Looking at a CHEAP 98 ZJ w/ a 5.2L

I'm looking at a cheap, I mean really cheap ($350) 1998 Grand Cherokee ZJ with a 5.2L. It has 138K miles on it and its been sitting for a year. It will need a cat back exhaust, has Trans, TCase and engine oil leak. Radiator was low on fluid as well. Engine did run fine once we filled all the fluids. There was a code for a open circuit on injector #8. No heat but was running at for a long time and didn't over heat. Only defrost vents work but again no heat coming out. The drivers door lower hinge bushings are shot and someone closed the door and broke off the latch inside the door. The interior was spotless with no rips or cig burns. the underside of the Jeep was rust free. Is this a good buy to put some work into it?


Thanks guys, love the forum.

Sounds like a pretty good deal, if you can do the work yourself. Parts are fairly plentiful.

If you have the time and money to put into fixing it then go for it. Or you could part it out and likely get more out of it than you paid.

The defrost only is likely a vacuum leak (mouse probably at through a hose and probably a few wires which could be the issue with the open injector circuit) and the no heat issue could be a blend door issue, clogged heater core, or maybe a bad heater valve (if equipped is under the hood)...

Luckily there were many ZJs made and you could likely find anything you would need in a salvage yard.

I bet your right about there being a mouse in there that either ate the wires or the injector or the vac line because I found a rat nest under the air filter.

Thanks for the replies guys. Keep em coming

If nothing else snag it, get it running good, then pull the engine/trans/T-case and swap it into a CJ/YJ/TJ or even better MJ/XJ!!!

Oh and I ran the Vin # and its not a flood, salvage or wrecked Jeep. No accidence reported. Clean report.

Sounds like a great deal to me! Shoot, I got $350 from a junkyard for my totaled 96 Toyota Corolla.

$350 well shit send it on down under .....spares for barbie ....

Thanks guys, I will be getting it. I'll post pics of it when I get it.