Topic: 97 Wrangler

[outrunthemoon]

Hey guys,

Right now I'm looking at a wrangler and I've checked it out and I need some help.

As I said it is a 1997 Wrangler, 120k, standard, 2.5L 4 cylinder. They are asking about $4,400

There is very little rust, minor surface rusts that I can take care of. Also it has the zipper windows, when you are inside on the passenger seat look at the window, you can peel back the Velcro  surrounding the window framing. Inside is a considerable amount of rust, now it is hard to tell where the rust is coming from. The bar is rusty but again looks like surface rust. I poked and prodded at the bar and found no weak spots or holes. Both my father got underneath and inside and pretty much all around to look for rust.

The interior is good, there is a rip in the seat and a tear in the plastic window but the dealership is fixing that before they sell it.

Now as far as the engine goes, there is a pinging/ticking noise coming from around where all the belts are located. (I'm not mechanically inclined so I cannot tell you any better point of reference and it is hard to tell exactly where it is coming from anyways. The dealers assistant said that the noise is a normal Jeep thing on older wranglers.

Is he telling me the truth? Is it something I should be worried about? So far I've gotten mostly positive answers about the Jeep. Some say I shouldn't buy it. Others say it could be the oil or quality of gas being used. And I should also get a compression test on it. I was also sent to this site by one of the other posters on a yahoo wrangler group.

Sorry it is so long & thanks for all your help!

[neale_rs]

That noise is actually quite common for the 2.5 engine.  A compression test is always a good idea when buying a car but I've never done one and have always had good luck with engines.

[Jeffy]

That noise is actually quite common for the 2.5 engine.  A compression test is always a good idea when buying a car but I've never done one and have always had good luck with engines.

Quite common?  More like a standard feature.  The engine is old school.  AMC old.  The valves will clatter a little till the oil heats up and the lifters adjust.  Even still, they can be a bit noisy at idle.  While driving you shouldn't be hearing them.  That is, unless you have a exhaust leak, or the valves are warn.  The rockers are non-adjustable.

[blacknblue]

I have a 97 2.5 and when I bought it, it had 32,000 miles on it...a rare find.  With my new Banks header I can hear the valves pretty good,  probably what you are hearing.   IF you get a Jeep be prepared to hear different noises from time to time...specially on older models.  Ya say you arent "mechanically inclined"...are you interested in learning at least?  I only ask this because you might be inclined to add performance modifications later on.  Some are easy, some are not,  but a Jeep is fairly easy to learn on.  The 2.5 is rather low in the horsepower department.  Take it for a test drive and see if you like it.  Remember that it is a four wheel drive vehicle and designed for off road use, and handles differently than a car.  It might be too slow for your driving style...in that case check out a 4.0L or slow down.  When I was shopping around I used carfax.com and always checked the blue book value at kbb.com   

[outrunthemoon]

Oh I'm definitely ready to learn. It is one reason why I don't mind it not being perfect. I want to learn how to do the most I can do myself, so I will not have to rely on my dad and/or mechanics. I'm also glad that the power behind the 2.5L is not as great because I do speed, and I know I'll be more careful in a jeep than my current car. I carfaxed the jeep and it is has a clean record. And the blue book value is pretty close. Also the people who have owned it before me haven't made any modifications on it which is another thing I was looking for. One, so I can do it myself and two, I know they didn't tinker around all too much.

[chardrc]

if you are still wanting to track down that noise a good trick is to use a long screwdriver and put one end on where you think the sound is coming from and your ear at the other end.. move it around and see where the sound is the loudest... but as the others have said jeep motors are  louder than other motors.

[Mozman68]

I've got a god damn squeek on mine that I can't find and it's driving me crazy...and embarrassing as it is sometimes a little loud driving around...somewhere from either one of the rear wheels or the drive shaft....grrrrrrrrrrrr

[blacknblue]

Well if you have a current car,  I would say go for it.  As a project car...why not?  Four wheeling is alot of fun...more fun when you can push the limits.  Not so much fun when you break your ride to work!

[Bounty Hunter]

The ticking is most commonly an exhaust leak.  Check the front and rear studs on the exhaust manifold, good chance they are busted and all you see are the holes.  Most broke, and if you were within 8yr/80k miles the dealer would repair it for free.

[jcsanders79]

Is that the asking price or bottom dollar?  Is it a Jeep dealer or used auto dealer?  If its a legitimate dealer you might look into and consider a warranty?  Are you up north?  If not I'd walk on a Jeep with rust inside!  I'd offer $3,800 and go from there.

[Got Wood?]

My 97 had a front end tick when I got it, sounded almost like a diesel, one timing chain later and it purrs like a kitten