What Can You Tell Me About Wjs

[GirsMJ86]

Been tossing around the idea of getting rid of both my rigs together as a package deal maybe or something, most of my family is even somewhat pressuring me to do so. Mainly because my Crohn's seems to keep flaring up more frequently now, and when that's the case I just can't work on the things so they sit. I was thinking about a WJ awhile ago, and looking back I kind of regret not going that route since having a 4dr 4x4 would be nice right about now since everyone else in my family drives 2wd sports cars or silly little Toyota things.

 

Grands are out of my knowledge area, so tell me what experiences you've had with them or anything that might be helpful. Mainly I'm interested in knowing about the V8 since that seems to be all I can find in the Limited package. I'd prefer to have the 4.0L just because I know all about that, but I want the leather seats and sunroof of the Limited. All other options, except it has to be 4x4, doesn't matter to me.

 

And just to drive it home, I'm only going to be looking at WJs so I don't need to know much about ZJs or any other Grand. Maybe I can get lucky and find someone on CL wanting to trade. lol

[shelbyluvv]

I have owned my 2004 WJ since it had 23 miles on it. It now has 107,000. It has been an awesome Jeep. I used it as a crawler, tow rig, DD, and anything in between. I have beat the piss out of that poor thing and she has never left me down. I replaced a water pump under warranty at 40,000 miles. Other than that it has never been missed a beat.

 

A few things to stay away from.

A 4.7 HO requires 92 octane to run right.

dual climate control will break

heated seats will break

 

I have a Special Edition (only available in 02 and 04) it has a V8 with leater and sunroof. It looks like a Limited with the body colored cladding without the dual climate or heated seats. I think they are the best bang for the buck.

[MrSimon]

I wheel with a guy who has a lifted 03.  It sure is nice and comfy on the inside, has more room than an XJ, and wheels just fine.  But I still think the lighter weight XJ is a better trail rig.

 

The WJs usually have the D35 (or the not-so-great D44a) and its very involved to upgrade the rear ... requires lots of custom work.

 

The steering and brakes are awesome.

 

There are two different transfer cases available .... both have pros and cons, but both are pretty darn good.

 

They aren't perfect and lots of guys seem to have problems with the V8s with higher mileage, but the prices have come way down on them making it a great DD or wheeler option.

[johnny quest]

had a 2000 laredo with the 4.0. got it with around 51k on it and it now has close to 200k, although my fiance's brother now drives it. rebuilt the trans once at aroun 70k. drove it cross country, wheeled it all over utah, road tripped it everywhere else. Loved it, to the point that i want to get another for DD/light wheeling duty.

[Incommando]

http://www.wjjeeps.com

[Akula69]

We presently have 4 of them in our household (and close family). I would stay with the 2000-2004 range, or jump to the 2008-2013 range due to the poor oil circulation in the 2005-2007 year V6 engines (causing sludge buildup inside the engine).

 

The only problems I have had with them is CPS replacement on an 04 at 123,000; and an intermittent engine wiring harness short on an 03 at 134,000 miles (the engine harness on the 03 wraps around the back of the valve cover closely, and gets quite warm. It had partially melted and the # 1 fuel injector wires were shorting. Some insulating wrap solved the problem).

 

There have been reports of the rear window regulators failing because the gear for the window motor is a soft plastic. I had to replace one on the 03, but we had purchased that one used. The ones we've had since new have not had that problem. Some folks have complained about the 45RFE, but its been good to us....

[GirsMJ86]

I have owned my 2004 WJ since it had 23 miles on it. It now has 107,000. It has been an awesome Jeep. I used it as a crawler, tow rig, DD, and anything in between. I have beat the piss out of that poor thing and she has never left me down. I replaced a water pump under warranty at 40,000 miles. Other than that it has never been missed a beat.

 

A few things to stay away from.

A 4.7 HO requires 92 octane to run right.

dual climate control will break

heated seats will break

 

I have a Special Edition (only available in 02 and 04) it has a V8 with leater and sunroof. It looks like a Limited with the body colored cladding without the dual climate or heated seats. I think they are the best bang for the buck.

That Special Edition sounds like just what I'm looking for. I couldn't care less about the heated seats or dual climate control, they both went out in my old BMW I had and I just didn't care. I heard that it has the same interior styling as the Limited but without the white face gauges, that true? White faces would bother me I think.

 

 

Thanks for all the experience info so far. Keep it coming guys.

[neohic]

... Crohn's seems to keep flaring up more frequently now, and when that's the case I just can't work on the things so they sit...

 

b*@$£ of a disease, eh?

 

I like WJs. All of them that I've driven have always just had a smooth ride and an overall solid feel. They're kind of a conversion for Jeep that they have more of a "modern" feel, but still retains much of a similar drivetrain as our MJs... easy to work on. I'd definitely consider one to replace my ZJ if the wifey was on board.

[xjrev10]

I have never owned a WJ.

 

But, they are the last of a dieing breed. Solid axles and coils in all 4 corners. I'm thinking my next Offroad build will be a WJ with a 4.7. Comfortable wheeler and DD and the buy in price is dropping everyday.

 

I like my WK so far, but I have not really turned a wrench on it.... The QDII is absolutely awesome!

[shelbyluvv]

The Special Edition looks just like a Limited without all the bells and whistles. It is a dressed up Laredo for lack of a better word. It even VINs out as a Laredo. The seats are leather but are not the nice Limited seats. The SE does not have the white gauges or the chrome headlights the Limiteds have.

 

I am very happy with my SE. They can be hard to find as they are a bit rarer than the Laredo or the Limited. If I had it to do all over again I still would have bought the SE.

[jimoshel]

Never noticed any difference in power between the 6 and V8, but never really pushed either one of them. Seems like the 42 - 44 series transmissions goes out more often than the AW4.I've swapped 3 of them in the last couple years. I prefer my MJ, then the XJ. Yhe GF prefers the WJ.

[dasbulliwagen]

As far as the heated seats, there was a recall of a recall of a recall on those. If youre lucky you can get the fixed for free, if you buy one, send me your VIN and I can look it up for you through Chrysler and see if you have the recall or not. The 4.7 also sounds awesome with a Flowmaster on it. Not bad vehicles all around, I would have one if fuel milage wasnt an issue.

[Eagle]

I had a '99 WJ Laredo, with the 4.7L V8 and QuadraDrive. I picked it up in January of '99, and Chrysler bought it back from me in October to keep me from going lemon law with it. I replaced it with what is now my wife's 2000 XJ Classic, and I was MUCH happier.

 

Where to start:

 

Brakes -- the front rotors warped if you looked at them cross-eyed. I think I put about 10,000 miles on the vehicle while I had it. In that time, the dealer turned the front rotors once, replaced them once, turned the replacements once, and they needed to be replaced when I turned it in.

 

Noise, Vibration & Harshness -- It rode and handled very nicely. However, at cruising speed there was a loud droning sound that could be heard and felt, that the shop could not trace or eliminate.

 

Transfer case -- I don't remember the specifics, but despite the fact that the QuadraDrive worked well in snow, it didn't like pavement much at all. Lots of noise and ratcheting. Again, the shop couldn't find what was wrong so, needless to say, it didn't get fixed.

 

Transmission -- Two words: "It sucked."

 

Electrics -- Sporadic problems with the cruise control, and the alarm had an annoying tendency to go off for no reason. One of the days I had it at the shop the WJ was parked right outside the shop door, and I was chatting with the service writer, service manager, and shop foreman when it went off. They all looked at me and accused me of pressing the panic button on the remote. I simply pointed out that the shop foreman was holding the key ... (That never got fixed, either.)

 

The fuel mileage was about the same as an XJ with the 4.0L. Except that it went WAY DOWN if I cruised faster than 60 (which isn't much of a problem in Connecticut, because we have only a couple of highways with 65 MPH speed limits. In western states with higher limits, it would be a concern.

 

Engine power was all at the top end. Subjective, seat of pants dyno indicated that an XJ was a better tow vehicle. At one point when the WJ was in the shop I had a ZJ with the 5.2L as a loaner -- it had LOTS more low end pull. The 4.7L doesn't start to make useful power until it hits 3500 RPM ... and I never drive anywhere near 3500 RPM. It's not a Jeep engine, it's a passenger car engine.

 

At the end, that thing just died in the middle of a state highway. Dead as a doornail. I had it towed to the dealership, and it just happened that the replacement XJ was rolling off the transporter as we arrived, so I waited while they did a quick clean-up and paperwork, and drive the XJ home. The shop did find out what was wrong with the engine -- bad cam sensor. The good news was they found the problem. The bad news was there were no parts in the system to fix it. Good thing my new XJ arrived when it did.

 

If all that's not enough to scare you off, a friend of mine didn't listen to me and bought a 2003 WJ Overland. His engine blew up.

 

The XJ is a far better vehicle than the WJ.

[Akula69]

I had a '99 WJ Laredo, with the 4.7L V8 and QuadraDrive. I picked it up in January of '99, and Chrysler bought it back from me in October to keep me from going lemon law with it. I replaced it with what is now my wife's 2000 XJ Classic, and I was MUCH happier.

 

Where to start:

 

Brakes -- the front rotors warped if you looked at them cross-eyed. I think I put about 10,000 miles on the vehicle while I had it. In that time, the dealer turned the front rotors once, replaced them once, turned the replacements once, and they needed to be replaced when I turned it in.

 

Noise, Vibration & Harshness -- It rode and handled very nicely. However, at cruising speed there was a loud droning sound that could be heard and felt, that the shop could not trace or eliminate.

 

Transfer case -- I don't remember the specifics, but despite the fact that the QuadraDrive worked well in snow, it didn't like pavement much at all. Lots of noise and ratcheting. Again, the shop couldn't find what was wrong so, needless to say, it didn't get fixed.

 

Transmission -- Two words: "It sucked."

 

Electrics -- Sporadic problems with the cruise control, and the alarm had an annoying tendency to go off for no reason. One of the days I had it at the shop the WJ was parked right outside the shop door, and I was chatting with the service writer, service manager, and shop foreman when it went off. They all looked at me and accused me of pressing the panic button on the remote. I simply pointed out that the shop foreman was holding the key ... (That never got fixed, either.)

 

The fuel mileage was about the same as an XJ with the 4.0L. Except that it went WAY DOWN if I cruised faster than 60 (which isn't much of a problem in Connecticut, because we have only a couple of highways with 65 MPH speed limits. In western states with higher limits, it would be a concern.

 

Engine power was all at the top end. Subjective, seat of pants dyno indicated that an XJ was a better tow vehicle. At one point when the WJ was in the shop I had a ZJ with the 5.2L as a loaner -- it had LOTS more low end pull. The 4.7L doesn't start to make useful power until it hits 3500 RPM ... and I never drive anywhere near 3500 RPM. It's not a Jeep engine, it's a passenger car engine.

 

At the end, that thing just died in the middle of a state highway. Dead as a doornail. I had it towed to the dealership, and it just happened that the replacement XJ was rolling off the transporter as we arrived, so I waited while they did a quick clean-up and paperwork, and drive the XJ home. The shop did find out what was wrong with the engine -- bad cam sensor. The good news was they found the problem. The bad news was there were no parts in the system to fix it. Good thing my new XJ arrived when it did.

 

If all that's not enough to scare you off, a friend of mine didn't listen to me and bought a 2003 WJ Overland. His engine blew up.

 

The XJ is a far better vehicle than the WJ.

Wow. Sorry that you had all those problems.

 

We generally were warned off the V8 motor in early 99, and from you stories and other cautionary tales I'm glad we did. I do see quite a few WJ's with the V8 motor in them in the PAP yards now.

[shelbyluvv]

I hear all the horror stories ofbtje 4.7 being a turd. Mine has been great. I have abused that poor little motor and it keeps asking for more. I do change the oil every 3000 miles and flush the cooling system every couple years.

 

The 5/45RFE trans is a hoss. I abuse it as well. I've towed way to much with that Jeep and the trans is still a pretty cherry red. I did have a solenoid pack go bad at 100k.

 

All in all it has been a great vehicle and is still daily driven. Has been since Oct 2004.

[GirsMJ86]

Dang Eagle, talk about bad luck. Sounds like the '97 F-150 my dad bought new. By the time the warranty was up, everything that could be replaced was. Then he stupidly sold it even though it wasn't having anymore issues.

 

But nah, still not scared away from the WJ. It's what I want, if anything I'll just stay away from '99 WJs. The XJ is a great rig, but just not what I'm wanting at this point in time. We had a '00 XJ classic awhile ago and it didn't feel any more refined than my '91 MJ I had at the time. I'm basically looking to fill a vehicle gap in the family. We need a decent vehicle for riding in when everyone piles into one vehicle because right now the vehicle that gets used is my grandfather's very uncomfortable '05 Escape.