New Jeep Owner

[Novercalis]

Hello everyone, currently new here, I just bought me a 1996 Grand Cherokee Jeep with 126,000 miles.

Now im here trying to find out from the veterans Jeep users about information relating to 1996 Jeep Cherokee.

Basic questions:

How are the reviews for 1996 Grand C 4x4?
What are the most common Problem?
What do I need to look for right away?

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****EDITED QUESTION***
The only Problem if at all is a problem:not sure if its nomal
however, its an Automatic Car and when I go from Park to Neutral or Drive or any other gear, its a smooth transition.
BUT, when I go from any gears to PARK, I have to apply some force to enter PARK.
Is this okay? if not, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO ASAP?????.....
***END EDITED QUESTION*****



Now, from veterans, I also have these questions:

In general as a Jeep and not the model and year of my car:

What should I check on immediately?
What are the most common mistakes a new person driving a 4x4 vechicle?
What can you tell me to avoid problems with the car.
What are my top prioteries of taking car of my car?

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in related question with the 1996 GC 4x4:

Since it currently has 125k miles, Is the engine strong to continue lasting for awhile, granted the previous owner kept good care of it?
What can I expect in the future with the milage?

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Other misc info:

Well, I dont plan to do any sort of offroading, if at all, Sand/Dirt backroads if at all but I highyl doubt I will be doing any of those fun activity until next year. So I wont bother following up questions to wtf is a TY CJ CY whatever acroynms that is related to Jeeps.

For the most part of this upcoming 8 months, I just plan to use it as a Point A to point B type of car. So I wont even gonna bother messing with the other drives.
However, should I stay in 2WD or 4WD "Full TIme"???...

If I need to go to 4WD "Full Time" whats the proper way to "changing gear"?

im fairly new to everything jeep related, to technical terms, case, etc so be easy on me with the fire.

as far as my SPEC goes:
I dont know.
all I know, from driving all day today, I havent felt a problem at all. I was expecting, from previously reading another forum, to hear a weird EEEEEKKK noise cause someone replied, its normal for a 4x4 to do that.

I just need all the proper information to make my 1996 Jeep last MINIMUM 3 years in top condition.
I paid 5500 for it, did I get a good price or not?
The car has no damage, dent, detailed in and out, a woman scent as well most likely a non smoker.
very very cold AC, the wheels seems to be 22' or 23'.

all help would be appreciate and I hope I get to enjoy my Jeep without much worries.
Cause first search I found about 20 min ago was alot of bad reviews on Jeeps about
ROTOR, BRAKES, Waterpump. (what is a waterpump? thats how much of a NEWB I am).

[John__505]

ok, we should start at the begining.
1, 5500 for the grand cherokee in good shape, some will say you did good, some will say you were robed. it is all up to the owner on how they feel about the jeep.
2 what engine do you have. grand cherokee's or ZJ model came with 2 engines in that year. 4.0L or the 5.2L and both engines are known to go past the 200,000 mile mark with ease as long as you take care of them.
3 here is were you might spend a little money, but see if you have a friend that knows a little about cars to help show you and maybe do for you.
3a. check spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter and fuel filter. also check out the serpentine belt and all the water hoses, these are all things that should be checked out on higher milage cars and trucks.
3b. you should also check out the water pump, if it wobbles or shows any sign of leakage. replace it. also replace the thermostat along with it.
and a water pump acts like your heart. pumping the coolant through the hole engine to keep it cool and not over heat.
4 as for your eeeekkkk noise, have the brakes checked out by someone who knows brakes. yes they can be hard on brakes and rotors.
5 as far as I know, your ZJ is full time 4wheel drive. but not shore of that. if not, then just leave it in 2 wheel drive unless you run into conditions for which you might need 4wd. rain, snow or slick conditions

I myself have a cherokee and not the GC. but if I missed something, then I know others will chime in and give you more info to help you out.
good luck and welcome to the jeep world and to this site.

[renegadestang]

First off, welcome to 4WD and the world of Jeeps.

If you do have the 4.0L (which is the 6-cylinder) one thing to watch out for is a cracking exhaust manifold. It is quite popular on the 4.0L's and you can either replace it with a stock manifold again or upgrade to a header.

You shouldn't really need to ride in 4WD-FullTime (4FT), 2WD should be fine. However, if you wish to shift to 4FT, you may do so at speeds under 45 or 50 mph. No need to put the tranny in neutral or anything.

Common mistake for a new person driving a 4X4: Top heavy. It's not a sports car. And having the "go anywhere" mentality. Just because you have a 4X4, doesn't mean you can make it through anything.

Other than that, enjoy your Jeep. If you feel the urge, GET IT DIRTY! It's its heritage. :biggrin:

And don't be afraid to ask any and all questions, someone will likely have an answer.

[Novercalis]

oh I do plan to get it dirty. the only time I expect to clean the outside of my car is when I got bird ****.

well im not the extreme or hardcore 4x4 guys doing climbing and whatnot.

im more into the bumpy dirt roads, mudding, sand.
so I know when I wish to enjoy doing that, I will need proper tires.
And if im going tires, I think im going to 30' so I will come back later about learning how to lift or how much Im going to be spending etc and any other info that im not aware of.

hrmm, i do have that mentality of drive anywhere.. thought that is what 4x4 means.
basically in the sense of, im able to get out of situations other cars cant, GIVEN I have the proper equipment to perform it properly.

[Tex]

hey guys. i too am a new owner as of aug. 7. i have a 95 grd c orvis with the 5.2L V8 it has all-time 4x4. it already has the two offroad lights and towing hooks. there are a few things i have to fix before i start to customize but i want to hear from you guys what i should do to it. i'll let you know i won't have a ton of money and i don't do extreme crawling. i was thinking 3" lift with BFG AT's and a brush guard.

[renegadestang]

hey guys. i too am a new owner as of aug. 7. i have a 95 grd c orvis with the 5.2L V8 it has all-time 4x4. it already has the two offroad lights and towing hooks. there are a few things i have to fix before i start to customize but i want to hear from you guys what i should do to it. i'll let you know i won't have a ton of money and i don't do extreme crawling. i was thinking 3" lift with BFG AT's and a brush guard.

Sounds like you're on the right track. A buddy of mine has an Orvis. Very nice Jeep. With a 3-3.5" lift, you'll be able to fit 31x10.50's under it.

[Tex]

cool. i don't plan to get new treads until mine wear out. that could be a few years. but i'll probably do that. and i'll keep you guys posted. right now i have a few maintenance problems i gotta fix like my hydraulics on the rear door are out. a/c needs freon. gotta check a slight oil leak and reverse lamp is out. and some other even more minor stuff. i'd show a pic but i don't know how to attach one.