Yet another first car thread.....

[billybob_81067]

tranny swap blows in an exploerer though.

no room to work at all.

What post 90's vehicle IS it fun to swap out a tranny in???

Just did my 95 powerstroke... they had to freakin cram pack that engine in there and left basically no room at all to work on it

The auto tranny dipstick tube was bolted to the back of the head and I worked on that one bolt for probably an hour. 1/12th of a turn at a time!!! WOOT!

[skife]

What post 90's vehicle IS it fun to swap out a tranny in???

Just did my 95 powerstroke... they had to freakin cram pack that engine in there and left basically no room at all to work on it

The auto tranny dipstick tube was bolted to the back of the head and I worked on that one bolt for probably an hour. 1/12th of a turn at a time!!! WOOT!

bluepoint makes a set of ratcheting wrenches, they work miriacles.


'91 suburban wasn't to bad to swap the motor.

[etjoyride]

lol, my parents use the excuse that we need a 4x4 vehicle for the lease to hunt (we kinda do...) but i want a beemer. *sigh* im also a speed demon. and my jeep doesent exactly get the best gas mpg.. do you pay for your own gas//will you?

You mis-spelled bimmer

bentothejam1n- if you're looking to get real good MPG def. stay away form most jeeps. Most other SUV's aren't going to get you as good mileage as a sedan or coupe. If you really WANT an suv but to keep mileage then i believe an explorer should do alright.

[bentothejam1n]

You mis-spelled bimmer

bentothejam1n- if you're looking to get real good MPG def. stay away form most jeeps. Most other SUV's aren't going to get you as good mileage as a sedan or coupe. If you really WANT an suv but to keep mileage then i believe an explorer should do alright.

one of the main reasons im looking at suvs is because how they drive in snow/rain/ice as opposed to a sedan

[etjoyride]

What do you mean exactly? I slide on ice with my jeep (even some in 4wd). last night it went up on to wheels due to a patch of ice i didn't see.

If you're talking about 4wd then you might want to look into some AWD sedans or something.

[Lohman446]

what repairs should i be expecting with an explorer with 100k miles on it?

Probably ball joints. Go with the 4.0 V6, its dang near bullet proof (some early ones did experience lifter tick, but 2000+ you should be good - go for the newer body style, I think starting in 01. Keep in mind that the two door versions of both this and the S10 handle far worse than the 4DR for handling and can be had far cheaper too

Blazers expect ball joints, idler arm, pitman arms, oil cooler lines, intake gaskets, wheel bearings, 4WD motors - I often see $2000+ bills on Blazers under 100K miles.

That being said, if you are getting into 4WD vehicles I highly recommend you have a purchase inspection performed by an independent party prior to purchase.

[billybob_81067]

bluepoint makes a set of ratcheting wrenches, they work miriacles.

Ohhh you bet your butt I had a ratcheting wrench on there as long as I could... it got to where the head of the bolt got so close to the firewall that I had to take the ratcheting wrench off and finish it off with an open end... In fact it did hit the firewall before it finally came out.

[maxama10]

Cherokee would be cool and would work better off road than an explorer or blazer(stock).

Jeeps are pretty reliable too

I drive a Wrangler

MPG suck, even with a cherokee, but if youre only paying every other tank than no worries

You get 4wd and its likely faster than a wrangler

You can get a V8 model hooray for worse mpg and more power

simple things are tto replace some hoses fluids and belts; this is all stuff you can do at home (i cant think of anything else?)

Maybe spark plugs and distributor?

Clutch?

There is a plethora of aftermarket accessories readily available for the cherokee

Most of these can be applied to the 4runner and toyota trucks also

Not to mention theres a ton of forums dedicated to jeeps and specifically the cherokee

[Lohman446]

I would be more concerned of the Cherokee transmission...

The Cherokee (small Cherokee, not the Grand Cherokee) is a better off road vehicle than either the Blazer or Explorer, and has the on road ride to match. The 4.0L inline engine is a great engine but so is the 4.0 V6 Ford and, aside from intake gaskets, the 4.3L V6 Chevy (think a 350 with two cylinders cut off).

Transmissions none are great, but the Chevy uses a 4L60 (700R4 + electronics) that is generally cheaper to repair / rebuild than the A4LD used in the Ford or the various Chrysler options, in fact I would say Chrysler probably offers the weakest transmission in the group.

The V8 was only available in the Grand Cherokee, I would opt for a normal one (small Cherokee) if truly comparing to the Explorer / Blazer. Ford did offer a 5.0 in the Explorer but there is no real advantage to having it. Remember the Jeeps used aluminum rear ends and steel bearings and are well known to have rear end issues - something you should not see in either the Ford or Chevy. If you want pure V8 power in 98? the offered the 360 in a few Grand Cherokees, since I doubt you are going to buy the 4.7 in your price range.

Selectable four wheel drive is better than all wheel drive (look for a lever, switch, selector of some type). Full time four wheel drive vehicles by Chevy / Ford / Chrysler tend to have there own problems and are not as good as those with a selector.

[skife]

I would be more concerned of the Cherokee transmission...

The Cherokee (small Cherokee, not the Grand Cherokee) is a better off road vehicle than either the Blazer or Explorer, and has the on road ride to match. The 4.0L inline engine is a great engine but so is the 4.0 V6 Ford and, aside from intake gaskets, the 4.3L V6 Chevy (think a 350 with two cylinders cut off).

Transmissions none are great, but the Chevy uses a 4L60 (700R4 + electronics) that is generally cheaper to repair / rebuild than the A4LD used in the Ford or the various Chrysler options, in fact I would say Chrysler probably offers the weakest transmission in the group.

The V8 was only available in the Grand Cherokee, I would opt for a normal one (small Cherokee) if truly comparing to the Explorer / Blazer. Ford did offer a 5.0 in the Explorer but there is no real advantage to having it. Remember the Jeeps used aluminum rear ends and steel bearings and are well known to have rear end issues - something you should not see in either the Ford or Chevy. If you want pure V8 power in 98? the offered the 360 in a few Grand Cherokees, since I doubt you are going to buy the 4.7 in your price range.

Selectable four wheel drive is better than all wheel drive (look for a lever, switch, selector of some type). Full time four wheel drive vehicles by Chevy / Ford / Chrysler tend to have there own problems and are not as good as those with a selector.

the 700R4/4L60/4L60E from the factory are rated at 600hp.... but the pumps on the earlier ones sucked so they would burn up easy.

[Lohman446]

the 700R4/4L60/4L60E from the factory are rated at 600hp.... but the pumps on the earlier ones sucked so they would burn up easy.

Dang, considering the amount I end up having to rebuild there must be a lot of 600HP monsters out there....

Especially considering how many are catastrophic failures of the shell and/or planetary gear sets....

Don't trust factory ratings, there under ideal, never scene, conditions.

[billybob_81067]

700R4's have got to be one of the more common trannies to go out! 600 HP my butt. You gave me a good chuckle for the day at least though.



If you do get an explorer with a 5.0 send me the heads off of it and I'll swap em out for a set of E7 heads for ya...

[skife]

700R4's have got to be one of the more common trannies to go out! 600 HP my butt. You gave me a good chuckle for the day at least though.



If you do get an explorer with a 5.0 send me the heads off of it and I'll swap em out for a set of E7 heads for ya...

Hey man, thats what my instructor for automatic transmissions said.
I know they wont hold that, But thats what my instructor said, and it probably is GM's rating for them.

[maxama10]

heh some other options

I saw a Toyota Tercel AWD SR5 parked today in front of the casino in town for sale, probably awsome mpg and fairly reliable, and very cheap id think.

or my friend has a little red Subaru hatchback that has 4wd (selectable)and a little boxer 4banger.
Ive seen it do some pretty amazing things (off road) not to mention you can pick them up pretty cheap also.

and of course with either of these they are hatchbacks and old and 4cyl so the insurance will be cheap which will please the parents

[kosmo]

Blazer/s10 frames are softer than jelly. Not a good vehicle to have in a crash. Not good at all. The explorers interior is nicer too.