Grand Wagoneer ?'s

hey all, lookin' at a GW and got some questions for you jeep guru's. think the rear main seal is starting to leak. i don't mind getting greasy to fix things and make them right, but i have never replaced one of these, how difficult is this? are there any other areas that a leaky seal may create?

it has a/c, however it don't work. the compressor seems to be ok in that it is not seized, and when you turn the fan switch on the blower is working fine. just when you turn the thermostat to get cold air nothing happens.

other than that it seems to be in pretty good shape. very straight, no rust, drives pretty good. i think i could prob get it for $1900.

thanks for any and all inputs, jch

Reply to
Jason C. Heath
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Take a look at

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in either the FAQ section or the message forum. This is probably the single most informative site on the web for owners and prospective owners of FSJs. You can also look on
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and search for "grand wagoneer" closed auctions to get an idea of what kind of condition these vehicles are typically in and how much they went for. I *love* my GW! TJim

98 TJ SE 90 SJ GW
Reply to
TJim

Don't write off the main seal until you're sure the PCV system is in order. Change all the vacuum hoses if they're original. The JGW is an awsome vehicle! Mine is an '88 and people stare at it like it's

40 years old. Jim 88 Grand Wagoneer 89 Wrangler 00 Grand Cherokee
Reply to
Jim Boucher

Here is an article on the rear main seal... on an XJ! It will give you an idea of what your in for.

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Reply to
Billy Tolcher

Not unusual, since the early ones ARE 40 years old :)

Mines a '72, long before there was anything Grand about them. It's a Good Ol' Truck!

Reply to
Kimball

hey guys thanks so much for the info. billy thanks for the link to the main seal fixit site, that answered all my questions. and tjim thanks for the link to the ifsja website. looks like something i could handle, along with a buddy of mine and his air compressor. i almost bought a j10 a few months ago but the deal fell through, now after looking at the the GW's i'm glad, i'm really stoked about picking one of these up. thanks for your time guys, any other input, suggestions, ideas ya'll have whilest i'm shopping here are greatly appreciated.

jch

Reply to
Jason C. Heath

Hmmmm.... Mine's a '90. By then, they had learned from all their mistakes in the 70s and 80s and finally gotten it perfect. That's why they called them "Grand". ;) TJim

98 TJ SE 90 SJ Grand (!) Wag> >
Reply to
TJim

I think the most serious mistake was replacing the early Kaiser grill. :o(

Earle

Reply to
Earle Horton

Absolutely the best snow vehicles I have ever owned. But they are far from trouble free or economical with fuel. I've owned 3 and would buy another if I had room in my garage.

Are you sure the compressor isn't seized? Make sure the clutch engages and disengages when you turn it on & off. If it does, it isn't seized, and you probably need a charge. But first you need to find the leak. An "O" ring is cheap, a condenser isn't. Look for oil along the entire system and you'll likely find the source.

As far as the rear main seal, get a drip pan for the garage. Every one I have replaced has begun leaking again after 3-6 months. I don't recall seeing one that didn't leak. But make sure it isn't just your valve cover gaskets. They can mimic an engine seal leak. I wouldn't try to replace it yourself unless you are certain you can do it.

Run a compression check on the engine, listen for bad valves. Make sure the floorboards and inner fenders are intact - use a magnet!! Drive it a while on a dirt road with the 4WD engaged and make sure it engages and disengages easily. The tailgate windows rarely work more than a few months at a time before the wiring gets all twisted and cut. But make sure it isn't crooked and goes up and down easily, but don't hold your breath....

Dana

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it." - G.W. Bush

Reply to
Dana Rohleder

If you mean the one they call "Rhino Chaser"

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, I have toagree with you on that. In fact, I know of quite a few people who haveretro-fitted their fsj with that grille. That's a subjective call, though.The one they call "razor"
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isvery popular, too. TJim

Reply to
TJim

"Rhino Chaser," I like that. In my humble opinion, and I am always right, the hood and the Rhino Chaser grille were designed together. The "razor" just doesn't fit. Every time I see one of the later model grilles I wonder why it doesn't match up with the hood.

Earle

Reply to
Earle Horton

It is that way mainly because the tooling for the J trucks, the Cherokees, the Wagoneers, and the Grand Wagoneers didn't change appreciably over the life of those lines. Actually the newer grills look pretty good with that hood. I believe the term "Rhino Chaser" was coined after the movie "Hitari" with John Wayne chasing rhinos in a FSJ. TJim

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Reply to
TJim

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