1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.9L from North America - Comments

I am another proud, extremely satisfied 5.9L owner and can say that this Jeep is everything I require out of a vehicle for utility (okay, so it can't tow my 38' fifth wheel lol), since it can simultaneously tow 5,500# behind it and haul my family and all of our gear on vacation, and also that it has an unstoppable 4-wheel drive system. Add to it that even as a 2+ ton SUV it is faster than many cars in a straight line and it's an unbeatable combination.

A little long in the tooth now as an 11-year old vehicle yes, but mine has 134k miles and has never let me down. I plan on getting another one in the near future to keep 100% stock, as I'm about to do a complete performance engine build on my current one; in a nutshell going to stroke the 360 CID/5.9L engine into a 408/6.7L and upgrade the tranny to handle the increased power I'll have at my disposal! A true sleeper that is going to surprise many more unsuspecting people than it already does!!!

I own a 1998 5.9LTD and love it! I bought it in 1999 with 28,000 miles. It now has 170,000.

I just recently started putting a little more money into it, when for obvious high mileage reasons, things start to go out.

My current problem is the cooling system. I saw someone previously said that the fans could be hard to find, and were expensive. We couldn't find one at a junk yard anywhere, and had to order it from Jeep. Everything had melted, so we needed the fan, wires, and all... it was about $600.00. We replaced the thermostat and sensor. It worked for a few months, and now the fan will not turn off again. Will be taking it back in to fix. I can't get rid of this Jeep! I love it! It's been a great vehicle!... and FAST!!!

I also have the 1998 5.9 Limited, and just love it. I wonder how to find out how many are still on the road?

I have had some problems with it, the grinding rear end, the A/C leaks, and now the transmission solenoid. I changed the motor at 144k, got a 5.9 used from a '00 Durango, and now have 166K on the truck.

I refuse to get rid of it, I just love the sound, feel and performance. Blows others off the road, even when pulling my trailer.

Interested if anyone has put on an air shock and on-board compressor setup, as I am considering it for the rear. Great vehicle!

Good to hear so many excited and proud 5.9 owners. Jeeps are the most capable vehicles on the road - and in my opinion the 5.9L rules 'em all - balanced lux+noprispwr - Bad.

I bought mine just under a year ago - with tax, tags, ins... 4.5K. Worth every penny. Buck gas mileage - this vehicle turns heads, and gives me smiles every time I drive it. Destroys ricers and some sports cars off the line (plus the driver of the new ones - best not sneeze :).

I had new Pirelli Scorpions put on, plugged a minor radiator leak, Full HiPerf engine tuneup, Trans ATF+4/Filter repl. There's a very small leak from the pass side valve cover gasket. Was rattling until began using Sunoco93 plus Bosch plat+2. Now leaps to legal speeds - in a rumbling beastly way!

Purchased off used car lot... near mint excluding the radiator and had to add a few cans of A/C stop leak over the summer. 4WD system is solid, front axles are a little noisy, but are cool to the touch even after long on/off road trips. So buck the gas - I think everyone on my block enjoys my Jeep as much as I do = lo jack, esp since in 3 years this vehicle will qualify for antique status. Enjoy all...

The rear end is likely the carrier bearings due to the fact that these Jeeps use a Dana 44a, which is aluminum, so again the aluminum contracts and expands at different rates than the steel races for the bearings, causing the bearings to fail.

The binding is either front hub assemblies front axles, or most likely the viscous coupler in the tcase that allows the front and rear diffs to spin at different speeds. If you replace the tcase with another or a selectable between 2 and 4, you will get rid of the binding.

As for the fans, it is common for the low speed on the electric fan motor to go bad. You can get an almost exact match at Autozone for a Mercury Sable. Don't remember what year though.

Any other questions can and will be answered at thespeedfreaks.net. It is made up of nothing but 5.9l Jeep owners and a few others.

And please remember, even if you wreck one of these, don't junk it, they can and will be rebuilt by some one. I purchased a totaled one and rebuilt it because the VIN and body are what's important. They are getting rarer and rarer.

Thanks.