1998 Jeep Wrangler sport from North America - Comments

My head gasket blew at 62050, right off the lot,75 miles after that the jeep started to do what I have come to find is called the death shake, which my personal mechanic has told me, you really don't know what the problem is, so fix everything until it is fixed, shocks had to replaced twice, all new brake system, shoes, rotors, drums, spring coils replaced"rusted in half" new exhaust system, need I go on!

The good thing is it is definitely for fun, getting through off road and snow, but I wish I would have found this site before I bought one because every issue that I have had is listed on this site, I will never buy another jeep or American 4x4, too many issues and to much money to keep up,

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, you bought a seven-year-old vehicle with over 62,000 miles on it. You didn't actually believe that you were getting a brand new vehicle that would never have a problem?! Did it never enter your mind that somebody might have beat on it? You made a bad choice on buying an old, used car, but that's no reason for "I will never buy another American 4x4!" Please! Would you have been happier to have bought the same year and mileage Toyota 4 Runner and paid an extra $6,000?

If you buy a used Wrangler, unless you know the vehicle's entire history there's a good chance it's had a rough life.

Wranglers are tough, durable and dependable, but if you beat on any vehicle, it will break.

So you go "by" (sic) your "foreign" vehicle.

I'll keep my Wrangler, thank you!

I agree with those comments, so now can you offer help on how to the fix the thing, constant squeaking in steering wheel when turning, lighter that doesn't work, instrument cluster that goes on and off, or any other suggestions for a wrangler reaching 100,000, please help!!!

The good news is that you can discount the squeaking in the steering wheel right away. That's nothing, but the little bushings for the turn signal indicator, and it's something you hear on a lot of cars (either squeaking or a scraping, ratchety sound). It isn't worth it to take the whole steering column apart just to lubricate it. It isn't that uncommon for cigarette lighters on any car to quit working. Either buy a replacement lighter, or use a voltage tester to make sure that the plug-in unit is getting current. I've seen the little packages at Advance Auto etc. with a replacement lighter for about $4.99. I've seen other people talking about the flickering instrument cluster. I think they have traced that to the kind of grease used to coat some contacts, but anyway, it's an intermittent short circuit caused by poor electrical contact. Those guys have recommended cleaning the contacts where the wires plug into the cluster. This involves some disassembly and pulling out the instrument cluster, which some people are more comfortable with than others. As far as general maintenance on any higher mileage vehicle: change oil every 3,000 miles, get your cooling system flushed out, check fluid levels, inspect the brakes, grease the fittings on the chassis and drive train every 7,500 miles, change the transmission fluid and filter, and check the differential fluid levels. It's also probably time to change the spark plugs and buy new spark plug wires, and check the condition of the belts and hoses. This is called routine maintenance. Doesn't mean there is a problem, it's what every manufacturer puts in their owners manuals, but most people don't do it and then end up complaining that their car is a piece of junk because the engine blew after driving it 4 quarts low for 8,500 miles. Good luck.