Anyone own a Durango or Grand Cherokee?

[Rick93coupe]

I'm looking at a few of them. Don't know anything about the v6's that come in a lot of the Grand Cherokee's, I do know that the inline 6 is a great motor.
On the Durango's, I haven't heard anything about the engine and or driveline issues they may have. Any input on whether or not they are decent vehicles?
As a side note, I really like the v8 Grand Cherokee's.

[mustangjon]

from servicing these vehicles i would take the cherokee over the a durango personally... stronger (solid axles), might as well cough up any mileage on a durango its going to need ball joints, about only non motor part a cherokee needs is stabalizer shock when they start death wobble. But I think keith was pleased with his dakota until he traded it for xped... which would be same chassis as durango.

Oh side note the big v8 jeeps can make wicked sleepers... i know a buddy of mine up north got dusted by one at the track pedalling to keep from being in "cage" territory lol.

[Flaming87lx]

I have a Durango-the bad is as follows-ball joints, heater cores suck, evaporaters (a/c) have issues leaking, transfer case are weak (chain gets loose and wears a hole in the casing and chain will slip) Gas mileage sucks, and the dashes light up like a christmas tree sometimes??? (abs, brake, check engine, ect.) sometimes it doesn't.
The good, is as follows- looks, handling, ride, torque, very comfortable, lots of room over the cherokee's. Hope this helps. :bigthumb

[Rick93coupe]

Are the v8 cherokee's (motors) pretty reliable? How about their transfer cases? I literally know nothing about the V6's.

Maybe this would be a good time to use the chat? I'll open it up just in case.

[rpppaprp]

I have a 2001 Durango with the 4.7 liter V8 ( 8th digit of the vin # N ). If there are no records of excellent maintenance, you stand the chance of replacing the engine because of an oil pump clogging issue. As if thats not enough to think about, there are two versions of the 4.7 engine. They are not interchangeable because of the crank sensor reluctor ring. After realizing we purchased the wrong engine for the vehicle, we had the shop locate a correct engine. That engine had been in an accident and the impact had broken the hamonic balancer into two pieces and we were afraid the crank may have been damaged. So we waited to find another engine. Keep in mind we had this problem 93 days after paying Kings Jeep just under 12,000 for the vehicle and because we were 3 days past our warranty they refused to help us. By the time we got the vehicle back, almost 10 months had wasted away and we ended up paying close to $3500 for the replacement engine and the labor. Now we take very good care of the engine and believe me, the only other Durangos that will hold a candle to the 4.7 vehicles is the 5.9 R/T models. The 4.7 is a very powerful engine. You can make up your own mind but i have reciepts to prove everything. I would highly recommend you stay away from Kings Automall because they will not take care of you after the sale is done.

[rpppaprp]

One other note. The jeeps use the same 4.7 as the durangos. I love the durango we have but will never buy another 4.7 without extensive maintenance records. Other than the engine, we have had no problems with ours. I do wish i would have got the 3rd row seat.

[Rick93coupe]

Gotcha, didn't know it was the same engine, thanks for the heads up and sorry to hear about all the trouble you had.

[kennebellcobra]

I have owned 3 cherokee's and they have all held up great...my current one is the 5.9 limited and has pulled a 6000 lb boat all over with no issues...knock on wood. LOL

[Rick93coupe]

I had a buddy who had a 5.9 a long time ago, was a nice ride. How bad is the mileage?

[tcorns]

my mom had a durango, and she had the oil pump issue. i never really drove it to know anything else about it. i have a grand cherokee with the straight 6 and love it. the v8 is nice, but when it comes time to work on something there is just so much more room in the 6. i have had several vehicls with the 6 in a jeep and have had outstanding life from everyone of them.

trev

[MsBlkramair]

I had a Durango. I loved it...............but the maintenence on it sucked. Look at other options.

[Rick93coupe]

my mom had a durango, and she had the oil pump issue. i never really drove it to know anything else about it. i have a grand cherokee with the straight 6 and love it. the v8 is nice, but when it comes time to work on something there is just so much more room in the 6. i have had several vehicls with the 6 in a jeep and have had outstanding life from everyone of them.

trev

Trev, are all the 6 cyl models the inline 6, or did they put a V6 in some? The auto trader doesn't say in the listings.

[Rick93coupe]

I had a Durango. I loved it...............but the maintenence on it sucked. Look at other options.

Thanks, that seems to be the consensus. :bigthumb

[tcorns]

they should all be straight 6 engines. i don't think that offer a v-6. just the inline 4 and 6 and a v8. decent torque and reasonable fuel economy. grand cherokee is a full coil suspension with a respectable ride. if there is anything else you need to know just let me know.

trev

[leroy93lx]

I have a 2000 Durango with a 5.9 and I average around 10 mpg in town and about 15-16 on the highway. I really like it except for the heater. Its never warm enough for me. As for the ball joints, I actually work at the Chrysler plant that made the junk ones! So we have boxes upon boxes of the recall replacement ball joints laying around. So mine has shiny new ones. If I were to do it all over I would still have my 02 Tahoe though. It looked good, drove nice, had an ls series engine and got twice the gas mileage of the Durango. I will probably unload the Durango for another one honestly.

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Don't know about the Grands but i have a Cherokee Sport and it's great. The only thing i've ever had to replace was the front track bar because the bushing went out, and i put a new battery and alt on it only to find out the problem was the plug for the alt...so it didn't even need that. I bought it with 70k on it and it's up to 150 now.

[kennebellcobra]

I had a buddy who had a 5.9 a long time ago, was a nice ride. How bad is the mileage?

It gets 13-14 city and 17-18 hwy.

[cstreu1026]

I am not sure what year or body style you are looking at in the Grand Cherokee but we had a 2005 with the 4.7L. It was a thirsty turd. If I had known it was going to suck gas as bad as it did I would have gotten the Hemi. I test drove a V6 and it was absolutely awful. It had no where near enough power to move all that weight. The 235HP 4.7 was adequate but nothing more. In the last year or two they got upped to 305HP so they might be better but they still probably consume gas like there is no tomorrow. If I babied the hell out of it on the highway I would get 18mpg. On the same trip to my in-laws we use to get 22 in our V6 explorer and we get 21 in our V8 SRX. The Grand Cherokee did ride fairly well and was the best thing I have driven in the snow. THe interior was also kind of on the small side. The rear passengers didn't have as much room as in the Explorer and there was no third row. It was nice while w e had it but I was happy to give it back to Chrysler.

[91boost]

I would go with the cherokee, the inline 6 is very reliable and about bullit proof, my buddy had one with over 240k on it and it was running strong, it did need a clutch as the stock one was starting to slip.

[Ranger50]

I have worked on all shapes/sizes/iterations of both models and IF those were my choices, I would stick with a 98-03 Durango with a 5.2/5.9. Most of the problems with them are easily fixed including the evap core.

The 04-up Durango's have a much better chassis, but they just don't "feel" right too me. They are too big but not big enough. They are a PITA to work on, there is a reason a plug change takes 3+ HOURS for a 5.7.... I not a fan of the 45RFE transmission in it, although it does reasonable well for that 5500# beast. Electronics are sketchy for the 04-06 models.

The 99-04 WJ bodied Grand Cherokees have they own problems. Forget about anyone bigger then a 10 yr old to fit in the back seat. The differential bearings are worthless, expect to consider them normal maintanance. The rear axle seals leak worse then a sieve. You have to watch out for the temperature control doors as they break and you have to pull the dash to fix them. Evap cores a crappy too.

The 05-up WK Grands are a better chassis, but don't expect a lot.

The 4.7 is an OK motor, not earth shattering, but good for what it is. The 4.0 only went away because it will NOT pass the tougher emission standards. The 4.7's like to leak at the head gaskets, the head deck thickness is THIN. Timing them is a PITA until you do a bunch. I have never had to replace an oil pump/pickup. Others have, I haven't.

The 5.7's in the newer versions is stout. I don't ever have to screw with ANYTHING internally on them.

HTH,

Brian

[tdm309]

I have an 04 cherokee with the V8 in it. I dont have any problems at all with it. The only thing that I know that is bad about the cherokee's are the rear diefferetials are known for going bad but other then that the six cylinder engine is really good and dependable. The V8 is a very good engine to. I would definetly take a cherokee over the durango.

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I just wanna add, i went out today in my Cherokee and didn't even have to try to get through all this snow. They plowed our lot last night and then we got the ice and snow on top of it, so i had a ridge about a foot high behind me where i was parked and i drove right over it like it wasn't even there. You can literally take it through just about anything within reason on street tires.

[shep]

I have worked on all shapes/sizes/iterations of both models and IF those were my choices, I would stick with a 98-03 Durango with a 5.2/5.9. Most of the problems with them are easily fixed including the evap core.

The 04-up Durango's have a much better chassis, but they just don't "feel" right too me. They are too big but not big enough. They are a PITA to work on, there is a reason a plug change takes 3+ HOURS for a 5.7.... I not a fan of the 45RFE transmission in it, although it does reasonable well for that 5500# beast. Electronics are sketchy for the 04-06 models.

The 99-04 WJ bodied Grand Cherokees have they own problems. Forget about anyone bigger then a 10 yr old to fit in the back seat. The differential bearings are worthless, expect to consider them normal maintanance. The rear axle seals leak worse then a sieve. You have to watch out for the temperature control doors as they break and you have to pull the dash to fix them. Evap cores a crappy too.

The 05-up WK Grands are a better chassis, but don't expect a lot.

The 4.7 is an OK motor, not earth shattering, but good for what it is. The 4.0 only went away because it will NOT pass the tougher emission standards. The 4.7's like to leak at the head gaskets, the head deck thickness is THIN. Timing them is a PITA until you do a bunch. I have never had to replace an oil pump/pickup. Others have, I haven't.

The 5.7's in the newer versions is stout. I don't ever have to screw with ANYTHING internally on them.

HTH,

Brian

x2...another problem they had with the WJ's is the BCM grounding out due to cracked wires in the accordin sleeve between the door and body. Also, the AWD v8 WJ have a junk trans and transfer case...would for sure never get one of those and even the V8 G. cherokee 4wd i have heard problems with the trans. Yes it is true that the I6's are bullet proof, the V6's i think are a different story. From what i remember correctly, very under powered but thats from what i remember. I dont know how new your lookin, but if you just wanted something to get around with and not tow anything to heavy, i would recommend getting a low mileage regular cherokee, like a 00 or 01.

[Stang 38L]

Wife has a 97 I-6 Grand Cherokee. Strong motor. Overall vehicle is starting to show its age, but no signs of slowing down.

[Rick93coupe]

You guys aren't going to believe this. I called just to see if it was true, talked to the guy for a good 10 min about it. Said the truck was amazing, no one would have believed it had this kind of mileage!
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/detail.jsp?ct=u&address=45327&result_car_id=254101950&dealership_view_name=chryslerjeepofdayton&car_id=254101950&dealer_id=56657868

[Katmandu]

they should all be straight 6 engines.Jeep started offering the 3.7L V6 in Cherokees in 2005. I know the I-6 was not offered in the Durango or Cherokee after that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Grand_Cherokee#Engines_3

I bought a 2005 Jeep Liberty with the 3.7 V6. It is an extremely reliable engine, but GROSSLY underpowered!

The MPG sucks Monkey Balls. :(

[poncho2001]

You guys aren't going to believe this. I called just to see if it was true, talked to the guy for a good 10 min about it. Said the truck was amazing, no one would have believed it had this kind of mileage!
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/detail.jsp?ct=u&address=45327&result_car_id=254101950&dealership_view_name=chryslerjeepofdayton&car_id=254101950&dealer_id=56657868

So are going to go take a look for yourself?

[Rick93coupe]

Oh, they had sold it a few days ago. They wanted to keep it around as a conversation piece and decided to let it go because of space.

[black90lx]

i have a 96 jeep cherokee with the inline 6 in it. i have heard alot people say it's not hard to get 300,000 miles out them with out any major problems but sensor's. i havent had one problem with it and it goes through the snow with no problem. it's one hell of a truck to 4 wheel in too.

[draggin50]

I own a 98 Cherokee and it has 210k miles and no problems yet. It goes through anything I want it to and gets about 19-20 mpg on the highway. Will never get rid of it I hope. Its been one of the best I have owned, but it does have the 4.0 I-6 auto. A friend has the V8 and dont have half the mileage as mine and is starting to have engine problems. Hope this helps in your decision.

[Katmandu]

Read about the differences in Inline Vs V6 balancing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I6

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Just FYI to anyone interested, Banks Performance used to sell a turbo kit for the I6. There was also a 4.7L stroker kit for a while too. Thorley make a really nice long tube header for them but they're really expensive....and the manifolds are proned to cracking on the I6 which is one of the few real drawbacks to these engines. For those who own a Cherokee, could you imagine a turbo stroker I6?? :rockon:

[tcorns]

Jeep started offering the 3.7L V6 in Cherokees in 2005. I know the I-6 was not offered in the Durango or Cherokee after that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Grand_Cherokee#Engines_3

I bought a 2005 Jeep Liberty with the 3.7 V6. It is an extremely reliable engine, but GROSSLY underpowered!

The MPG sucks Monkey Balls. :(


sorry about that. i am not up to date on the newer jeeps. i just know about the older ones because those are what i have now and have had in the past.
my next purchase will be another jeep with a straight six... so if anyone knows of tj cheap and needs work let me know.

trev

[black90lx]

Just FYI to anyone interested, Banks Performance used to sell a turbo kit for the I6. There was also a 4.7L stroker kit for a while too. Thorley make a really nice long tube header for them but they're really expensive....and the manifolds are proned to cracking on the I6 which is one of the few real drawbacks to these engines. For those who own a Cherokee, could you imagine a turbo stroker I6?? :rockon:

Whats the web site? I have been looking for an after market exhaust for mine. I don't want it loud i just want a good tone to it.

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

If you do a search for Thorley Jeep header or something i'm sure it'll come up...i used to get one of those Performance catalogs in the mail that are specifically for whatever vehicle you send in for, so it was all Jeep stuff and it had a turbo kit in there and a stroker kit and lots of goodies. I used to have a Dynomax cat-back on mine and i loved how it sounded...not loud at all but noticably more aggressive. It was only like $135 too.

[bestracing]

I have worked on all shapes/sizes/iterations of both models and IF those were my choices, I would stick with a 98-03 Durango with a 5.2/5.9. Most of the problems with them are easily fixed including the evap core.

The 04-up Durango's have a much better chassis, but they just don't "feel" right too me. They are too big but not big enough. They are a PITA to work on, there is a reason a plug change takes 3+ HOURS for a 5.7.... I not a fan of the 45RFE transmission in it, although it does reasonable well for that 5500# beast. Electronics are sketchy for the 04-06 models.

The 99-04 WJ bodied Grand Cherokees have they own problems. Forget about anyone bigger then a 10 yr old to fit in the back seat. The differential bearings are worthless, expect to consider them normal maintanance. The rear axle seals leak worse then a sieve. You have to watch out for the temperature control doors as they break and you have to pull the dash to fix them. Evap cores a crappy too.

The 05-up WK Grands are a better chassis, but don't expect a lot.

The 4.7 is an OK motor, not earth shattering, but good for what it is. The 4.0 only went away because it will NOT pass the tougher emission standards. The 4.7's like to leak at the head gaskets, the head deck thickness is THIN. Timing them is a PITA until you do a bunch. I have never had to replace an oil pump/pickup. Others have, I haven't.

The 5.7's in the newer versions is stout. I don't ever have to screw with ANYTHING internally on them.

HTH,

Brian

My brother-in-law has a 02 Durango and an older V8 Grand (not sure the year) The only problems he's had with the Durango is the pinion bearing going out which there was a service bulliten on the Dana rear ends and was covered under warrenty and not when it gets real cold the transmission doesn't want to shift right. Not sure the problem on that.

On his Cherokee he's had real good luck with it for the first 150K but shortly after that he had to replace the front pump on the transmission because it had worn through the case.

After owning the Durango and driving my 03 Tahoe LS he wishes he got the Tahoe instead but doesn't regret the Grand Cherokee