NWhunter

I do not own a Grand Cherokee as of right now. I have thought about it, but before buying one I'm going to gather some info. I've been told before that Most all grand cherokee's (Zj) have a Factory limited Slip. I've spent an hour on google to confirm or deny that claim and cannot come up with enough to confirm or bust the myth. I personally find it hard to believe. So the Grand Cherokee guru... Does the Zj OR Wj come with some sort of factory locking differential? and if so... What am I looking for? Another question is... What STOCK rear end's should I be looking for, and what should I avoid? I started with a Dana 35 in my 97 Xj and I already know there not a reliable rear for wheeling.

odgreen

A limited slip is as common In a Zj as they are in a xj

Only thing rare is a factory steel d44 in a 97 Zj

My Zj I had was a 97 4.0 auto np242 and a steel d44 all factory. I had the build sheet.
Now to wait for the people to tell me I'm wrong.....
Lol

dave1123

The way I understand it, you could order what you wanted from the factory when you bought new. You do have a rare one, though. I was told the steel D44 was used in Dodge vans, although that's hearsay.

Basically, the ZJ came with a Dana 35 rear axle with 3.55 gearing, and 3.73 gearing with the tow package. That's with the 4.0L straight 6. I believe the V8 jeeps had the Dana 44a which is an aluminum case differential. You can tell the limited slip diff by a tag on the rear cover or with both wheels off the ground, turn one. The other will turn the same direction if it's a limited slip, opposite direction if it's a regular diff. If in Park, they won't turn at all.

Gentlemen, please correct me if I'm wrong.

country_boy454

Actually, just as rare was a disc break version of the 29 spline c8.25. The 96-97s saw a few of these due to limited availability of stocked items.

The only ZJ guaranteed to have a limited slip was the 98 5.9. Also, 93-95 V8 Jeeps came with d35s and 3.55 gears unless it had the tow package then it had 3.73s. In 95 the d44a became an option and in 96 it was standard behind all V8s including the 3.73 gears.

A common axle swap on the ZJ is the Ford 8.8.

dnuccio

All 93-95s came with a Dana 35 rear. Limited slip was an option. 96-98s with the 4 liter still had the Dana 35. V8s came with the 44a. standard gearing was 3.55, trailer tow group gave you 3.73.

NWhunter

Thanks everyone for the reply's! So I need to find a 98 Zj with the 5.9L 360ci V8 then.

dave1123

Good luck! I think thems what got 'em aint partin' wid 'em less they is whooped! Who knows, you might find a good one.

IMHO, I think you'd be better off buying a 4.0 with selectrac (242 transfer case) that's been maintained. Get one with the tow package so its got 3.73 gears and an aux trans cooler. Probably the most reliable ZJ built. The 242 will have 2wd and less to go wrong with it. It gives you 2wd, 4wd partime, 4wd fulltime, and 4wd lo range. No viscous clutch to worry about. The 4.0 inline 6 is probably the most reliable engine jeep used. It does lack the brute power of the V8s, however.

gs69350

The 5.9 Limited was a Jeep Grand Cherokee produced only for the 1998 model year, having more luxury and performance than that of the regular Limited. Chrysler manufactured nearly a quarter million Grand Cherokees in 1998. Of those, fewer than fifteen thousand were 5.9s. It housed a Magnum 5.9 L V8 engine with an output of 245 hp (183 kW) and 345 lb·ft (468 N·m) of torque, going from zero to 60 mph (100 km/h)in only 7.3 seconds[10] (Motor Trend measured this at a slightly faster 6.8 seconds[11]), making it the quickest SUV available that year. The performance of the 1998 5.9 L V8 has been surpassed by Jeep only with the introduction of the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, which housed a 6.1 L Hemi Engine.[12] The 5.9 Jeep Grand Cherokee was named the 1998 four-wheel drive vehicle of the year by Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine.[10]
The 5.9 Limited was available only in Deep Slate, Stone White, and Bright Platinum. Other features separated the 5.9 from the standard Limited model including:[13]



Functioning heat-extracting hood louvers
Revised grill with mesh grille inserts
Five-spoke alloy Ultrastar wheels
Black-wall tires
An improved premium 180 watt, 10 speaker Infinity stereo system
A rear speaker bar for additional Infinity speakers
Calf-grain, soft leather seats and trim
Leather door inserts
Leather shift handle, e-brake and transfer case handle
Enhanced faux wood trim throughout, additionally around the transmission shift handle base
A full-leather spare tire cover with multiple pockets
A center leather armrest in the rear seat
A lower-profile roof rack
Molded rocker panels
140 MPH speedometer
The Grand Cherokee 5.9 further included additional performance-enhancing features including:
A stronger 46RE transmission than the 5.2
Quadratrac heavy duty NV249 transfer case
Standard trac-lock rear differential
An electric fan
A high-output 150A alternator
Lower restriction exhaust and chrome plated exhaust tip[14]

Further Statistics from Motor Trend, January, 1998
[15]
Model Production Total Percent
1993–1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee "ZJ" 1,428,095[16] 100.00%
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 247,372 17.32%
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited 14,286 1.00%
5.9 Limited w/Federal Emissions 10,051 0.70%
5.9 Limited w/CA Emissions 4,235 0.30%

dave1123

As I said, Good luck!

odgreen

Holy copy and paste batman!!!!!

Mickiel Mcnemar

U gentalmen forgot to include a 10 disk CD changer and lower fog lights in front bumber and 16.6 wheels mines a custom orderd 5.9 HO witch has 360.6 motor and the transmissitn was redone off the factory floor by a company who changed the gears and drive axel's its a beast now dont blow me off cuz iIcan't spell fur crud guys I'm a hands on motor head imI'smart with a wrench and suck at typing but my love for jeeps gos back tomy first 69 wagoneer loved it more than my first girlfreind .

dave1123

Must be you got no lovin' from your girlfriend. LOL!

Mickiel Mcnemar

I only posted becouse of my love for jeeps

Noah911

Whoa - wOhOa

dave1123

It was a joke son, and only meant to be such. Besides, I ain't got a sister! Good natured joking is what makes this forum great. Live with it! I had to learn the hard way also.

If you want to see how great this forum is, become a paid member and cruise the Underground section!