Hi folks, thanks for all of the tips over the years. I'd like to get a
few opinions on a situation with a 96 GC Orvis. It has 90,000 miles on
it and I've heard that my father took it down a large hill with rocks
in the trunk which caused symptoms of the whole car shaking going
around turns. The dealership said it needed repairs for:

1- broken engine mount
1-front axle to be replaced
a whole new transmission
shocks, brakes, and power steering

all for $5,000.00 and I heard that the mechanic kind of laughed in a
"you must be crazy to fix this car" sort of way....

Does this cost seem about right? Is it worth it to fix such damage?
The car is absolutely beautiful just to look at (it is a Jeep :) It
sounds like he had a good time, but I'm wondering if the Jeep may be
just too beat up to be worth the investment at this point. I'm also
wondering if the dealership is just way overpriced.

Your feedback would be appreciated as I think many of you have
probably heard the rocks in the trunk on a big hill scenario before
and may know what I'm describing.

 

Lisa did pass the time by typing:
> Hi folks, thanks for all of the tips over the years. I'd like to get a
> few opinions on a situation with a 96 GC Orvis. It has 90,000 miles on
> it and I've heard that my father took it down a large hill with rocks
> in the trunk which caused symptoms of the whole car shaking going
> around turns. The dealership said it needed repairs for:

Shaking on turns and/or going pop-pop-pop-pop as you turn is a symptom
of a dying CV joint. Your 96 may have U joints up front and if one is
broken it certainly will cause shaking. You can also hear it when backing
up and going forward as a real loud *KLONK* from that wheel. Or jack
the vehicle up and roll the wheel back and forth.

> 1- broken engine mount
> 1-front axle to be replaced
> a whole new transmission
> shocks, brakes, and power steering

Starting here. The engine mount, axle, shocks, and brakes
are all things that can be done fairly easily if you have
a reasonable set of tools and the time/inclination to do it.
If your doing mounts it's sometimes a good idea to look at
both sides and the tranny mount also.

I'd question the power steering, unless the jeep had some
serious lift and larger tires the system should be fine.
The do develop leaks between the reservoir and pump, but that's
just an O-ring and a few hours work moving parts.

As for the tranny, I'd want a second opinion. If your problem is
the front axle then that has beans all to do with the tranny.
How does the tranny pan look? was it mashed in on a rock?

> all for $5,000.00 and I heard that the mechanic kind of laughed in a
> "you must be crazy to fix this car" sort of way....

Or a "I own your wallet/purse" sort of way.

> Does this cost seem about right?

for the work and parts, yes. But my BS detector says seek
another opinion on the tranny and ps.

>Is it worth it to fix such damage?

depends. with a 96, like my 93 your not going to get the money
back if you sell it. If your planning on keeping it and the
body is in good shape then I'd say it is worth it.

> The car is absolutely beautiful just to look at (it is a Jeep :) It
> sounds like he had a good time, but I'm wondering if the Jeep may be
> just too beat up to be worth the investment at this point. I'm also
> wondering if the dealership is just way overpriced.

Without seeing the vehicle myself I can't say.

> Your feedback would be appreciated as I think many of you have
> probably heard the rocks in the trunk on a big hill scenario before
> and may know what I'm describing.

Not a clu. But I have ripped the back bumper off my zj on rocks
before. It don't rattle, just kinda goes *Riiiiiippp rubba rubba*
Metal kinda goes *SKRONK!* :(

--
-- DougW -- 93 ZJ 4.0 http://members.***.net/wilsond
HESCO Supercharger - 300W IASCA Stereo - Edelbrock IAS Shocks
Gibson Exhaust - rear DCpower - custom gauge install - Stillen Rotors
Banks Header - and BEER, in the fridge!

 

Lisa did pass the time by typing:
> Hi folks, thanks for all of the tips over the years. I'd like to get a
> few opinions on a situation with a 96 GC Orvis. It has 90,000 miles on
> it and I've heard that my father took it down a large hill with rocks
> in the trunk which caused symptoms of the whole car shaking going
> around turns. The dealership said it needed repairs for:

Shaking on turns and/or going pop-pop-pop-pop as you turn is a symptom
of a dying CV joint. Your 96 may have U joints up front and if one is
broken it certainly will cause shaking. You can also hear it when backing
up and going forward as a real loud *KLONK* from that wheel. Or jack
the vehicle up and roll the wheel back and forth.

> 1- broken engine mount
> 1-front axle to be replaced
> a whole new transmission
> shocks, brakes, and power steering

Starting here. The engine mount, axle, shocks, and brakes
are all things that can be done fairly easily if you have
a reasonable set of tools and the time/inclination to do it.
If your doing mounts it's sometimes a good idea to look at
both sides and the tranny mount also.

I'd question the power steering, unless the jeep had some
serious lift and larger tires the system should be fine.
The do develop leaks between the reservoir and pump, but that's
just an O-ring and a few hours work moving parts.

As for the tranny, I'd want a second opinion. If your problem is
the front axle then that has beans all to do with the tranny.
How does the tranny pan look? was it mashed in on a rock?

> all for $5,000.00 and I heard that the mechanic kind of laughed in a
> "you must be crazy to fix this car" sort of way....

Or a "I own your wallet/purse" sort of way.

> Does this cost seem about right?

for the work and parts, yes. But my BS detector says seek
another opinion on the tranny and ps.

>Is it worth it to fix such damage?

depends. with a 96, like my 93 your not going to get the money
back if you sell it. If your planning on keeping it and the
body is in good shape then I'd say it is worth it.

> The car is absolutely beautiful just to look at (it is a Jeep :) It
> sounds like he had a good time, but I'm wondering if the Jeep may be
> just too beat up to be worth the investment at this point. I'm also
> wondering if the dealership is just way overpriced.

Without seeing the vehicle myself I can't say.

> Your feedback would be appreciated as I think many of you have
> probably heard the rocks in the trunk on a big hill scenario before
> and may know what I'm describing.

Not a clu. But I have ripped the back bumper off my zj on rocks
before. It don't rattle, just kinda goes *Riiiiiippp rubba rubba*
Metal kinda goes *SKRONK!* :(

--
-- DougW -- 93 ZJ 4.0 http://members.***.net/wilsond
HESCO Supercharger - 300W IASCA Stereo - Edelbrock IAS Shocks
Gibson Exhaust - rear DCpower - custom gauge install - Stillen Rotors
Banks Header - and BEER, in the fridge!

 

Lisa did pass the time by typing:
> Hi folks, thanks for all of the tips over the years. I'd like to get a
> few opinions on a situation with a 96 GC Orvis. It has 90,000 miles on
> it and I've heard that my father took it down a large hill with rocks
> in the trunk which caused symptoms of the whole car shaking going
> around turns. The dealership said it needed repairs for:

Shaking on turns and/or going pop-pop-pop-pop as you turn is a symptom
of a dying CV joint. Your 96 may have U joints up front and if one is
broken it certainly will cause shaking. You can also hear it when backing
up and going forward as a real loud *KLONK* from that wheel. Or jack
the vehicle up and roll the wheel back and forth.

> 1- broken engine mount
> 1-front axle to be replaced
> a whole new transmission
> shocks, brakes, and power steering

Starting here. The engine mount, axle, shocks, and brakes
are all things that can be done fairly easily if you have
a reasonable set of tools and the time/inclination to do it.
If your doing mounts it's sometimes a good idea to look at
both sides and the tranny mount also.

I'd question the power steering, unless the jeep had some
serious lift and larger tires the system should be fine.
The do develop leaks between the reservoir and pump, but that's
just an O-ring and a few hours work moving parts.

As for the tranny, I'd want a second opinion. If your problem is
the front axle then that has beans all to do with the tranny.
How does the tranny pan look? was it mashed in on a rock?

> all for $5,000.00 and I heard that the mechanic kind of laughed in a
> "you must be crazy to fix this car" sort of way....

Or a "I own your wallet/purse" sort of way.

> Does this cost seem about right?

for the work and parts, yes. But my BS detector says seek
another opinion on the tranny and ps.

>Is it worth it to fix such damage?

depends. with a 96, like my 93 your not going to get the money
back if you sell it. If your planning on keeping it and the
body is in good shape then I'd say it is worth it.

> The car is absolutely beautiful just to look at (it is a Jeep :) It
> sounds like he had a good time, but I'm wondering if the Jeep may be
> just too beat up to be worth the investment at this point. I'm also
> wondering if the dealership is just way overpriced.

Without seeing the vehicle myself I can't say.

> Your feedback would be appreciated as I think many of you have
> probably heard the rocks in the trunk on a big hill scenario before
> and may know what I'm describing.

Not a clu. But I have ripped the back bumper off my zj on rocks
before. It don't rattle, just kinda goes *Riiiiiippp rubba rubba*
Metal kinda goes *SKRONK!* :(

--
-- DougW -- 93 ZJ 4.0 http://members.***.net/wilsond
HESCO Supercharger - 300W IASCA Stereo - Edelbrock IAS Shocks
Gibson Exhaust - rear DCpower - custom gauge install - Stillen Rotors
Banks Header - and BEER, in the fridge!

 

If all the parts mentioned REALLY are shot, just call the wrecker and
walk away from it. But a vehicle with 90,000 miles will have some
issues, you may be able to live with some of them, fix the obvious ones.

A broken engine mount is not too unusual, it may cause some funny noises
on a turn when the engine shifts over. New mount should run about $30 or
so, an hour of labor to replace unless the thing is one of the miserable
ones to get at.

Brakes and shocks at 90,000 miles are just normal maintenance. I'm to
the point where I just replace both the rotors and pads, runs about $125
in parts per axle, plus an hour of labor per axle. All 4 corners should
run around $350 (with new rotors, half that if you just need pads) Shock
costs are all over the place depending on what you want but OEM grade
shouldn't cost more that $200 for all four corners installed.

Crunchy noises from the front end tend to be CV joints, run about $80
for a rebuilt half shaft, $250 installed.

Get a second opinion on the tranny. If it is shot, I would have serious
doubts if you want to dump the money into it. I've had good luck with
just getting a tranny service with a flush, clean the pan, new filter,
and new fluid.

I think you need to get a complete second opinion.





Lisa wrote:
> Hi folks, thanks for all of the tips over the years. I'd like to get a
> few opinions on a situation with a 96 GC Orvis. It has 90,000 miles on
> it and I've heard that my father took it down a large hill with rocks
> in the trunk which caused symptoms of the whole car shaking going
> around turns. The dealership said it needed repairs for:
>
> 1- broken engine mount
> 1-front axle to be replaced
> a whole new transmission
> shocks, brakes, and power steering
>
> all for $5,000.00 and I heard that the mechanic kind of laughed in a
> "you must be crazy to fix this car" sort of way....
>
> Does this cost seem about right? Is it worth it to fix such damage?
> The car is absolutely beautiful just to look at (it is a Jeep :) It
> sounds like he had a good time, but I'm wondering if the Jeep may be
> just too beat up to be worth the investment at this point. I'm also
> wondering if the dealership is just way overpriced.
>
> Your feedback would be appreciated as I think many of you have
> probably heard the rocks in the trunk on a big hill scenario before
> and may know what I'm describing.

 

If all the parts mentioned REALLY are shot, just call the wrecker and
walk away from it. But a vehicle with 90,000 miles will have some
issues, you may be able to live with some of them, fix the obvious ones.

A broken engine mount is not too unusual, it may cause some funny noises
on a turn when the engine shifts over. New mount should run about $30 or
so, an hour of labor to replace unless the thing is one of the miserable
ones to get at.

Brakes and shocks at 90,000 miles are just normal maintenance. I'm to
the point where I just replace both the rotors and pads, runs about $125
in parts per axle, plus an hour of labor per axle. All 4 corners should
run around $350 (with new rotors, half that if you just need pads) Shock
costs are all over the place depending on what you want but OEM grade
shouldn't cost more that $200 for all four corners installed.

Crunchy noises from the front end tend to be CV joints, run about $80
for a rebuilt half shaft, $250 installed.

Get a second opinion on the tranny. If it is shot, I would have serious
doubts if you want to dump the money into it. I've had good luck with
just getting a tranny service with a flush, clean the pan, new filter,
and new fluid.

I think you need to get a complete second opinion.





Lisa wrote:
> Hi folks, thanks for all of the tips over the years. I'd like to get a
> few opinions on a situation with a 96 GC Orvis. It has 90,000 miles on
> it and I've heard that my father took it down a large hill with rocks
> in the trunk which caused symptoms of the whole car shaking going
> around turns. The dealership said it needed repairs for:
>
> 1- broken engine mount
> 1-front axle to be replaced
> a whole new transmission
> shocks, brakes, and power steering
>
> all for $5,000.00 and I heard that the mechanic kind of laughed in a
> "you must be crazy to fix this car" sort of way....
>
> Does this cost seem about right? Is it worth it to fix such damage?
> The car is absolutely beautiful just to look at (it is a Jeep :) It
> sounds like he had a good time, but I'm wondering if the Jeep may be
> just too beat up to be worth the investment at this point. I'm also
> wondering if the dealership is just way overpriced.
>
> Your feedback would be appreciated as I think many of you have
> probably heard the rocks in the trunk on a big hill scenario before
> and may know what I'm describing.

 

If all the parts mentioned REALLY are shot, just call the wrecker and
walk away from it. But a vehicle with 90,000 miles will have some
issues, you may be able to live with some of them, fix the obvious ones.

A broken engine mount is not too unusual, it may cause some funny noises
on a turn when the engine shifts over. New mount should run about $30 or
so, an hour of labor to replace unless the thing is one of the miserable
ones to get at.

Brakes and shocks at 90,000 miles are just normal maintenance. I'm to
the point where I just replace both the rotors and pads, runs about $125
in parts per axle, plus an hour of labor per axle. All 4 corners should
run around $350 (with new rotors, half that if you just need pads) Shock
costs are all over the place depending on what you want but OEM grade
shouldn't cost more that $200 for all four corners installed.

Crunchy noises from the front end tend to be CV joints, run about $80
for a rebuilt half shaft, $250 installed.

Get a second opinion on the tranny. If it is shot, I would have serious
doubts if you want to dump the money into it. I've had good luck with
just getting a tranny service with a flush, clean the pan, new filter,
and new fluid.

I think you need to get a complete second opinion.





Lisa wrote:
> Hi folks, thanks for all of the tips over the years. I'd like to get a
> few opinions on a situation with a 96 GC Orvis. It has 90,000 miles on
> it and I've heard that my father took it down a large hill with rocks
> in the trunk which caused symptoms of the whole car shaking going
> around turns. The dealership said it needed repairs for:
>
> 1- broken engine mount
> 1-front axle to be replaced
> a whole new transmission
> shocks, brakes, and power steering
>
> all for $5,000.00 and I heard that the mechanic kind of laughed in a
> "you must be crazy to fix this car" sort of way....
>
> Does this cost seem about right? Is it worth it to fix such damage?
> The car is absolutely beautiful just to look at (it is a Jeep :) It
> sounds like he had a good time, but I'm wondering if the Jeep may be
> just too beat up to be worth the investment at this point. I'm also
> wondering if the dealership is just way overpriced.
>
> Your feedback would be appreciated as I think many of you have
> probably heard the rocks in the trunk on a big hill scenario before
> and may know what I'm describing.

 

I have a 95 GC and love it. It now has 160,000 miles, and runs great. Ive
kept up with the maintaince very well. Just from your Dad running over
some rocks, I dont believe it damaged all the components the repair
facility said was bad. I certainly would take it to someone else that had
a decent reputation and get a second opinion. Sounds like its possible for
the engine mount to be broken, and very possible the CV joint. Even so,
these will not cost much to repair. When you take it else where for
estimate, dont tell them what the other place said, and dont leave the
estimate in glove box for them to look at either. If its as nice as you
say, I would easily invest not over 2000.00 in it. But i feel you will fix
it for about 500.00. Climbing over the rocks could not damage the
transmission unless it hit the bottom of the pan, and that is unlikely. If
in fact all of that is truly damaged. I would turn it over to my insurance
agency, and file a claim as a accident. Perhaps might want to put it under
your fathers since he was driving. Hope this helps somewhat.

Take Care Robie

 

I have a 95 GC and love it. It now has 160,000 miles, and runs great. Ive
kept up with the maintaince very well. Just from your Dad running over
some rocks, I dont believe it damaged all the components the repair
facility said was bad. I certainly would take it to someone else that had
a decent reputation and get a second opinion. Sounds like its possible for
the engine mount to be broken, and very possible the CV joint. Even so,
these will not cost much to repair. When you take it else where for
estimate, dont tell them what the other place said, and dont leave the
estimate in glove box for them to look at either. If its as nice as you
say, I would easily invest not over 2000.00 in it. But i feel you will fix
it for about 500.00. Climbing over the rocks could not damage the
transmission unless it hit the bottom of the pan, and that is unlikely. If
in fact all of that is truly damaged. I would turn it over to my insurance
agency, and file a claim as a accident. Perhaps might want to put it under
your fathers since he was driving. Hope this helps somewhat.

Take Care Robie

 

I have a 95 GC and love it. It now has 160,000 miles, and runs great. Ive
kept up with the maintaince very well. Just from your Dad running over
some rocks, I dont believe it damaged all the components the repair
facility said was bad. I certainly would take it to someone else that had
a decent reputation and get a second opinion. Sounds like its possible for
the engine mount to be broken, and very possible the CV joint. Even so,
these will not cost much to repair. When you take it else where for
estimate, dont tell them what the other place said, and dont leave the
estimate in glove box for them to look at either. If its as nice as you
say, I would easily invest not over 2000.00 in it. But i feel you will fix
it for about 500.00. Climbing over the rocks could not damage the
transmission unless it hit the bottom of the pan, and that is unlikely. If
in fact all of that is truly damaged. I would turn it over to my insurance
agency, and file a claim as a accident. Perhaps might want to put it under
your fathers since he was driving. Hope this helps somewhat.

Take Care Robie