Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ 4L (1996)

Post by **Richard C** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:44 am

a rear fly swatter then

CHR15E · Post by **CHR15E** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:03 pm

Richard Moss wrote:It has done 237,000km so it's allowed a fault or two! So far, it's been easy enough to fix, although I think the rear wiper is also faulty on mine (but less likely to be needed).

True, mine's not that far behind.

Does the environment out there cause any common problems with cars?

Post by **Richard Moss** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 7:35 pm

Heat and dust.

The heat is very hard on rubber components (tyres, wipers, engine mounts, door seals etc.) which go hard and brittle and then fail prematurely. It damages plastic trim - so Rover 800 dashboards would last about 10 minutes! If you don't park in the shade or use a windscreen sun-shade, the interior gets so hot that you can't touch the steering wheel.

Dust gets into everything and if you don't have a cabin filter the interior gets very mucky. Then the strong sunlight - the UV degrades plastics, fades seatbelts, bleaches paintwork and so on.

On the plus side, unless the car has spent its life in Dubai (on the coast), rust is unlikely to be an issue.

CHR15E · Post by **CHR15E** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:01 pm

Give or take what I expected you to say. Obvious stuff really. Nowhere's perfect I guess?

Post by **Richard Moss** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:26 am

I think I'd rather be replacing tired engine mounts or perished tyres than having to fabricate sill and wheelarch repairs. Mind you, I could do with a decent place to do the work - an nice dust free garage with aircon and a smooth, hard, floor. Having to work on a gravel surface is worse than the heat, to be honest.

CHR15E · Post by **CHR15E** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:40 pm

Aside aircon I'm about there. Mind you no heat either.

Post by **Richard Moss** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 6:06 am

I'm actually considering paying to have the are under the carport concreted to provide a hard standing. I would have to sweep it before starting work but it would make life so much easier. 300 quid should do the whole area under a 3-car carport.

Post by **Richard C** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 6:18 am

for 300 quid it would be worth doing

CHR15E · Post by **CHR15E** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:51 pm

I couldn't imagine working on anything other than concrete. So I'd go for it.

Is it possible over time you could turn one or more bays into a garage?

Post by **Richard Moss** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 7:16 pm

CHR15E wrote:Is it possible over time you could turn one or more bays into a garage?

Worth a look but it would be very small, very hot and of course it is only a rented apartment and I don't want to spend too much money on something that's not mine.

Post by **Richard Moss** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 1:10 pm

Looks like there's another job on the "to do" list - replacing the heater matrix (core). Someone has previously bypassed the hoses going in so I assume it leaks.

Unfortunately, that requires the whole heater/aircon unit to come out so I'm currently looking to see if there is a work-round that will allow the heater unit to stay in place. On the plus side, I don't need the heater at the moment!

CHR15E · Post by **CHR15E** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 5:53 pm

Does it ever get cold enough to need a heater? Or is respective of being so hot at a peak?

Post by **Richard Moss** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:22 pm

Winter mornings can be a bit cool but it isn't the most important part of the car, that's for sure.

Post by **Richard Moss** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:24 pm

Something else that causes trouble with the HVAC (Heater Ventilation Air Conditioning) system on these Jeeps is faulty air blend/recirc doors. The aircon on the car is a bit lack-lustre so checking out the doors has now been added to the "to do" list. Of course, it may just need to be topped up.

Good news, though - it passed the "roadworthy" test today so I can complete the transfer of ownership in the next few days.

CHR15E · Post by **CHR15E** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:53 pm

The AC doesn't work in mine. Be nice if it did but I'm not going to bother looking at it.

Where/when's your first trip in it then?

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Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ 4L (1996)

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