Problems w/towing Jeep Grand Cherokee

[gary85]

Having heard for years that these Jeeps are towable 4 down in accordance with the manual, I am surprised at the problems I am encountering. My '01 JGC Ltd V8 AWD has 62000 miles on the clock and probably another 20-25k while towed. I have not had a disabling failure - yet. I have things fixed when the parts in question indicate. Rear diff. completely rebuilt last year at 58k miles. Transfer case replaced at 59k(xfer case and rear covered by Jeep 60k warranty). Front diff in the process of being exchanged (warranty company won't spring for a rebuild). In both cases the diffs. were sloppy and loud. Break down by mechanics indicated parts were out of spec - worn. Talking to adjusters, mechanics, and diff. rebuilders seems to indicate my problems are not at all unusual for this vehicle and are made worse by 4 down towing. Comments?

[gary85]

Having heard for years that these Jeeps are towable 4 down in accordance with the manual, I am surprised at the problems I am encountering. My '01 JGC Ltd V8 AWD has 62000 miles on the clock and probably another 20-25k while towed. I have not had a disabling failure - yet. I have things fixed when the parts in question indicate. Rear diff. completely rebuilt last year at 58k miles. Transfer case replaced at 59k(xfer case and rear covered by Jeep 60k warranty). Front diff in the process of being exchanged (warranty company won't spring for a rebuild). In both cases the diffs. were sloppy and loud. Break down by mechanics indicated parts were out of spec - worn. Talking to adjusters, mechanics, and diff. rebuilders seems to indicate my problems are not at all unusual for this vehicle and are made worse by 4 down towing. Comments?

[hondo122]

I'm on my third GC first gave to son #1, he sold it with 155k original differentials. GC 2 gave to son #2 he's still driving it 170k original differentials. Current GC 48K no problems. Must have built yours on the Monday after the Super Bowl. Really I think the problem is the AWD GC #2 has it and I never liked the way it handled.

[Lorna]

My 1995 Jeep GC has 215K miles on it. The ONLY things that I have replaced is the front differentials (David & my cousin replaced both @ $90 each in the driveway), the water pump and the radio/CD player. David thinks it is getting too many miles on it and is talking about hitting the auto auctions over the summer for a newer one. I think I should see if I can hit 300K! Everything still works great.

BTW, it is a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Orvis Edition 4X4 Quadra-trac AWD V8 5.2L. Not quite sure what all that means but I was running it on I-75 btween Chattanooga & Dalton a couple times every month at about 80-100mph. It does have good "git-up-&-go"!

[Cruzer]

My 2002 Grand Cherokee Overland has about 20K tow miles on it. No problems that I can see. It does have synthetic gear lube in it.

[alvinc]

Curious, does the Owners Manual say that it is ok to flat tow an AWD? There are other AWD that are not flat towable.

It has to do with how AWD was implemented, is it in the diffs or in the transfer case, or both. On the non-AWD Jeeps the diffs are simple, they are non-locking, non-limited slip differentials. If the AWD diffs are fancier with some form of limited slip, I could see where they might get some additional wear.

Another point to consider is that the diffs and transfer case need to be serviced based on their driven plus towed mileage.

[Mike (KC9IPV)]

The AWD jeeps use a viscus (spelling?) coupling to allow slipping between the front and rear axles during normal driving. When the coupling fails it usually stays locked and acts like your in 4 lock. Towing 4 down should not cause anything in the driveline to have failed unless the oil was very low or contaminated. Your axles are lubricated by splashing oil. My jeep is a wrangler rubicon with factory air lockers installed and I push the axles to their limits and have only had the front axle shaft u-joints fail. I do change the diff fluids every 8-10k miles depending on conditions sometimes sooner.

[MCDDY]

Drive train on our 02 GCLimited,V8,QuadraTrac has been trouble free in 50K miles + probably 20K towed. Super pep for a near 5000# SUV and will get 20+mpg @75 on the highway but will only do about 13mpg in town.
Now the rest of the story. Front brakes were a problem from the start due to heat and rotors warping. Jeeps fix was just to turn the rotors till they got so thin they were out of spec. Finally had to get new rotors and pads on my dime. Power window regulators, been thru 4 so far. Vacuum operated door on heater quit working, $950 mainly in labor at the Jeep place.They also had to replace the heater core while they were at it. Air conditioning isn't even close to our 98 Blazer and just about any other GM product I've ever driven.
Will I buy another, probably not.
Dave