New to me 2002

[kdx kawboy]

I've been a member of the forum for about 8 years, after buying a 2006 Liberty from a friend moving back to Pennsylvania. We loved that Liberty. Bought it with 140,000 and it was showing 260,000+ when a leaking head gasket convinced us to donate the car to the local high school auto shop this spring - the paint job and interior were toast. Ten years ago my mother-in-law moved in with us and when she gave up her license she decided we had to get a KK model to chauffeur her around in. Mom has been moved to assisted living and we decided we really do not like the KK as much as the KJ.

Last week we found the solution, a red 2002 Limited Edition Liberty, with the moon roof, part time 4x4 setting on the transfer case, and the limited slip rear end (does not have a tag on the axle, but with wheels off the ground they both spin in the same direction). The KJ only shows 100,234 miles on the clock, and a good portion of that was being towed behind a class A. An elderly couple bought the Liberty new it to tow behind their motor home. By 2025 he had died and the Liberty only showed 96,000 miles on the clock. Another couple bought it, with the towing setup, to use with their motor home. But he set the Brake Buddy up wrong and it ripped apart the plastic side cover on the seat, breaking the recliner lever. With a cracked windshield and the seat damage we got it for $6K. Windshield is replaced, I found the $500+ recliner lever for $25 on eBay and our red Liberty is ready to roll. I still have the towing bar /w Brake Buddy and a Yakima roof rack I can sell to further defray the costs.

 

[Scraig4385]

I've been a member of the forum for about 8 years, after buying a 2006 Liberty from a friend moving back to Pennsylvania. We loved that Liberty. Bought it with 140,000 and it was showing 260,000+ when a leaking head gasket convinced us to donate the car to the local high school auto shop this spring - the paint job and interior were toast. Ten years ago my mother-in-law moved in with us and when she gave up her license she decided we had to get a KK model to chauffeur her around in. Mom has been moved to assisted living and we decided we really do not like the KK as much as the KJ.

Last week we found the solution, a red 2002 Limited Edition Liberty, with the moon roof, part time 4x4 setting on the transfer case, and the limited slip rear end (does not have a tag on the axle, but with wheels off the ground they both spin in the same direction). The KJ only shows 100,234 miles on the clock, and a good portion of that was being towed behind a class A. An elderly couple bought the Liberty new it to tow behind their motor home. By 2025 he had died and the Liberty only showed 96,000 miles on the clock. Another couple bought it, with the towing setup, to use with their motor home. But he set the Brake Buddy up wrong and it ripped apart the plastic side cover on the seat, breaking the recliner lever. With a cracked windshield and the seat damage we got it for $6K. Windshield is replaced, I found the $500+ recliner lever for $25 on eBay and our red Liberty is ready to roll. I still have the towing bar /w Brake Buddy and a Yakima roof rack I can sell to further defray the costs.

Nice! I'm new on here and have not posted until today. I have a 2002 Liberty Limited that I leased in late 2001 and later bought for my wife. It has 111,000 on it. It was sitting for the last ten years. Just replaced the Battery, Alternator, Hood & rear lift glass struts and Radiator. Got a pwr window issue to fix on the rear driver-side. It's a 3.7 with 4 wheel drive. I love driving it. Over the years I've had a ton of people knock on my door asking if I want to sell it. They have a real following!

 

[eric1514]

...The KJ only shows 100,234 miles on the clock, and a good portion of that was being towed behind a class A...

The odometer will not add miles when the vehicle is being towed.

 

[kdx kawboy]

The odometer will not add miles when the vehicle is being towed.

My dumb. Growing up in the age of mechanical speedometers that had to be disconnected to not log the miles I tend to still think that way.

 

[kdx kawboy]

We sold our 2012 KK, with 125,000, to a couple that wanted a Jeep for their daughter going to college in Montana. They made a 3 hour drive to see it, and if they did not like it the next Jeep on their list was another 3 hour drive. Libertys are popular. Ours only lasted to the first Saturday is was listed. BTW, to sell a car forget Autotrader - I only got scammers from that listing. I got one legit response from Craigslist and had 9 legit inquires from Facebook Marketplace, including the actual buyer. I did pay $2 a day for FB to promote my ad.

Just finished replacing all the lubricating fluids: transmission oil pan now has a drain bolt, confirmed the rear axle is the limited slip model, and had fun with the transfer case fill plug. Like most folks find, the drain plug comes out easy but the fill plug is nothing but trouble. Fortunately I stopped the moment the allen wrench started to strip. Got in front of my computer to get the Forum's wisdom and learned this was common. Some folks had to go so far as installing a heli-coil because they drilled the plug out. Being late Friday I looked on-line to see which auto-parts store had a M22x1.5 drain plug and I was home with the part in time for dinner. Used my impact driver with a standard 10mm allen head socket and it got the plug out without shattering the socket. It was tough. Even set on the highest setting it took 5 ugga duggas before the plug started moving.

 

[Intermechanico]

The odometer will not add miles when the vehicle is being towed.

I have a 2002 that was used for the same purpose, racked up 354000 km. The towing procedure was Engine running, transmission in gear and Transfer case in neutral. The brake actuator used engine vacuum to apply the brake pedal. I’m my 2002s case the odometer would have accumulated mileage while being towed.

 

[eric1514]

I have a 2002 that was used for the same purpose, racked up 354000 km. The towing procedure was Engine running, transmission in gear and Transfer case in neutral. The brake actuator used engine vacuum to apply the brake pedal. I’m my 2002s case the odometer would have accumulated mileage while being towed.

Of the 4 different brake systems I've used to tow various cars, including the Liberty, none have required engine vacuum, and therefore engine on, to apply the brakes. I'm not doubting you but I am curious to know what system you are referencing. I've used the Brake Buddy, the Roadmaster EvenBrake, The Roadmaster Brakemaster, and the NSA ReadyBrute. All of these units, except the NSA, require that you actuate the brake pedal repeatedly with the engine off to relieve the vacuum in the system. The NSA does not specifically say to do so but does say that their system works without the brake booster powered up.

I did have a Suzuki sidekick that accumulated miles, but it was a mechanical odometer driven off the transmission.

 

[Intermechanico]

Fair enough, Eric. I cannot remember the brand of the system, but Roadmaster sounds familiar. When I removed the system, I think I made some assumptions that are incorrect:

1) Vacuum line tied into the brake booster down to a large actuator led me to assume it was vacuum powered

2) The previous owner mentioned the mileage was high due to RV towing by the previous owner, and a quick glance at the information package for the system mentioned the engine running in gear, T-Case in neutral. A few minutes trying to verify this produced information that aligns with your explanation, and that the engine is only running for a moment during the pre-tow setup, then shut off.

I concede the point to you, Eric!

Edit: And that our cabin Jeep has 354k real world kilometres, which is quite an accomplishment