1997 Jeep TJ Sport review from North America

My exhaust header cracked at 25000 miles. Dealer replaced (again at 50000 miles) maybe that's why they went back to a cast iron header.

Electrical short at 50000 miles, traced problem to wire routing problem out of the junction box next to air filter box.

Fixed myself, dealer said that they have never had that problem, looked at newer model and again they had changed it.

Plastic topped radiator has leaked since I can remember.

Ripped my spider gears to shreds in my Dana 35 rear differential.

Would find water in passenger floorboard after running air conditioner for a time on humid days, dealer said it was windshield seal, changed it and still had problems. I investigated the problem myself and discovered a very interesting thing, the air conditioner shroud drain runs straight forward through the firewall, the hole is twice the diameter of the drain, the condensation would drain run out and under and back into the cab. I sealed around the drain with RTV, and have not had the problem since. On reflection of what I did I believe the problem would be better addressed by sealing around the drain and adding an elbow to the drain to direct the water down without the possibility of migrating back into the cab.

Also had water that would be in rear floorboard, usually after a hard rain, drove me nuts trying to find that leak. Again the problem was not my top, after months of vacuuming the water out and scratching my head I figured it out, the rear tailgate door jamb is sealed at seams in the bottom corners, found the drivers side to have a hole in the sealant, thus allowing unfathomable amounts of water to seep through. I resealed the jamb and have been leak free ever since.

Top showing a lot of wear, not bad for 5 years and 127000 miles though.

At 126000 miles I had to replace one sway bar link, the old one had worn to the point it was knocking loudly over even small bumps. Not a problem, there are so many people who upgrade the suspension that it is not hard to find an accessory shop that would probably give you the links off of a new Jeep they have worked on.

I love my Jeep Wrangler. I tend to attribute most of my early problems to the fact that 1997 was the first year for the TJ s.

I enjoy taking this vehicle off road and putting the TJ through it's paces.

This Jeep has many miles on it and still feels tight in the steering and suspension.

I would definitely buy another one, although I would opt for the Dana 44 axles for sure.