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johnand · 11-29-07, 01:26

I have 2 98 ZJ's (Grand Cherokee's). One is a 5.9 Limited and the other is a Laredo SE w/ 5.2L V8. The 5.9 has just under 100K on it and the Laredo has almost 200K on it. Both have been very reliable. Here are a few things to look out for and be aware of:

1)All the V8 ZJ's come with the NP249 transfer case. This is a full-time 4WD case that uses a viscous coupling to transfer power to the front and rear drive shafts. It transfers power at varying rates based on traction. It is prone to wear out anywhere from 60K-120K miles. When it does, it usually fails in the locked up condition. When it fails in this manner, you will know by doing tight (full lock) turns in a parking lot and look for binding and poping. There is always some very slight binding and resistance on this TC, but it should not have moderate to heavy binding. If it does the VC is shot, and will require replacement. The part is very expensive ~$800 and requires the TC to be torn down. I fixed both of mine by swapping out the NP249 TC to an NP242 at a much lower cost then replacing the VC.

2)These ZJ's are notorious for warped brake rotors. The biggest problem with them is the factory rotors are a composite 2-piece rotor. A cheap and easy fix is to replace the rotors with a full cast iron rotor and some good pads. I have run numerous rotors and pads on these rigs and the best combo I have found is Raybestos PG Plus full cast iron rotors and Performance Friction pads.

Other than those 2 things these rigs are great IMO. With some good tires, shocks and a little lift, they perform amazing off-road and still are fun, comfortable and capable on.

11-29-07, 01:26	#2 (permalink)
johnand Registered User johnand is offline Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 21	Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee 5,9 I have 2 98 ZJ's (Grand Cherokee's). One is a 5.9 Limited and the other is a Laredo SE w/ 5.2L V8. The 5.9 has just under 100K on it and the Laredo has almost 200K on it. Both have been very reliable. Here are a few things to look out for and be aware of: 1)All the V8 ZJ's come with the NP249 transfer case. This is a full-time 4WD case that uses a viscous coupling to transfer power to the front and rear drive shafts. It transfers power at varying rates based on traction. It is prone to wear out anywhere from 60K-120K miles. When it does, it usually fails in the locked up condition. When it fails in this manner, you will know by doing tight (full lock) turns in a parking lot and look for binding and poping. There is always some very slight binding and resistance on this TC, but it should not have moderate to heavy binding. If it does the VC is shot, and will require replacement. The part is very expensive ~$800 and requires the TC to be torn down. I fixed both of mine by swapping out the NP249 TC to an NP242 at a much lower cost then replacing the VC. 2)These ZJ's are notorious for warped brake rotors. The biggest problem with them is the factory rotors are a composite 2-piece rotor. A cheap and easy fix is to replace the rotors with a full cast iron rotor and some good pads. I have run numerous rotors and pads on these rigs and the best combo I have found is Raybestos PG Plus full cast iron rotors and Performance Friction pads. Other than those 2 things these rigs are great IMO. With some good tires, shocks and a little lift, they perform amazing off-road and still are fun, comfortable and capable on.