my 97 grand cherokee's steering went out friday night. i just spoke to the mechanic (at a jeep dealership, mind you), and he told me that the gearbox dropped and broke the lower part of the intermediate shaft. total cost for parts (gearbox, gb anchor bolts, int. shaft, fluids) and labor around $1000. he said the vehicle is undriveable at this point. my question to those with related experiences: is it plausible to find these parts used and at much cheaper price?
I've gone thru something similar, not with a jeep but with a ford. And the decision I made was that since it deals with steering, it would be the my best bet to go with new parts and have them installed professionally. Safety outweighed cost factors for me.
Jeep sucks...... Ive heard nothing but nightmare stories about the Grand Cherokee. Get a 4Runner and never worry about auto maintenence again....
As a former owner of a '96 Grand Cherokee I can confirm that. I never had any engine problems, but I had a ton of little problems. Major problems with the windows no working and a bad paint peeling problem. The interior door panels also screwed up in the heat. Of course the majority of them cropped up right after the warranty ended. I'll never buy a Jeep/Chrysler product again.
ask them to use a RECON gear box and that should save you a few hundred bucks ....youll also find aftermarket ones (which are perfectly fine) at O-Reilly, Autozone, NAPA, etc. you can find a used one too, but won't save a ton over RECON ..call Bobo @ Patke's (713-734-1621) and hell find one for you ....hell usually give a 90 day warranty (part only) I'd have a second hand mechanic install it for you ....youll save $20-$30 an hour
