"WJ" Jeeps (1999-04)

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cfz2882

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Feb 9, 2010
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A broken down ~1999 grand Cherokee has found me :)neighbor has it,4.0 six,201,000 miles.Stopped running one day-cranks,but no fuel pressure and will not fire on ether sprayed up air intake.Neighbor had a mechanic look at it and said the engine wiring harness was "fried" :)offered me the jeep at a "steal"price and I will buy it.Anyone know anything about these jeeps :)
 
My next door neighbor had a new '99 and drove it 9 more years before several electrical issues made them trade it for a new Grand Cherokee. The 4.0 is a derivative of the same 196 CID in my '63 Rambler. I have heard those electrical issues are more of a problem than a motor problem. Most said the 4.0 chewed gas like crazy.
 
my second Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited was a 1999....although I had the 4.7 V8...oddly enough, more power and better mileage than the straight 6....I now have a 2008...still a V8, yet the V6 only offered 1 mpg more

don't threat, the straight 6 is a time tested beast....I had this in the Hornet AMX, Eagle Wagon and Eagle SX/4, those were carbureted....fuel injection boosted its power greatly

the issue you may have is locating a wiring harness new....junk yards may be your best bet....

I would check the coil packs for power.....but with anything, before you invest money, how well was this taken care of, and its current condition...

RockAuto.com has the best pricing for parts......

but this Jeep website can offer a lot of information....save it to your favorites...

www.wjjeeps.com

Second-Generation "WJ / WG" Jeep Grand Cherokee Guide | JeepSpecs.com

The Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ was the second generation, announced June 1998. Produced from 1999 - 2004. See model year info & more here.
www.wjjeeps.com
 
I know an inop crankshaft position sensor(located on the bellhousing)can cause a no fuel,no fire situation with the WJ.Once jeep is in my hands,i will see if the "fried"engine harness can be repaired/rebuilt.Jeep does have a few non-engine issues that include a couple spots of minor accident damage,badly worn front rotors,and grubby drivers area of interior with worn seat.ON the positive,no apparent rust,plastic headlights in good condition,and it did run good before it quit.I am used to pretty extensive DIY repairs,so can't go wrong for $200 :)Once fixed,jeep will likely get used as a winter beater,possibly some trail usage.Thanks for those links guys :)
 
I've never had a Grand Cherokee, but did have a 1996 and a 1999 Cherokee.  Really liked those and hated when Jeep stopped production.  I've been looking for one for about two years and found one back in December in Fort Walton Beach.  It was a 1996 Cherokee Country with 81k miles for sale by the widow of the original owner.  Ralph bought this Cherokee in the summer of 1996 and was the only owner/driver.  It was always garage-kept and well maintained.  Ralph didn't set out to preserve the car but did take good care of it; they traveled in the wife's van.

 

It's  not perfect, after all it's 21 years old, but in good shape.  So far I've had the interior cleaned and next up it needs a tune up and oil change.  After that I want to put a pair of Michelins on the front to match the rear ones.

 

So, in honor of the original owner, I have dubbed this vehicle "Ralph".  And I'm loving it.  It took me about a month, but I did sell my 2010 Patriot.  Both the purchase and the sale are long, complicated stories..

 

Here's Ralph - 

 

lawrence

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Lights

Dose the engine light come on when the key is in the on position? If it doesn’t then something is shorting the computer. I have seen and fixed a lot of mopars that have done this. Also make sure the ASD rely is good.
 
I love the boxy but fun design these Jeep Cherokees got ("Country" seemed to be the most popular model & the name neat to see!) and like all other great things it's time had come & today seems to be even more missed...

I like how the 2-door models could be had with a pop-out portion of the rear side window beside the back seat--certainly nowhere near as easy to find as the myriad 4-door models, or the 2-door's without...

Sorry I expected to Thunderbird or Cougar circa. 1995 to be the zeal, zest and joy of the '70's era, just to get the disappointment of the decade the NINETEEN-NINETIES really were, whereas a Jeep like that, at the time I would be ever ready for, (like maybe 'Today') I never got...

-- Dave
 
I have had two Jeeps GC with the I-6 engine. I find them to be very dependable.

My first was a ZJ which died when a drunk hit it head on. My second is a WJ which will turn 14 in two days. 62K on the odo.

Two things to check for the no fire situation: 1. I think I saw mentioned, this was the year they went to the distributorless ignition. The Crank shaft position sensor, found where the distributor used to sit on the lower right side by the fire wall, was actually a subject of a recall for this situation. You might give it a check.

Also, check the key programming. When you turn on the ignition, the chime will sound once and the key symbol will light. If the system is unable to verify the key it will result in a no start situation. Try a different key in the event that the main key might have been zapped by static, or otherwise erased.

Good luck with your Jeep. It was the last of the Chrysler designed, Daimler built Jeeps. The WK was the first Daimler design for the GC.
 
I had a couple other thoughts this morning:

With the mileage you report, have you checked the timing chain?

Also, you say no fuel pressure. Does the fuel pump cycle when you first turn on the key? Have you checked the Fuel pump fuse? Then there is the nasty in the tank fuel filter.
 
will be checking the timing chain with that mileage :) Owner said a fuel pump was changed,but said it was under the hood and there are two fuel pumps on the Jeep-but I don't know if that is correct or not :).Once,while giving the Jeep a jump start,noticed though the is a shroud for an engine mounted fan,there is no fan threaded onto the water pump hub-just an electric fan deep inside the shroud.I have to wait until owner's brother comes back from wintering in Arizona before I can buy the Jeep and pull it the ~20 yards to my yard.BTW a guy came by the shop in a tired looking '95 ZJ 4.0 and I asked how many miles were on it: 381,000 and no internal engine work had ever been done on it he said :)
 
Nope.

Unless they did some non factory modifications, the fuel pump is in the tank on the WJ.

I guess with some packages they may have had only the electric fan, mine has a belt driven, and an electric fan. One thing you will notice on the I-6. The fan and water pump rotate counter clockwise due to the serpentine belt routing.

In all honesty I liked my 98 ZJ better than the WJ. Some of it I admit was because I was so pissed about having to buy the WJ, but my bumper was a under the front door, and with that hood against the windshield it made driving it difficult.
 

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