help please!!!!

purchased a 1988 grand wagoneer last weekend in hattaras,nc.one owner waggy with 163,000 miles. body and interior in great shape. left it with a local mechanic familiar with wagoneers to repair carb and replace front brakes before attempting to drive it 600 miles to my home in pa. what problems can i reasonably expect in a wag this old with this mileage?? am having radiator pressure tested,compression test on engine,all fluids and filters changed. electric system works. transmission rebuilt last year. what else will give me a reasonable chance of making it back? is the 360 a good engine and what tends to go wrong with them?? i have a 69 jeepster and two 50 willys jeepsters. the 69 is done. the willys are in progress. i always wanted a wagoneer so am giving it to my wife for her birthday if i can get it home. thanks in advance for the help.

this is one you might want to keep an eye on. the gas gauge. the sending units get to where they don't pick up completly, i know mine is that way. it never lets me use a full tank of gas. i keep a log of milage so i know when to fill up. it's a simple fix just need to get the time.milage can vary on the paticular vehicle. mine gets high 9's in town and mid 13's on the hiway. hope that helps.

thanks for the tip. the gauge, of course, does not work. don't own a jeep that it does work. mechanic is looking for a grounding problem = but i know it will probably be a sending unit. could be tricky determining the first tank of gas, if it makes it that far. what size gas tank is on a 1988 grand wagoneer????

[ozarkjeep]

the drivetrains are solid, then engines are good except for hte oiling system design.

the timing cover is aluminum, the oil pump gears are steel, they dont hold hte proper tolerences for good oil pressure very long usually.

there are some modifications you can do to help oil the rear crank bearing(s) better, and a mod to squirt oil on the timing chain/distrib drive, these things are too ensure a long strong life of an AMC V8.

Ive read that the blocks have a much higher Ni content than most engine blocks so they are supposed to wear better, when you get the compression #s from your mechanic youll see if this is true or not at that mileage!

also, have the mechanic check the kickdown linkage for hte auto tranny, it is vital for hte tranny to downshift under load properly or it will overheat it self and fail in short order.

thats all I can think of for now, good luck!
they are fun rigs



OzarkJeep

"Bare foot girls, dancing in the moon light..."

thanks for the tips - will pass them on to the mechanic. will post compression figures when i get them.
what size tank is on a 1988 grand wagoneer?????

[ozarkjeep]

18 -22 gal I THINK, I havent owned a FSJ for a couple of years now, and havent been on teh mailing list for even longer.

BTW do a search for the FSJ mail list, its an awsome bunch of guys, with great info, anything you could EVER need to know, the downfall, youll get ALOT of emails from it, use it in digest form if you have to, or set up another email account to handle it.

either way thats the price of admission for the BEST source of FSJ info in the world, bare none.



OzarkJeep

"Bare foot girls, dancing in the moon light..."

Trying to fix up an 88 GW myself. Mine had been sitting for over a year and now has many things that need maintained; tailgate window - works but not well, same with backseat windows - like too much friction in track, drag link, brakes, headliner, muffler, tires, leaf spring (was busted), fuel pump, power seats do not work nor does the sunroof and the list goes on. Should've just found one in good cond. Good Luck!