vlkster

Hello everyone. I just bought a 96 gc, with a 5.2l & 187k miles.
It needs a few things that i know of, sway bar links, drivers door, back hatch, and something with the brakes( holds fluids, but takes about 3 time the distance to stop, any thoughts)
But i wanted to know what else i should pay attention to or what some of the common problems are?
Going to change all the fluids and filters in everything and thinking of a tune up, plugs, wires, ect. But what else?
This isn't goin to be a trail rig, so no crazy lifts or big tires, goin to haul my family & camper and a winter rig.
Thanks
John

dave1123

Welcome to CF!

You might want to check your front brake calipers. If it's been sitting a while, they might be not functioning. I had the same problem with my '00 (WJ) Larado when I bought it and it was only the proportioning valve because it hadn't been driven on the road for 3 months. I had to open all 4 bleeders and nail the brakes to get fluid flowing to the fronts again. I had the same problem 30K later after replacing the front calipers. I have 4 wheel discs but the problem should be the same.

The front brakes do most of the braking and when they don't work it's like trying to stop a runaway train. With the 5.2, you probably have the 249 Quadratrac transfer case which is constant 4WD. If so, your shifter only shows 4hi and 4lo with a neutral in between. I'm not sure about this because your jeep is a V8 and I've only owned 6's with the 242 Selectrac, although I've learned a LOT about jeeps from the forum.

The weakest link is the 249 case and it's health is important. There is a viscous coupling that divides power between the front and rear and when it overheats (by things like running with the front shaft removed) and needs replacement, it's a big PITA and expensive. So much so that a lot of guys change them to a 242 or 231 t/case. The part alone costs around $300 to $400 and the case has to be taken apart to install it.

You may have the D44a rear axle also. It's an aluminum center differential and more rugged than the D35. If it didn't come with the tow package, install an aux trans cooler if you're going to tow. Also if towing uphill or a heavy load, lock out O/D to reduce the load on the trans.

I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just trying to inform you so you'll know what to look for. Do a search for "249 t/case" and read about it. There is a search button at the top of the page.

The only problem with the 5.2 I know of is the plenum gasket on the bottom of the intake manifold. If it leaks, it starts sucking in oil and causes poor performance overall.

vlkster

Thanks for getting back to me and thanks for the advice. This is my 2nd g.c., my frist one was a 93, 4.0, but that was back 17 years ago and i've missed the zj ever since i had to get rid of it.
I only payed 350 for the jeep so if i need a new t/case i'll cross that path when i need too.
One more problem that came about lastnight(sunday), was that i wanted to move it so i could plow snow and it wouldn't start, just crank and crank. New battery friday and it started right up and started on Saturday again with no problem. When i bought it the battery was dead and the previous owner had to jump it, but i drove it home, 15 min drive, and i didn't feel like anything was wrong. Any thoughts, been reading alot about the cps. Its not the alarm, i think, the lights don't flash and i don't hear the clicking noise.

Thanks again
John

rangermonroe

PProbably crud under the battery terminals. Remove them both and scrub them clean.

dave1123

The battery clamps seem to always be a problem with jeeps. I may even swap for a GM side terminal battery next time I need one. I never had this problem with my Chevys.

vlkster

On my things to do, but it's 5 below out, so i'll wait till it warms up a bit.
I also thought after some more research that because both the back hatch and drivers door do not close that maybe the door switch is tell the jeep that there is a door open and that is draining the battery ever so slightly. Again when it warms up a bit i'm going to jump it and see if that works. If this is the case can i take the fuse out for the door switch and hatch switch or unplug them or will that cause it to think that the doors are open?

Thanks

vlkster

Also if you could buy a parts rig what year would you look for? I priced out parts and I could have half of them for about the same
price but wild also have a parts rig.

dave1123

If you're just looking for body parts, just about any ZJ will do, but if you're going to need drivetrain parts, you'll need a V8 jeep. There are too many differences between the 4.0 and the 5.2/5.9.

OR...You could find a 4.0 with the 242 t/case you might need later.

vlkster

that's what i was thinking, a 96 or newer 4.0 with the 242 t/case or a 96 or newer 5.2/5.9(hahaha) parts right. Question about the 249 and 242 swap that i'm not processing right now is that if the 242 is from the same year, so the input shafts are the same, can i unbolt the 249 and bolt in the 242 right? or do i have to split the 249 and take out some stuff and bolt it to the 242? again, i'm no mechanic and just cant wrap my brain around it.

Thanks again for all the help
John

dave1123

The transmission in the 5.2 is a different one that the 4.0 has so there may be a problem with the input shaft. I've heard you can take the input shaft from the 249 and install it in the 242 but IDK.

Check out this link: jeepforum.com/forum/f13/transfer-case-swap-info-np249-np231-np242-685644/. It'll give you all the info you'll need.

Also be aware that your upper end date is 1998. In '99 they introduced the WJ which is entirely different. They continued with the Cherokees (XJ) for several more years, but IDK what changes were made. Another item of note is the Wrangler (TJ) 242 has a much lower ratio low range, but if you're not going rock crawling, I don't think you care.

Now I've got you totally confused, right?

vlkster

Haha, now i am. I thought according to the Jeepforum articale that
"..All 96-98 ZJ's: .840" 23 spline input
All 96-01 XJ's: .840" 23 spline input.."
So my logic would be find a 242 in that era and it should bolt up?

Yeah not rock crawling for me, but maybe one day my kids will want too.

dave1123

Yes, but if you look closely at that list, the V8s with the 46RH transmissions use a 1.55 input shaft so you may have to swap that into the 242 case.

Someone else help me out here, will you?

vlkster

yes you are right, but thats for 93-95 zj v8s, at least thats what the article says and i have a 96. Again i'm not expert so if someone knows for sure if i can take a 96-98 zj 242 or a 96-01 xj 242 and bolt it right up to my 96 5.2 without having to opening the 249 and 242 t/case to change input shafts that would be great

MtPockets

Did you find the problem with the no-start condition? My '95 has had a very intermittent problem with that as well.
Every so often, it'll crank like there's no tomorrow but won't even attempt to start.
When it does, I disconnect the wiring harness connections to the coil and to the distributor and it always starts right up.
Another problem I've had was that it wouldn't even crank.
I repaired that problem by replacing the Park/Neutral/Safety Switch.
I detirmined it was bad by the fact that sometimes when it wouldn't fire, pushing on the shifter (like if you're trying to put it farther into park) would get it to crank as long as you kept pushing on it. As soon as you let go, it'd quit cranking.
Hope this helps!


Ron

vlkster

Ron, yes i got it started. It was the battery. I have a power drain somewhere, i think the back hatch. So i hooked up my jeep and let it charge for a bit and than it started!! So i disconnected the battery so it doesn't drain it. Thanks for the help