Jeep Problems

Unlike the magazine's 4WD Of The Year award, which only looks at vehicles that are new or significantly revised in that year, these annual accolades look at all the 4WDs on the market. In fact long-time champions dominate these awards but sometimes even long-time champs are forced to step aside. Best Value for Money

The XJ Cherokee was welcomed with a wave of derision when it arrived here in 1994. It was an old design with shoddy American build quality cried its critics back then, but time has shown their criticisms to have been shortsighted.With the earliest cars now on the road here for up to eight years the XJ Cherokee has won plenty of supporters for its ruggedness and reliability, attributes now increasingly attractive to used car buyers.The Cherokee was first launched in America in 1984, and was one of the first off-roaders to feature unitary body construction which gave it tight car-like on-road manners while retaining much of the off-road capability of the more traditional rugged four wheel-drive wagons with the then more familiar construction of separate body on a ladder chassis.It was an instant hit in its homeland and can claim much of the responsibility for kicking off the SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) stampede that has seen thousands of buyers abandon cars for the perceived safety of the four-wheel drives.The XJ was more than a decade old when it was launched here, which was why it was so widely derided by motoring writers who were eager to write it off as being a basic design and poorly built with a cramped interior and dated dash layout.Despite its ageing design it quickly became a popular choice with Australians, particularly because it was very competitively priced.Like Americans local buyers took to the compact Jeep as an alternative to regular sedans as a round town family vehicle rather than as an off-roader, so most of them have been used in supermarket service or delivering the kids to school and few of them have done any serious off-road work even though they are eminently qualified to survive in the bush.Development of the ride-hand drive version of the XJ was done locally in 1987 well before the Cherokee was launched here through Astre Automotive, then the distributors for Jeep before Chrysler returned to Australia.MODEL WATCHTwo models were available from launch. The basic Sport which came standard with cloth trim, central locking, power mirrors, power windows, power steering, air-conditioning and limited-slip diff.The upmarket Limited model was a smarter vehicle with alloy wheels, power front seats, leather trim, tele-tilt steering column and ABS brakes.Classic upgrade packs were available as a dealer-fit item at the beginning and these essentially consisted of a front nudge bar, colour-coded bumpers, grille and flares.Power came from a fairly basic, but well proven 4.0-litre push-rod six-cylinder engine with fuel-injection and electronic ignition.It was only available with a four-speed Aisan-Sieki automatic transmission, and had a viscous coupling and Trac-Lock four-wheel drive system.While being of a basic design with little refinement and with cast iron block and cylinder head, the Jeep six was a tough torquey performer, which made it ideal in an off-road situation and perfect for towing. Power was 135 kW at 4700 rpm and torque was 299 Nm at 3200 rpm.A year after the initial launch a 2.5-litre four cylinder intercooled turbo-diesel was added to the range, and this was available only with a five-speed manual gearbox. Power was 85 kW at 3900 rpm, torque 300 Nm at 2000 rpm, and it was a fuel miser.Underneath it had solid axles at the front and rear, with coil springing at the front and leaf springs at the rear. The Sport had a heavier duty Upcountry suspension set-up as standard while the Limited came with a European Touring suspension, but each could also be had with the alternative.An update in 1997 saw some revised cosmetics, the front vent widows deleted, and a new dash along with a stiffer body and a steel rear door in place of the composite door of the preceding vehicles.IN THE SHOPDespite the dire predictions of the motoring media the XJ Cherokee has stood up well to Australian conditions.The interior plastics that were written off as cheap and nasty are holding up well. None of the cars checked showed signs of cracking in the dash or warping of other components exposed to the sun. Interior trim material, whether cloth or leather, is durable and wearing well.Mechanically the engines aren’t showing any pattern of regular failure. The problems reported are the odd hose or water pump failure, but the reports are few and far between. Petrol engine will happily live on a diet of LPG without requiring any rework of the head or valves.Drivelines likewise are essentially troublefree, but it’s important to check for a reliable service record to ensure that drive shaft joints have been regularly serviced. Inadequate servicing can result in seized or partly seized joints, which typically show up as a vibration at 80-90km/h.There was an early recall when the bolts attaching the steering box to the chassis were coming loose and in some cases causing a hairline crack in the side rail, but all vehicles were checked and repaired at the time. Those vehicles that exhibited the problem were those used off-road, while those used mostly on road haven’t shown the problem to the same extent.Signs of hard use, particularly off-road or heavy towing, are sagging rear suspension so check for a lower than usual ride height or rear leaf springs that have lost their original shape.Bodies generally stand up well, with little looseness showing up even after the car reaches a relatively high mileage. Scratches in the paint along the sides of the body can be a give-away to regular off-road use.LOOK FOR• cramped interior with little room in the rear for adults• old-fashioned dash design• simple and reliable engine and driveline• telltale signs of off-road use like scratches down sides of body and bumps and scrapes underneath• seized driveshaft joints a sign of poor servicing

Jeep made a grand entry into the Australian four-wheel drive market with its rough and ready Cherokee wagon in 1994. With some sharp pricing and high equipment levels it quickly gained a following, until its shortcomings began to hit home.In essence its build quality was well below that of its Japanese rivals, the interior trim components fell apart, and it wasn’t very roomy inside. Its appeal lay in its ease of use in town coupled with its off road capability, in short it was perfect for town use with the capacity to go off road if its owner ever wanted to go bush.The reality was that the original Cherokee was quite a dated vehicle when it landed here, there was already a replacement waiting in the wings in its homeland and it was only a matter of time before it was replaced here.That came in 1996 in the form of the Grand Cherokee, a much improved wagon that was much better built than the vehicle it replaced and had a much more impressive list of standard features. it was also quite a step up in price.The Grand Cherokees that were sold here were built in Austria, the most probable reason for the lift in quality compared to the old Cherokee that came from North America.MODEL WATCHThere were two models of the Grand Cherokee, the entry level Laredo and the luxury Limited.The Grand Cherokee was larger outside, larger inside, looked more modern and was more refined than its predecessor. It had a lot going for it compared to the Cherokee, but it still had some deficiencies compared to its competitors.Comfort was commendable, particularly for those in the front seats with comfy buckets and plenty of leg and head room. It wasn’t quite the same story for those in the rear who had to share a bench. There was adequate head and leg room, but because the folding seat was so low to the floor adults had to sit with their knees elevated. Don’t look for a third row of seats because there wasn’t one.Load space was improved over the Cherokee, but it wasn’t great, and it had to accommodate the spare wheel, which took a sizeable chunk out of what was available.The effort Jeep had put in to make the Grand Cherokee more refined was evident in the lack of road and wind noise as you rolled down the road. There was little doubt that this was a great improvement over the old Cherokee.Power was provided by the same overhead valve fuel-injected straight six-cylinder engine that powered the Cherokee, but considerable work had been done to smooth some of the rough edges that made it less appealing in the old model. Capacity was 4.0 litres and it put out a respectable 130 kW and 301 Nm.A four-speed auto was standard and all four wheels were driven. Jeep’s full-time drive system drove the rear wheels, just like a rear wheel drive car, until they began to slip when it would begin to transfer drive to the front wheels via a viscous-coupled centre diff. As a result grip was exceptional giving the Grand Cherokee a sure footed feel.On the road the Grand Cherokee rolled quite a bit with its very long wheel travel and that made it a little less reassuring than some other four wheel drives. It also made it less precise and made the steering feel somewhat vague.The steering was power assisted and speed sensitive, which meant it had more assistance at lower speeds and for parking and less at higher speeds.The ride was a little harsh. With beam axles front and rear, the Grand Cherokee wasn’t quite as refined as many of the rivals from other car makers, which offered independent suspension.Tall gearing meant it was lazy, which helps explain the 10.6 litre/100km fuel consumption Chrysler claimed. It also helped explain why it needed a hefty stab on the gas pedal to get it going when you needed to overtake.Offroad the Grand Cherokee was rated quite highly. It wouldn’t keep up with the heavyweights, LandCruiser and Patrol, but compared favourably with the need breed of part time off-roaders.Standard features on the Laredo included dual airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, power steering, limited-slip rear diff, four-speed auto, air-conditioning, power windows, roof racks, alloy wheels, cruise, central locking, immobiliser. The Limited had even more with leather trim and power front seats with memory.IN THE SHOPGenerally the Grand Cherokee stands up quite well in normal use. Look for telltale signs of regular off road use and walk away from any car that has spent its life off the black top. Typical signs are scratches down the body sides which can be expensive to remove, underbody damage to suspension, chassis and driveline components.The engine, gearbox and drivelines are quite robust and don’t generally give trouble if they are well serviced so it’s important to sight a service record that can be verified. Driveline vibrations that show up in a road test should be investigated, could be associated with drive shaft joints.Interior trim isn’t normally a problem if the wagon has been on the normal round town duty, but can be subjected to harsh treatment out in the bush. Look for signs of dirt, dust and mud inside.LOOK FOR• Solid body which stands up in town or the bush.• Robust and reliable mechanical package• Less roomy than most rivals• Rear seat passengers have knees up around their ears• economical but lacks performance of most rivals• Plenty of standard features.