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school me on wj's

10K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  MuddyV8YJ 
#1 ·
First off I've always been a Toyota guy and know very little about jeeps but I've been looking for a non-hard core rig to do family exploration, camping and a backup dd when needed, the grand cherokee seems to fit the bill. I will be buying a stock wj and the plan is a lift from Rusty's off road, gears, detroit rr, posi front and 31- 33" tires. My question is if any one can give me some advise on which model to buy, any years better than others, any problems with the 4.7 V8, I'm leaning toward the V8 because you get the dana 44 and obviously more power for those long mountainous dirt roads and trails. I was also curious about if the quadra-drive, quadra-select? will hold up to a lifted rig with over sized tires as it comes standard with the v8

Ive searched but I'm looking for personal opinions or experiences (as dangerous as that is to ask for around here)
 
#2 ·
Limiteds have HVAC problems. The best model if you can find one is a laredo V8 with selec-trac. Thats the 242 transfer case, the only one that isnt full time 4wd, the most desirable.
Special edition V8 is good too and much easier to find.
 
#7 ·
This. Mine is 4.0 and it turns to weak sauce with a lift and tires. The 4.7 is a reliable as the 4.0 and you will wish you had a V8.
Stay away from Rusty's and since you're new to Jeeps (WJ's particularly) a great WJ vendor is Kolak. Kolak@aol.com and he can hook you up with whatever you need.
Also forgot to mention that lifting these WJ's (3"-4") is much more expensive than most vehicles.
I have used Rusty's for some other jeeps without issue but they do have a rep for weak springs and poor service. i do have their internal bump stop shocks on mine but they are stiff as hell.

Plan on a front drive shaft. I used Carolina for a double cardan. The repeza will fail. If you want it to ride worth a shit get control arms. Adjustables for up to 3" and consider long arms over. It's the little things that irritate. Plan on power window regulators breaking. Limiteds have blend door issues, seats can have frame failure, steering columns can fail.

Mine has 170k on it and still runs great. Aside from being a snail. I plan on sticking with the 30 and 35 and re-gearing as it will never see rocks and most likely will be my sons daily in a year. I have replaced everything I mentioned including new headlights and some other stuff. But they are die hard jeeps and the prices are rising for good WJ's.

here is mine
 
#3 ·
i have to second what mike said. the 4.7 is a great motor and i have only heard great things about it with people getting well over 200k on it. i would personally get a 242 t-case for the simple fact of not full time 4wd and they dont seem to be temperamental like the full times. also, all V8's come with the dana 44a. this is not like you regular 44 as it has an aluminum housing which means you can only get lunchbox lockers right now from either aussie or spartan.

Also check out http://wjjeeps.com/. they have alot of great info and upgrades that you will like
 
#4 ·
I have a 2000 WJ with the 242 and 4.7l (for sale). I have to say its been a great rig, absolutley no problems, and like the other two said the 4.7 runs great. I would definately look for the 242 case and 4.7l v8. You can also change the CV front axle shafts to standard U joint, really cheap and easily for more stregnth.
 
#6 ·
I have owned and driven my stock 2000 WJ since it was built. This is more of a DD and pavement Queen, not something that has been wheeled anytime in recent history. I have the I6, Quadra Drive, currently with 160k on the clock. Common issues I have had with my WJ are electric radiator fans (several of them), OEM radiator is plastic crap, AC E-vaps, heater core (V8's have damper door issue), several water pumps, front DS CV joint failure, broken wires in between driver's door & kick panel, replaced all the headlights & taillights, changed to slotted front brakes due to rotor issues, one Crank Sensor, a couple batteries.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for all the replies, sorry about the delayed replies I've been to busy to respond.

So I'm defiantly going to be looking for a 4.7 v8 with the select-trac, good thing is I don't need it just want it so I have plenty of time to look which is good since I've looked and called on several them and have not found one with this combo
 
#16 ·
i have run a lifted WJ for a while now, 98% street. '04, V8HO, 247 tcase. open/open. The WJ is a beast in the snow. Once you get good tires (stock size) you can drive through 18" like nothing. I have made it up hills and pulled locked/open TJs up hills they couldn't make. Good cargo capacity, great towing capacity, usually a pretty good stereo.
There are a few down sides though. The unibody is a pain to modify. Everything aftermarket is super expensive. Lots of glass to not break. If you are going to lift it, go right to a long arm kit. You have to lift 4" (or trim) to fit 31s and reduce the backspacing on the wheels. I bet the biggest you could go without serious modifications is 35s. Axle swaps are not easy because of how the computer uses the wheel speed sensors for shifting and tcase activation. Maybe better now the JKs are out. I've really thought about making my WJ a full time wheeler when it's DD duties are done, but i get depressed with how expensive it would be compared to a Y/T/XJ
 
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