a used oil analysis done. i would suggest you run a quality filter like bosch, mobil, or purolator. if your at walmart and they have a motorcraft to fit your app the i would go that route (its a purolator)
 
Originally Posted By: electrolover
does it use any oil? if so how often do have to add?

if it uses oil i would go with a hm oil like maxlife, if not i would run whatever syn is on sale. i have had pretty good luck with the pennzoil products like platinum. you can drive with a synthetic without worry to 5k, anything more and you should have a used oil analysis done. i would suggest you run a quality filter like bosch, mobil, or purolator. if your at walmart and they have a motorcraft to fit your app the i would go that route (its a purolator)


As far as I can tell, it does not use any oil. I checked before driving down to school (~500 mi ago... so about 4,500 mi into the change) and I didn't notice anything amiss.

What filter would you recommend? My friend (who is also my mechanic when I can't fix the problem myself) suggested I use the Fram since I do a fair amount of offroading, especially on sand.
 
fram is junk except for the extended guard. do a search and check the pics. like i said run mobil, bosch, or purolator. wix is ok but the element is not as thick as the others. if you can find a MotorCraft that would be best because they are 4 dollars and very high quality
 
Let's see,,,central coast,,,then that would mean,,you are attending CalPoly,,,SanLuis Obispo,,,right off of Foothill Blvd,,,and you are taking the a Jeep to either,,Pismo,,or LosOsos,,,word of advice,,,that is the most abrasive sand on this planet.I lived in SLO for 18 years and I worked in and around Cayucas and Morro Bay,,and it was never the salt that troubled me,,but that sand.I worked for Chrysler for oh,,about 15 years,,and now,,I am retired,,so I have no financial interest in the company.Now,,I'm going to catch a lot of flack for saying this,,but over the years,,the best filter for that jeep,,,was the MOPAR filter,,,and don't ask me why,,I guess the engineers designed it that way.But,,while I worked there,,me and the other techs,did several filter cut-aparts,,and the MOPAR filter did a better job of filtering without affecting the pressure,,than anything else,,like I said,,,I know I'm going to catch flack from others on here,,because,,,everyone knows more than me.Just do yourself a favor and ask around>As far as the oil,,if it were me,,,I would stick with the synthetics,,and there are lot of good ones out there.Oh,,and I know you didn't ask this question,,,but also,,,look at some really good air filters,,like I said,,that sand is viscious,,do whatever you can to keep it out of your engine.
Originally Posted By: 97JeepZJ
I have a 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee on 31" tires. It has 175,000 on it. I've had it since ~150,000 miles, and have had it for a year and a half now.

The last oil change was around 170,000, so I'm a bit overdue (I was going to change it when I got back to school over winter break two weeks ago, but i've kind of slacked off on it). Other that this oil change i've been good and changed it every 3 or 4k miles

I'm not sure what the previous owner put in it, but I put synthetic in it when I got it, forgot that I put synthetic in it, and got conventional the next time, and since then have been running pure synthetic.

I run 5w-30 and do not have ANY oil leaks. My oil pressure is fine... needle sticking anywhere from high 30s to low 50s.

I drive between 70 and 80 on the freeway, depending on the flow of traffic. I accelerate with a somewhat heavy foot, but I usually don't rev past 3,500 rpm.

I do go offroading from time to time, usually the sand dunes. Because of that I've been using Fram's tough guard.

I live on campus on the central coast of CA, and other than occassional ~300 mile drives to LA or SF, most of my trips are less than 10 miles both ways.
 
K&N HP-2004 Oil Filter
Purolator PL14670 PureONE Oil Filter
Mobil 1 M1-204 Extended Performance Oil Filter
Wix 51085 Spin-On Oil Filter
Bosch 72198 Premium Oil Filter
Purolator L14670 Classic Oil Filter
Bosch D3402 Distance Plus High Performance
Motorcraft - Oil Filter Part # : FL842
Mopar - Oil Filter Part # : MO090
 
Those engines are not picky and live a long time on just about anything. I know guys that use 15w40 in them and others that use xw30 in them. I think those have a tendency for the valve cover seeping so maybe a HM oil like maxlife or something couldn't hurt. Short answer for you is your engine is not picky and you could run just about anything. Good luck
 
I run PP in my 2000 cherokee I6, with no issues.
Runs smooth, good oilpressure and no consumption.
Current filter is Purolator.

I change the oil and rotate the tires @3000/3500.

I fully expect to get 300k out of the truck, around 160k atm.
 
Originally Posted By: KW
Since you like synthetic oils I would use a synthetic oil like Syntech 10W40 and change it every 5 or 6K


Now why a 10W-40? **anxiously awaiting the answer**
grin2.gif
 
it does have alot of miles on it. a thicker oil would take up some slack in the bearings. i would probably look for a 5/40 tho.
how about T6? i bet that would get it to the 300k mark
 
My 95 4.0L Jeep GC got Mobil-1(10w30) & PureOne every 6,000 miles when I lived in IL. The vehicle now has 206,000 miles on it and except for two rear seals replaced (cheap fix), I've had no problems.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: beaker60
Let's see,,,central coast,,,then that would mean,,you are attending CalPoly,,,SanLuis Obispo,,,right off of Foothill Blvd,,,and you are taking the a Jeep to either,,Pismo,,or LosOsos,,,word of advice,,,that is the most abrasive sand on this planet.I lived in SLO for 18 years and I worked in and around Cayucas and Morro Bay,,and it was never the salt that troubled me,,but that sand.I worked for Chrysler for oh,,about 15 years,,and now,,I am retired,,so I have no financial interest in the company.Now,,I'm going to catch a lot of flack for saying this,,but over the years,,the best filter for that jeep,,,was the MOPAR filter,,,and don't ask me why,,I guess the engineers designed it that way.But,,while I worked there,,me and the other techs,did several filter cut-aparts,,and the MOPAR filter did a better job of filtering without affecting the pressure,,than anything else,,like I said,,,I know I'm going to catch flack from others on here,,because,,,everyone knows more than me.Just do yourself a favor and ask around>As far as the oil,,if it were me,,,I would stick with the synthetics,,and there are lot of good ones out there.Oh,,and I know you didn't ask this question,,,but also,,,look at some really good air filters,,like I said,,that sand is viscious,,do whatever you can to keep it out of your engine.

Thank you. And yeah, you're right, that sand gets everywhere! Is the dealership the only place I can pickup a mopar filter? What does anyone else have to say about the mopar filters?



Originally Posted By: jstutz
Those engines are not picky and live a long time on just about anything. I know guys that use 15w40 in them and others that use xw30 in them. I think those have a tendency for the valve cover seeping so maybe a HM oil like maxlife or something couldn't hurt. Short answer for you is your engine is not picky and you could run just about anything. Good luck

Yes, but mind you, I do like to mob around the dunes from time to time. It might not be a picky engine, but I want to get another 100,000 at least out of this engine. I don't have a problem spending an extra $10 or $15 per oil change to get a good filter and oil for what I do. I don't have any seepage from my valve covers (the previous owner replaced the exhaust manifold four years ago, and redid the valve cover gasket at the same time).

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: 97JeepZJ
I run 5w-30 and do not have ANY oil leaks.


Which brand of 5W-30 have you been running?

Either the Valvoline Synthetic or the Castrol Synthetic... whichever one was on sale.

Originally Posted By: electrolover
it does have alot of miles on it. a thicker oil would take up some slack in the bearings. i would probably look for a 5/40 tho.
how about T6? i bet that would get it to the 300k mark

Most of the miles are highway miles. I don't know if that makes a difference -- but I'm the third owner. The first owner owned it for about 8 years and commuted about 100 miles a day, and sold it to his mechanic. I bought it from the mechanics son after they owned it for four years, as the son's wife was expecting a child and they needed a more economical car. They were also using it to commute the same distance for work and school.

So, why the 40? I currently have good oil pressure and no leaks... why would I want to go for a thicker oil?

Originally Posted By: Eddie
My 95 4.0L Jeep GC got Mobil-1(10w30) & PureOne every 6,000 miles when I lived in IL. The vehicle now has 206,000 miles on it and except for two rear seals replaced (cheap fix), I've had no problems.

Is that a synthetic?

Thank you everyone for your replies!
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: KW
Since you like synthetic oils I would use a synthetic oil like Syntech 10W40 and change it every 5 or 6K


Now why a 10W-40? **anxiously awaiting the answer**
grin2.gif



My 4.0 Jeep seems to do very well on 10W40 oil. It was a recommendation made to me by Too Slick several years ago. That's the only reason I have.
smile.gif
 
My mom's 99 WJ 4.0 is running fine at 96k miles. It was on bulk 10W-30 for a long time, then switched to T6 with a Pureone (oversized PL30001) around 89k miles. The 4.0 isn't picky, just make sure you whatever you pick has enough ZDDP, as it's a flat tappet cam.
 
I have 156k on my 98 GC Laredo with 4.0L. I typically run a 15w40 HDEO in the summer and whatever 5w30 is on sale for the winter.(I currently have mobil 5000 5w30). I typically do a 6-month 4-5k on dino.

The 4.0L is a very stout engine, you could probably run cat pee as oil and I think you would still get another 100k out of the engine. The week link is usually the automatic transmissions.
 
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