terrawombat

All requests have been replied to. I've been running some of the junkyard MJs in the registry section for fun. Some of them actually have clean titles.

so true :hateputers: A sacrifice I'm willing to make to bask in the many luxuries of this vehicle. As long as the fixes aren't expensive or difficult in nature, I don't mind too much. As of right now, I have a lot of random, quirky electrical problems like my side mirrors randomly moving down at any given time (dirty contacts in the mirror, common problem), my heated seats don't work (broken wire under the seat - common problem), my dashboard backlighting flickers from the dim to bright setting (headlight switch is bad, common problem), my vehicle information center (VIC) randomly says my coolant temperature sensor is bad (cold solder joint on the VIC, common problem), my sunroof randomly refuses to open (bad solder connection on control board, common problem). So, as you can see, many of the 12 year old electrical luxuries have failed. I used some of these issues to drive the sellers price down, tho, so I think it worked out in my favor since only one of those (headlight switch) is going to cost me any money.

Owning a dog that has ADD and can't figure out whether or not he wants to stick his head out the window or lay down makes power windows absolutely essential on every vehicle that I own, especially with the frigid temperatures right now. Power door locks are okay. I don't lock my vehicle too often when I'm at home, but it's nice to have them, as well as keyless entry, when I'm down visiting my GF in a not so trustworthy area. I went ahead and really spoiled myself with the latest acquisition of a '98ZJ 5.9L Limited with every option available in a ZJ. Now I have heated, power leather seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, shifter, and transfer case selector, power mirrors, sunroof, radio controls on the steering wheel, seating position memory, auto-dim rearview mirror, and a 150 watt infinity gold sound system. Basically, a lot more things to go wrong :D

About five years ago, my father and his cousin picked up three 2-post 12,000lb lifts from a garage that closed down and actually had six lifts they were selling. Obviously, they were used, but we got to test them before purchase and the hydraulics were fine as well as the mechanical stops. Total cost: $1,000 for all three. Unfortunately, I don't have a shop with enough roof clearance to install them in!

PM me your VIN and e-mail address and I will send you a report. Offer good for 30 days from the original date of this post. Mods - If this violates any rules, please remove the thread.

Worked for about 4 hours in the freezing cold trying to get the old transmission out. Got pretty far, just need to remove four bellhousing bolts, the crankshaft position sensor, fill tube, and it should slide on out. Got the Cash for Clunkers transmission today. Also came with the VIN of the ZJ it came out of. Ran an AutoCheck on it and last reported mileage was two years ago at 47K. AutoCheck also revealed that is was, indeed, a Cash for Clunkers vehicle. Got it strapped to my transmission jack so I can wheel it around my shop until it's time for it to go in. Should be able to get the old trans out tomorrow night and hopefully get this one in and bolted to the engine. I will probably dedicate Thursday and Friday night to getting everything back together. Looking to drive it 200+ miles this weekend...hope this trans is good!

I just bought a '98 Grand Cherokee with the 5.9L V8 Magnum - same engine as the Dakota R/T, but I believe Jeep used a slightly different tune on their ECM. I've only put a couple hundred miles on it, but it's easy for me to see that this is going to get very addicting, very fast...I'm already looking at getting a built up transmission to withstand 700HP, although I'll never, ever get to that number, I like the extra insurance :D

Still interested in getting rid of that cap? :brows:

Thought you might like this: http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/2111604409.html

First: 1989 Jeep Wrangler YJ w/2.5L and 5-speed. It was first bought by my brother, then sold to my cousin who beat her up pretty bad and somehow managed to catch a pile of leaves in the engine bay on fire. It was then given to me in 2001 and I stripped it down to the frame and had a family friend with a body shop paint everything. Looked real sharp, but I was young and dumb and wanted something faster so I sold it for a 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 in 2002 and that became my second project (still have that car too). Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it. I think digital cameras were just starting to become mainstream back then and I didn't have one.

I agree. Not everyone is like us, though. Even the salvage yard I'm buying the trans from doesn't really think the vehicle is anything special. My hope is that some rich snob traded in their gas guzzling SUV in the CFC program to buy something newer and more fuel efficient and not because their 5.9 was a heap on wheels and had all sorts of problems. Thank you. I'm pretty stoked to now own a vehicle that actually came with those wheels from the factory. Also, do you have any idea what the P/N is on the center caps for those wheels? As you can see, I'm missing one :D

Those are both mine. My buddy and I drove my XJ down and he drove it back.

Drained the transmission on the ZJ and dropped the pan. Not surprisingly, I found the snap ring from the OD clutch pack sitting in the pan in about five pieces. This is a pretty common failure with the Chrysler 46RE transmissions. It can be fixed by purchasing a new or rebuilt OD assembly, which bolts onto the back of the trans, but the trans in my ZJ has other problems too. The low band is pretty worn down and has scored the drum it rides on creating lots of metal flakes in the transmission pan and the magnet is completely covered. Figured it's not worth it to take a chance and replace the OD housing and have something else fail down the road. Found a 73K mile trans out of a Cash for Clunkers 5.9L Limited nearby. Thing is, they can't test it because the engine is seized, but gave me a pretty good warranty on it so I should be covered. Even offered to deliver it to my door for a very low shipping cost. Should have it tonight or tomorrow...guess I better get the old one out. This will also be a good time for me to swap in a 242 transfer case. The 249 case that came in it is a viscous coupling case with full-time 4WD with no option for 2WD. Only full time 4wd and 4wd-lo. The VC doesn't normally last that long and I'd rather get the 242 case in there so I can pop it in 2WD and spin those rear tires :D

Yep, she's okay. That's exactly what I'd do. Crashed '99XJ Classic to become the donor, fix and sell '99XJ Sport for a quick profit. Also just picked up a '98ZJ 5.9L and am having some fun with that :D

The '99XJ Classic that I sold to my girlfriend's mother was just hit on the right rear on Friday. Looks to be suspension and frame rail damage. The insurance company may total it and I'll be looking to buy it back if they do.

Me and a buddy drove down to get the ZJ. Had one good car going down and came back with two broken cars. The XJ developed a real nasty sound in the rear end that is dependent on speed of the vehicle. Thinking a broken gear or bad bearing. Getting AAA to tow it home now.

The TSi was a trim level for the ZJ in 1997 and 1998. Here is the blurb from Wikipedia: "A sporty TSi model (1997–1999) briefly debuted, exterior features included single color body paneling, with lower indigo blue striping and TSi accent similar to that found on the Eagle Talon model. They could only be ordered in select colors, which included Black, Platinum, and Deep Amethyst. TSi packages came equipped with 5 spoke 16-inch (410 mm) alloy wheels, 225/70R16 tires, sport tuned suspension and steering, fog lights, Luxury group, featuring: "Highland" perforated leather seats, overhead computer, power driver's seat and a premium sound system with steering wheel mounted controls. The 4.0 litre I6 and the 5.2 litre V8 were the only two available engines in this package. The TSi was priced between the Laredo and the Limited; however, it was comparatively unpopular and a limited number were sold."

Poor guy probably thought the Feds were onto him...

I'd love for that to be the case. I did some very limited and brief testing when I went down to see/pay for it. When cold, it'll go into reverse and creep along and make some less than ideal noises from the trans. I can also pop it in 4-Lo and it seems to move in reverse fine. I need to do a lot more testing when I get it and I'll be crossing my fingers that it's a solenoid or servo, although my initial instinct is worn reverse band based on the whirring noise I heard. The Jeep was brought into the shop I got it from and the shop owner basically said the transmission was shot and would need to be replaced. I guess the shop owner bought it from the guy and was going to fix it, but never got around to it.

Where is the sig update?!?!?! Congrats on the purchase :clapping: I have not yet started to appreciate the ZJ. Not sure why, I just don't find them that attractive :hmm: I've decided I'm at that "point" of Jeep ownership/enthusiasm/idiocy where I can no longer list every one that I own. I originally used my signature to distinguish between the two MJs that I had because it was often confusing for others to figure out which one I was speaking of and what drive train components it had in it. With the seven that I own now, the signature is a little lengthy so I think I'm going to cut back to the Jeeps that are currently on my insurance plan ('01XJ, '98ZJ, and '92MJ). Considering how dirt simple and easy Renix are to work on... that's a pretty big compliment. It's OBD-I owners and their constant pissing and moaning about Renix's that are tough to live with. But hey... what do I know... 211k on my ZJ and still going. Nothing matches a V-8 power slide on a snowy night..... I've seen plenty of the 5.9L ZJ's go to 200K miles and beyond, but usually not on the original transmission or transfer case.

Welp, I got the title to a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited in my name. Good thing there was a motor vehicle agency right down the street from the Jeep that was open late tonight. It's slate black with black leather interior. All the normal 5.9L Limited fixins'. Starts and motor runs good. No knocks, no weird noises, good oil pressure, doesn't overheat. Interior is in really good shape - no cracks or tears in the seat. Needs a good vacuuming and cleaning, but it will clean up nice. Car has just about new tires all the way around and the seller threw in a brand new Interstate battery w/2 year warranty in it for me. Has 160,011 miles on the odometer and I paid $1,500 for it. The bad - the trans won't go into reverse, but shifts through forward gears fine. It tried to go in reverse, but baaaarely moves. If I put it in 4-lo, I can get her to move in reverse fine, so it's not completely useless. Going to pick it up tomorrow night. Guy said he would check all fluids and air pressure in the tires. This will be one of the first vehicles I've bought where I can actually drive it home. I'm stoked :D

The HICAS on the 300ZXTT was far superior to the 3000GT VR-4 all-wheel steering. When you're on the highway and you switch lanes, the VR-4 rear end feels like it's playing "catch up" to the front. Also, aren't you able to turn the HICAS on and off on the 300ZX?

I actually would have a hard time disagreeing with a lot of your statements and that's the reason why I have often glanced over the ZJ in my searches for Jeeps. However, your statement of "both the best and worst at the same time!" is basically what is driving me to get this. I can overlook all of the 'bad' if I have a 5.9L engine under the hood :D And I LOVE bells and whistles. If you want to talk about unnecessary, but functional, garbage, I could talk to you all day long about my '91 3000GT VR-4. Mitsubishi packed so much crap into that thing that is so useless (a movable front and rear spoiler, a servo that changed the tone of your exhaust, and all-wheel steering that hardly does anything) it makes me laugh every time I think about it, but they were fun when they worked!

Well, if you're being serious, which I don't think you are.... The upper control arms consist of black oxide coated socket cap screws of an unknown grade that are welded to what looks to be 16 or 18 gauge sheet metal that was likely bent with a hammer and a vice. These upper control arms are going to be responsible for handling the wear and tear of a lifted off-road vehicle with VERY large tires on it. If they hold up for an extended period of time, I will be very surprised. He did say he was going to replace them with something a little more robust, but he also said he would be using these for the time being and if they failed, so what. I just hope that when they fail, he is traveling 5MPH on an open, flat surface with no one around him.

I'd like to call it Redneck Engineering at its finest, but the guy is from Sweden. We need a native of Sweden to tell us their term for Redneck :D