Another pivot - 2007 Grand Cherokee Limited w/Hemi

So the Element search had stalled and I came across a another option. 

I took a look at a 2007 Grand Cherokee Limited today, but it was getting dark and rainy so I'll go look at it tomorrow and take it for a test drive. I also plan to take a closer look at the undercarriage and check for leaks.

Initial inspection showed the following:

- Overall very clean for the age and mileage, with leather interior and no broke interior components. Scratches on the dash, but otherwise good condition. 

-127k miles, with 5.7L and Quadratrac II transfer case with low range 

- Hemi fired right up and ran smoothly. I noticed a weird noise right as it fired up, almost like squeezing a puff of air out of a sports water bottle. But once running there were no funny noises. Now that I type this l'm thinking  the noise was the starter disengaging as the engine fired. 

- I noticed a bit of power steering noise but didn't check the fluid. I'll check the level and look for leaks in the day light. 

- It may have an exhaust leak, seemed to be a bit exhaust noise from under the passenger area, but not loud, so it may just be some resonance at idle. 

- Rear hatch gas springs need to be replaced

- Tires are thin, might pass inspection, but  will need to be replaced soon.

Anything model specific, or related to the 5.7 that I should be watching for?

- Valve cover leaks are common, especially the back lower corners. They will drip on the exhaust manifold and cause some smoke until the oil burns off after sitting. Had 2 5.7 WK's in the family that I've worked on and both had the same leak.

- On the few WK's that I've worked on, exhaust leak is probably an exhaust manifold gasket. SWMBO's 06 WK with 4.7 had a small leak on both banks. Noticed it when I took the cylinder heads off to repair the dropped valve seat. Brother's Dakota with 4.7 had the same issue when I replaced the head gaskets. I haven't gone that far into a 5.7 yet.

- Wife's WK with the 4.7 required a special type of power steering fluid. Not sure if the 5.7 is the same way or not. It's a Mopar fluid, I'd have to look at the bottle to remember what it was. Not a deal breaker expensive, just wanted to give you a heads up to verify the type of fluid needed before you refill it. 

- I personally haven't dealt with it but I have seen several 5.7 WK's for sale that have blown head gaskets, not sure if it's a common issue or not. 

- Since you are possibly shopping WK's, be aware that if you look at a 4.7 equipped model, the 4.7 is known for dropping valve seats. We bought the wife's 06 WK from the original owner when they decided to sell rather than fix the issue. Sometimes the seat will drop far enough to break the head of the valve off the stem and cause some serious damage. The one we had, the seat dropped enough to hold the valve open just far enough for the rocker arm to fall off. Had a machine shop replace the valve seats and the one valve. 

- After working on several 4.7 and 5.7 equipped WK's that are in the family, I think the 4.7 engine is easier to work on. 

- Interior door handles break easily. It's a cheap and easy repair with new door handle kits from Amazon or Ebay. Use it as a negotiation point but don't let it keep you from buying a decent WK. 

- The wife's 06 WK 2wd had a non-serviceable rear driveshaft. When the u-joints got noisy, I had to replace the entire rear driveshaft. Had a local driveshaft shop build me a driveshaft that had replaceable u-joints. From what I've seen online, driveshafts for the 4wd models are also non-serviceable and widely available aftermarket options are out there. 

- Avoid 3.6 equipped models at all costs. I've never personally owned one but I've not heard good things and they get the same gas mileage as a 4.7 equipped model. 

If you have anymore WK questions, let me know and I'll help all I can. Wife and I have had 2 06's, her 4.7 2wd and my 5.7 4wd "project" that I ended up selling due to lack of time/desire to work on it. Another family member has an 05 5.7 4wd that I've worked on.

In reply to untchabl :

Thank you for the info.

I'm going to try to get them to put it on their lift for me to be able to look at the undercarriage so I'll check out the driveshafts and look for sepage from the valve covers. 

I bought a 05 with near 200K miles a few years ago.  that QD2 4wd is pretty good!  I've got mud tires on it now..

Our had an ECU issue from the start (thats why we got a deal).  the DBW system went into limp home mode intermittently - you have to stop and restart the car and it was fine.  PO had changed throttle pedal and throttle body but its in the ECU.  I found an ECU rebuilder on ebay and they sent a new ECU for a couple hundred bucks.  this was a common thing for the 5.7 hemi, not just on the jeeps though.

I've changed the valve cover gaskets, water pump, radiator, & full brakes / wheel bearings - its not terrible to work on but its tight.  parts are pretty cheap, I think my front shocks were $12 each.

I think this was when mercedes owned jeep - some of the things are very mercedes (switches) & some are still jeep (inside door handles crumbing :)

tremm said:

Is it worth the 12-16mpg, & a 15 year old Chrysler?

yes, no kidding.  It does have cylinder deactivation (but you have to use the right oil) - but the hemi seems to suck it down regardless.  Also, I may stomp on the gas too much.  they have a pretty small tank (~20 gallons?) so fill ups are often.

Hemi makes lotsa torque, so I call it even.

In reply to tremm :

I max I might do would be 250-300 miles (often even less) every 2 weeks.

The mileage isn't much different than the 98 Ram it would be replacing, and most road trips would be in the wife's 21 Sportage so mileage isn't as critical for this vehicle. 

I had a similar one for a short time. It had some weird issues like throwing all 4 o2 sensor errors (both high and low) at the same time and showing a "trans overtemp" message on the cluster. 

I thought it was the ECU and I did have mine 'rebuilt', but I think in the end the true issue was corrosion on some of the main ground cables and starter cables. 

We only sold it because the interior space (seats and cargo) is really quite small compared to how big the vehicle exterior is, and we were hoping to use it as a family car. 

I've spent some time in one with the 5.7 when they were new and the main thing that stood out to me was how cheap it felt for how expensive it was, and for me (6'3") it was really uncomfortable front or rear. Paying used car prices, the cheap feel wouldn't be so big a deal, but definitely make sure you can get comfortable in it. The back seat is also physically a lot smaller than I expected for that size vehicle.

I ended up buying the Grand Cherokee.  It drove nice, fluids all looked good, trans shifted well, and no rattles from the suspension. 

They are going to replace the gas springs for the rear hatch, replace the muffler and potentially replace a rear caliper (brake was dragging). 

I'll pick it up probably Monday or Tuesday once it registered and they finish up the repairs  

It's the right engine for the car.  I wish Jeep wouldn't have waited until now to put it in the Wrangler- and offered it as a normal option instead of an upmarket baller-buggy.

FYI, these are platform-mates (to a point) with the W164 Mercedes ML. Developed under DaimlerChrysler joint venture and evolved into the WK2/Durango that still retained some of the W164 DNA. Doesn't really change anything ownership-wise as you'll buy Jeep/Mopar parts for everything on it, but fascinating.