Faults:
The car has been in the family since new.
The following problems have occurred since new:
Vapor lock, until an extra fuel pump and larger radiator were installed
Slow power windows, but they all still work
Rear window wiper doesn't work
Really hard to get the tranny out of 4WD LOW, someone recommended backing up in a figure 8?
Rear bumper rubber thingies, keep falling off every time I scrape the back bumper 4-wheeling
The door chime goes off sometimes in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, especially when the truck is parked on a slight angle, still haven't figured that one out yet. Sucks when your camping and it goes off
Ash tray doesn't stay closed
The JEEP hood ornament snapped off one day, replaced it no problem
The original JEEP cassette player died, replaced it with a 93 JEEP cassette player
The leather-wrapped steering wheel is beginning to rub off
Rear window keyhole doesn't work, but at least the switch inside is still OK.
General Comments:
You'd think that with all that has gone wrong with the car I'd hate it, right? NOPE! Even after 226,000 miles on the same engine/transmission, this car runs like a top. It helps that my uncle is a mechanic and owns his own shop and has kept up with the preventive and scheduled maintenance visits. Thanks Bob!
Things that I love about this car:
The engine is huge and powerful. The truck would go from 0 - 60 in less than 10 seconds if it didn't weigh 6,000 lbs. 5-15 miles to the gallon kinda sucks, but when you're pulling a heavy trailer or 6 passengers and cargo, its worth it. Especially considering the luxury and comfort passengers get to ride in.
I love the wood-grain vinyl! The car has been repainted (original white) and the vinyl has been replaced so it looks new (except for the replacement grille). The vinyl absorbs a lot of the little brush scratches when off-roading, so it works well too.
The roof rack is useful. I hope I'm not the only one using the roof rack. I stick coolers up there, bikes, skis, extra gasoline, whatever won't fit inside. And the stock clamps are holding in there just fine.
The fold up rear seat is great for camping. Fold up the rear and open the tailgate. Put your pillow on the tailgate and you've got an ergonomic and astronomer-friendly bed.
The compass and temperature gauges have come in handy.
I can't believe how well the carpet holds up to a constant beating, and the seats are holding up just as well.
4-wheeling in LOW is where my GW really shows her stuff. You don't even have to press the accelerator (or the brake) to climb or descend sharp angles.
I'd really like to throw a deeper-throated exhaust on it and bigger tires. Maybe I'll just leave her be, we seem to be getting along just fine.
6th Oct 2004, 08:02
To shift into or out of four low, you must shift the transmission into neutral with the Jeep rolling about 5 mph. Then shift the low range lever in the floor. (this what the owners manual says) It will grind a little bit, but this is normal. Once it is shifted put the transmission in back in drive. It is very difficult to shift into or out of low range if the Jeep is sitting still.