What were the first year TJ problems?

JoshNZ

TJ Enthusiast
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People say they won't buy a JL until all these early kinks are sorted out (steering, weld quality etc)
I know the later JKs are far more desirable than the early ones, more so because of the powertrain and interior, but leads me to my question;

What problems did the 97,98 TJs have that were later ironed out??
 
I'm not sure but I figured that after the first or second year of just about anything, the new ones are generally OK and even whatever was wrong with the originals would have been taken care of by that time. I know we don't have to worry about anything like the JL's weld issues but the older the TJ the more likely rust can be the problem.
 
The 97-99 models suffered from easily crackable exhaust manifolds. Not sure about anything else.
 
Well i would not say they are problems. But the 97 and 98

still have distributors

sliders in the ac rather than the dial

Most all parts are the same.

One thing that I personally feel is a positive the manual transmission is the AX-15.
 
Were there even first year problems? Seems like all the problems occurred with the last year models (05-06).

Of course I'd still own an 05-06 any day, but from what I read, it sure seems like issues are more common on the later models ;)
 
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After some research. . . There were problems with the air bags, clock spring. These issues only affected the early 1997 tjs.
 
As someone who bought a brand new 1997 Jeep Wrangler TJ in 1997 (I'd post a pic but I'm at work and have no access to my pic drive), I actually only had 1 issue. At 30,000 or so miles, the oil pressure went to zero one morning. My stomach dropped thinking I just lost the engine. Nope. Was the oil pressure sending unit. I replaced myself.

Seriously, other than that, I literally had no other problems in a tick over 3 years of ownership. Sure, I got her stuck in mud, went thru too deep water and had to change axle and transfer case oils, and had the rusty frame issue (live in salt city.... I mean near Peoria, IL, where salt is used heavily in winter).

Never had recall (were there any?).
 
As someone who bought a brand new 1997 Jeep Wrangler TJ in 1997 (I'd post a pic but I'm at work and have no access to my pic drive), I actually only had 1 issue. At 30,000 or so miles, the oil pressure went to zero one morning. My stomach dropped thinking I just lost the engine. Nope. Was the oil pressure sending unit. I replaced myself.

Seriously, other than that, I literally had no other problems in a tick over 3 years of ownership. Sure, I got her stuck in mud, went thru too deep water and had to change axle and transfer case oils, and had the rusty frame issue (live in salt city.... I mean near Peoria, IL, where salt is used heavily in winter).

Never had recall (were there any?).
One recall I know of was the fuel pump.
Another was a software upgrade having to do with the cat convertor.
Those are 2 I'm aware of.
 
One recall I know of was the fuel pump.
Another was a software upgrade having to do with the cat convertor.
Those are 2 I'm aware of.

I don't doubt it. Funny thing is, I never received a recall notice for anything. In fact, once I left the stealership, my TJ never returned under my ownership!

I'll have to see if I can dig up my old VIN and pop it into the NHSTA website for any recalls on that exact Jeep. That's the National Highway Safety Transportation Admin website. Could be that I missed a recall or ignored ... who knows.
 
As someone who bought a brand new 1997 Jeep Wrangler TJ in 1997 (I'd post a pic but I'm at work and have no access to my pic drive), I actually only had 1 issue. At 30,000 or so miles, the oil pressure went to zero one morning. My stomach dropped thinking I just lost the engine. Nope. Was the oil pressure sending unit. I replaced myself.

Seriously, other than that, I literally had no other problems in a tick over 3 years of ownership. Sure, I got her stuck in mud, went thru too deep water and had to change axle and transfer case oils, and had the rusty frame issue (live in salt city.... I mean near Peoria, IL, where salt is used heavily in winter).

Never had recall (were there any?).
First time I've ever heard another TJ owner with the exact same experience! My very 1st TJ, a '97 SE, bought brand new. We were on the way back from Camp Jeep (had to go, you know, first brand-new Jeep and all) in Vail, Colorado, and in the middle of nowhere, same thing - suddenly no oil pressure. I checked the oil, full...managed to get, slowly, to the next town, which had a Jeep dealership, but it was a Sunday, they were closed. Sent the family home in our CJ-7, I spent the night. Next morning, same diagnosis - sending unit had failed, no part on hand. They put a plug in the sending unit sensor hole, I went on my way. Just before I crossed the Colorado border, I found a little Chrysler/Jeep dealer, they had the part. 15 minutes later, on my way, happy again. Never another issue.
 
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97 models had a TSB for weak valve springs that caused a misfire.

TSB's only apply if a customer brings in a vehicle with a complaint for that issue....so I don't think I had that issue with the weak valve springs.

My 97 was not perfect...besides the oil pressure sending unit, I do recall the oil filler cap on the valve cover (plastic cap) breaking. First oil change (I think) it was on so tight that I broke it...and had to use channel locks to get the rest of it off. Picked up a new aftermarket one at Autozone back in the day.

Being my 1st "new" vehicle, I was opposed to having anyone wrench on it but me. Of course, I was also a lot younger and spent more time having fun (split time between the Jeep and Harley back then) than doing much else!
 
First time I've ever heard another TJ owner with the exact same experience!

Funny. My 97 was a Sport. I had SUCKER written on my forehead that day I bought mine.

I had a 79 CJ that I had sold just a year prior. I wanted another Jeep so bad...and looked at YJ's in late 1995. In early 1997, I just HAD to see the new TJ. Walked in, there it was....Red, Sport model, tan hardtop and tan interior. 4.0L and 5 speed manual. Drove it home a few hours later. Wife saw it when she got home. She had no idea, and neither did I, that I was buying one that day. But it worked out! For a period of time, I was either on the HD or in the Jeep, both with "tops off" and manual trans. Good times.
 
I only had that SE for six months or so. That's all the time it took me to realize the 2.5 engine and I did not see eye-to-eye. Luckily, I found a buyer who was dead set on getting a 4-banger. I then bought a new Sport. :)

I not only had SUCKER written on my forehead, I was carrying the sign around...I, too, wanted a Jeep so bad, I was willing to settle for the SE, as the Sports had not yet made it to our part of the world...it all worked out in the end.


No SEs were harmed in the making of this story...sorry if I stepped on any 2.5 toes...
 
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I bought my '97 TJ May 1996. The very early models had a few minor easily fixed problems... the radiators tended to leak where they were sealed, the 4.0 header cracked from engine torque, and some had weak valve springs from a bad batch. All those problems would likely have been fixed long ago by now.
 
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The Sport and Sahara models came with 3.55 axle ratios if you ordered or bought them with the upgraded tire and wheel package that included 30" tires and alloy wheels. Might have been standard on the Sahara.
 
People say they won't buy a JL until all these early kinks are sorted out (steering, weld quality etc)
I know the later JKs are far more desirable than the early ones, more so because of the powertrain and interior, but leads me to my question;

What problems did the 97,98 TJs have that were later ironed out??

Don't know how I missed this thread before, but FYI that I created something similar here.