Looking at 99 wj Laredo 4.7. Opinions?

borison

Adventurer
I'm looking at a 1999 GC Laredo 4.7, 157k. It's not my first jeep, but I'm wondering the good/bad of this particular model. I was offered it in trade and trying to figure out how this year/model is generally viewed here. What should I be looking for if I go take a look at it? Thanks
 

BCobe

Adventurer
I had a 2001 Grand Limited with the 4.7. It was a love hate relationship sometimes but ever since I sold it I have been wanting another.

Problems I had was there was a short somewhere at the tail lights making them work intermittently and the terminal posts were super marred. Other than that the problems that arose were mainly because I lifted it and what not.

Oh. Also had the common blend door problem, which was an easy fix, and went through three radiators.
 

borison

Adventurer
I had a 2001 Grand Limited with the 4.7. It was a love hate relationship sometimes but ever since I sold it I have been wanting another.

Problems I had was there was a short somewhere at the tail lights making them work intermittently and the terminal posts were super marred. Other than that the problems that arose were mainly because I lifted it and what not.

Oh. Also had the common blend door problem, which was an easy fix, and went through three radiators.

Thanks also. I think jeeps, like most, are kind of addictive. I had briefly seen something on cooling and tail light issues and wasn't sure if it was real or not.
 

BCobe

Adventurer
My mindset is people are going to have different issues with their cars. Other than the things I listed the 4.7 was awesome for me. Mine had around 150K and all I really had "problems" with is that the alternator went out, oil pressure sensor failed, an injector that failed and the starter was going out and the issues with the battery posts was a pain but it is/was all fixable.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
No problems with the 4.7L engine in our 99 GC. Owned it since 2002 have replaced a water pump, brake booster, radiator, power steering pump. Fiddled witht he terminals on the rear light a few time to keep them working. Around 170K on the engine.
 

csclifford

Outside of Comfort
My 2000 Jeep GC with the 4.7L has had its ups and downs.

I never had any mechanical issues with my Jeep from when I purchased it (120,000 miles) to 160,000 miles. However, since I passed 160,000 miles (I'm at 178,000 on it now), I have had to replace:

-Radiator
-Electric Fan
-Electric Fan relay
-Thermostat

Besides those issues I have really enjoyed the 4.7L, and keep in mind that the radiator and other parts that I had to replace at 175,000 miles were all originals.
 

tbone1004

Observer
love hate with my '04 as well. The transmission has issues with not wanting to close the circuit for the starter, so that's a pain, usually only happens in real cold conditions, but when I was living in Maine it happened regularly.

Right now I need to replace some of the vacuum lines because my evap pump is throwing a CEL. Not terribly high priority since it doesn't adversely effect anything. Also have to replace valve cover gaskets but dreading that because of how much of a pain they are.

Power steering pump had to be replaced at ~120k, because they control the cooling fan they are under much higher stress than normal ones and the OEM ones are not cheap.

Other than that nothing major, replaced all of the fluids when I got it, put an OME HD lift on it with 245/75/17 tires on JK rims and have never looked back. It really is a nice vehicle and aside from the small things listed above I am going to miss it dearly when I have to replace it. That being said, with that many miles on the 4.7 I'd be a little hesitant. They are VERY prone to sludge buildup on the top end due to undersized oil drain passages. If it has a full service record I wouldn't be too skeptical, but wouldn't value it more than about $2k.
 

jpat30

Adventurer
The WJ Forum is a valuable resource for you. There is a sticky there about what to look for when buying a WJ. I would recommend you check it out. Most people that experience problems with the 4.7 are due to letting them run hot. The motor is not near as forgiving as the 4.0 I6. Additional problems are with dropping valve seats. If the maintenance records look good though, I would say you should be good to go. Good Luck.
 

Jeepinaaron

Adventurer
I have a 2003 WJ with a 4.7, I have had it 7 months and it has 98,000 miles. I've had 4.0's before and I like the pep from the 4.7L. My Jeep also has a select trac transfer case so I have more options than the Quadra Trac models. The select trac is a wanted option, many people swap out their quadratrac t-case for a selectrac. So far I have had no problems, I've put about 4,000 miles on the Jeep. I wouldn't listen to people that say "stay away from a particular model, engine, brand" unless they can back it up with personal experience. Most of the problems listed above are what I would consider typical for a high mileage vehicle. Any vehicle you purchase with those high miles could crap out, its dark side of buying a used vehicle with high miles.


I have had several Jeeps.
a '99 TJ SE with a 2.5L, I had no engine problems.
a '00 XJ Sport with a 4.0, the head cracked and I got rid of the Jeep.
A '05 LJ with a 4.0, no problems, I traded it for the WJ after we had a kid.
 

MrWesson

Adventurer
Figured this thread was new enough and I've had experience with WJ's.

I've had two of them both 99' year, Both bought with over 120k miles, and Both 4.7 V8's 4x4.

First one was bought with 120k miles and met its demise from a state trooper running a red light without sirens at 170k miles. In that timeframe I replaced a radiator and a upper rear ball joint(the AC quit and I didn't fix it). Made many long trips with it. This one had quadradrive and stock it would embarass some modified rigs(where traction was needed). Got stuck twice due to being high centered on some stuff I shouldn't be playing on stock.

It was a beater and I replaced it with a BMW 330ci(had a lexus IS250 at the time). The BMW never stranded me but @ 130k miles was requiring more maintenance than I cared to do. Thi

I bought another boat after selling the first and was back in the market for a tow rig. I bought another 99' grand cherokee with 123k miles for $1,800. It was a michigan WJ with significant rust. I had never dealt with rust before and figured I'd just coat some rustoleum and deal with it because it ran like a top(losing the battle with the rust currently). Since owning this one(still have it) I have replaced a radiator and a front driveshaft(shattered/still made it home 20 miles while towing my boat).. I am currently revamping the suspension (upper/lower control arms). Mechanically it hasn't let me down.

I wouldn't even consider a WJ with the 4.0. I know its a reliable engine but the 4.7 in the WJ makes it a great all arounder with power to spare.
 

Mayhem Eng.

New member
I picked up a 99 limited 4.7 for $1300.00 about a year ago. It had a dropped valve seat. The jeep was real clean inside and out. I pulled the heads and found the bad valve seat. Did some damage to the head and top of the piston. The jeep had 127k I decided to pull the motor and rebuild it, I just finished it up about 2 or 3 months ago have about 7k on the new rebuilt motor. The cost to rebuild was right around 4k That included everything new inside the motor and all new sensors. If you like doing the mechanical work you can find some real good deals? I'm looking at another 99 for 1500.00 Has the same problems as the other one. People say you could by one for that amount running and they are right but, you can't buy on for that amount with a brand new motor?
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,530
Messages
2,875,579
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top