Best products from r/GrandCherokee

I just got an 08 WK Limited 5.7 with 51k on it. Here is what I did immediately, I have the previous service records and it seems as though some of the work may have been done, it wasn't 100% clear and I just wanted to know a baseline.

Replace PCV Valve (cheap part, just unscrews by hand to replace, super easy), Clean Throttle Body (remove air box, remove throttle body, clean with ONLY isopropol alcohol and a clean rag) and install Billet Technology (or equivalent) Catch Can. This is all done because the PCV system on the Hemi basically sucks, you'll see when you remove the throttle body that it will most likely be gunked up, the PCV lets too much oil through. This is cured with the catch can. Immediately helps throttle response and minor hep to fuel economy.

Replace MAP Sensor. Honestly not really sure why, all the forums say do it, it's a $20 part and basically pop-out, pop-in replacement. A little tricky to get your hand in behind the manifold the get it, takes some maneuvering but be patient, you'll get it. Said to have positive effect on fuel economy.

Replace EGR Valve. This can be tricky as the alternator blocks one of the bolts. Many people will tell you to cut the bolt and install a new shorter one. This seems like a lot of extra work to me. I just removed the belt (easy to do) and unbolted the alternator (2 bolts). This took me all of about 6 minutes to do, then the new EGR (and new gaskets) just bolt back on.

While I had that off I replaced the serpentine belt. Cheap enough, and why the hell not, now I know exactly ow old it is. While you're in there check all your pulleys, tensioner, etc. Make sure they move smoothly and quietly. I forgot this step and I DID have a squeak I wanted to address. I still have said squeak. Next nice day I'm gonna get back in there and check.

Spark plugs. I have an 08, so it wasn't hard. Unbolt each coil, gently crack the plugs with a ratchet (I have a great plug ratchet set I'll link below, get it, it will help with all your plug changes on any deep well hemi). Change your plugs. I got the Champion 57- Copper core generally the recommended plug), dab of dielectric on the end (no anti-size, I don't like it, I change plugs every 30k so I shouldn't need it, some say anti seize leads to accidental over-torque, personal preference I guess). Gap plugs to .44 and torque to 13ft.lbs.

Next I did K&N drop in air filter, swapped my air resonator for a SRT Inlet tube (take off, bought online for $20 shipped, search the STR forums for the for sale items) and extended the drain hole for more air inlet. Sounds great, that throaty cold air intake everyone loves without the risk of slurping up some water and hydro locking. Be sure to perform regular main on the filter, clean and il it as required by the spec.

Oil change. Mobil 1 Synthetic, 5w-20 & Mopar filter. Because oil change....

I also installed the fumoto quick valve to change my oil easier. It scares some people, I looked it over and feel confident that it will not open accidentally, it has a decent spring type safety.

I plan to soon flush and fill tranny, radiator, transfer case & differentials. After that is all done I may swap out a few more sensors. IAT, O2, Crank Position, etc. With all that complete I will feel as confident as I possibly can in the maintenance of my Hemi.

I may point out that i'm not really mechanically inclined. I have just been doing a lot of research on forums (jeepgarage, cherokeesrt8, jeepsunlimited, etc) I founds lots of good write ups, reviews and information. Take you time, do your research and everything will be there.

Generally my truck runs smoother, quieter, more powerful and a little better MPG. It's only been about 100 miles since I did all this, but for the overall $$ I spend (under $400) it was totally worth it. At a dealer my guess is this is like 1500 worth of work. Below are some links. Have fun.



Tune up kit
http://www.amazon.com/GRAND-CHEROKEE-COMMANDER-5-7L-HEMI/dp/B003ZW9EUM

Spark Plug Tool
http://www.amazon.com/KD-Tools-3-Piece-Magnetic-Universal/dp/B000NIEECO

Fumoto Oil valve
http://www.fumotousa.com/parts.php?partname=F106N&partnumber=33

Spark Plug Change Tutorial
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f156/diy-hemi-5-7l-spark-plug-change-50750.html

EGR (I didnt follow exaclt, i just removed alternator, this shows all steps including cutting botl. You choose your own adventure here...)
http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?516169-DIY-how-to-install-a-new-EGR-w-pics&highlight=egr%20valve

PCV Valve
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f67/changing-pcv-valve-1336134/

Throttle body cleaning
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f67/throttle-body-cleaning-tips-1342502/index2.html

MAP Sensor (start at post #8 in this thread, thats where the good info starts, but feel free to read from beginning if you want)
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f67/5-7l-map-sensor-location-1340713/

And for ALL the info on your WK, use this site as your bible.
http://wkjeeps.com/

Hope this helps a bit!!!

Well, we were not in any kind of rush to be honest, so while we could have done it quicker, it didn't take too long either. We drove for roughly 10-12 hours per day (some people do like 18-hour days which I was not going to do). Our first leg was 790 miles/11 hours driving + 1 hour lunch + 1 hour casual stops from Winnetka, CA to Grand Junction, CO. Second leg was Grand Junction, CO to Topeka, KS (790 miles/12 hours + 2 hour lunch in Denver + 1 hour casual stops), then Topeka to Nashville (620 miles/9 hours + 1 hour lunch + 1 hour casual stops) - We could have saved time/gas going to Louisville, but my wife really wanted to see Nashville!. Last was Nashville to D.C. (650 miles/10 hours + 1 hour lunch).

Total time for the trip was roughly 50 hours of driving, and over the course of 4 days/3 nights. The money spent on gas was stupidly low because the Mazda averaged 38 MPG. I think I calculated the total being something like $102, which was phenomenal. The hotels were a different story though. We didn't look for the cheapest - we looked for a comfortable place that was a good deal. I think we stayed in a Doubletree in Grand Junction, Hyatt in Topeka, and Doubletree again in Nashville. We averaged about $180/night for around $540 in hotel fees.

As for what we took with us: We had a 1 bedroom condo (leasing) that we had just moved into 6 months before I got the job offer in Virginia, so we didn't have a whole lot of stuff. I was able to break the lease with the owner (so long as I got him a tenant before I moved out), and the new tenant had just moved to the U.S. from Russia and had literally nothing - so I sold him ALL my furniture for a cheap price, gave my TV to my sister, and didn't have to worry about anything else. We then crammed the car with all the clothes we actually wear, donated the leftovers, and packed up our plates/flatware, two laptops, and misc kitchenware into the car. We saved a good amount of space by not using suitcases and instead used boxes from Costco to hold the kitchen stuff, and trash bags for clothes.

If you're bringing a cat, I think you would definitely want to stay in a motel along the way, haha. They don't like being crammed up for too long. If your cat is good with cars, then I'd say let them roam. If they hate cars (like my cat from many years ago did), then I'd say get a soft carry-bag for pets and stick them in it.

And lastly the dashcam: This is the exact dashcam I purchased from Amazon. It has worked great and I have not had any issues with it whatsoever. The quality is very crisp and clear during the daytime, and the mic works fairly well. Nighttime performance is not fantastic, but it gets the job done. One thing that I did was after every leg of the journey at the hotel, I downloaded all the footage from the dashcam and saved it on my external hard drive. At the end of the trip I had our entire trip in raw footage, which I plan to consolidate into a 10 minute film in the near future.

Okay, take all this for what it's worth (your mileage may vary, I am not a lawyer, I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, yada yada yada).....

I bought an '02 WJ in Feb (to replace my '01 XJ) and had similar issues like you're describing. Based on my experiences with my XJ previously, when it comes to the cooling system I tend towards doing a complete overhaul in one go rather than addressing one component at a time.

For your rig, you've got 4 main components to deal with (in my opinion) when it comes to the cooling system:

• radiator & cap
  
• water pump
  
• thermostat
  
• electric fan and relay/controller
  
  If you've already replaced the fan & relay/controller, you should be able to (mostly) rule that out. If you need to check and see if it's running, physically pop the hood and look. It should also be on full time when you switch the AC on.
  
  You've replaced the waterpump, but you say it's "steaming". From where? Grab a flashlight and see if you can figure out where the steam is coming from. It might simply be that you either didn't torque the bolts down enough and it's leaking under pressure, or the surfaces the gasket sandwiches between weren't cleaned resulting in a poor seal, or a combo of both. If it's visibly coming from anywhere around the gasket, you might need to pull the pump and re-do it with a fresh gasket & gasket sealant. Make sure the surface of the block is scraped clean of all the old gasket material and use a good gasket. I have a low opinion of the ones that come with the water pumps and will spend the $$$ on a Fel-Pro (Fel-Pro 35629 water pump gasket).
  
  Check your coolant for debris, particles, any fines or silts that you can see, etc. If the radiator has never been replaced, odds are good that in the 16 years your WJ has been running the radiator is clogged. If you replace the radiator, a good flush of the cooling system will get rid of most of that junk so you don't end up clogging the new radiator and get a fresh 50/50 mix of coolant in there. Top it off with a new Stant radiator cap while you're at it.
  
  Same deal with the thermostat, it may simply be time to get a new one. Consider getting a new housing & gasket while you're at it. Not necessarily a requirement, but I tend towards replacing the housing when I do the thermostat "just because".
  Stick with the OEM 195° thermostat - I ran my 4.0L XJ with the 180° thermostat during the summer in Vegas (100°+ routinely for months) and it noticeably helped but I went back to the 195° thermostat after summer temps ended. If that's your climate, the 180° thermostat might be good for a while but I don't recommend it as a straight replacement.
  
  Is replacing nearly everything in the cooling system overkill? Maybe so, but I take into consideration my WJ is 16 years old (like yours) and I have no idea what kind of maintenance the previous owner has done. So it may cost a little bit, but it's worth it to me knowing all the main parts to the cooling system are "like new" which should eliminate overheating issues.
  For a little bit of perspective on why I think that way (ie- total overhaul) this is what the thermostat on my '01 XJ looked like when I replaced it a few years ago: https://imgur.com/a/FvZQi9E
  The extra ring looking piece to the right of the thermostat is piece of another thermostat that was inside the block.
  When I replaced the radiator on my WJ, I pried off one of the end tanks the core was clogged like you wouldn't believe.
  
  Once you've gone through all that, you also have the option of installing a mechanical clutch fan. This thread on JeepForum gives some good info and links. The tl;dr for that is to go grab this Hayden 2787 fan clutch and this Dorman 620-602 fan and spin it onto the threaded nose on the water pump.
  
  I've got the Torque app with a bluetooth OBD-II scanner so I can check the real numbers vs what the dash gauges are showing. Trust me, you can be running hot before the temp gauge starts to creep past the halfway mark.
  
  After replacing all the bits & pieces I talked about above, and installing a mechanical clutch fan, my WJ is running cold. Yesterday was high 90s here in Vegas, and idling in a parking lot w/ the AC on the temp never broke 200°. Creeping through traffic on the freeway w/ AC on hit 206°-210° but didn't get higher. Driving about 75-80mph for a while, and it was in the 190°-195° range.
  These are the same temps I was seeing with my XJ after I did the cooling system overhaul, so I have no doubt when it starts breaking 100° here in Vegas I won't be seeing any overheating issues with the WJ.
  
  

For my WJ, I removed the electric fan entirely because the relay kept failing, even after replacing it with a brand new relay four times. I still don't know why that kept happening. I replaced the electrical fan with a beast of a mechanical fan, an 11-blade viscous-clutch fan. The only way to remove the fan shroud (which is what the electric fan mounts to) is to also remove the mechanical fan, sadly, as far as I know. To make things easier, I only have the fan shroud attached by the top two bolts, and it stays on absolutely fine with no vibration or anything. It's nice not needing to worry about electronics failing now... the fan just always runs when it has to, and worst-case, the clutch is the only thing that can fail, and if it does then it will just be stuck on full blast all the time which is literally fine lol.

If you're interested, here's the setup I have for the mechanical fan, which is guaranteed to keep the engine even cooler than the electrical fan ever could:

The fan blades

The fan clutch

You'll need to get from your hardware store: four m10x1.5x12mm bolts. My hardware store didn't have any of that exact length so I had to get 25mm length and just cut them down to 12mm. Pretty easy with a Dremel and cutoff disk.

If you have any other questions, feel free to respond to this comment. I highly recommend upgrading to the proper mechanical clutch fan setup if you're having issues with cooling the engine. For under a hundred bucks you can make the upgrade using the Amazon links above. Hope this helps!!

Some more photos in this album: http://imgur.com/a/cOpga

I can describe what I did if there's interest. I have since replaced it with another setup. This is in a box for now.

EDIT: Here's some background information for those of you interested.

These are the components used:

• 2002 - 2004 WJ Scosche Wiring Harness Adapter: http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-Revers...0EGD72PEJR5V13
  
• Clarion XC1410: http://www.amazon.com/Clarion-Electr.../dp/B00B43LKV0
  
• Logitech Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Adapter: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wirel.../dp/B004VM1T5S
  
• Keedox 12v to 5v step down converter: http://www.amazon.com/KEEDOX%C2%AE-C...+12v+converter
  
• Monoprice 1.5FT Premium RCA to RCA cable: http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-1-5f...rice+cable+rca
  
• Monoprice 1.5FT Stereo male to RCA male cable: http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-1055...0XF8FF2X451CJQ
  
• Custom modified dash trim piece
  
• Nexus 7 2013 tablet (Now with a cracked screen)
  
  I have a factory Inifinity system. It requires, believe it or not, speaker level inputs. I was not interested in redoing the amplifier and speakers at the time. So I needed a way to get a signal from the tablet to the factory amplifier. After reading lots of other accounts, I chose the Logitech Wireless speaker adapter based off the remarks regarding it's sound quality. It also has both an RCA and a 3.5MM out and they can be used simultaneously. It needed to be powered via 5v so I bought the step down converter. A better approach would have been to use a power supply designed for car stereo installations. It would have helped reduce noise and some other issues. From there, the signal needed to be amplified to speaker level inputs. I originally tested a PAC-OEM1 with an output voltage of around 7v. It was barely audible at full blast. I moved onto the Clarion XC1410. It gets LOUD. No doubt about it. I had to set a Tasker profile to automatically reduce volume to a certain level anytime the tablet connected to the bluetooth receiver. With the loud came some noise though. I spent quite a while chasing an alternator whine. Turns out that a short, local ground and a large, direct connection to the battery would substantially reduce noise. ALSO, 3.5MM jacks are connected in some to a ground within the device. This introduced a ground loop. Took me a while to realize that when the 3.5MM jack was plugged in, noise was increased. I removed it and used a splitter from the RCA cables. This had the added benefit of reducing the volume and eliminating the noise. Everything plugs into a aftermarket - factory harness that I wired myself (2002 - 2004 compatible). The real feat was building the tablet cradle. I purchased a $10 case from Amazon and hacked it up. I also scored the black bezel from a junkyard Jeep. The bezel was cut using a dremel until the case sat perfectly. I attached initially using super glue. Then I filled the gaps and reinforced it with a black silicone from GE. LOTS of it. It was stout. I finally added the frame you see in the pictures. The metal frame was really not required but I was banking on longevity. It had the added benefit of allowing me to mount magnets (To hold smaller devices in place like a phone). I ran a 90* charging cable through the grommet on the far right. The tablet case had some material removed from the lip so I could more easily insert and remove it while mounted.
  
  I posed an incomplete writeup on JeepForum: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f20/wj-tablet-bluetooth-audio-amp-speaker-installation-questions-1941961/
  
  After I got the noises ironed out, I rocked it for a while and really enjoyed it. A bluetooth OBDII reader fed it diagnostic information. Lux did great for brightness control. Tasker for profiles. Then I accidentally cracked the N7 screen and the party was over. It just so happened that someone was selling an AppRadio setup the next day so I scooped it up and am running that with an MK809iii now. This old setup is being sold on Ebay and Jeepforum if anyone is so inclined.

I had been keeping an eye out for replacement headlights for months and given the other recent thread I found some projector beams that look good. These are for an '04 WJ Laredo, and Amazon says they won't fit (but they do).

amazon - spyder sonar

I think the 02-04 WJ stock lenses are clear where the turn signals are, so the three bulbs for turn signals and parking lights are amber colored. For me, installation was simple -- just swap the bulbs from the old headlight to the new. Although I do need to replace some of these bulbs as the amber coating is flaking off. The only difficulty was the headlight bulbs are much tighter in the Spyder headlights, but gentle pliers fixed that.

Installation took about an hour as I took my time. I have not connected the LED halo or three outside LED accent lights yet. When/if I do, I'll tie those into the center parking light.

They were very aligned to level after installation. The instructions say to pull up to a wall, mark the center of each bright area, then back up 25ft and compare. The brightest areas should be the same or a little lower. Mine were at the same height which I may turn down slightly, but the right (passenger) side is pointed leftwards a bit. The final picture in the album shows the hard cutoff these projectors have. Even with the stock Sylvania 9005/9006 bulbs, the headlight illumination is much better.

I used this 3M kit on my WJ when I still had it, and it came out looking fantastic. If I spent a little more time and was less nervous on doing it, they would have been 100% clear, but they were probably 90% there anyway. Here's a comparison!

I know it's a little hard to tell, but the headlight on the left of the picture was done with the kit, and the other hadn't been done yet. It definitely was a big difference (for both appearance and brightness during night driving) and I'd recommend using it if you have the time, patience, and cordless drill for it!

There should be a stored code from the airbag light which would help with figuring out what's causing it. You won't get it with a scanner that only pulls CEL codes. A dealer could get it, or you could something like this. I have one and I was able to get ABS codes from it.

Good luck with the blend doors. I almost wish our Jeeps had the Takata airbag issue because then I'd have the dealer replace the blend doors, heater core, and a/c evap while they had the dash off to do the airbags. Just so I wouldn't have to worry about them.

Looks great! Just FYI, looks like an Amazon seller used your pic. https://www.amazon.com/1999-2004-American-Window-Compatible-Cherokee/dp/B07VRPV17C/ref=sr_1_195?keywords=Jeep%2BGrand%2BCherokee%2Bvinyl&qid=1565798256&s=gateway&sr=8-195&th=1

Yeah they are pretty stiff but they handle oversized tires really nicely. I was hunting down the cause of some gnarly deathwobble after lifting my WJ and I believe the Bilsteins had something to do with fixing it. All it took was adjustable LCAs, 4 tierod ends, new front upper bushings, new coil insulators, bigger track bar bolts, stiffer trackbar bushings, bilstein shocks and 2 alignments. Piece of cake.....

Also, I got mine off of Amazon pretty cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Bilstein-Cherokee-Monotube-replacement-absorbers/dp/B01N6LDQ1U/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1DQ0A8WVOBD3U&keywords=bilstein+5100+jeep+wj&qid=1570146305&sprefix=bilstein+5100+jeep%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-3

Thanks!

I bought these bars from a friend.

And I bought a Rola rack at a local truck supply store. Sorry...not sure which model specifically.

These cross bars and these yak holders. Really recommend the yak holders as they have held up great over a year now.

are you doing front or back or both?

I used bosch quietcast for the front pads, and acdelco professional for the front rotors. You need 2 rotors and 1 set of pads. It was under $140 shipped for everything and i have over 10k miles on them. Make sure to lube your brake caliper guide pins when youre doing the brake pads.

Front Pads: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008HZK38Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Front Rotor: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010FU05Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did my rear brakes a few years ago and used oem parts. But I am happy enough with the front brake performance that I would use those brands for the rear and not oem in the future.

​

Edit: I have a 2005 wk w hemi

Thanks it's been a lot of work! They are Spyder Auto Jeep Grand Cherokee Black Halogen LED Projector Headlight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003066NJ8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_pxUWzb732ZS0R

That’s ok I’ll look some more. I found this , dose yours look like this with a front plate?

Bought these in Jan. Easy as hell to install (ignore the reviews, they put better instructions and label everything with easy peel stickers not because of the bad reviews). They're solid too.

2011-2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Crossbars Roof Luggage Racks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RDL78G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_xboESWD3Nxlwq

I highly recommend this 3m headlight restoration kit.

It worked great on the one WJ headlight I did. It did all I could ask for, but the pitting in places was too deep. I bought a set of new ones on ebay for $80.

The quality is not OEM, but for the money they're spectacular and you would think they're OEM looking at the face.

The only issue is regular 9006 headlights won't go into the low beam housing. You need to use 9006xs bulbs which are a straight piece instead of having the 90 degree bend for the plug.

BlueDriver Bluetooth Professional OBDII Scan Tool for iPhone, iPad & Android https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00652G4TS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0cW6yb390S8QP

However if you haven't already brought your jeep in for the airbag module that might clear that up

What code reader do you have? Basic OBD2 readers will not pull many codes compared to more expensive readers. You can get a BlueDriver for around $100 and is well regarded.

I got my Rola for less than $200. It's the one you see in the banner pic.

I started with just the standard basket
Later I added the extension

This is just about the cheapest option for a decent roof rack. Other than some minor rust (Mind you I'm in AZ, so rust isn't much of an issue for me) the rack has been great. The weak link in the setup is actually the factory crossbars. They both collapsed on mine under the weight just my spare and HiLift. So that's something to keep in mind.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008RDL78G?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title

I haven’t yet seen a roof basket that doesn’t require crossbars.

I’ve got the Brightlines crossbars, which were $99 US. I’m not sure what shipping would cost to Canada. Check for eBay sellers too.

https://www.amazon.com/Spyder-Auto-Cherokee-Projector-Headlight/dp/B003066NJ8/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521481017&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=jeep+wj+spyder

Been using these since June 2016 with no issues. I read that this brand sometimes had some issues with moisture getting in, but I haven't seen that yet.