Potential buyer ??

Hello fello jeepers, I am looking at buying a Liberty here soon and need some advice. I've owned many of 4.0 jeeps but this 3.7 is a new ball of wax.

So the jeep in question is an 03 freedom edition with the 3.7. The owner stated t that there were some issues that she has already taken care of. She took it into a shop when she first got it because there was a misfire on number five. They replaced the coil and did a leak down test which it passed.

The also noted that there was some rust colored water in the cooling system, possibly stop leak. They flushed the system. They did not do a compression test.

The seller told me last night that the cel came on and she was going to have it looked at before selling it (cool right) told me today that the shop said it was a random misfire and that they could not find out what caused it. And no codes where on the computer. Said she would have to drive it for a while and get the cel to come in and leave codes. I verified with shop. The owner lowered the price below what we were talking about 3200 down to 2200.

I've been doing some light reading and have read it could be valves out of adjustment/bad relays/ connectors and the normal coil/plug. Should I just walk away from this one? Thought about asking to have a compression test performed on it. Thanks for any help

I personally would run away from it. I had been lucky with being able to remedy misfires but have heard stories of people chasing them forever. The Stop Leak part would concern me too. If you are still interested in it and could entertain some repairs I would ask for a compression test.

I have heard that random misfires are not uncommon. Mine does it when idling fir any length of time seems like it's going to stall then back to normal. Compression test is probably not a bad idea if you are serious about buying. The misfire could also be the type if plugs .

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Are these jeeps just problematic? I've seen at least 5 in my area that need engines for one reason or another

They are if they aren't maintained.

How is it otherwise? I'd run.

How many miles are on it? How much rust is present? (Look carefully!)

If it is relatively low mileage and has no rust it might be worth $2200 plus the price of a new engine. Then again, it might not.

You should be able to find comparable Liberty's in your area. What are they selling for?

This one has 185k in it, not sure about the rust. Comps are 4-6 k. I talked to a shop about doing a compression test. He said these are one of the most problematic vehicles he's worked on. As a reference he told me about one that needed an engine at 140k, said the bill came out to 8 grand before taxes for s crate motor.

Not many vehicles make it to 185K. I'd spend a couple grand more for a lower mileage one.

Homebrew said:

This one has 185k in it, not sure about the rust. Comps are 4-6 k. I talked to a shop about doing a compression test. He said these are one of the most problematic vehicles he's worked on. As a reference he told me about one that needed an engine at 140k, said the bill came out to 8 grand before taxes for s crate motor.

Click to expand...

They are problematic if neglected... crap maintenance basically. I haven't experienced either first nor secondhand the plethora of issues that sometimes gets listed.

185k is a lot of miles to feel comfortable with... especially if you want to drive it a while. May make it 185k more... might not. If it was just a random misfire code (could just be old, or non-preferred brand of plugs), wouldn't feel so iffy.. but this specific vehicle has shown a pattern of suspicious activity.

As for $8k for a crate engine for one of these, yeah... anyone who has had a BRAND NEW crate engine quoted for ANY car or truck would be slammed with a high price such as that. I'll be damned if I spend more than twice the value of my Jeep on a new engine. That's what rebuilds and running-used engines are for.

I am a firm believer in rebuilds. Personally it sounds like you have an issue somewhere in ignition. Could be spark plugs or coil packs. I would start there. Any car can be fixed if you want to put the time and/or money into doing it. The 3.7 is actually a pretty easy rebuild and there's a series on youtube that walks you through it. Worst case you bought a broken jeep and you have to fix it. If you're going to go this route just make sure the guy you're buying it from knows you aren't going to empty your pockets for a broken vehicle. Remind him that if you weren't taking it off his hands the junkyard most likely will. If you're willing to do some work to fix it up there's no limit to the car you can get for cheap. Good luck