When I bought the Jeep it had several leaks and what not. Previous owner claims that the engine was rebuilt, I am inclined to believe him as it looks pretty good and the fact that the oil pan screws were loose suggests that if it was rebuilt it was done by a guy in his backyard. Before I even took it on the road I tore into it and found the following in need of repair:
Rear axles: had the two piece deals and they were completely stripped, replaced them with one piece axles, if you have not checked your CJ for this DO IT NOW!!! Two piece=BAD!!!
Starter
Oil Pan Gasket
Wheel Cylinders
Shocks
Oil pressure sending unit
Grounding cable
Heater duct
Several wiring issues in the dash.
What can I say, it’s a Jeep. It rides like a tank, sounds like a bus, and runs forever (given enough money). If you want a family car this is not for you. If you want a ride that gets looks and is extremely fun to drive then this is the “Jeep” for you. CJs are the best, I have ridden in Wranglers and while they ride really good, in my opinion they just are the same.
Quick story: The day after I got done getting my Jeep ready for the road I took it out with my family. Found a little gravel road and said “Hey lets check this out” The road got real bad real fast and before I knew it I was into full blown 4X4 trails. I kept thinking that I must be getting to the end of this road, but it just kept going. Long story short, 45 minutes into the trail I got real worried as it was getting late and my family was with me and I had no idea where I was and no cell service. I took a chance and took a trail that looked like it might get us out, I had to cross four creeks to get out, but my Jeep pulled through like a champ. My six year old daughter fell asleep in the back and my wife thought it was great fun. The moral of the story, no matter what the road/trail looks like make sure you got a buddy to pull you out. I got REAL lucky!!!
KEEP JEEPIN!!
-Rob.
I'm not familiar with the "Don't know" version of the CJ7.