Resident Jeep Grand Cherokee experts

[black2002ls]

Seems we have someone here who knows quite a bit about these. I've found a hell of a deal on a 99-00 Jeep grand cherokee. Straight 6 4wd. Needs a radiator as there is a crack at the inlet. There is a small transmission issue with it having trouble shifting first to second. Once it gets to second it is fine.

I know the straight 6 is damn near indestructible. My only concern is the transmission, the rest of the car is clean and very well taken care of.

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[Sean88gt]

Is it free?

[black2002ls]

Not free. But damn close

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[Chili]

I thought that era of Grand Cherokee had significant issues?

[black2002ls]

I thought that era of Grand Cherokee had significant issues?

I don't know a whole lot about them. I've heard about issues with a hydraulic fan mechanism andd the v-6 neither of which this has.

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[Chili]

I don't know a whole lot about them. I've heard about issues with a hydraulic fan mechanism andd the v-6 neither of which this has.

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Yeah, I don't recall specifics, and could easily be way off.. I just seemed to remember that from back 10 years ago or so.

[black2002ls]

Yeah, I don't recall specifics, and could easily be way off.. I just seemed to remember that from back 10 years ago or so.

Thanks for th input. Everyone I've talked to has spoken highly of them. But, no one has known a whole lot about them.

We are buying it for my sister in law. She is going to start watching our son and it gives her a means to pick him up every day. It will see 30-40 miles a day guaranteed.

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[Jewrrick]

Thanks for th input. Everyone I've talked to has spoken highly of them. But, no one has known a whole lot about them.

We are buying it for my sister in law. She is going to start watching our son and it gives her a means to pick him up every day. It will see 30-40 miles a day guaranteed.

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anyone wanna put odds on this ending badly?

[black2002ls]

anyone wanna put odds on this ending badly?

I'd rather not. That is why I'm here looking for someone with more knowledge on this platform than myself.

It has been family owned for the last 10-12 years or more with maintenance records.

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[BP]

The radiator is probably cracked from combustion gasses in the cooling system thanks to the blown head gasket and or cracked head. The exhaust manifolds crack all the time. The transmission is a 42RE, possibly the worst transmission ever installed in a domestic vehicle.

As long as you don't mind replacing the engine, trans and rear axle it'll probably be pretty reliable. If it has a Dana 44 for some reason the rear axle will probably be okay (look for a hexagon cover instead of round). In fact that axle would be worth more than the truck to some people.

[LANTIRN]

The radiator is probably cracked from combustion gasses in the cooling system thanks to the blown head gasket and or cracked head. The exhaust manifolds crack all the time. The transmission is a 42RE, possibly the worst transmission ever installed in a domestic vehicle.

As long as you don't mind replacing the engine, trans and rear axle it'll probably be pretty reliable. If it has a Dana 44 for some reason the rear axle will probably be okay (look for a hexagon cover instead of round). In fact that axle would be worth more than the truck to some people.

This. That range of inline 6's has the piston skirt crack at about 200,000 miles and will require a rebuild or new engine when it does. The prior inline 6's are the bullet proof ones, I have a '98 cherokee with one. I believe the redesign and casting flaws happened in 2000 or 2001 and were not fixed until 2004, if memory serves. I almost bought that year model of grand cherokee until I started reading about the issues. Also it is a Jeep, so any year model is going to be plagued with electrical issues eventually.

[Sean88gt]

I had an 04 Limited with that POS Quadra-trac system. Viscous couplings do not like age/miles, so I had a 2wheel Jeep with 4lo.

Mine had the 4.7 HO, and it ran well, was really quick for what it was, but leaked coolant constantly. The window regulators on anything Chrysler are a fucking joke. The HVAC system was dogshit too. The diverter flap for the climate control broke. I seem to recall them wanting over a grand to fix it. One side had blistering heat while the other blew snow, and vice versa.

[4king]

If it's less than $1500 and you turn your own wrenches it's worth a gamble. I'd check out what the transmission fluid looks like, if it's got shavings in it, or fluid smells burnt I wouldn't waste my time with it though.

If the radiator is cracked it could also be leaking from the transmission cooler, but odds are low on that one

[black2002ls]

If it's less than $1500 and you turn your own wrenches it's worth a gamble. I'd check out what the transmission fluid looks like, if it's got shavings in it, or fluid smells burnt I wouldn't waste my time with it though.

If the radiator is cracked it could also be leaking from the transmission cooler, but odds are low on that one

About half that with a set of brand new tires on it.

The radiator is leaking at the inlet. From the pictures I saw, it is right where the hose connects.

I'm going to check ot out this weekend and make a decision. At the price, if it lasts a year, it may be worth the gamble. Hell, at the price I could drive it to work for a week with a for sale sign in the window and double my money

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[4king]

That's way too optomistic.

1. You slap in a new radiator and the car runs fine and doesn't overheat. It shifts hard but works fine for now but really it's going to need a new trans or a rebuild. You give the truck to her and the transmission goes out on the truck while she is God knows where with friends. You now have to deal with her, the tow, and now she's asking you to fix it

2. Previous owner over heated the car, you slap in a new radiator and the truck keeps pushing coolant and overheating. The head gasket is blown and the head needs to come off.

3. She doesn't want it and tells you she really wants to get a new car.

3.