Grand cherokee ?

1adam12

THE BEAST
Location
MAGNA
Ok jeep guys im looking at a 96 zj with a v8 and 198k miles. How much life is left in it? At what point do they start to break down and become unreliable? Thanks in advance. One more thing what kind of mpg?
 

jackjoh

Jack - KC6NAR
Supporting Member
Location
Riverton, UT
Flip a coin or spit into the wind. There is no definitive answer to your question. How was it driven, what did it tow, how was it taken care of, how will you use it, etc. etc. There are model A's still running so my advice is select the vehicle you want for what you will do and take care of it. If any thing breaks fix it immediately and enjoy. Maybe as a better answer to your question I have heard of over 250K miles out of these engines with the rest of the vehicle having things replaced like idler gear for fan belt, door harness replacement, transmission overhaul, main seal replaced for leaking oil, A/C rebuilt, light bulbs replaced. You know normal type stuff.
 

jeep-N-montero

Formerly black_ZJ
Location
Bountiful
You can have a poorly maintained engine blow up at 20k miles or a well maintained engine go more than 200k miles, it's all relative to its history. If you never plan to tow much or run larger than 33's I would stick with the 4.0, I own ZJ's with both engines and much prefer driving the 4.0, much smoother, reliable, and better mpg.
 

Badger

I am the Brute squad
Location
South Salt Lake
The major thing to look for with an of the V8 models is the front output on the 249 transfercase. They use a viscous coupler that tends to start binding at 180,000 miles. Though I have a 5.9 model with over 200,000 and it's just starting to bind up now. To find out if it's doing it or starting to do it take it for a drive to get everything up to temp then make a series of tight lock to lock turns in a parking lot. If the front end hops or you hear the tires scuffing then it's starting. The part alone is over $400 and it is much cheaper to find a 231 or 242 to replace it with.
 
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