1989 Jeep Wrangler YJ Islander review from North America

Things that have gone wrong... hope there is enough storage space.

1. CRACKED INTAKE MANIFOLD. I bought my yj on the cheap as a summer fun vehicle. It cost $ 4500 CAD, not a bad deal! It looked good and I didn't know anything about jeeps. I test drove it and seemed to be alright. made an offer and paid. When I went to drive her home she stumbled and stalled. Drove it home and thought she needed a good tune up. Replaced all of the general stuff (plugs, cap, rotor, all filters, set timing, etc) Still no good. Took it to one shop-they charged me $100 and told me I had a vacuum leak. Took it to another shop and $600 later a new manifold and decent running.

2. CLUTCH FAILED. A real pain, but expected as the jeep had 178000 km. Took to a mechanic and made a deal for $250 labour and I supply parts. Big MISTAKE!! the mechanic didn't install the clutch correctly and it blew apart before it even left the shop. More $ for labour and new parts (Mechanic said it was faulty parts-parts shop said faulty mechanic) total bill in the end was$1100. It barely made it home - The master cylinder failed. Replaced it and clutch hose ($300 more)

3. BROKEN REAR SPRINGS. Rear springs broke at the frame mount.

Replaced for $100 parts and a whole lot of my labour (and cursing)

4. REAR DIFF SPYDER GEARS BROKEN. tried to replace myself and managed to get components in. Replaced all diff bearing and diff housing at the same time due to major wear. cost about $300 parts. I could not set up the diff properly so sent it out another $400 labour.

5. REAR DRIVESHAFT U-JOINT FAILURE. It failed going into my underground garage. Drive shaft broke and took out the muffler and transfer case tailshaft. Replaced all u-joint and damaged parts myself. $300 parts.

6. BRAKES REPLACED. Not too hard. Front rotors replaced along with pads. Rear drums machined and shoes replaced. $200 parts lots of cursing.

7.SOFT TOP WINDOWS REPALCED. Couldn't see through them properly even when having them professionaly polished. $300 parts.

8. WINDSCREEN LEAK. Cowl seal leaked in the rain. $100 parts and lot's of cursing due to the fact that things didn't line up afterward. (Note to all: the leak destroyed the radio so had to upgrade to a nice cd player)

9. VARIOUS BUMPING NOISES. Had to replace all mounts (engine and transmission) $200. Lots of serious cursing as it took weeks to figure out from where all of the noises came (tail door, Hood hinges, muffler mounts, etc)

10. WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. $50 parts and lots of swearing.

11. VARIOUS CARB TUNING ISSUES. lots of swearing.

12. BROKEN PASSENGER SEAT. weld broken inside, replacement seats hard to find in good shape.

13.ETC, ETC, ETC. Lots of swearing!

For all of the problems I have had with my jeep I do love it.

I owned all sorts of cars from bmw, mg, chysler, to acura. And I must say the jeep is my favorite. When you get behind the wheel with the top down, four wheeling up a mountain you'll know why.

I've had to learn the hard way about jeep. The guys at the parts store have told me with a smile "it's not the jeep you buy...It's the jeep you build!" my $4500 jeep has turned into an $11000 jeep.

Even if it looks brand new, it's not! Every bolt will be seized, and every part will be bent! As long as you don't mind spending some serious amount of time working on your jeep, you will eventually become good friends. The ride is hard, loud and punishing. The comfort is next to nil. Parts are comparatively expensive. Mine has a computer controlled carb that has a mind of it's own. Fuel economy is the pits and reliabilty is even worse. If you still want an jeep (and I hear they are all the same),get a good service manual, and get ready for for a love-hate relationship that will last for years.

I highly recommend jeep. (It's the second most used four letter word)