Hello Group, Being a D newbie I wanted to check in and say hello. Look forward to joining the group and interacting with other D owners. Kinda long post but bear with me, the bragging part should be interesting.
The D is a 1998 SLT, 104100 miles, white, 5.2, P/T - F/T 4WD, I'm not sure about the axle ratio but I'd guess 3.55 because there isn't a towing package installed. Canyonero - as my wife and I call her - did come with the 31x10.5 Wranglers.
Now the thing is we've been driving Voyager/Caravans for years. I've really become fond of them, especailly the 2.5 4 cyl because they're so easy to work on. I can change head gaskets, fuel pumps, and tons of other stuff in my sleep because I've had to do it so many times!
About a month ago our '94 Voyager needed a new caliper and some other work, including a ring job or new short block. I started fiddling and the wife was getting impatient. A nearby garage had a similar Voyager that had been used as a parts van they said they'd sell to me for $200 and I was going to do it? probably still will.
Being that it was a parts van and dirty, the wife wasn't thrilled. I wanted it for a winter beater and to pick up parts, not for an everyday ride, but the wife started looking at new vehicles, especially Jeep Commanders. As far as I was concerned, that was out of the question. I've (wasted money) on too many new cars. Now I just find a nice one a couple of years old.
So last week I was talking to the wife about getting the van from the garage and she said she had something to tell me. Asked if I'd be real upset if she got a used vehicle, then went on to tell me about a D that the husband of a woman she works with who just bought a new truck and wanted to get rid of.
<Warning bragging alert - Bragging starts here>
She said she had already told him she'd take it. I was a little upset and asked her how much it was going to set me back.
Her response?
<Fasten seat belts!>
Free! Yes, free! All I had to pay for was the title and registration.
<The catch?>
OK, the price was right but I figured there must be something wrong with it. She said he'd replaced the tranny a couple of years ago and it had a crack in the windshield, but it'd passed inspection twice and a new windshield is only around $300 installed so no biggie there. She went on to say the A/C wasn't as cold as she's used to and the check engine light was on. When the guy took it to his garage, they claimed it needed new fuel injectors at around $800 plus labor.
I know the place well. They do top work but they replace instead of repair and charge top dinero!
A couple of days later she brough Canyonero home. I looked at the injectors, cleaned the contacts and presto? no more check engine light and the engine is purring like a kitten!
I've gone over the rest of the D and can't find anything. A bit of rust on the underside of the running boards, but we're probably gonna take them off anyway because our short legs have a tough time stepping over them getting out.
Leather interior is pristine. Radio/CD/cassette works perfectly. Everything is near new condition! This weekend I'm gonna pull the brakes to check the pads and shoes, I always do this on every vehicle we get used, and, even if I have to replace them, I can do the work myself so again no biggie there either.
What a deal! We paid around $60 for title and registration and we're driving a cool D!
</Bragging>
Well I said "we" when it should be mostly "she", LOL. I get to drive it a bit but mostly I'll be driving my winter beater/parts van or our old Voyager? sigh.
I'm sure I'll have questions for the group, especially if anyone uses their D for camping and outddor activities. We're a Scouting family so we do a lot of that.
And as you can see I'm kinda wordy (Shhh? I'm not a name or anything but I've worked on air in radio for 25 years? in fact it's 3AM and instead of putting my morning show newscast together I'm posting here!) so I tend to post stories.
I'll also no doubt have lots of questions because this is the 1st FT 4WD we've owned.
<Question Alert>
One thing I've noticed is the oil pressure. It seems to start off around 40psi and then run up to maybe 70-80psi and then eventually back down.
Is that normal for a D with a 5.2?
I checked the oil and it looks like it's not more than a couple of weeks old, nice and translucent gold color, so I guess it's been changed. The oil filter is dirty though, so I'm thinking maybe I should change it this weekend and see if that makes a difference.
Any Thoughts?
I've been going through the archives and it looks like a great, active and informative group. I Hope I can contribute!
prisoner6
The D is a 1998 SLT, 104100 miles, white, 5.2, P/T - F/T 4WD, I'm not sure about the axle ratio but I'd guess 3.55 because there isn't a towing package installed. Canyonero - as my wife and I call her - did come with the 31x10.5 Wranglers.
Now the thing is we've been driving Voyager/Caravans for years. I've really become fond of them, especailly the 2.5 4 cyl because they're so easy to work on. I can change head gaskets, fuel pumps, and tons of other stuff in my sleep because I've had to do it so many times!
About a month ago our '94 Voyager needed a new caliper and some other work, including a ring job or new short block. I started fiddling and the wife was getting impatient. A nearby garage had a similar Voyager that had been used as a parts van they said they'd sell to me for $200 and I was going to do it? probably still will.
Being that it was a parts van and dirty, the wife wasn't thrilled. I wanted it for a winter beater and to pick up parts, not for an everyday ride, but the wife started looking at new vehicles, especially Jeep Commanders. As far as I was concerned, that was out of the question. I've (wasted money) on too many new cars. Now I just find a nice one a couple of years old.
So last week I was talking to the wife about getting the van from the garage and she said she had something to tell me. Asked if I'd be real upset if she got a used vehicle, then went on to tell me about a D that the husband of a woman she works with who just bought a new truck and wanted to get rid of.
<Warning bragging alert - Bragging starts here>
She said she had already told him she'd take it. I was a little upset and asked her how much it was going to set me back.
Her response?
<Fasten seat belts!>
Free! Yes, free! All I had to pay for was the title and registration.
<The catch?>
OK, the price was right but I figured there must be something wrong with it. She said he'd replaced the tranny a couple of years ago and it had a crack in the windshield, but it'd passed inspection twice and a new windshield is only around $300 installed so no biggie there. She went on to say the A/C wasn't as cold as she's used to and the check engine light was on. When the guy took it to his garage, they claimed it needed new fuel injectors at around $800 plus labor.
I know the place well. They do top work but they replace instead of repair and charge top dinero!
A couple of days later she brough Canyonero home. I looked at the injectors, cleaned the contacts and presto? no more check engine light and the engine is purring like a kitten!
I've gone over the rest of the D and can't find anything. A bit of rust on the underside of the running boards, but we're probably gonna take them off anyway because our short legs have a tough time stepping over them getting out.
Leather interior is pristine. Radio/CD/cassette works perfectly. Everything is near new condition! This weekend I'm gonna pull the brakes to check the pads and shoes, I always do this on every vehicle we get used, and, even if I have to replace them, I can do the work myself so again no biggie there either.
What a deal! We paid around $60 for title and registration and we're driving a cool D!
</Bragging>
Well I said "we" when it should be mostly "she", LOL. I get to drive it a bit but mostly I'll be driving my winter beater/parts van or our old Voyager? sigh.
I'm sure I'll have questions for the group, especially if anyone uses their D for camping and outddor activities. We're a Scouting family so we do a lot of that.
And as you can see I'm kinda wordy (Shhh? I'm not a name or anything but I've worked on air in radio for 25 years? in fact it's 3AM and instead of putting my morning show newscast together I'm posting here!) so I tend to post stories.
I'll also no doubt have lots of questions because this is the 1st FT 4WD we've owned.
<Question Alert>
One thing I've noticed is the oil pressure. It seems to start off around 40psi and then run up to maybe 70-80psi and then eventually back down.
Is that normal for a D with a 5.2?
I checked the oil and it looks like it's not more than a couple of weeks old, nice and translucent gold color, so I guess it's been changed. The oil filter is dirty though, so I'm thinking maybe I should change it this weekend and see if that makes a difference.
Any Thoughts?
I've been going through the archives and it looks like a great, active and informative group. I Hope I can contribute!
prisoner6
