New here, rolled 02 libby...is it fixable?

[JeepCoMJ]

I have to agree with Tom on this one.
My last vehicle was a 96 XJ, finally got rid of it when it had 190k on the odo. It was just nickeling me with little repairs, so I started looking for another XJ. To make a long story short, I reluctantly bought a 04 KJ because I got a good deal on it.( $7 grand with 52k on it.)

honestly, at the time I didn't really want a Libby, I wanted another Cherokee.

It took me a while to come around, but I have to admit now that the Libby is a better vehicle. It gets better gas mileage, is more comfortable, and (i never thought I'd say this) actually more capable off road than my old Cherokee. And trust me, I never thought I would say that, and nobody I tell believes me.........unless they are a KJ owner.

And my buddies step daughter has a 03 Renie with more than 200k on the clock, still purrs like the proverbial kitten.

I loved my XJ, but I like my KJ more

ya know...I still don't understand other people. lots of people complain about their xj's or mj's "nickel and diming" them.

I can completely strip, repair, rebuild, and reassemble one with new paint and body work done in a few weekends and some nights after work, and have it be a completely "refurbished" vehicle with zero issues whatsoever...and I won't spend over 3 grand.


coming from a guy who's owned 27 comanches and 10ish xj's, and has stripped every one of them that I kept down to zero and rebuilt...and stripped the unsaveable ones down to scrap chassis. dash removal is 30 minutes, start to finish. 45 if I'm pulling the heater box.

 

[tommudd]

Oh to be 23 again and own the world !
No one said it was hard to strip down a XJ, it is easy since they are put together so cheap and easy.
Bet I can do the same with the KJ , you're the one who keeps touting how good the XJs are and have no idea at all about the KJs how they do, if they are hard or easy to work on etc.
Remember I've worked on all kinds of Jeeps as well, built three XJs of my own and did a ton of work on other ones for friends. I know they're easy to rebuild, but it doesn't make them better!
just saying:happy175:

 

[tjkj2002]

ya know...I still don't understand other people. lots of people complain about their xj's or mj's "nickel and diming" them.

I can completely strip, repair, rebuild, and reassemble one with new paint and body work done in a few weekends and some nights after work, and have it be a completely "refurbished" vehicle with zero issues whatsoever...and I won't spend over 3 grand.


coming from a guy who's owned 27 comanches and 10ish xj's, and has stripped every one of them that I kept down to zero and rebuilt...and stripped the unsaveable ones down to scrap chassis. dash removal is 30 minutes, start to finish. 45 if I'm pulling the heater box.

Guess you don't know the meaning of "rebuilt" or "remaned".You'd blow that $3000 on the engine alone before labor.


Oh on a side note send one '95 YJ and one '98 XJ to the scrapyard this week,2 more 4.0's off the road that I don't have to fixarty36:,only a few million more to go:hunter:.To bad to the '95 YJ had only 9000 original miles but lack of maintenance killed it,still had the factory fill coolant which ate the head gasket,overheated,then cracked the block.

 

[CRD Joe]

Dont like that motor aye TJ?

 

[tjkj2002]

Dont like that motor aye TJ?

Yeah,they all have the same problems and just don't have any power(yes I have owned one).It's either a cooling issue or oil leaks,every single one.

 

[rockymountain]

I like what I like, because it is what I know. you are correct on that.

That's right cause you have blinders on like every other kid that's ever been a kid. One day you'll understand. Just wait.

 

[JeepCoMJ]

I tend to disagree.


I can work on anything. none of it is hard...period. some things on a rwd car are easier than on a fwd car, but it is all the same.


and I gotta tell you...I rebuild 4.0's for customers every once in awhile. a complete gasket set, head bolts, bearing set (lower end AND cam), new cam, new pistons, rings, with honing, valve job, and new oil pump. I do it all myself, and I spend a max of $850 on parts and any services I need (cylinders are $10/cyl to bore, I hone myself). I have them acid dipped as well.


the 4.0 is one of the world's easiest motors to work on. they don't break as much as you guys say...you guys have those opinions from first-hand experience. I don't know many people who really have serious issues with them...and those that do have their issues do to operator error.

the reason you think they're "all junk" is you've seen less than an eight of a percent of them fail. less than that, actually....there are MILLIONS upon millions of 4.0's out there.

there's not nearly as many KJ's on the road as there are cherokees, and the amount of chryco 3.7's on the road can't even come close to how many 4.0's are on the road.


and a one up on that. chrysler hasn't had a good v6 in years. they can't figure out how to get gas mileage out of them...nor could they figure out how to get mileage out of a 4.0.


yes, you guessed it...I hate chrysler. they ruined jeep.

 

[Jo6pak]

ya know...I still don't understand other people. lots of people complain about their xj's or mj's "nickel and diming" them.

I wasn't complaining. The Cherokee treated me pretty well for most of it's life, and I treated it pretty rough for the last few years, beating it pretty good thru the woods. Needed to replace it with something more trustworthy.

I can completely strip, repair, rebuild, and reassemble one with new paint and body work done in a few weekends and some nights after work, and have it be a completely "refurbished" vehicle with zero issues whatsoever...and I won't spend over 3 grand..

Good for you, more power to you. But I didn't have the time or desire to "refurbish" a 12 year old vehicle. (mine was a '96 and I got the KJ in '08.)

BTW, you're way too young to be so stuck in your ways

 

[rockymountain]

there's not nearly as many KJ's on the road as there are cherokees, and the amount of chryco 3.7's on the road can't even come close to how many 4.0's are on the road.

That's BS. I'd bet there's way more KJs out there right now. But I'm just going on my experience as you are.

 

[Jo6pak]

there's not nearly as many KJ's on the road as there are cherokees, and the amount of chryco 3.7's on the road can't even come close to how many 4.0's are on the road.

yes, you guessed it...I hate chrysler. they ruined jeep.

It's simple math. The Cherokee was built for more than 15 years, and the KJ Liberty for 6.

And, love em or hate em; Chrysler is the reason that Jeep is still around.

Sounds like you read Jp magazine too much:yawn:

 

[tommudd]

So in one post you hate Chrysler
next you like them due to them saving Jeep
and then ????
Ok now you even have me confused as to what you like or dislike or if you even own a Jeep at all
JP magazine whats that? Never heard of it :happy175::Bye:

How many of the 27 XJs were DD's or even road worthy? Just curious, I mean I have owned a lot of parts Jeeps which were bought only to strip and sell parts. 23 years old and 27 XJs means you've had 9 XJs per year since you started driving. Is that because they didn't last long? :icon_twisted:
When I count the number of Jeeps I have had I only count DDs, not ones that were for parts or that I pieced together to resell so bottom line how many have you had on the road and drove them a lot

 

[JeepCoMJ]

So in one post you hate Chrysler
next you like them due to them saving Jeep
and then ????
Ok now you even have me confused as to what you like or dislike or if you even own a Jeep at all
JP magazine whats that? Never heard of it :happy175::Bye:

How many of the 27 XJs were DD's or even road worthy? Just curious, I mean I have owned a lot of parts Jeeps which were bought only to strip and sell parts. 23 years old and 27 XJs means you've had 9 XJs per year since you started driving. Is that because they didn't last long? :icon_twisted:
When I count the number of Jeeps I have had I only count DDs, not ones that were for parts or that I pieced together to resell so bottom line how many have you had on the road and drove them a lot

never said I liked chrysler. I didn't say I liked them for saving jeep, either. jeep was better off dead than with some of the stuff they're making now (rally, commander, patriot).

the only thing chrysler did that I like is the newer xj body style, and OBD2.


those 27 jeeps were MJ's. only one had a bad motor, and it was a 4 cyl. 3 had 2.8's, which were junk..and the rest were 4.0's.

approximately half the jeeps I've owned (around 40 all told between xj's and mj's and zj's) were scrapped not due to engine issues, but due to rust issues. those comanches that I scrapped were just too plain rusty to fix.

I've dd'd less than 1/3rd of the other half. I buy and flip them after fixing brakes, rust, tuneups, water pumps...easy stuff. other than hydrolocking one of my 4.0's (had one of those "invincible moments" offroad...but didn't care since I was upgrading from renix to H.O. soon after that. drove that motor another 1000 miles without changing any fluids, because I just didn't care), I've not really had issues with them.


you say tomato, I say...

I'm not disagreeing that libbys are decent vehicles at all. I'm just saying what I like.

-Pat

 

[jamesdart]

really should have bought the 500$ one with good body and scrapped that tweaked pos. once a vehicle is rolled it is never right. been there done that. 500$ would have been well spent switch the lift and needed parts and part the rest. my brother has a 4.0 cherokee and stock vs stock, the mileage is pretty much dead on miles are very close. his suspension is beat, acts liek a 40 year old station wagon. i like the 4.0 but i wouldnt go as far as saying one is any better than the other. i will tell you though that for what you can pick up a kj for with a bad motor, you are wasting your effort fixing that rolled one.

 

[JeepCoMJ]

lt's being fixed because it can be, and my brother needs to see some sort of monetary kick in the ass on this whole deal, so he grows up a bit...

 

[coloradored]

Wow ten pages, it's like a jeep soap opera..... What will happen next!?

 

[JeepCoMJ]

got doors, light bar, hood, fenders, and passenger inner fender with radiator support and front cross-member. need flares and passenger quarter panel, then build new bumper caps and a custom front bumper.

 

[Ry' N Jen]

We thought you left finally!

Oh well...

No such luck!

 

[string]

We thought you left finally!

Oh well...

No such luck!

Amen!!!! :icon_twisted:

 

[JeepCoMJ]

Hey, my opinion of KJ's is that they're a stout grocery getter. sure, they're capable when built...but just as pricey as a wrangler without the personal appeal to me.

Anyways, we're going to part this thing out. parts will be in the classifieds, or whole vehicle would sell for around $3200 OBO. that's just as you see in pics, without any "new" parts. we've sold off all the parts that I purchased to repair it, mostly because we just plain don't have a use for a lifted mini van.
tons and tons of good parts on it.

 

[dude1116]

You posted this in 2010 with pictures from 2005, and you're just deciding to part the thing out now?!?!?