Let me Start out buy saying that I have owned to regualr cherokees before with the 4.0 engine in them. But there were the Cherokee (XJ) Model. I loved them both but now I am in the Military and over seas and could buy one if I wanted but I wont be lifting it or wheeling. I still want a Jeep though the the Grand Cherokee (WJ) is what I am looking at buying. Is there any cons or bad areas of the vehicle I should be concerned about? Also I am wanting the 4.7 engine in it.

 

Poor gas mileage.

 

I expected that I mean my other jeeps were lifted and got about 10mpg haha

 

Thank You for Your Service.
Welcome to CF. I have an '04 Grand (WJ) with the 4.7L V8 that we bought new and it now has 110,000+ miles on it. It's been a great vehicle, and still runs strong and quiet, and doesn't use any oil between changes. It's not that bad on gas, around 14 city -18 highway MPG. My brother has an '04 WJ with the 4.0L I-6 with only 51,000 actual miles, and actually there's hardly any difference in gas mileage. He gets 15 city -19 highway MPG. I'd much rather have the extra power for that very slight difference in gas mileage.

 

Thanks for your input

 

Brandon,
As Ol"Blue stated, thanks for your service. I too am a first time WJ buyer and have an XJ as well. I love both of my Jeeps. I love the differences as well as the similarities. Both of mine are 2WD, but I'll be swapping 4WD into the XJ probably some time next year. I'm keeping the WJ as a 2 wheeler, but it has the 4.7 in it (153k miles and still running strong with no leaks) and a lot of luxury features that makes it a perfect family vehicle. We had a 98 Yukon 4wd on 33's with a 6" lift and all of the luxury bells and whistles on it and it just doesn't compare to our WJ. We needed a vehicle that was better on gas and more practical because my wife is 5'3, we have two young boys and a little girl due in August. Needless to say it was quite comical watching a pregnant munchkin climbing up into the truck. She quickly realized how impractical it was.

I love how comfortable the WJ is and also love that it's still very capable off-road (we venture to KY in the winter). I would definitely recommend a WJ.

One common issue I am finding (as is the case with mine) is that apparently the passenger's side exhaust manifold is prone to leaking. I've heard from a lot of WJ owners on other forums as well as this one that the expansion and contraction of the manifold makes the manifold botls toward the back of the block back out and begin to leak.

I don't know if this is a common issue, but my parents have an '04 WJ and they had to replace their rear axle shafts shortly after getting it (theirs was used also). I'm not sure what axle they have, but I believe it is a D35. Being an XJ owner, I'm sure you're familiar with the downfalls of this axle.

They did have a Dana 44 as an option, but I'm told that it is somewhat uncommon and it is a Dana 44a (for aluminum) and as JP Magazine cited, it is a strong axle, but has little aftermarket support.

That's all that I know of... but as said before, I'm new to the WJ thing too.

 

The V8 WJ's came with the D44a rear axle, and if equipped w/the tow package it had 3.73 gearing. Ours is so equipped. It never had the issue of a leaking manifold though.
I neglected to mention the ride, seats, and handling are all excellent, and it is very nice on a trip, or in town.

 

I have owned 2 wj 97 & 98 They both treated me well .An issue on both was the gas sensor was messed up and it would start dinging and tell me I was empty at all random times.Like to drive me Batsh**

 

'93-'98 Grands were ZJ's. WJ's were '99-'04. But I know what you're saying. Lots have complained of issues like that with their ZJ's. I had a '97 Limited Orvis in great shape. Only issue was the bad rear axle it had when I bought it. That was from being driven dry.

 

Wish I had the tow package... I have an aftermarket UHaul hitch that droops down below the bumper and takes away from the departure angle. Along with it is someone who didn't know how to wire lights for a trailer so now when you step on the break and your park light circuit is on, on your driver's side you get no brake light and the park light shuts off... oh well, more work for me

 

I've had an '02 WJ (4.0L, 2WD) for a couple years now. We bought it with 118,000 and we're around 143k now. The engine is rock solid, though it seems the previous owner wasn't the greatest at maintenance.

One potential issue with a WJ is the death wobble. I found that out the hard way. Worn bushings in the steering create a harmonic vibration when you hit any kind of bump at road speeds of 45-50 mph. The wobble is terrible and only goes away when you brake and slow down, or when you accelerate through it. The good news is that it's fixable. I made another thread here explaining what parts I used for my solution.

 

This might be of help with the wiring. Scroll down, click to enlarge images. http://www.wjjeeps.com/trailer.htm#WIRING

 

thanks blue, I actually have this site bookmarked already... I love this site because it's almost a WJ owner's bible... I'm sure it's just a matter of them tapping in to the wrong wire, I just haven't had time to look at it yet... I have monday through wednesday off so I'll probably tackle it then.