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Free 2005 Grand Cherokee Advice

3K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  RmMillertime 
#1 ·
A chick friend of mine ran her 2005 Grand cherokee out of oil and blew the motor and she gave it to me for free.... I debated on parting out as the body and interior are just about perfect... But the gear head in me sees it as a perfect opportunity to open the door on another project!

It a 2005 Grand Cherokee Laredo with the 3.7L V6 ...

So here is my debate

Do I part it out....? Do a stock motor swap to have a daily driver as my lifted f350 gets 11mpg on a good day ...? Motor swap and sell it as is ....? Trade for someone else's wrangler or XJ because they are so much cheaper to work on........??. .Or start a mean trail rig.... Straight axel swap... Put a v8 in it...etc etc...? I mean I did get it for free!!! .....

So please respond with your idea .... Or things you've done ..
And maybe what I'd be looking at price wise....

Any idea where to get a cheap motor replacement that's not a million bucks?

I'm pretty excited here but afraid that even for free it's not worth the money to replace the motor.... But man do I have a love for a lifted WK ...
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Don't think its worth it to try and swap it to a v8. To much switching is needed since the v6 share nothing with the hemis. Trail rig will be lackluster with the v6 and probably lack of 4x4. Since your complaining about gas my 05 hemi gets around the same city. Currently sits at 10.5 mpg average over the last 300 miles. Given its not stock but if you use the hemi the mpg is bad. Lol

Put a junk yard 3.7 in it and do a tune up. Either keep it as a DD or sell it for money is my advice.

But this is all my two cents. Do what you want to your jeep. Lower lifted stock.. doesnt matter what you do just dont let it run out of oil again lol.
 
#3 ·
IMO, Just part it out and dump the rest at a JY. You will have money in your pocket instead of throwing cash at a potential money pit. If the engine was not taken care of, sure bet the rest of the mechanicals were not maintained properly either.
 
#6 ·
Like a recent poster said, you let a car run out of oil.......well in my opinion you shouldn't have a car. I get so mad at people who don't take of their cars and then expect me to fix it. You would need to go around the car and see how it looks. Some things you might not be able to check cause the car ain't rolling.
 
#10 · (Edited)
If you're a gearhead, have the time/money/tools, just get a junkyard engine (I am sure there are plenty around for 05's-06's), throw it in and drive the snot out of it. If you do that, put some Liberty headers on it, a tuner, and call it good. You should, for sure, do better on fuel economy with that setup than you're doing with the F-150. My 06 Hemi, with almost 100 more hp than stock, normally gets 13-15 in town, and 22-23 mpg on the highway. Good luck on whatever you decide.

Also, look at Strongjeff's threads on the V-6's. His is really nice.
 
#13 · (Edited)
#14 ·
Update.... I picked up the jeep and it is quite the knock. Sounds the the wrist pin is gone on one of the pistons. The jeep itself is in really good shape so I am having a hard time just parting it out.

So now I am searching for a wrecked one with a good running motor or going to buy an engine for it. Thought about doing a full rebuild but I am having spine surgury in a month and would like to have it running before then.

So here is my newest curiosity. I've done plenty of clutches and simple mechanic work. Does anyone have any advice for me before I start tearing into this motor. Tips or tricks. What to look for. Also what motors will fit from the liberty's and Dakotas... All help is greatly appreciated!
 
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