In this video we test out the full capabilities of a bone stock Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ. The results were impressive considering it had bald tires and blow shocks.
Awesome! The WJ is built to handle. I got a 99 and converting it into a rock crawler. Once you put a cage on them these beauties are unstoppable. Great video
There is a video of a stock Overland doing Hell's Gate like it's a Sunday drive. Rivian did a video of their R1T doing Hell's Gate and they are bullying that barge up.
I just have the 2 inch lift kit, new shocks, track bar, steering dampner and 31 M/Ts and I can honestly say I'm very surprised the capabilities of my WJ. I love this thing!!!
It's incredible how these stock WJs (and ZJs for that matter) are so capable. Well, after all they're Jeeps, the heritage shows. Great SUVs with so much character and capabilities.
I'm on my 3rd WJ. They've surprised my friends with how capable they are. If you don't have a trailer hitch to hook to, wrap a strap around the axle tube looped back through itself and pull it tight. Run under the gas tank and tuck it in the hatchback or back window. You can do the same thing on the right front and over the hood using the antenna to keep it on the hood and tuck it in the right front door. Definitely do it BEFORE being stuck. Most WJ's lack hooks. I've been through water splashing the hood, just gotta keep the right speed for a bow wave, intake is behind the driver's headlight. 4 High Off Road in mud clears the treads and keeps momentum, 4 Low rarely, hills and rocks. 245/75/17 fits with no lift.
What happened to your other wj’s I m thinking about getting a wj with a 5.2 engine any other tips,pros and cons,top twenty problems I should be aware of Is this your favorite Jeep
This is a really impressive performance for a stock WJ with bald tires and bad shocks. I own a 2004 WJ Overland that runs and a 2004 Laredo V8 that will run soon, so it is inspirational to see that these trucks can handle even without any suspension mods. The High Output 4.7 V8 engine in the Overland gives it some serious g-force inducing acceleration and even if I had the money, I'd still remain loyal to the WJ generation.
Just had a new engine put in my 02 Overland after I had to let it sit in a warehouse for 9 years. Man did I miss her. And nothing like the HO. Feels like you have all the torque available the instant you touch the pedal. Can even idle out of 3 feet of snow lol.
I love my 01 WJ. I put a 3" IRO/RC lift on it and a fully adjustable front end with 32's and I love it. Except for the open diff's, it has really been exceptional for the money. I think I'm going to go with a lunchbox locker in the rear and get a Variloc front differential to resolve the only real issue I have.
Ive seen WJ's show up and hurt feelings many times haha especially the Overlands. Never gets old seeing these wildly kitted vehicles get bogged then a WJ just skitters over it. I admit I own a 03' Overland and enjoy it! Great vehicles.
Very, very capable 4x4!! On one trail where we often go there is one very steep and rough climb. Only WJ and XJ managed to climb. 2 door Rubicon with front and rear locker didn't make it. They were all on MT tires.
@@Robdutton91 I agree. As a ZJ owner, I can say that under identical conditions, no WJ/ZJ with stock open diffs is going to out perfom a Rubicon. The XJ has them, too, but is 700 lbs lighter than the WJ/ZJ.
4" IRO long arm kit, Rear locker will go a long way here. But then again With the mud you have there maybe a front locker as well. Love mine it's a blast on the trails.
Great video, I have a stock 2001 grand cherokee 4.0 has 104,000 on it, very well maintained inside and out its my only vehicle and daily driver for now but I do plan on getting some nice 245s AT tires and doing a 2 inch budget boost with better shocks not trying to get to crazy with it.
FYI, I put 265- 65 R17 Destination ATS AT's 's on my '02 4.7 Limited HO, a used low mile inexpensive Rough Country 3" budget lift including the dropped transmission crossmember, adjustable track bar from IRO, RC shocks, rock sliders that fit under the plastic Limited lower trim using stock Jeep wheels with no spacers, and double steering dampeners. Next, I want to see if installing quick disconnect sway bar links will free up some more axle articulation. NO rubbing, no death wobble thus far. Don't let them (people or R/C) you the 3" kit doesn't fit AWD or 4WD WJ's, it does. The only thing you might need to do if you have it would be to swap the Rezeppa CV style front driveshaft out for the U-Joint collapsible-expandable Double Cardan affair, possibly the front axle yoke and T-Case yoke(s). Way easy to do, and parts are available cheap used off of ZJ's and WJ's. If you have the Double Cardan front shaft already you are set. Cheers!
The WJ did a great job getting it's self out of trouble. A set of gnarly tires, muffler and a trailer hitch and you will be in business. The hitch can be used for rescue. I have a 2004 WJ and a 2006 WK.
I'm a long ways from having lots of off road experience, but if it were me I would have aired down the tires, bald or not and especially knowing I have a trailer. Also, an old trick with an open diff. Powerbrake then let off the brake until you start to move. The brake keeps the tire with little traction from moving and sends all the power to the one with traction. I'm not too sure how it would work with 4wd engaged, but is certainly an option when all 4 are spinning and you are going nowhere. I enjoyed the video and will enjoy my new to me WJ.
Haha! Bought my '04 with 294,000 miles on it for $500. Totally stock, it ate up the trails here in the Virginia Blue Ridge mountains. I've done a 2 1/2" lift with Rustys off road coils and shocks (gonna be upgrading them soon), replaces the track bar, all the control arms that were trashed. Gettin' ready to install a winch bumper and winch this week, and prolly gonna have to level the front end after. I also want to go to some 31" tires on my 17" wheels. Just Empty Every... well, we all know.lmao WJs are awesome on trail and on the road.
Should have gotten one with Vari-lockers if you are keeping it stock. (That was the factory LSD in WJs). With Open differentials you can install auto-lockers for cheap and have even more traction. Also the air intake sits low on the WJs, you probably got water in the Engine. (Even with my lift and larger tires I have gotten water in the Engine, that is why I now run a snorkel). Not to mention if you didn't extend your differentials and transfer case breather tubes, they probably also have water in them. WJs are the best
I have an 04 Laredo Special Edition (heated leather seats, sun roof, upgraded sound system), 4x4 with the 4.0 i6. Only 116k miles and in MINT condition, like it does not even have a door ding or faded leather, or a single spot of rust, and literally everything works perfect on it. Every light, window, lock, remote start, every speaker, no leaks, no pealing clear coat, no faded plastic. Literally mint condition, like it still has the plastic on the carpet from the original dealership. I love it, paid $5,500 cash in 2022 for it aat only 100k miles, I have had 16k flawless miles of driving, not a single issue yet.
Hello Great video and great off road drive the Jeep passed all the obstacles incredibly well and the sound of the inline 6 cylinder engine at the end👍💪😈. I like a lot the Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ with the inline 6 cylinder 4 liters engine. Continues to make vidéos with your Jeep like this it's amazing. I subscribed to your channel 👍. Good bye. Jean-Pierre
i have a lifted JLU Willys with 35s full jeep performance kit etc. just bought a 03 WJ with the 4.7L HO V8 from my cousin for 1200$ it has 230k mi on it but most of the components have been replaced. i can't wait to throw a cheapo sky jacker kit and some 33's maybe 35s on it just to have a wheeler that i dont care if it gets beat up. thank you for making this video...
I shake my head at that mint XJ. I’d love one just to keep clean. With that said, get a gas tank skid plate for your WJ soon, because yours looks rough (and that’s what holds it in place). Also I believe your trans has a vent tube. If water blocks that, it can cause shift issues.
Miss my TJ's had a 93 lifted 32 inch swampers 318 straight piped and welded rear end beast and a 98 w 4 inch long arm 33 inch mudders 4.0, Cadillac's of the woods , nasty mud holes never stored em and they both climbed mountains awesome rigs
I have a 1997 ZJ. Love it. 5.2 L V8 4x4 230,000 mi runs perfect. I think I can get to 300k no problem. And I have no complaints about the car But, I want an XJ and a ZJ
I am really impressed. Tranny seems tired a bit and I see some smoke at some point, I suspect a leaking headgasket. Wich would explain the sluggish response. But overall, it did very well!
I daily drove a bone stock 01 XJ, steel blue like the one in the opening clip, and saw similar results. often took it out on the trail with bald tires and had blown shocks the entire time i owned it between 80k-165k miles. People were always shocked to see a non lifted, clean xj flying up trails. Miss that thing, but man... what a terrible daily driver lol
Wow that mud scene after the F-150 LOL luckily that was just the right type of clay to carve away better land underneath because if it was like that quicksand suction crap it would be game over immediately I've done it in huge mud terrains and everyone gets stuck trying to help you
Wich one do u recomend 2001-03 2.7crd or 4.0i, and why also planing putting 35in tires on it, i want to do u know a bit mudding, cruising, offroad, noting extreme like going uphill full speed and those things. And what are pros and cons of each one
The problem with this is all WJs are not the same is it a 4ltr 6 or a V8 what transfer case has it got a 242 select track or a 249 full time four wheel drive with LSDs front and back or just open difs with electronic traction control ???
People never would believe me when I only had 2wd cause I blew my front driveshaft doing 50 in 4lo down a drifted shut road. I would make it through so much even in 2 but I had 2” lift and 245/75 directional mud tires.
A thought: I think if you have (Selec Trac) Part Time 4 wd setting that would work better for you here. . .looks like you were in Full Time setting, which is why the tires were spinning at different rates and times so much.
When he checks the air filter box for water, it shows it is a 4.0 straight six not the V8 that someone mentions. Doesn't look like the author replies here but didn't see or hear what pressure he had in the tires.
Word, I bought my 01 4.7 new, 21k on the clock in 2007. She is in the shop now engine #3, 243,000 miles but everything's been gone through. If you can find a clean example, these WJ are more than a sum of their parts. The statement the Jeep are disposable is a myth. The 4 7 is a beast that runs on regular gas and they did such a good job with the ECM programming that it can run with coil wires melted to the valve covers.
I don't know if I'd run to 01 4.7 on regular gas. Probably why on engine 3 so early. The HO is capable of running lower grades but you lose a lot of power. Should really look into the 02 and up 4.7 HO. Much more power and is actually much more reliable.
@@tjobrien4486 it's just a 4.7. Engine one was a little publicized factory recall and they installed the new engine at the dealership. It was supposed to be an issue with the valve seats. Missing VIN code on the engine. I didn't think about it at the time but down the road it could affect the value. The second time I threw a rod. This is after I've done all the 08 cams, 2008 intake and throttle body. Installed headers. If I could do it all over again, I leave the stock exhaust manifolds in place. They're actually pretty good. The thorlies I installed looked almost identical except near the oil pan. The 2008 intake is a little tall though, with the aftermarket AFE cold air intake, the hood doesn't shut right. The intake runner also contacts the excitation connector dislodging it occasionally.
I would have been more impressed if you drove the Jeep to the event instead of putting it on a trailer. It's made to be driven, not carried. But how far did you expect to get with bald tyres? You are lucky you did not ingest water into the motor, it would hydraulic lock and break something.
I had one of these when it was brand new, I had the limited with black leather and all that. I ended up wrecking it in to the dollar general because my ex was hiding in the back seat and jumped out and bit in to my neck. I was just listening to chunga wunga dippin skoal berry. I screamed my brains out and panicked because I though the antichrist got ahold of me or something. I was screaming “oh no help me Jesus ahhhh” I lost control and ran over a stray dog then I crashed in to dollar general going about 40 mph. I ran straight through the glass doors and crashed head on in to register 2. My ex started screaming “help help he’s trying to put his fingers up my butt” some idiot ran up and jerked me out of my jee and like 4 guys started beating the crap out of me and calling me a freak and a pervert. I shit my pants in dollar general and blacked out.
Lots of steam coming up and off the front end under the hood? Now I've been a fan of the jeep brand for years but I won't buy any of the new models!! I'll take anything from 89 to 04 as long as it's got the old 4.0 straight 6 engine is and will be forever the best engine jeep ever used in it's 4x4 vehicle.
No clue about wj but zj wheel quite well stock, as does the xj, even tho only barely done anything, just 2inch spacers and 31s my zj does amazingly well,, think much of what see is bragging rights bs,, regardless of model jeep, and is mostly paid for builds, not done by owner driver of it
I’m my opinion, this is the last good generation of the Grand Cherokee. Everything after this has been either garbage or too expensive to want to do anything g remotely close to this. A ZJ/WJ with the 4.0L Inline 6 and the Selec-Trac 4WD cannot be beat. Unless it’s either a Wrangler or XJ Cherokee.
