Buying a jeep wrangler today. NEED HELP!!!! PLEASE!!!?

L

Lauren

New member
So im going to go checkout a jeep wrangler today. a '88 yj manual inline 6. and it has 188,XXX miles on it, BUT the guy said he had the engine rebuilt less than 40,000 miles ago. and i checked out the garage that did it and they seem good. the reviews were good. and last night i checkout a 92 4 cylinder and it was a sled, it was so slow and the exhaust was really loud. Are all the wranglers exhaust loud like that? what should I listen for when we test drive it today? What kind of questions should i ask the person, besides maintenace and when the last time the clutch was rebuilt/replaced...
and do you think this is okay for it to have 180,000 miles on it, do you think the suspension and the gear bearing...etc will be okay/still good?

Thanks,
Lauren :)
 
Check the oil,it should be full & fairly clean, not low and real dark or milky/cocoa colored or foamy. The coolant should be up to the Full Hot or Full Cold and clean appearance not brown and low. The top radiator hose should be tight when the engine is hot and there shouldn't be any water dripping out the exhaust pipe or steam after the engine is hot and the morning condensation has cooked out. The transmission should shift through all gears smoothly and there shouldn't be any loud whiny noises or vibrations ( unless there are children present ). There shouldn't be a cloud of smoke behind the vehicle at any time after it is warmed up, when you are driving. The oil pressure should be mid-range at least 30 lbs. and the temp. should run about mid-range or 180-190 degrees. Go with your intuition. It isn't going to be perfect. The clutch should have been replaced when the engine was rebuilt. Have a look at the itemized bill. The tires shouldn't be worn uneven,they should maintain even air pressure, and they shouldn't be worn close or beyond the indicator bars that join tread runs.
 
Put it this way, any vehicle with that kind of miles is going to have some basic problems-maybe some major problems.
Check to see when they replaced the clutch. Chances are if they did rebuild the engine they probably put a new clutch in at the same time, i would have. Ask about the brakes, the exhaust, if it has ever been wrecked, that kind of thing.
The exhaust shouldnt be louder than any other car, but wranglers are notorious for wind/road noise when you get up to highway speeds. The soft-top just flaps and makes alot of noise. Just turn the radio up and you will be ok!.
Honestly though i love Jeeps but thats a old vehicle. I would try to find one a bit newer if i were you.
 
Of course it's not still good. Are you kidding? With that kind of mileage, you'd be crazy not to figure on doing some sort of repairs every year, and bearings would not in any way be out of the question. For sure the u-joints don't all last this long. Stuff is going to be wearing out all the time.

If you don't mind that, it'll be okay. It might last for years, until a major component wears out, and then you'll be faced with the live/die decision.
 
Back
Top