There are no major reported issues. The 2.5 gets a bad rap sometimes (as it is underpowered) but with proper maintenance will run just as long as the 4.0. If you are going to do mostly in town driving with a few hills, you will be fine. As far as off road goes it will pull its' own.


Only major things to ask yourself is what are your plans for the jeep? What size tires are you going to run on it? Hardtop or Softtop? etc.

Like with any jeep make sure you check for rust!!

Good luck in your search.

 

Ok, thanks. It will not be a daily driver, or freeway usage. Mostly around our cabin and off road so sounds like a 4 will work. Thanks for the info.

 

I have a 97. No complaints other than it's a dog on the grades. I can hit 70 on the flats easy. Great get around vehicle in the city. Off road, it pretty much goes where my buddies Rubis go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Second on the Dog on grades. When I am in the mountains - I am on vacation and not in a hurry. Other than that - mine was wonderful. My wife and I took several vacations in it for up to a week and even loaded down it was fine on the freeways.
That said - I just sold my 4cyl and have a 2006 rubicon now - for the gears, axles, and larger motor. My 4cyl never got better than 17mpg, and I could get 16mpg towing it with my F250 diesel. Don't buy it for economy - you will get at most 2mpg over a 6 cyl. If you get a smoken deal or find one at a good price well appointed - the way YOU want it, then you will still have a good time.
Or you can do like me and do everything 2x and lose a bunch of money (but still have fun...)
Only you can determine what is best for you and what you will be happy with. Only make the compromises you can live with...

 

I have had my '99 2.5 for about 6 years now...bought it with 125K. No major issues, just maintenance items such as the water pump, alt, ujoints, etc. Oh, my rear pinion bearing on the d35 went out at about 165K, replace it with an 8.8.

 

I was over at a fiends place of business today helping him with a computer issue. He drove my TJ when I first got it 3+ years and and again when we went to help his dad. Today we were going to make a run for some supplies and he asked to drive. He really likes to drive it.

When he was a teenager he had a YJ with the 4 cyl and he often comments on how little power it had. He then put 31" tires on it and found that 4th and 5th were about the same, he couldn't really accelerate in 5th. Then he went to 33s and he said 5th was just about useless. I guess that's why he like to drive my TJ, it reminds him of his YJ except it has more power.

 

Have had my '98 SE for a year now, been happy with it for what I use it for. Works fine offroad and the casual sight seeing rides into the mountains. Have no need to run it over 60 mph but have had it up to 70 a time or two.

Normal maintenance so far, bought it with 3000 miles on the motor rebuild with invoices to prove it. Since then I've replaced all the sensors, the water pump, fan clutch, serpentine belt, belt tensioners, the alternator, entire exhaust system and, the injectors will be replaced soon. Just because those are things IMO that should be done with an engine rebuild and weren't listed on the invoice.

One thing that the 4 bangers are known to have problems with is the exhaust manifold cracking and the two manifold studs in the head can fall out or break. Easy enough fix though and not expensive to do either. Chances are the ones you're looking at have been fixed, the 6 cylinders have the same problem though.

When he was a teenager he had a YJ with the 4 cyl and he often comments on how little power it had. He then put 31" tires on it and found that 4th and 5th were about the same, he couldn't really accelerate in 5th. Then he went to 33s and he said 5th was just about useless. I guess that's why he like to drive my TJ, it reminds him of his YJ except it has more power.

If you plan on running a tire any larger than the stock 27" tire it's even more crucial to re-gear a 4 banger to keep the motor working in the RPM range that it was designed to run. Can't recommend 35" tires for the SE they are too big and heavy for that motor and unless you dump a bunch of money into changing out the D35/D30 they can not be geared deep enough for that large of a tire. 33's on the SE for offroad and mountain driving will require 5.13 gears, 4.88's are ok for flat land but you won't be happy with that gear in the mountains.

 

Thanks for the real life explanations and driving experiences. Sure is difficult deciding......UGGG

 

I love my 98 2.5 with the 5 speed. Ive liked all my 4 cyl yj and tjs. They get the job done just fine. Just turned over 180k today. Original motor, trans, axles and tcase. It will go over 200k easily with proper care.

 

Looks great. Thanks for jumping in with your experience!

 

My 98 4 banger was my favorite Jeep. With stock wheels and tires I never had an issue with the engine. I don't off road and live in a fairly flat area though. The only reason I traded it in was that the auto tran went after about 220,000 miles. Good luck in your search.

 

Thanks