The Ellusive 5.9 L

[SLAYER]

Has anyone driven a 5.9 L ZJ?
I just got done with my buddies 5.9 dakota single cab, installing a new 52 mm throttlebody and K&N FPIK (or what ever FLIP FPLK). And threw in some 4.56 gears. My god this thing is evil fast! We were talking and he reminded me of the rare 5.9 L ZJ. I havnt riden in one of them but i could imagine it would be a monster of power. Or dangerous as hell.
Whats the scoop on these ZJ's in hiding? Reliabilty?
:cheers:

[RichP]

They are a rocket, guy I worked with bought one the same time I got my 98XJ. He went hog wild on it thoough, he's a dink [DINKS, Double Income, No Kids] that engine was out and being balanced and blueprinted, head work, $12K later it was back in. We used to car pool so his was a DD from Pa to NJ, 120mi a day. Last time I saw him he had just gotten a new engine that was being built for these long tublar shaped paxton superchargers that he got from an aston martin I think, never saw it finished, he transferred to southern bell. I have heard the tranny can be a problem for parts. He for sure rattled my cage a few times with that thing, I could not believe that the transfer case held up, it would smoke all 4 tires at launch and he had to have the seats rebuilt 3x's before they finally got enough reinforcement. He also went wild with the soundproofing too.. The kicker was the SOB looked bone stock except for the dual exhaust and fatter pirellis....

[SLAYER]

What years did they make them? Id like to find one in desent condition.

[GSequoia]

1998 and only 1998 ;)

[MTjeeper]

I work with a girl who drives a black one, I was trying to tell her how rare and cool it was but she didn't get it. . . oh well. Her's is a laredo, but It's all body color, instead of the gray plastic you usually see along the bottoms, it looks way better this way.

[Del00XJ]

Buddy here in DE has a 98' Limited with the infamous 5.9. 4.5 RE Kit, BB, and whatever else imaginable... Bad Bitch!!!

[scoobyxj]

I work with a girl who drives a black one, I was trying to tell her how rare and cool it was but she didn't get it. . . oh well. Her's is a laredo, but It's all body color, instead of the gray plastic you usually see along the bottoms, it looks way better this way.
If it says Laredo it is NOT a 5.9ltr. Many Laredo's came with body colored molding. My ex's 5.2 Laredo has body colored, and a guy I used to work with had a Laredo that was loaded up just like a Limited, body colored molding. The 5.9 came in one flavor only that was Limited. Hood vents, honey comb grill, and 5.9limited badging are the tell tell sings. I have seen white, silver, and green. IIRC there was black too.

[KarlVP]

Or, you can shoehorn a 360 from a dodge pickup into a zj with minimal effort.

[scoobyxj]

Or, you can shoehorn a 360 from a dodge pickup into a zj with minimal effort. You could but it still wouldn't be as fast as a 5.9 limited (assuming you left the moter stock). They have different heads, and a different computer. There a lot of other things that the 5'9 Limited got over the reguler Limited too.
http://www.nagca.com/nagca.htm

EDIT: You will have to go to the tech section, and then to the vehicle spec. page.

[MTjeeper]

If it says Laredo it is NOT a 5.9ltr. Many Laredo's came with body colored molding. My ex's 5.2 Laredo has body colored, and a guy I used to work with had a Laredo that was loaded up just like a Limited, body colored molding. The 5.9 came in one flavor only that was Limited. Hood vents, honey comb grill, and 5.9limited badging are the tell tell sings. I have seen white, silver, and green. IIRC there was black too.
I will have to look again, I know under the hood It's a got the 360 tags cause I looked, but it doesn't have the gold shit all over it that the limiteds do, it does havd dark charcoal leather and probly every option imaginable though, so I could be mistaken.

[XJoshua]

I love the 5.9 V8s. About 20 of them for sale in Colorado on AutoTrader. Thinking about getting one after college depending on what fuel prices become. My mum has a '98 Laredo and how many time I wished it had the hood louvers and chrome tail pipe I can not say.

There's a video on youtube I believe with a guy doing a four wheel burn out in one, and he's tow strapped to the ground so he smoked them for a good two minutes.

[xrayjeeper83]

5.9's for sale (http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?num_records=25&search_type=both&distance=0&address=32068&style_flag=1&make=JEEP&model=JEEPGRAND&make2=&start_year=1998&end_year=1998&min_price=&max_price=&transmission=&engine=8+Cylinder&drive=&doors=&fuel=&max_mileage=&color=&color2=&color3=&keywordsfyc=5.9&sort_type=priceDESC&body_code=0&certified=&advanced=y&default_sort=priceDESC&keywordsrep=053046057)

Here are a bunch of 5.9's on autotrader

ANdrew

[RichP]

Darn you, found a nice one in NJ for under $6k.....guy is probably a commuter and it's eating him alive gas wise...

[MTjeeper]

yeah that engine gets shit for gas mileage, my mom's durango averages 13 on the highway.

[warpigxj]

my 5.9, not in GC but in my dakota got about 9 on prem, damn i miss that truck. got my XJ so i would not have to drive it in the winter but the jeep took over and i sold it. But for a diffrenet 5.9 minus 2 cylinders but a bunch more power, so i can tow the jeep around cause it not really legal anymore

[RichP]

That never ceases to amaze me, I had a 75 Dodge B200 Maxi van that was built in 76, it came from the factory with a 440, 4bbl holley 850 and a B&M built 727, that big assed box got 25mpg as long as I kept those secondarys closed. Engine ran about 2200rpm on the hiway at ~70mph and that was after I added about 300lbs of interior customizing and running Dunlop LR60x15 qualifter GT's, headers, turbo mufflers and that was it. I also think it was the last year of the non-cat truck exemption. Sold it and bought a 77 Olds starfire v6 4speed, hoping to save money on gas as I was doing field service work in NJ, PA and NY driving over 1500mi a week. What a dissapointment, the olds got the same milage and I could not sleep or live in it. Even now I wish I had it back the way it was, guy in my unit that I sold it to rolled it 2 weeks after he got it...

[ChiXJeff]

There's a video on youtube I believe with a guy doing a four wheel burn out in one, and he's tow strapped to the ground so he smoked them for a good two minutes.

Wait a sec..... looks like a commercial garage, and somewhere in northwestern Indiana?

[vetteboy]

yeah that engine gets shit for gas mileage, my mom's durango averages 13 on the highway.

My daily driver and tow vehicle is a 5.9ZJ. I average 16-17 MPG and drive it 80+ miles for work every day. :) Once the weather gets nice again I'm gonna try and get some track times.

It's fun, it's fast, it's reallly comfortable. Pretty much everything I'd look for in a DD. Best fuel mileage to date is 23.2 MPG over a whole tank, driving back from Virginia to NJ non-stop.

Also tows my XJ pretty well, all things considered:

http://www.phatserver.net/~chris/towrig2.jpg

Trailer has electric brakes on both axles, etc. I'll average between 10-11 MPG towing it the 160 miles each way to Rausch Creek or Paragon.

[scoobyxj]

I've thought about getting one once my XJ is payed off, but damn I don't think I'd ever be able to get more than 9/10mpg out of it! On the flip side thats about what I get with my XJ running around town. Torn, Diesel 3/4 ton 4x4 pu, or 5.9ltr ZJ?

[gregmondro]

Never really saw the coolness factor of the 5.9l ZJs. No bed, SUV handling characteristics, etc.

It is what it is, but when you're trying to class it against "fast" or towing vehicles, it's in a weird spot.

[ebxjbob]

If it says Laredo it is NOT a 5.9ltr. Many Laredo's came with body colored molding. My ex's 5.2 Laredo has body colored, and a guy I used to work with had a Laredo that was loaded up just like a Limited, body colored molding. The 5.9 came in one flavor only that was Limited. Hood vents, honey comb grill, and 5.9limited badging are the tell tell sings. I have seen white, silver, and green. IIRC there was black too.


Yup, its prob a 98 GC special edition, its a laredo with the full body color paint just like the limited, Jeep also made the special edition grand cherokee in 04, same idea...The cherokee "classic" model is also like that, sport interior(96) with body colored flares etc like the country/limited, the 98-00's have different seats then the sport though

If its not a 98 i'm sure dealers would paint the plastic panels on request for some more $

[scoobyxj]

Yup, its prob a 98 GC special edition, its a laredo with the full body color paint just like the limited, Jeep also made the special edition grand cherokee in 04, same idea...The cherokee "classic" model is also like that, sport interior(96) with body colored flares etc like the country/limited, the 98-00's have different seats then the sport though

If its not a 98 i'm sure dealers would paint the plastic panels on request for some more $ IIRC 98 deleated the gray plastic, and all where body colored. I am not real shure on that. Just was thinking I read it somewhere.

EDIT: Nevermind!

[gregmondro]

I'm pretty sure that isn't right :)

verified by nagca
http://www.grandcherokeephotos.com/thumbnails.php?album=7

[scoobyxj]

I did a bit of looking real quick gray molding is supposed to be the only trim option for Lerado, but that isn't true. It also stated only crome grill, and that's not right eather. I tried to post what I found in the "EDIT" above, but it wouldn't post so it made sense, so F*** it.

[MTjeeper]

I don't know why but every time I get into a grand cherokee it just seems cheap and extremely plasticky, and I just think that the xj is so much more rugged, that's what pushed me over to the xj. And I hate the 318, I know the figures don't say so but I swear the 4.0 has more power and torque.

[SeanP]

just sold our 5.9 ZJ. 13 MPG always. Towed with it ONCE. it sucked. that thing could barely stop itself let alone my XJ on a trailer.

Nice rumble to the exhaust and the off-the-line torque was impressive though

[vetteboy]

just sold our 5.9 ZJ. 13 MPG always. Towed with it ONCE. it sucked. that thing could barely stop itself let alone my XJ on a trailer.

Really? Shit, mine must be majic then. I couldn't be happier with the way it tows and with the brakes I've got on the trailer it can stop just as hard with the trailer loaded as it can by itself. And 16 MPG in commuting traffic ain't too bad.

[DrMoab]

Really? Shit, mine must be majic then. I couldn't be happier with the way it tows and with the brakes I've got on the trailer it can stop just as hard with the trailer loaded as it can by itself. And 16 MPG in commuting traffic ain't too bad.
It isn't magic. My father has one and regularly gets close to 20 on the highway, 16 around town.

As with any hotrod its all in how you drive them. If you are hard on the throttle everywhere you go then they are going to get bad mileage.

BTW. My dads is for sale.

[benXJ]

they didn't make green ones, the only colors were platinum, black, and white. the 5.9 is considerably faster than the 5.2L. they didn't come with any gold trim, the badges were a silver color. They also all had dark grey, maybe black leather. The only real problems is the full time transfer case. The cluthes in them wear out and can get noisy and not function properly. Expensive to repair,and some people swap in a 231 to have RWD and better reliabilty. Once they get modded, the trans is an issue, as mentioned above. I've wanted one for years, regardless of the gas prices. it has to get better MPG than my wore out 4.0. If you're looking for one, try and get repair records. If they are not taken care of, they start showing the age real quick.