Spending more to keep your car on road? CAR WIZARD shows why putting $3K into this '05 Jeep is wise
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There is always a line when it's a good idea to repair your car or to replace it. Let the CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ explain why people are putting more into repairing their rides than they would have done in the past using this 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee as an example.
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Rusty at the back and not at the front. I’d say the jeeps been reversing a boat trailer into salty water. Hence the caught up fishing line.
Was going to say the same thing 👍
That thing is begging for an oil spray
Bingo!
Was my first thought as well
By George you got it
I have 3 vehicles that were mechanically totaled. I picked them up for about $500 each. About $1500 each in parts and a few weekends and they all run perfect. 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis 60k Miles, 2005 Chevy Silverado 260K miles and a 2010 Honda CRV 222K miles. Today it is worth the work to keep your cars running.
Those are all solid makes/models. If you can do the labor yourself, its a home run.
That marquis and Honda will run forever. I honestly think that marquis may be more reliable than the Honda too be honest lol
But the Silverado is a good runner to.
I saved a 1999 Chevy Blazer LT 4d 2wd (LSD w/3.42 gear) it's got 260k on the clock. I had to rebuild the emission system but it passed the California high emitter profile smog check after about $1,000 in work. It's a good feeling when you can take something that it's basically destined for the scrap yard and turn it into a word worthy vehicle again
I did all the work by myself with a lil help from my buddy
Solid advice. Especially if you can get one that is rust free.
@@12yearssober They are all rust free. The rockers on the truck were just starting to go. Replaced them. The bed is Rino lined. We fluid filmed all the cars. The whole process was enjoyable. Was offered $6K for the Honda and $9K for the truck. Keeping them for the moment.
I just realized how comfortable Wizard got around the camera.
The Wizard of today and the one from the first videos of Tyler he was featured in, seem like totally different beings.
I’m the 69th like
My 2005 4.7 Grand Cherokee has 310000 miles on it.
Has never had any overheating/head gasket issues
Has always had services done on time
This video is the first time I have even heard of head gasket problems with the 4.7
Have you ever experienced noise on acceleration at about 20mph? Mine has 186k miles and its driving me crazy bcs mechanics cant figure it out.
I just put 2500$ worth of work in 01 LeSabre with 120k miles. I couldn't find any car worth a damn for 2500$.
Now that’s a SMART move , if I’m not mistaken that’s the 3800 engine and we all know that’s a great engine that will treat you good for many many moons, as long as u treat her right!
@@B0xlife1 I have a 2015 Ford Flex Ecoboost as well but I chose to put the money in the Buick over the ford honestly
Lucky to find anything that runs for $2500
Watch for rust on the front crossmember. I’d find someone to inspect it if you live in an area that treats the roads for snow & ice. If ok, find a shop that can apply Fluid Film to inhibit further rust.
We have a 17 year old Lexus SUV with 133,000 miles on. Never once did it need a non-maintenance part replacement. It's all wheel drive and averages 25 MPG. Of course, it's a hybrid.
It's a shame that we have became a society that is big on giving up and tossing items to the wayside when things get rough. It's people like Wizard that is able to save decent cars like this from getting sent to the scrap yard. We need more people like The Car Wizard to help us get through tough times like these.
Yes...Yes he is.
It's called planned obsolescence. Even Toyota is starting to move in that direction slowly. Most other manufacturers are there already. Especially German and American cars.
Look up Planned Obscelence and how it started with the Phoebus Cartel and the story of the Centennial Light Bulb
@@danielmirlach4655 true ☺
That's what is so hilarious, big corporations scream about climate change and protecting the environment and meanwhile the nation's land fills are filling up faster than ever becuase of this phenomenon.
I was about to get salty about Wizard talking smack about 4.7's blowing head gaskets but then I remembered the 4.7 HO in my 2004 Grand Cherokee had a leaky head gasket at before 100,000 miles. It's ok, I still love it.
Tink it was a ho issue I have 2005 dakota with 4.7 and over 200k and no issues
I have bought and sold more wj jeeps with the 4.7 then the 4.0 and never had any major problems the space in the engine bay is the worst part when doing manifolds tho
New mechanics will suddenly find themselves working on 90s vehicles.
Why would they do that,you can't even go to a junkyard and find parts for them,they've already crushed them all,you'll be lucky to find parts for a 2005 vehicle.
90s cars were that blend of simple tech reliability and easy to service. my newest car is a 97 regal gs and I daily a turbo k car
Plenty of parts for a 2005 vehicle unless its somethinglike a SAAB
Bidin's economy...
Bought our 2006 JGC w/ 4.7 in 2007, now it has over 200k miles and still runs like a beast (Never blown a gasket). All you gotta do is have your car serviced and fix the little things so they never become big things
In WJ circles the 4.7 is usually regarded as fairly reliable, if not as much as the 4.0. The main cause of its bad Rep as far as we can tell mostly comes from the RAM trucks, where the extra heat from the engine bay + extra strain from towing and other truck duties caused them to blow a fair few headgaskets
I have the 4.7 in an 03 Ram 1500. I tow with it all the time and am at 234k. No blown head gaskets. I think it is people that overheat them. My radiator started to leak at 200k(original) and I immediately stopped driving it, never overheated and just replaced and did the cooling system.
@@zaphodbeeblebrox5580 That's the key point. No modern engine with aluminum heads can ever be overheated without doing major damage very quickly. People forget about the cooling system until it overheats, but then it's often too late.
My 02 ram had almost 570k miles on original engine and transmission before it got totaled by drunk guy.. never had any problem always ran like a top notch. Loved this truck and had it since it was brand new… regular oil changes and maintenance all it needed
I had two 4.7L WJs in my family. Both started slowly overheating. Both were leaking cooling system pressure due to a hard thermostat gasket. Best to replace the plastic housing, thermostat and gasket with Mopar parts every time the coolant is changed. Atleast every 10 years.
My sister unfortunately must have severely overheated it, as that one dropped a valve seat about 5000 miles later and destroyed the engine.
Ik a guy that has a shop. He works by himself and all he does is fix jeep frames and stuff all week constantly. Fixing blown out rusty frames. Its crazy
I’ve had an 06 Jeep Cherokee with the 3.7 for past 10 years, it has over 300k and still runs great, cold air hot heat
in 2004 Jeep went from a 10mm exhaust manifold to an 8mm on these 4.7 motors, so they snap. It will happen again after the fix. Had it happen to my exact jeep you are showing here. I solved the issue by buying a 2010 Nissan Xterra Offroad.
I have had a few of those. 4.7l engines are decent if you follow a few rules. NEVER overheat them, they will drop the valve seats. Keep up the oil change, and run a full synthetic. And make sure the breather (pcv) is functioning properly.
The 3.7 and 5.7 engines made prior to 2009 also had this problem as well.
@@atx-cvpi_99 Yes sir you are correct. MY uncle retired from Chrysler, a decade ago. He worked on the dyno, and tore these engines down daily. His rule was to stay away from any Chrysler engine that ends in a 7. 🤣. I have learned to live with them, since I am a cheap bastard and buy these for a nickel.
@@mph5896
Slant six was a 3.7 and is one of the most reliable engines ever made.
@@12yearssober Newer stuff. Like 90's+. And you are still dead to me. ☠
@@mph5896
😄😄
I live in Canada and own a 2008 Jeep WK (Grand Cherokee) with the OM642 (3.0L CRD), I love it; aside from electrical and intake issues, it is a labour of love.
The only thing I wish the previous owner had done, was waxed and polished their paint more; Canadian roads are salty.
370,000 km and still on the road.
Did you ever got problems with “Ignition Start” Reason I ask it is Because your Vehicle Runs on Diesel and Very Cold Winter Season..Thx
@Zezu there was no recall regarding ignition switch for the 2008 model year; the 2005 to 2007 model years were affected.
All I have had to change remotely related to ignition was the glow plugs.
The exhaust leak question is kind of a trick. The bolts break. Repair is Pull it all apart, extract the broken bolts and have the exhaust manifolds machined flat. Or new manifolds if you want to buy OEM. Stay away from the Dorman junk.
Thanks for the advice.
Doorman junk is likely a install error as doorman makes many oem parts. It's like saying Bendix or Hitachi junk. The oem installation is normally crap now a days. As cris rock sed, do you really think after 150 years Cadillac can't make a car without the bumper falling off?! Of course they can but how could they sell you a new Cadillac!?
@@adamlewellen5081 If you feel Dorman is a good product, feel free to use their items. My experience says no
Haha or don't buy a jeep! Problem solved👍😀
@@mph5896 Dorman should’ve remained a hardware manufacturer only ! They did make high quality nuts and bolts ect.
I have a 09 my mom bought brand new! Stone white with 206,000 miles on it. New waterpump and cruise control switch other then regular maintenance. Great vehicle
That bit at the beginning reminds me of that time on South Main when Mr. O found wood screws holding something together in the door of a Lincoln Town Car.
This is exactly why I stuck nearly 3 grand into my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder 2 years ago. Rebuilt anything that was worn in the undercarriage, among other work. Well worth it, especially the way the market is now!
My 05 grand, 3.7 has over 300000 miles on it. It's been an amazing vehicle.
The fishing line is the clue for the heavy rust in the rear. Im guessing the owner has a boat. The rear goes in the water when he pulls it out.
The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on TH-cam! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Pantera's WALK as the background music!
My first car was a 2005 grand Cherokee with a hemi. Great car. Engine and transmission were solid and still were at 190k miles. It had a lot of tech features for its time and those items started to break. Dual climate, tpms and moon roof all inoperable. Still a beast of a machine. Would buy one with less miles again but the price of gas kills that idea fast.
Yeah if you drive many miles annually I can see that. No one buys a JGC, even a 6 cylinder, for gas mileage. Fortunately I no longer drive 60kmi per year so gas can be US$5 per *liter* and it'd be lost in the noise compared to the insurance rates here in the NJSR.
I may get a JGC in about a week...is it a gas guzzler?
Maybe the inflation will fix this throw away society and will encourage people to keep their vehicles on the road ( except the modern German ones, those total themselves by design )
It’s designed to be thrown away
That doesn't work in the east coast those poor guys
My 99 Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0 still runs like a champ with over 275k!
Once there is not enough repairable cars left, people will realize the value of them, and at that point the smart people will be the ones holding them :)
Designed for self destruction
I remember sitting in one of these years ago when this model came out. I was tickled at how cheap the interior felt with the Fisher Price plastics.
The predecessors dashboard did look way better
@@CRAPO2011 indeed, they were very high quality.
I had the 1994, 1999, and now the 2005 all new, all top tier. The 1999 was very high quality leather and interior appointments but the 2005 has grown on me. I am 6 feet tall and 190 lbs. and the 2005 gives me more space in the drivers box and the interior has clean lines and the leather is outstanding and has held up like new. So, I prefer the 2005.
@@Sandbag1300 Hah, I remember that was in one of the advertisements when these cars were knew “room for both of us to grow”.
Indestructible
My ‘05 grand Cherokee 5.7 has been so good to us that we bought another for my wife. We refreshed the suspension and replaced the EGR, alternator, starter, and battery and it’s very good to go.
glad to see a grand Cherokee in the shop. i bought a 95 grand Cherokee Laredo with a rusted cross member. ten thousand miles later im loving it. 3 in lift.
All good points! People toss things away so easily these days. We'll never see the day of TV repair services but at least the good old jeep will stay in service. I love my WK just need to figure out the lean trouble code and slight grinding when turning at full lock. Great video Wizard!
Radio, TV and VCR repair, a thing of the past.
Sadly we're working towards the day when auto repair is a thing of the past, people are very quickly buying into the "just rent it" mindset where they take it to the official shop and whatever they say goes. If it's "unfixable" it's time for another, just like a crappy modern TV, and those delicate paper thin laptops that are irreparable. People continue to buy that stuff, and are buying more of it as the repairability goes to 0.
My wk is an 07 Laredo 3.7. It has 198k on it and been a tank. Has a small vacuum leak currently. Ive done wheel bearings, ball joints, water pump, belt, alternator, and a muffler. Very little rust from the eastern rust belt.
Some dude traded in the '02 Toyota Tacoma I just got because of a high idle and a little power loss. All it need was a new air filter, and a cleaning of throttle and MAF to get her running right. Upgrading the suspension for a few hundred bucks, and I have a nice truck for hopefully many years to come. I don't know why people just toss nice things away so easily, but one mans trash is another mans treasure I suppose.
@@volvo09 I only buy laptops with removable batteries for a reason
That grinding at full lock might be your rear differential. My 01 would let out a nasty guurrrrrrrr in the rear when I turned hard. The fluid needs changing often from new
I know a guy who has an 08 grand Cherokee with the 4.7 and he has about 315,000 miles on the original engine and transmission, no blown head gaskets yet. He seems to have gotten a good one, but it has been Nickel and Dimeing him now with things that are going due to the mileage.
Nickel & diming is what's called maintenance. Consider it a vehicle payment. Just look at airplanes' maintenance schedules. No skipped oil changes, no flying around with half the panel fasteners missing, no nursing it along with oil pouring out every seam. Fix that 💩 immediately and a ground vehicle can be as reliable as an airplane.
For every $ of fuel, one puts another $ into the maintenance reserve. That way when the transmission needs rebuilding it's no tragedy.
That's how one keeps vehicles forever.
Buddy has 250k miles on his with OG Engine and Trans, been pretty solid.
My 2001 300m just turned 300000km old. Just did plugs( 3rd time) and a compression test. Still all in great shape Original drive train. Just maintained regularly.
Couldn’t agree more! Just passed 172k miles on my 3.7l 05 JGC!
Just did inner/outer tie rods and sway bar links, front brakes and coated rotors, plugs, air filter, sprayed MAF, muffler, rear shocks and she runs like a dream! $600 parts and my time! WINNER!
Love your channel!
You should sell that Jeep as a rare vehicle because it’s the only one in the world with a mass air flow sensor. Lol. I’m just kidding with you but it most definitely does not have a mass air flow sensor.
@@jamesmccafferty7045 Well, whatever it was, I cleaned the hell out of it!🤣🤣🤣
Question...how is the gas mileage? I may be getting one next week.
@@RobertSpiller It now has 181,000 miles. Average 15.5/gal.
@@farcohollis1369 Thank you for letting me get some ideas about gas mileage.
If you are taking the valve covers off go ahead and get new hydraulic lash adjusters and even better the updated rocker arms. MartinBuilt really does great vids on the 4.7
I have pumped extra $$ into my 1998 Grand Cherokee and I am still driving it. Yes, it is putting more money into an much older vehicle. but it's been reliable, both me and my old Grand Cherokee have been through alot together during good times and bad. Although I have a new Grand Cherokee, I can't say good by to an old friend. I keep it as a spare and have no plans to get rid of it.
Plate C
Bought a 2003 4.7L H.O. with blown head gaskets. Fixed the heads, replaced injectors with Ford LTD injectors, replaced radiator, upgraded exhaust, and most importantly replaced the lifters. The upgrades that were suggested by the Jeep forums worked. I got 21 mpg, up from 19 mpg! I was very happy and ran it for five years.
I had a 1993 Jeep XJ. Perfect body (not floor boards). The question was always " Could I get the amount that I am spending out of this car WITH the work completed?" Over 13 years I may have spent up around what the original MSRP of the vehicle was. One thing, I loved the 4.0 powered XJ. With 320k miles on it, I got $1500 THAT IT DID NOT OWE ME. That was 4 years ago and I saw it on the street last year. When I am looking at having work done, the first question I ask myself is "Do I LOVE this car?" Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Rust is from poor to no coating applied by at the factory. Look at the cast iron parts in the front, they have rust scale too. Quick & easy solution, spray with Fluid Film.
Or better still, rust killer/converter; then a primer; then a top coat...let it age over summer; then fluid film?
4:10 to skip commercial
I’m shocked at that differential…. Usually Chrysler products leak all the time lol. And yeah that mid 2000s Chrysler interior screams cheap but it has held up better than the overpriced crap we get today
Saw the topic of this video and HAD to watch. I owned a V6 version of the 2005 Laredo. Biggest junker I've ever owned. @ 40,000 mi, it had a leaky transmission(something about a shift sensor/plug thing that they designed with a *plastic* O-ring that cracked(replaced w/rubber of course)). Speakers on passenger side went out. One of the windows stopped rolling back up and something else was wrong with it too, been about 12 years, so I can't remember. Traded it in asap
Anyways, love your content man, your honesty and dedication gives me hope on days when I need it.
I constantly hear that car prices going up but you can still pick up a 4th gen camry for around $2000 or less. I bought mine 2 years ago for $1900.
I like that you are upfront and I too would proceed with the work. That’s simply because you were upfront and honest with me.
Car Wizard is better than all the automotive tv shows I watched as a kid.
I have a 2010 Jeep GC 3.7. Ive had it for 8 years and love it. Just had the engine rebuilt at 208k miles. Cost me $2500 and its like new now. Gonna try to put another 200k on it.
Probably a tow wagon, pulling a boat in and out of water, hence the rust at the back mostly (and random fishing line)?
Well done Colombo I agree
Grand Cherokees would break the blend air doors on the HVAC housing. The fix is pull the dash and HVAC case and replace the blend air door assembly and all of the actuators.
@@roz99999 the door shafts will break and it’s the one that is moved by the front actuator. No way to replace front actuator without pulling hvac case. It’s an all day job. The rear actuator can be changed without pulling dash. We would always put a new actuator on the front and try to reuse the rear actuator.
My 1999 Grand Cherokee Limited with the Quadra Trac drove me into the poor house. Finally sold it! No amount of money seemed to solve problems. And of course, the brakes always required new everything when serviced. No more Jeeps for me.
Hey Wizard, speaking from years of experience, you are always better off welding nuts to the broken manifold studs than drilling, besides having a nut to use a socket instead vicegrips, the heat from welding makes stud so much easier to remove.
It gets crazy, like totally crazy, but it still u derstands you like where is the kitchen, yesterday, because you can listen to purple great.
You are able to replace that top bushing without removing the front differential completely off. Just unbolt it and spin the whole diff upside down. it works I’ve done it.
We are doing all 3
@@CarWizard Go for the upgraded bushings and they will last much longer
True, just undo the three holding bolts and the differential swings 180 degrees for all bushings replacement. Absolutely no need to take down the differential - that was a clever design.
@CarWizard what’s the rough estimate just for the 3 bushings replaced?
More rust at the back of the Jeep could be from getting wet launching boat
not to mention the fishing tackle found there
I had an 04 Dakota with that 4.7l in it. Was a damn good truck. Definitely moved out of its own way.
Totally agree with Alan. This is somebody that sank the trailer when launching a boat.
The rust in the rear plus the fishing line with sinkers on it, CLEARLY its been used to launch a boat a LOT, and dipped its butt in the water more than a few times!
It is wasteful to throw away a car.. mechanics are going to be well respected in this new era
Seen an automotive junkyard lately? It's borderline criminal how wasteful motorists are with the use and throw away car culture.
I really had a hard time paying attention after you said "door hinges".
Door hinges. Jeebus.
Thanks, Mr. and Mrs Wizard!✌❤🙂🇨🇦
Tow haul option fishing line in back wheel the back is more rusty from putting boats in and out of the water
I mess around jeeps etc, I take em to the car wash or pressure the whole under side and let it dry and hit some parts with the rust stopper in a can then spray or bush bed liner, I used to live in WV and ive seen brand new frames rust out in five years.
Oil leaks is a rust prevention. 👨🔧
And the oil changes itself, you just top it off every few hundred miles lol
This applies to all manifold broken studs, P-B is your best friend, heat the stud or bolt then spray it, try vice grips, if it snapped off in the head try a reverse drill bit and one of the easy out reverse taps (old school) but hey either way it takes more time then you think
As a 5.7 hemi owner. It is definitely warped exhaust manifolds causing bad gaskets. Just go headers. They won't warp again
No, it’s from too small of hardware!
The Wizard is correct here. I've had my Jeep WK 2005 for 18 years and 140,000 miles. What you have here is a solid platform that will cost you some money to keep on the road, but its money well invested in mostly preventative maintenance, such as undersealing the body, following the maintenance schedule and generally, do pre-flight checks every week to check it all works ok still.
We have a 2010 WK with the 3.7 and its been a great commuter vehicle. Very low maintenance for us.
Another great video wizard. Making shop life smoother and well paced for you techs and the help with your knowledge in sure you have a great group of techs out there, love the videos! Get back out on the lake soon with your yacht and enjoy some time away from shop 🤘🏼🇺🇸
More rust at the rear is most likely from towing a boat... the back of the car ends up in the lake during launch and recovery.
I've got a 2001 JGC Limited with the 4.7l v8 and I love it, its powerful, sound good and has never once left me stranded. The 4.7L must have proper maintenance otherwise they will take a crap faster than you can wipe.
Car wizard, I own a 2011 Mazda 3 which has over 350,000 kilometers and has never had any issues. I change motor oil and transmission fluid on the recommend intervals. I just replaced my front original shocks. I've owned north American 4 cylinder cars and always had bad luck with them . last one I owned had 180,000 kilometers and started burning oil.
People are selling used, rusted out, 15+ year old, high mileage cars for $10,000+ nowadays....and....they are getting buyers easily. The ads I see on Autotrader and Carvana and others are outrageous; but, the listings are getting slimmer and slimmer as inventory is really short. Sign of the times. Cheaper to fix it and drive on.
Policy Genius got their money's worth sponsoring this video. Wizard put a 110% into that spot. :)
I spotted those door hinges immediately even before you said something because I'm a carpenter and wondered right away what in the heck are those doing on that car!
Fantastic review, great job Mrs. Wizard going into detail in the interior, very descriptive
I currently have A208 grand Cherokee Laredo just turned over 308000 miles Is runs great
I like the black FSJ in the background...and I've got a 2010 Grand Cherokee Laredo with tons of electrical issues.
I had one of these. When it said “Preform Service” I thought it was telling me to join the Army. You know, because it’s a Jeep.
I made the mistake of buying a used 2006 Grand Cherokee Limited with this same drivetrain about 8 years ago. Was the worst vehicle purchase I ever made. The Jeep was so bad I will never ever buy another Chrysler product ever again. The Jeep was in excellent condition. One previous owner. 70k miles. All maintenance records. No accidents. No rust. Everything immaculate. The 4x4 was fantastic in the snow. I never used it hard for trails or towing anything heavy. I do all the preventative maintenance by the book (transfer case/axles/coolant/etc). After three years of ownership out of nowhere the 4.7L blows a head gasket. Exhaust in the coolant, blew the fluid out of the overflow reservoir all over the engine bay climbing a grade on the freeway. Culprit: bad valve seat caused the gasket to blow. $3,000 to machine the heads and replace the gaskets. Just like this example I'm like fine, fix the engine because we'll keep it for another 100,000 miles. $3000 is nothing over 10 years. Get it fixed. Runs great. Except now it stalls and misfires. Bad crankshaft sensor. Fine replace that. Still occasionally misfires/stalls when restarted hot but it is tolerable. Whatever, I'll deal with it. Develops a shudder at 50-60mph and only 50-60mph bad enough to shake the steering wheel. Never did figure that one out (but I suspect the transfer case). Transfer case started clunking. Coast for a moment then hit the gas CLUNK like someone hit the underside of the Jeep with a sledgehammer. Climate control randomly starts going haywire. All the lights in the center stack fail. Leather on the steering wheel disintegrates. Then a knocking sound developed. Either something in the rear bottom end of the engine or the torque converter/input shaft of the transmission. That was the last straw, got rid of it before something major broke. Traded it in a on a brand new Ford which it what I should have bought instead of buying that dumb garbage Jeep in the first place. Problem solved. What a pile of junk that Jeep was. Stupid thing cost me $9,000 over three years in repair and depreciation. $3,000/yr is the most by far I've ever spent on a vehicle and I've bought two NEW vehicles in my life! (I try to limit myself to a max of $1,500/yr average total cost of ownership of any vehicle I own)
I had an 02 Jeep Gr Cherokee. The fan motor was a recurring problem. I went thru three of them. I also replaced the transmission at around 180,000. I also replaced the engine at around 240,000. That sounds like a lot, but I drove this suv for a little over 420,000 miles. I replaced the engine with a low mileage used engine for around $2,500 including labor and had the trans rebuilt. Overall, I really enjoyed the Jeep. I kept the maintenance up and the miles we in large part due to long commutes. The Jeep had an inline 6, 3.6 L.
The main problem in design was the break system. Thankfully, Chrysler sent me a check for the cost of replacement.
6:41 Sounds like Christine after she spent the night running over bullies and torching garages. 🔥😂🔥
Look up which autos are good to buy....That year of Jeep doesnt show it as a bad or good year.But certain years were bad, as in most autos. But....I've been planning on doing this with my car soon....go ahead and replace most old parts gradually. Keep it running good!!!
Towing boats in and out the water will rust out the rear end. And fishing line on the suspension seals the deal on why so rusty.
bought a 1990 YJ 2.5 throttle body for, three grand 7 years ago, the axels were under the leaf springs and replaced all the springs and bushings etc , the shocks werent set up right, so Dumped 1000 bucks into to it, in parts the motor was rebuilt already but the timing on the distributor was off a tooth, heavy duty shackles and lifted 2 inches front and back
I had a 2004 with the 4.7 HO. I remember hating the 2005 refresh as they changed the body and added a lot of hard lines that I felt weren't complimentary. The local Jeep dealer had a 2005 with the new to Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi in their showroom well into 2007. I offered them $25K near the end of 2006 but they wouldn't budge from their $50k list.
That seems awfully expensive. My 2013 5.7L overland was under that new on the lot. And I agree, I owned WJs but never wanted a WK1. Ugly with ugly interiors. In my opinion.
I picked up an 07 Chevy HHR that was mechanically totaled. I fixed all the issues myself and suddenly I have a car worth 3x what I have in it. I was going to sell it, but ended up holding it a little longer so my mom can use it while she looks for a replacement for her van. Even if the market cools and returns to normal, I will still double my money.
I have earned new respect for pros though. Some of the things I fixed were no fun and I can understand why the book rate is what it is.
Greater amount of rust at the rear suggests it's been dipped in water at the boat ramp IMHO.
Put LED light strips (adhesive backed) to the 4-post lift and you can light up the underside of cars any time you pull them on the lift.
EuroWerkstatt here in Vegas has this and it helps folks see the photos/videos of the underside of their vehicles (and what repairs are needed).
Replace the valve cover and head gaskets while you are there, replace x2 manifolds and check the probably original radiator for flow issues. Also when was the last time all the other fluids have been flushed out and refilled. 2 days work a 4500 bill tax and labor included. No walking into a Dealer with your tail between your legs waiting to see if it’s a dry hump or they use some Vaseline. Remember Big or Small Thick or Thin…..
I had an 08 Grand Cherokee Limited with the 5.7. Needed $4.5k of work at 120k miles to pass inspection and it was worth $5.5k. I got rid of it for a wrangler
I almost got a 2011 Mazda CX-7 for $4000 from a ford dealership here in Ontario. One owner vehicle, I got a hold of the entire service history, traded in in 2020 for a new ford. My insurance wouldn’t insure it until the rear bumper was replaced. Trying to find one up here and get it installed was going to be over a month before I could put it on the road. I told the dealership everything else I could do myself, but having to wait for the bumper killed the deal.
Been a Mechanic for 35 years and the best Jeep in the SUV line is the XJ .. Not hard to find one in decent shape and if you put a new $2,000 Engine in one you can run it FOREVER ! I have one with 247,000 on the clock that runs like a top and has good compression , No smoke and never have to add oil .. The inline 6 in the older jeeps far beats that 4.7 for staying on the road cheap .. The 4.7 and the 5.7 Both have head issues with the valve setup .. You can loose an engine Fast without the up grade kit to fix the problem . The 3.7 is not much better ! I would never put 3K into that rig .. But as always ENJOYED the share
I need to save up to fix my big old SUV, I don't what is killing the battery.
I’m seeing that more and more. Especially with diesels older trucks especially its worth getting a old 99 Cummins going again. Most median tickets are $2,000-$3,000 with long lists of things to fix.
I've had 4 4.7L in Durango's. Put well over 200,000 with no blown head gaskets. I have had sludge from not changing the oil but never the head gaskets.
The exhaust leak.... Every one of them!!! Lol lol
The old 2005-2009 Durango's. I used to buy those for around $2k 6-8 years ago as government surplus. They were tanks.
i spent 950 for a 2006 jeep commander 4.7 4wd and it had 250k on it and ran really good when i got rid of it 2 weeks ago for 2500
only thing i did was a $277 front driveshaft from rockauto. it was the limited and had every option except the dvd player in the back. it had the front differential clunk lol.
Did you have a vibration from the front driveshaft at highway speeds?
Just put 3k into my rusty 09’ Honda Odyssey with well over 200k. Owned it since new. Always maintained and no end in sight. These New England winters will eventually kill it though.
My uncle's, 2009 Honda Odyssey had its engine caused on fire over a month ago. He no longer has it today.
I have a 2003 Saturn vue. Has 193,000 miles with the v6. I have more into it then it's worth so I plan on driving it till I die or the engine blows up or 2nd transmission goes out.
More rust in the back could be from backing a boat or jet ski down the boat ramp.
Great video, sir. Please do another with a rusty car. Some of us got into problems with rust like needing extractor or drilling bolts out. In Canada, rust is a big issue.
I forget which video I watched but they used a torch to make a super rusty bolt glow red, then it just unscrewed like it was brand new. I live in Florida so we don't have frequent rust issues, but my swimming pool filter had an issue where the nut that holds it shut rusted solid to the shaft that comes up from the bottom. It was in a position that made it impossible to tighten down enough to not leak. I lubricated it over and over for several weeks, then put it in a vice with two vice grips on the nut and it wouldn't budge. A new shaft rod and nut (which is imbedded into a handle with a bushing to seal it) were around $130. I tried the torch method and it also unscrewed with almost no resistance. The handle of course melted but that only cost $20 to replace and it's been great ever since. The biggest challenge I'd see is making sure you don't set the car on fire as any rubber bushings or sensitive pieces attached to the bolt will get very hot. For items not directly in the flame path, you can put a vice grip on the bolt between the flame and the fragile part (rubber, etc.) to act as a heat sink, and also have a helper with a spray bottle wetting the things you want to keep cool. I bought an old Jeep that had been up North and have done this on a few rusty items as well with good results. Hope this helps:-).
Wizard has sponsors now! I love it! Long live car wizard!
I have a 2003 4.7 V8 Limited. It's in the shop for gasket work. I wouldn't say it's always been a money pit, but my care of it has been less than decent. Got it a year or so after college so I've had it well over 12 years. It has been in one accident. Box truck racked the passenger side due to someone pulling out in front of it and going well below the speed limit. Came within a few hundred of being totaled per my state's laws. No frame damage. Had to replace some panels and the passenger door. I've mostly changed the oil once a year so that very basic, not good maintenance means it is coming to a head now. Having to do roughly $1400 on it due to oil pan replacement and gasket fix. Both right side passenger window/lock switches are shot so I have to manually lock both. Heat isn't blowing out one the right vents. I've banged up the bumper and fender fairly good. Hole to the metal in the driver floor so I have weather tech floor mats. Bottom of center console stack has broken clips so it's sorta sitting in place. Driver seat showing wear and tear with a rip. Back is nearly perfect. LOL. Cruise hasn't worked since purchased at a Jeep dealership..yeah, they didn't help when questioned either. Yeah I'd estimate another $2500 in repairs which is probably the value of the vehicle with roughly 156k miles. I'm driving it for another year or so to pay off some debt and save up some cash. Looking to replace with a 2020-2023 Toyota 4Runner. Plan on taking much better care as I'm wiser than I was out of college. I try to take care of the Jeep, but can't afford to fix it all. And need something that'll last 10-15 years. No Jeep will expect MAYBE a Wrangler and that has very little cargo space.
Our 2004 Ram with the 4.7l with 230k ran perfectly all the way up until a hidden bug bit me in the @$$ the upper radiator hose blew and it had rotted from the inside out. I replaced the upper radiator hose filled it with coolant started it up and and drove it home 58 miles and it was billowing smoke the whole way home in the split second that the hose blew it had already overheated the engine. It is still sitting in my back driveway awaiting a new engine. It was a awesome truck !
Nice music, and you even do a little head wobble dance. Good work Car Wizard.
I drive a 94 Ranger with the 2.3l, four banger. Cheap, simple, easy to maintain. Haha my jeep friends are always complaining about mechanical issues
I always clean the sludge off of the run off for the oil