3rd Oct 2009, 22:20

I own a 1998 5.9LTD and love it! I bought it in 1999 with 28,000 miles. It now has 170,000.

I just recently started putting a little more money into it, when for obvious high mileage reasons, things start to go out.

My current problem is the cooling system. I saw someone previously said that the fans could be hard to find, and were expensive. We couldn't find one at a junk yard anywhere, and had to order it from Jeep. Everything had melted, so we needed the fan, wires, and all... it was about $600.00. We replaced the thermostat and sensor. It worked for a few months, and now the fan will not turn off again. Will be taking it back in to fix. I can't get rid of this Jeep! I love it! It's been a great vehicle!... and FAST!!!

19th Oct 2009, 06:22

I also have the 1998 5.9 Limited, and just love it. I wonder how to find out how many are still on the road?

I have had some problems with it, the grinding rear end, the A/C leaks, and now the transmission solenoid. I changed the motor at 144k, got a 5.9 used from a '00 Durango, and now have 166K on the truck.

I refuse to get rid of it, I just love the sound, feel and performance. Blows others off the road, even when pulling my trailer.

Interested if anyone has put on an air shock and on-board compressor setup, as I am considering it for the rear. Great vehicle!

26th Oct 2009, 05:03

Good to hear so many excited and proud 5.9 owners. Jeeps are the most capable vehicles on the road - and in my opinion the 5.9L rules 'em all - balanced lux+noprispwr - Bad.

I bought mine just under a year ago - with tax, tags, ins... 4.5K. Worth every penny. Buck gas mileage - this vehicle turns heads, and gives me smiles every time I drive it. Destroys ricers and some sports cars off the line (plus the driver of the new ones - best not sneeze :).

I had new Pirelli Scorpions put on, plugged a minor radiator leak, Full HiPerf engine tuneup, Trans ATF+4/Filter repl. There's a very small leak from the pass side valve cover gasket. Was rattling until began using Sunoco93 plus Bosch plat+2. Now leaps to legal speeds - in a rumbling beastly way!

Purchased off used car lot... near mint excluding the radiator and had to add a few cans of A/C stop leak over the summer. 4WD system is solid, front axles are a little noisy, but are cool to the touch even after long on/off road trips. So buck the gas - I think everyone on my block enjoys my Jeep as much as I do = lo jack, esp since in 3 years this vehicle will qualify for antique status. Enjoy all...

15th Nov 2009, 12:30

The rear end is likely the carrier bearings, due to the fact that these Jeeps use a Dana 44a, which is aluminum, so again the aluminum contracts and expands at different rates than the steel races for the bearings, causing the bearings to fail.

The binding is either front hub assemblies front axles, or most likely the viscous coupler in the t-case that allows the front and rear diffs to spin at different speeds. If you replace the t-case with another or a selectable between 2 and 4, you will get rid of the binding.

As for the fans, it is common for the low speed on the electric fan motor to go bad. You can get an almost exact match at Autozone for a Mercury Sable. Don't remember what year though.

Any other questions can and will be answered at thespeedfreaks.net. It is made up of nothing but 5.9L Jeep owners and a few others.

And please remember, even if you wreck one of these, don't junk it, they can and will be rebuilt by someone. I purchased a totaled one and rebuilt it because the VIN and body are what's important. They are getting rarer and rarer.

Thanks.

28th Jan 2010, 19:58

I love my Jeep, bought it brand new. I would like to buy a 30 foot travel trailer that weighs 5200 lbs. I think it can pull 5500 lbs, but other people say it can be modified to pull more. What can be done to it to make it tow more?

4th Jul 2010, 16:22

I just recently purchased my 1998, 5.9l Grand Cherokee. I had a 2001 4.7l and a 97 5.2 and they are nothing compared to my new 5.9. It has 99k miles. It is pretty good for the year.

I have already gotten looks and comments from many people, and it's totally stock. I will drive this jeep until the end. It has so much power and luxury, and will take you anywhere.

There have been no problems yet, but I can hear one of the pulleys vibrating, kind of a jingling noise. I think. Any ideas on what it might be? It only happens at 2k RPMs.

Jeeps rule!

11th Sep 2010, 01:04

I have four 5.9's. Not bragging, just can't help myself. Three black ones and one bright platinum. They are all close to mint. The main one has the K&N cold air filter, PCM/ECU MOPAR module, magna flow exhaust, 20" Saleens with SRT-8 tires and new stainless headers.

It really goes. I know I can beat a 5.7 HEMI and am tempted to try an SRT-8. These are just the neatest vehicles for looks, sound and performance. Just got offered another black one with the K&N and PCM/ECU, so may have to take it too. Five is a nice number.

Have not had many issues, but then I drive them softly mostly.

17th Oct 2010, 00:57

I just bought a Platinum 5.9 2 weeks ago, and I really like this Jeep.. Reason we bought it was because we currently have a 98 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0 engine with 161k on it. The 5.9 has 118k miles on it, which for it being 2011 almost, is pretty low.

We paid $5350 for it, which was $1,000 more than I wanted to spend, but the Jeep was in perfect condition, minus a leaking neutral switch on the transmission, which I fixed. It doesn't burn oil either, and the rear diff is 100% silent so far. Plus it was the only one for sale in Northern Virginia... I've only seen 1 other 5.9 for sale here before, and I've never seen them on the road.

The 46RE tranny really does shift different than the 42RE on our 4.0. For a while after I bought the car, I thought the transmission was going bad, but a mechanic drove it and said it was normal.

I live in the city, so all of my driving is city for now. Gas mileage on the computer says 11.9MPG, however when you are at stop lights, the computer counts the 0's you get. I checked MPG by filling the tank up and driving it, then refilling it after it was near empty. I got around 13.1 MPG in the city. Our 4.0 gets around 16.4 or so, not too much of a difference.. It does add up over time though.

The body looks like a brand new Jeep; the paint is near flawless except for the hood, which has a few chips from rocks and stuff. The body has a few tiny dings in it if you really look for them. I get a lot of compliments everyday about the Jeep. Drove it to a Jeep dealership one day, and had a few salesmen check it out when I was there.

The only thing wrong with the Jeep ATM is the transfer case does tug slightly if I turn the wheel on the way, so I tend to back out farther in parking spaces to give me more room to turn so I can avoid it.. Normal driving I don't notice it, I plan to put in a NP242 down the road.

I'm not sure what gas to put in the Jeep though; we don't have 91 in Northern Virginia, just 89 or 93. I tried 89 twice and I hear no pinging, but I wonder would 93 give better MPG?