Sell me on a Jeep!

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
AW4 is made by Aisin-Warner and is the same as the Aisin A340 used is Toyotas like the UZJ100.

Comparing a Jeep anything to a TLC is kind of ridiculous at a low level. Completely different target market and build philosophy.

That makes sense then. I know of the A340, but didn't realize that it was called something else by Jeep. I have a UZJ100 and the auto trans is flawless with 175,000 on it.
 

Root Moose

Expedition Leader
Yep, it's a good transmission. It lives in a UZJ100 and that machine is 1000+ lbs heavier than the XJ. It lives behind built strokers in Jeeps with no problems. I guess the Supra guys use them as drag racing transmissions also but I'm not up on that, just what I've heard.
 

GrantC

Observer
Thanks to all who responded, but just to clarify: as I mentioned, I don't rock crawl, I don't mud; I've driven thousands of miles of unimproved and abandoned roads in my travels and have never run across a situation I couldn't get in and out of with a pretty much stock vehicle and decent traction tires. Whether or not a vehicle can run 33" tires is really of no import to me because I simply don't need them. I used to have solid axle rigs, and gave them up many moons ago because IFS does everything I need and is nicer to drive on the road!

(I will admit to missing my Scout II, however!)
 

GrantC

Observer
Question: drove a couple of Grand Cherokees today, both with the 4.0l engine and automatic. Both of them had an on-throttle hum in the rear end; no grinding or whining, just a hum that was loudest just as throttle was applied, then quieter as power was applied. Both had the issue, but one was a bit more pronounced.

I passed on the first because I thought it was a sign that the rear end was failing, but two in a row? Both were stock rigs, pretty well cared for and said to have never been off-road.

Are they just that noisy?
 

the59sound

Observer
i ran into that sound on my tj years ago. what caused mine was when i went through water i had no business being in. i ended up trading it in before i found the actual problem, but i ended up talking to the sales person that i traded it into not too long after the deal was done and he had told me that the rear end was about to go out and the had to swap everything out before they could sell it. Now i can't say that what you are hearing is the exact same as what i heard, however the symptoms are the same. the people that own those GC may have driven it though deep water, possibly if they live in flood zones? IDK. but to answer your question, no they are not supposed to be that noisy.
 

GrantC

Observer
Well, I went back to look at one of the aforementioned vehicles with the rear end hum, this time with someone who has experience as a mechanic. He thinks it's a worn u-joint, which makes more sense; u-joints are a normal wear item and it wouldn't be unexpected to find a couple of vehicles needing them, where two bad rear ends in a row is a little coincidental.

This vehicle is being sold by the original owner. It's a '96 GC with 145k on the clock, and the owner has every single receipt from everything that's ever been done to the rig since the first oil change. It's been a soccer mom vehicle and never off road (I believe them; these aren't the type of people to go any further from pavement than a gravel driveway, and even then they'd probably panic.) It's been garaged all its life and other than some niggling electrical faults and the padded sections of the rear door panels peeling away, it's in immaculate shape. My friend thinks it's a much better idea to buy this rather than one that's had multiple owners and no maintenance history; I took his advice and brought it home, after negotiating a hefty discount for the noise and the tires that are well due for replacement.

If it does turn out to have a bad rear end I'm really going to let him have it!
 

F40

Adventurer
Rear ends are cheap. The 8.25 in my 93 XJ whined and clunked quite a bit. Found a replacement 97+ 8.25 with the 29 spline shafts and a factory LSD that is pretty tight for $125. I6 ZJ's have the D35, which I'd probably replace with a D44a.
 
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VanIsle_Greg

I think I need a bigger truck!
Agreed... rear ends are cheap to pick up and the swap is not that hard. I will ALWAYS go for a 1 owner with a service history over a multi owner mystery.

The 96 sounds like a winner.

I also agree with what was stated above, go with what you like. For your purposes it sounds like a near to stock GC with good tires and good maintenance history is the ticket. You can put on a set of 30.9 tires on stock wheels and be GTG anywhere you want. Mild lifts are cheap for those too, and they ride nice on all coils.

Pics of this Jeep??
 

GrantC

Observer
Here it is, in the middle of a windstorm that's raging as I type!

It has the factory tow package, but apparently not Trac-Loc. I think I'll start looking now for a rear end that has it, as it will be a good excuse for an upgrade even if this one proves to be fine!

(Is there any indication on the outside of a Dana 35 that it has Trac-loc, or am I going to need to pull the cover of any I find and look?)

9558d9e72a235d9865b6d1f5d4ebf038.jpg
 

F40

Adventurer
Most of the tow package ones had the LSD. Check the rear end for tags that say requires LSD fluid, and if you don't find one, jack the back up, put the trans in neutral and spin a wheel. If they spin in opposite directions it's got an open diff, if they spin the same direction, it has an LSD. Or you could pull the cover and look at the carrier.
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
Well, I went back to look at one of the aforementioned vehicles with the rear end hum, this time with someone who has experience as a mechanic. He thinks it's a worn u-joint, which makes more sense; u-joints are a normal wear item and it wouldn't be unexpected to find a couple of vehicles needing them, where two bad rear ends in a row is a little coincidental.

This vehicle is being sold by the original owner. It's a '96 GC with 145k on the clock, and the owner has every single receipt from everything that's ever been done to the rig since the first oil change. It's been a soccer mom vehicle and never off road (I believe them; these aren't the type of people to go any further from pavement than a gravel driveway, and even then they'd probably panic.) It's been garaged all its life and other than some niggling electrical faults and the padded sections of the rear door panels peeling away, it's in immaculate shape. My friend thinks it's a much better idea to buy this rather than one that's had multiple owners and no maintenance history; I took his advice and brought it home, after negotiating a hefty discount for the noise and the tires that are well due for replacement.

If it does turn out to have a bad rear end I'm really going to let him have it!

Here it is, in the middle of a windstorm that's raging as I type!

It has the factory tow package, but apparently not Trac-Loc. I think I'll start looking now for a rear end that has it, as it will be a good excuse for an upgrade even if this one proves to be fine!

(Is there any indication on the outside of a Dana 35 that it has Trac-loc, or am I going to need to pull the cover of any I find and look?)

9558d9e72a235d9865b6d1f5d4ebf038.jpg

I might have bought it too, that's really clean and the records go a long way.
 

Jakes01234

Explorer
I have a 95 with 190,000 miles. It gets used for going places you would not want to take a nicer car, such as Yankees games, red sox games, overgrown tree farm. So it gets tossed out on the highway often and maintains 80mph with 4 fat guys and a trunk full of cooking supplies.
I have manual windows and locks so that takes some of the common issues away for little annoying things.

Mechanically it is great, it leaks a little here and there but nothing bad. It do not need to add oil between the 3000 mile changes and when I did all the fluids recently (which I cannot confirm if it was ever done before) they were filthy but the quantities where were they needed to be.
Parts availability and pricing has been fantastic for everything from u joints to the master cylinder. It works great for our needs and I actually considered buying another one for my fiance to use during the winter.
Good luck with your purchase and make sure you put some nice beefy rear springs in. The factory springs tend to squat.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

wmagill

New member
I have a stock 1998 jeep Cherokee and in my area I have countless resources for parts. Upgrades are endless, repairs are simple even on the hardest to access parts.

As for drivability, the on road is car like. Where as the off-road is extensive. I am quite rough on my jeep in the woods and even out done people with intense mods. I have to say it holds up better than my Jimmie did.
Going insane on mobile
 

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