Georgia Trail Riders Forum

MEMBERS DISCUSSION AREA => General Discussion => Topic started by: nwcj5 on December 08, 2008, 08:44:32 PM

Title: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 08, 2008, 08:44:32 PM
I am gonna inquire about a WJ..I was just wondering what they are possibly notorious for? and if there is anything that makes them stand out other than their clean mall crawler look? it wouldn't be for real rock crawling so that aspect isn't really being judged..
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Krawler00 on December 08, 2008, 08:47:54 PM
I like them asthetically. Nice interior and rides good. Not alot on the motor that I know of. Not alot of power I hear. But put a 2" lift and some descent tires and they look great!

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Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Matt on December 08, 2008, 08:52:44 PM
I think they do have some power, not a race car, but for jeeps its power and that is a PRO along with comfort and style. Seth or Adam may chime in. Expensive parts, not a hugh selection, hard to fit big tires. CVs upfront is a big CON!
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 08, 2008, 08:55:07 PM
I found one that could be too good to be true (I never seem to find deals on cars/trucks like some of seem to)..its a V8, 3 inch lift, and 62K miles..'99 model..
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Alex on December 08, 2008, 08:56:09 PM
yea i love the 4.7 v8 in those things.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 08, 2008, 08:56:59 PM
oh ya $3300
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 09:08:46 PM
They 4.7 has pretty descent low to mid range power. I didnt realize they had cv's is that the drive shaft of axle shafts?
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Jimmy on December 08, 2008, 09:12:09 PM
They 4.7 has pretty descent low to mid range power. I didnt realize they had cv's is that the drive shaft of axle shafts?

front axle shafts. Some ZJs have them too.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: mdo817 on December 08, 2008, 09:12:47 PM
Beat me to it.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 09:14:14 PM
Thanks I will scratch that off my wife's list.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: mdo817 on December 08, 2008, 09:18:52 PM
Donna drives a '06 WK, 4x4 with the 3.7 V6. She/we love it, but it won't never it a trail. Very comfortable, peppy, drives and rides great.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 09:23:07 PM
Well thats what my wife wants but I dont want to buy anything I cant use in the future (when she wants something else). I dont want to deal with cv's again.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 08, 2008, 09:25:55 PM
I'm not sure CVs will scare me off from this jeep..do ya'll think that they are that risky for a mainly street driven jeep?

Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 09:29:40 PM
No dont let me talk you out of it do what you think is best. I know they had a problem with the trans so make sure it shifts good and that it runs and you should be good to go.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 08, 2008, 09:33:24 PM
I have to email him and get a satisfactory reply first  :D...I just know you guys know more about this stuff than I do so I do value ya'lls opinion...I did read about the trans probs, so I would definitely be aware of that, I made that mistake on my last truck (though it didn't seem to be a real prob) and I'll run a carfax cause I made that mistake last time too   :o
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Jimmy on December 08, 2008, 09:50:49 PM
Well thats what my wife wants but I dont want to buy anything I cant use in the future (when she wants something else). I dont want to deal with cv's again.

Personally, I wouldn't let it scare you away from the WJ. You can take a HP30 housing and axle shafts from an XJ and use the WJ knuckles (factory high steer and big brakes).
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 09:51:14 PM
Well just because carfax says one thing dont mean another didnt happen. The sop that my friend owns has been seeing alot of Katrina cars. Cars that have water over the roofs. So just inspect it real good and drive it before you buy it.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 09:52:29 PM
I got you Jimmy I will look into that. I would have at least 5 years before I could do anything to it anyway.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: mdo817 on December 08, 2008, 09:53:47 PM
I got you Jimmy I will look into that. I would have at least 5 years before I could do anything to it anyway.

You like doing SAS anyway.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Jimmy on December 08, 2008, 09:54:07 PM
I rebuilt a couple of Katrina cars right after the hurricane....I think you would be able to smell the mildew as soon as you stepped in the car if it was a Katrina car, lol. Sorry to high jack! I think the WJ would be a pretty sweet DD.

WJs are solid axle, the WKs were the first IRS Grands.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: mdo817 on December 08, 2008, 09:58:25 PM
My bad. I love this one, he was at RR a couple of weeks ago.

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Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 10:01:36 PM
You cant smell them now. That was what 2 years ago?  They have had water in the diffs and milky trans fluid. I guess the people though they could just drop the pan and change the fluid.

Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 10:02:38 PM
Yea that thing was nice, My wife said no way though.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Matt on December 08, 2008, 10:07:11 PM
My bad. I love this one, he was at RR a couple of weeks ago.

I may be wrong but isnt that a ZJ?

WJ are sweet. Be careful with to good to be trues on Autotrader and Craigslist. Lots of vehicle scams out there.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: TJBrad04 on December 08, 2008, 10:08:27 PM
I rebuilt a couple of Katrina cars right after the hurricane....I think you would be able to smell the mildew as soon as you stepped in the car if it was a Katrina car, lol. Sorry to high jack! I think the WJ would be a pretty sweet DD.

WJs are solid axle, the WKs were the first IRS Grands.

the WK's are IFS with a solid axle in the rear

my 01' 4.7 WJ haul's arss for a SUV and gets 21mpg on the highway. It is night and day between my 97' 5.2 ZJ.

what year are you looking at? i would try to stay 2001 or newer to avoid the teething problems they had on the first two years
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 08, 2008, 10:11:20 PM
ya I agree Will, I just don't know what to think based on the description and pics, and I'm probably getting ahead of myself because I haven't contacted the owner (and won't be surprised if I can't) but I'm sure I won't be able to figure anything out until its driven
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: ranger11 on December 08, 2008, 10:12:49 PM
ya I agree Will, I just don't know what to think based on the description and pics, and I'm probably getting ahead of myself because I haven't contacted the owner (and won't be surprised if I can't) but I'm sure I won't be able to figure anything out until its driven

Matt?
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Matt on December 08, 2008, 10:16:16 PM
I wasnt going to say anything but iws
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 08, 2008, 10:22:41 PM
my bad my bad MATT...not sure where that came from  %)
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Ben H. on December 09, 2008, 12:07:57 AM
Ok, as a Grand guy I will let you know whats up.

There are 2 big issues with WJs. The Limited models have AC problems with the blend doors. Lots of work to fix it, see if it has been done before. The other thing is that the early models (99-01?) have problems with warped rotors. Again, see if that has been fixed. Both of those were recalls so they should be fixed.

Now, I have never heard about any trans problems really. The V8s have 5 speeds and the 6 cylinders have 4 speeds, both autos. One neat thing is that the early V8 trans are only 4 speeds but can reflashed to gain that 5th gear. The V8s are very good motors. 4.7L, 235 hp, 295 lb.-ft. (I think, going off memory here), so its got good power. The 6 cylinder is your basic 4.0L HO. On the later models, you could get the 4.7L HO with has more power and a great choice.

For the rest of the drivetrain, D30 front and either a non c-clip D35 (I6) or D44a (V8) rear. Both are wider axles then other Jeeps so parts cannot be swapped between them. Transfer cases are either the 242 (part time) or 247 (full time). You can also get a Quadradrive which has the 247 with limited slips front and rear.

As far as an aftermarket goes, for the basic bolt on stuff, its not that bad of a selection or prices. But the more you start doing to it, the more expensive it gets and the harder it is to find parts.


Now, in my opinion, for a DD to mild wheeler, it is a great choice. If it were me, I would find one with the 4.7HO and Quadradrive, lift it 3"-4" and fit 32" tires with basic armor and parts.



And that picture is of a ZJ. I mean really, how hard is it to remember this stuff. If someone called one of ya'lls TJ a YJ or your CJ a Wrangler, would it not piss you off?
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 09, 2008, 11:07:08 AM
something else that I thought might be a reason for the lower price is the V8 and the gas prices we've seen..and something I didn't see before was that its a dealer (the pics are driveway and garage shots so it didn't really cross my mind), but the email's been sent so we'll see..
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: Diehard on December 09, 2008, 03:28:50 PM
I have an '04 GC. In my opinion a properly lifted GC, at least 4", with lockers can do almost what some of the "other" Jeeps do. ("Other" meaning lifted CJs, TJs etc.).
The 4.7 or the HO 4.7 is plenty of power, the longer wheel base, at times, can be a plus, the extra room is excellent for gear or passengers, if you get the leather seats they clean up easy.
Aftermarket mods are available, but still lag behind the other models.
I also like the looks/comments I get at the trails. WJs are more popular out west.
I have enjoyed mine and have another WJ for my DD.
Title: Re: WJ pros and cons..
Post by: nwcj5 on December 09, 2008, 09:31:37 PM
negative on the GC ghostrider.. the guy just up and moved to Montana can you believe that?  ::)

oh well its a good WJ discussion for the archives