Question about 4.7L V8 in the WJ/WK/XK — need advice

YES!! I totally will. The Jeep is at the shop right now so I can’t photograph it. I’ll put a link to the seller’s photos on Facebook Marketplace if they are still there, as a stopgap.

For my future self and anyone who is interested, here is the process of replacing the upper front diff bushing on the Commander:


And here is the process for replacing dead bulbs in the dashboard/climate controls. You wouldn’t believe how few of the buttons actually light up at night, that really should. Back in 07 these were all incandescent bulbs soldered to the circuit board, instead of LED’s. Maybe this how-to will help someone fix this same problem in their Liberty too.

I disagree with most. Went out of my way to find our 4.7 wk. It runs great just like the 3.7 when properly maintaned. That said dont overheat them and keep up on the oil changes. I like that they are the same engine so I know how to work on each. Our 4.7 runs great. I do agree the trans shifting is junk. Very soft and slow shifts.

lfhoward said:

YES!! I totally will. The Jeep is at the shop right now so I can’t photograph it. I’ll put a link to the seller’s photos on Facebook Marketplace if they are still there, as a stopgap.

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Very nice! Interesting about the bulbs too - I noticed that in my 09 WK but never fixed it.

The only warning I ever have about Commanders are the general ones for the Powertech engine family and the two very specific issues my buddy had:
1. Went through windshields like Halloween candy. They are very upright (as you've noticed) and what might have bounced off a more angled windshield just plows into these.
2. Long term overheating problem with the 3.7. Turned out to be a bad water pump; externally the pump shaft was spinning but internally the shaft was spinning inside the impeller.

One of the reasons I was interested in the 4.7 is that I already have a 3.7 and the modular nature of them means I already have some spare parts and the experience/knowledge to work on it. You're right on both counts, 04Liberty! I have not had serious overheating in my 3.7 on the Liberty yet, but I have caught a bad water pump several times. I think it is on its third or fourth one in 226,000 miles. I did have to do a valve job on the heads this year when it dropped a seat due to age, but got very lucky and the pistons were fine. I could have gotten a new Jeep to replace the Liberty at that time but I love mine so much and I know the history of everything with it, so I decided to fix it instead of scrap it. Hopefully the 3.7 in my Liberty will keep on keeping on for another 100,000 miles.

The 4.7 in this Commander seems to run smoothly like a sewing machine at 150,000 miles so I think the former owner took care of it and did regular oil changes. I considered looking at the 5.7 Hemi, but many of them have been used hard and abused over the years. They are more prone to dropped valve seats than the 4.7 & 3.7, and I have read about the cam lobes wearing down on 5.7 engines prematurely, causing them to run rough as they get older. I was also thinking of my 18 year old who just got their license and my 17 year old who is learning how to drive, and they don't really need to have a Hemi at this point in life, LOL.

lfhoward said:

The 4.7 in this Commander seems to run smoothly like a sewing machine at 150,000 miles so I think the former owner took care of it and did regular oil changes. I considered looking at the 5.7 Hemi, but many of them have been used hard and abused over the years. They are more prone to dropped valve seats than the 4.7 & 3.7, and I have read about the cam lobes wearing down on 5.7 engines prematurely, causing them to run rough as they get older. I was also thinking of my 18 year old who just got their license and my 17 year old who is learning how to drive, and they don't really need to have a Hemi at this point in life, LOL.

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Ah internet reading....soooo:
1. Regular oil changes just contribute towards preventing sludge build up (and won't even do that if the engine doesn't get warm enough on a consistent basis to burn the condensation out of the crankcase).
2. Powertech engines from that era are not any more or less likely to drop seats than the early 5.7's; this has been well documented in early GC's and Rams.
3. Cam issues were eagle 5.7's (and apache 6.4's, though that doesn't apply to this vehicle) from about 2011 to 2015; while the company was in flux someone cheaped out on lifter quality and some cam cores. Early 5.7's & 6.1's didn't suffer from this and of the later engines that have, it isn't a major percentage but they're the only ones you hear about. No one ever goes online to proclaim 'hey my shit is running great!"
4. That is a good call with the teen drivers, as a Commander weighs only slightly more than a modern Charger. What I will say is that it has been fairly well proven (in trucks anyway) that an MDS 5.7 gets about the same mileage as a 4.7, maybe a little better in town because it isn't working as hard.

Thanks for the corrected info on valve seats in the 4.7 & 5.7, as well as the clarification about cam lobe wear not being this particular era of Hemi engine. While I have owned my 3.7 Liberty for almost 14 years and know a lot about its strengths and weaknesses, the 4.7 is a new powertrain to me. I am trying to learn as much about it as I can. I have recently (like last night) come across a YouTube channel called MartinBuilt, where Martin has a 4.7 in a 2004 WJ Grand Cherokee. He documents all sorts of important maintenance, tips, and ways to basically hot rod it and get the most out of it. I am enjoying learning about the 4.7 V8 at this point, especially all of the internal workings of it. His WJ is pretty much the same layout under the hood as the XK with the 4.7. Like me he has a non-HO version of the 4.7 but has upgraded it with a lot of 2008+ HO engine parts.

Update: the Commander is waiting on parts, including the Mopar MAP sensor, and thus is still at the shop. Hopefully will have it back in a couple of days, all inspected and ready to stretch its legs on a weekend road trip.

Meanwhile some stuff I ordered for it has come in:
- Matching 17 inch chrome wheel for the missing spare
- 16 hex bolt-like screws to hold the dash together and look nice (they were all missing)
- OEM radio antenna, which was missing
- 2007 owners manual in a green canvas pouch
- Drivers seat side plastic bezel to replace a broken seat panel
- plastic push pins to replace all the missing ones on the fenders and under the hood
- accordion-like plastic sides for the sunroof to replace broken ones that rattle
- replacement light bulbs for the center stack buttons and climate controls
- a new E-Z pass transponder
- Mopar oil filters
- 6 quarts of Mobil-1 synthetic oil

Does anyone have any experience getting backup sensors to work again? One is hanging by its wire on the inside of the bumper like it was knocked out while parking. The system acts as if it was not there (in other words, nothing). The 10 amp fuse for the rear park assist is shared with the HVAC controls and the transfer case switch, and those both work, so I doubt it is a fuse issue. I'm going to have to crawl under there and trace the wire harness. It looks like the sensors were plastic-welded to the back of the bumper at the factory.

I got the Commander back from the mechanic and it is inspected, safe, and ready to go. Here are some pictures from earlier today. The 08 Liberty has a new buddy.

lfhoward said:

I got the Commander back from the mechanic and it is inspected, safe, and ready to go. Here are some pictures from earlier today. The 08 Liberty has a new buddy.

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Godd@mn I never realized how similar those two vehicles look lol

You can try using a synthetic oil or a semi synthetic oil to help with oil flow/cooling. Only down side is with the consistently sized molecules some run into burning oil. Mine doesn't burn, but my nieces does.