Learn Me 2005 Jeep Liberty 3.7

I have an opportunity to pick up a 2005 Jeep Liberty with the 3.7 liter for cheap.  It has almost no rust on it, just some surface bubbling on the bottoms of the back doors.  Mileage is 147,000 but it looks to be in pretty great condition.  It has been sitting outside in PA for 2 years, so it will need tires, brake rotors and pads, a good cleaning, and I'll update hoses and such.  The reason it has been sitting is that it leaked oil badly, the PO had to add a quart every month.  I can see oil running down from above the oil filter, across the filter and to the ground.  The PO was not mechanical and had 2 other cars, so it sat.  

I think I can do the work myself to get it running and inspected and maybe even turn a small profit. Even if I break even it will be off the property.  Any known issues or things to look for on this Jeep? 

I think they are generally regarded as huge turds in the automotive world. 

Well it is a Chrysler product with an engine ending in point 7.... 

Is that the same V6 used in the 300?

The TLP model (Total Lack of Power)?

Matched only by the pushrod 2.5L?

In reply to bentwrench :

No, different point 7 engine. LX bodies had 2.7’s.

I suppose if you can get it cheap enough and flip it for a quick buck, go for it.

But as a vehicle to drive, piece of E36 M3.  I had a couple of Jeeps as company cars back in the day.  First was an '01 XJ Cherokee Limited (2WD believe it or not).  I beat the living snot out of that thing for 3 years and 90k miles and grew a very healthy respect and admiration for it.  It was replaced by an '04 Liberty.  Had it about a year and 30k miles before I changed jobs.  Compared to the XJ, I hated it.  It had a better ride, and was a mountain goat in the snow because it was 4WD and they gave us snow tires, but that was it.  The engine was a total turd, fuel mileage sucked, it was cramped, and was just a miserable driving experience.  Very disappointing.

Don’t these have vanishing subframe issues?

I've only ever driven one with the 6 speed manual transmission. It had really tall gearing (3.55) and a strange power band.  They also have a unique firing order.

Gar-bage, with the french accent. Engine sucked. Suspension sucked. Electronics sucked. Built by the lowest bidder for everything. Complete garbage. I'd flip it if it was free by dropping it off at the scrap yard. 

I own a 3.7 liberty i got for free because a valve seat dropped and that cylinder has zero compression. I've yet to fix it. It should be worth $2200-2800 when i'm done. In my opinion a 3.7/4.7 with an unknown history is a time bomb and if you wouldn't want to fix it yourself you should foist it on down the line while it's running and still worth more than scrap money. My .02.

Uncle Sam gave me a brand new one and I was both shocked and happy when it qualified for surplus.  Shocked that it actually lasted that long and happy to see it go.  It was one of the worst vehicle they gave me.  Horrible off-road, uncomfortable to drive, and completely unreliable. 

It would be to your benefit to accurately substitute your phrase "I have an opportunity to pick up a cheap Jeep Liberty" with the phrase "I have an opportunity to catch Ebola infected with syphilus" to see if it still sounds like a good deal.

We had a 02 for a bunch of years and 100k miles. Not my favorite vehicle, but not the worst by far. The engine had decent power and was flawless while we owned it as was the rest of the drivetrain. The only issue we had was the lower ball joints are prone to failure and a freaky turn signal flasher that I never bothered to change. 

I have heard that they are prone to valve train issues if the oil isn't changed regularly. Ours ran to 180K without any issues. It was sold because my wife was ready for a GT car. 

The responses in this thread are brutal, and I wholeheartedly agree. Unless the "good deal" is scrap value, you're gonna spend ~$1k on the things you already know you have to fix (maybe less if you go really bottom-shelf stuff), aside from stuff you may not know about since it's been sitting for 2 years, and not be able to sell it for much, especially if it has visible rust bubbling.  If it were me, I'd pass. Theyre not fun, not desirable, and probably not that easy to re-sell for any significant amount of profit. There is a decent one on CL near me for $1500....

They're not great, but they work as vehicles.

The water pump will be loose.  They might be loose for 40k miles before it comes apart.

The rear upper control arm (just one) will have bad bushings.  These suck to change and are failure prone, so most live with the clunks.

Rear lower arms rust out where the sway bar attaches.  There was an extended warranty/recall on them, if it's this old then it has probably been done.

Do not pass go, do not collect $200, replace the front flex hoses NOW.  There is a rubber sheath over the lower hose swage for stress relief.  Water collects under it and rusts the swage out and you don't realize it until the hose blows apart.

Replacing the oil pan when it rusts out is less than fun because the front axle has to come out.  One of the mount bolts is obscured by the left lower control arm.  Also you have to pull the axles to get the diff assembly out and the right axle is about four feet long.

Have an '06 I bought a year ago; now w/ 86k miles. I've replaced the water pump, radiator and pads and rotors. Not a great driving vehicle, but I knew what I was getting, a run around town Jeep w/ 4wd.

Not cramped (I'm 6'2"), but previous daily was a '92 Miata; I prefer smaller vehicles.

All in all, I'd probably buy it again. There's a ton of them around here, good parts availability.

Ever see a liberty with trash bags covering the window? That's because they are held up with a plastic clip that will fail. It's not that it might fail, it will fail. And rather than put out a recall for it, Jeep charges 500+ to fix it. 

There's so many reasons to run away from this car. just doing my part to help convince you what a giant piece of trash that vehicle really is.

In reply to lnlogauge :

The aftermarket makes a metal clip for about $30 and my wife did the install on her Liberty, it's not a hard fix. Once and done for the windows. 

Toyman01 said:

In reply to lnlogauge :

The aftermarket makes a metal clip for about $30 and my wife did the install on her Liberty, it's not a hard fix. Once and done for the windows. 

When I purchased it years ago, it was 90$ aftermarket. its not a hard fix, but it's not quick either. My complaint with is the garbage engineering, and the lack of recall because of it. If saving .30 on a clip material is worth it, I'll spend my money elsewhere. 

Ok, this thread has been fun. Let's double down and add another scenario. Let's say i tack another 18" on the back of this car and change the name to "Grand Cherokee".  Do we GRM'ers all of a sudden think it's cool? 

I actually think Liberties are not the worst vehicle by far but I do wish that someone made a kit that made a 4.7 swap easy. I like the size and the general look of the things, and while it is a 'pos chrysler' it's pre-TIPM-era so its foibles are mostly of the nut and bolt variety as opposed to goofy electrical failures. I just wish it was easier to make it more interesting. They did sell a 2.4L/5spd version that an srt4 turbofold will fit onto. Too bad mine is a 3.7/auto.

How bad is the front suspension on these? At one of tge U-Pull-It yards I go to, they have been dropping the front cradle to get the engines out.  The cradles are everywhere, and look perfect for an AWD swap into something with straight frame rails...

The lower ball joints were prone to failure. Heat from the brake rotors would cook the seals out of them and the the spring would push the joint apart. There is a fix that happened under a recall to add a heat shield to solve part of the problem. 

I guess my question would be, how horrible is the geometry?  I'm sure it isn't great, but at least the knuckles are tall...

If it is measurably better than a parallel leaf sprung solid axle, I wpuld seriously consider one for a fireroad/gravel/dune and street toy, especially since I could get it a bit lower with less unsprung weight. I really don't need articulation or much wheel travel in this application. 

A friend of my wife had one. Nearly everything plastic exploded at some point. She asked me to work on it. I took a look, nearly fainted at the sight of all those hoses. Radiator literally cracked out. All hoses cracked out. Expansion tank cracked out. Several plastic brackets, cracked TEH FUDGE OUT. 

In reply to Cooter :

I'm not sure. For the 100K miles we owned it, it drove fine, rode fair, and didn't eat tires. I do know the off road guys don't particularly like them. 

It looks to be a pretty standard A arms setup with a shock mounted spring. It's going to be pretty tall with that enormous upright though. 

Jeep guys hated them because it replaced the XJ.  They weren't horrible off road.  For an IFS rig.  

The UCA mounts on top of the "frame rail"  From what i have measured, it should sit lower than a CJ with worn out front springs.