1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0L

Summary:

Excellent vehicle. Few problems and has high mileage

Faults:

Have replaced tires, brakes, muffler. All several times.

Starter and power steering pump.

The car has 261,000 miles and has little work performed or preventative work done. I tend to beat cars, and this one has fought back in fine form.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th June, 2008

1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4.0L 6 cylinder.

Summary:

I still loves Jeeps and my next one will probably be a manual Liberty

Faults:

Transmission was slipping, then it would not shift at all. But after it cooled down, it would shift normally. I changed the transmission anyway. Also replaced the valve body.

General Comments:

This is my first Limited, my second Grand Cherokee and my third Jeep. I've owned Jeeps all my life and I love them. However the Grand Cherokees seem to have a problem with the transmission. I've put new ones in both my Grand Cherokees and am still having problems with shifting.

I am also having electrical problems, involving the interior lights flickering on and off, and the dash lights dimming.

I am also getting a 'Bad Coolant Sensor' message from my information center and I have replaced the Coolant temperature sensor twice. Does anyone have any ideas on what might be the problem?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th February, 2008

19th Feb 2008, 17:59

I had the same problem with my 97 JGC (coolant censer bad). I know this is a problem with the JGC. It's the message center that's bad; a new one costs over $400.00. If you get one from a junk yard, MAKE SURE IT'S FROM THE SAME YEAR. The wrong one can cause electrical damage. Chrysler does not recommend using one from a junk yard. PS Chrysler knows this is a problem.

24th Apr 2008, 20:44

There are 2 messages.

One is for "Bad Coolant Temp Sensor" - the pricey one.

One is for "Bad Coolant Sensor" -- this one just means the connector is not plugged into the overflow bucket.

I was confused by this.

James.

11th May 2008, 21:43

I had the same prob. with my lights flickering I read in a post to take the switch out and re-solder the connections, it worked for me, no prob. for over 12 months now.

Or you could buy a new switch.

2nd Mar 2009, 02:46

I had the same transmission problems with my 96 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I put a new transmission solenoid in it and now it's fine. But make sure you go to the dealership to get the solenoid, because I bought one from a local parts store, and after getting the old one out found out it is the 8 prong you can only get from the dealer, not the 6 prong the parts sore sales. p.s. you get to the solenoid through the valve body.

18th Dec 2009, 23:37

I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 1996, and 3 days ago I did my oil change and the service center flushed my radiator and changed the coolant. After that the check engine light came up in my panel, and the following day start, this message coolant sensor bad.

I also realize that the radiator is leaking by the low right corner.

Any ideas how can I fix those problems? I think those problems are related. Not sure if I need to replace the radiator?

1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4 5.2 Magnum V8

Summary:

I love it, you may not

Faults:

Front differential was rebuilt at 115k miles.

Idler pulley broke off at 118k and 126k miles.

Thermostat broke at 119k miles.

General Comments:

A Jeep is not a Honda... let's go ahead and clear that up. I knew what I was buying. I bought an American SUV over 10 years old with 113k miles.

However, this Jeep had dealer service records from 40k miles. From 40k miles to 113k miles, the Jeep required $11,000 dollars in maintenance and repair. Major things like the entire A/C system being replaced twice and the front and rear differentials being rebuilt. Things like water pumps are good for a lousy 45k miles. However, this Jeep ran, drove, and performed like I was driving off the showroom floor in 96'.

There are parts of these vehicles that are complete garbage like bearings, switches, gaskets, etc. But maintenance is key for the non-garbage components.

The 5.2 V8 is amazing, and when coupled to the Quadra-Trac system, this Jeep is unstoppable.

Now at 126k miles, the Jeep is like new. No oil consumption, no leaks, no squeaks. But this isn't build quality, this is maintenance and repair by picky people. This is my daily driver, and I average 30k miles/ year on my cars.

It's big yet small, safe, and comfortable for the most part. The front seats lack any lumbar support and they desperately need it.

It's reliable and I drive it all over the place. Things that break don't stop the Jeep, you just put them on your list and repair when convenient. Also, I keep this thing up on a broke college student budget, so it's not too bad.

Fuel economy is not great, but not bad for a V8 and All Wheel Drive. I average about 16.5mpg mostly highway.

Parts are extremely abundant and extremely cheap.

I'd definitely buy another one, but I'd look very carefully. And, I would probably get the 5.2 V8. It has so much more power and yet returns very similar fuel economy to the 4.0 I6. Mine is rare as it is a Laredo (base) model equipped with the V8, and almost all Laredos had the 4.0 I6. I get the weirdest looks from guys at the oil change places. It's always funny to watch them write 4.0 I6 on the service sheet and then every time they end up going back and changing it.

The A/C is too cold and the heat is too hot, even on the lowest settings. I usually end up rolling down the windows or something.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th January, 2008

5th Dec 2008, 09:59

Excellent review!

Nicely detailed and has a good explanation and good perspective on the Jeep maintenance experience.