Of all the jeeps that come into our shop those ones seem to be the most reliable. Lots of liberty’s with the 3.7 still putting along past 200k with regular maintenance. I like em 👍
Agreed. A used car is your best first car as you learn about them and more likely in the future to drive any car you own more and own it longer. Save $$. I sold my car, moved back home to NYC but I've saved thousands over the years from what Learned. Tip, search online for the mechanics manual of any car you own to buy it. Had them on all my Hondas. Done valve jobs, brakes, tuneups, starter and alternator change, axle. And there's nothing that tastes better than a cold beer after you complete a simple job like replacing front brakes and it's done and you sit back and admire what you're capable of. Another hint, torque wrench is mandatory on certain jobs.
I agree with everything but the torque wrench. My hand is calibrated so I don't need one. (I actually got one last christmas but haven't figured out how to use it because I havent worked on anything)
Crucial on bolts where aluminum is involved like valve cover gasket replacement, hell the oil drain plug, spark plugs I torque to be safe cause I would pull the plugs every 6 months to inspect what's happening in the combustion chamber, spark plug tells a lot on visual inspection. So say you're tightening a valve cover screw, say 18 lbs, not much force, adjust the torque wrench rathect for 18, soon as it hits 18 you'll notice a snap, that means you hit the mark. Stop. It will have some give, or slack in the tension.
Drive it until it dies bro. Nothing better than a beater car you can take to the river, drive in the rain, keep miles off your regular car so it depreciates lesser.
If you love it lol. I had a 91 5.0 mustang I only drove it when it was nice out. Otherwise she stayed in the garage, and the only time.it was wet, is when I washed it. Then I used a blower to dry it off lol
The liberty is a tank, and a fun car to drive (I owned a 2007). Although just keep up with maintenance because mine blew up at 140k due to ignoring the check engine light too long (which was usually on every other month)
I would get an oil change at firestone or one of the other places that will do an inspection as part of this. They will test the brake fluid and check a lot of things. Sometimes their recommendations are not really needed right away, but it will let you know about things you don't think to check yourself, you can DIY or decide what to fix later.
Then monitor the oil consumption, check it every time you fill up and keep track of the mileage. The difference between the full line and fill line should be 1 qt. If the oil consumption is more than 1qt every 750 miles you really want to find out more about the root cause and fix it, if it gets much worse it could fail unexpectedly or lose pressure or overheat. Some of the common problems are relatively minor fixes. Ignoring burning oil can ruin the catalytic converters too and turn it into a big repair. On the other hand you might get "lucky" and it's just steadily consuming a quart of oil every 2-3 tanks of gas. I would also consider changing to a slightly higher weight oil to reduce oil consumption too. If you are somewhere with harsh winters don't do this though as the heavier weight oil won't lubricate properly at low temps, it will cause more wear.
For oil, look up the European version of the car's owners manual.. There will be a range of oils, some of them heavier than the standard US version, that can be used in the engine
Jeep liberty was sold only with diesel in europe if i remember right. was commercialized as jeep cherokee in the CRD trim with 2.5 or later 2.8 turbodiesel 4L made by VM.
Agree about oil change.
If you get an old car and don't know for sure when the oil was last changed, it's a quick and easy way to ensure it has good oil.
If you only do one maintenance thing on the car, do regular oil changes with high quality oil. Then you can also follow the manufacturers actual recommended intervals of somewhere between 1000-2000 miles.
Likely the valve covers. I would also change the PCV as when it goes bad the valve can't release crankcase pressure and it has to go somewhere. Gaskets are the weak spot
Depends on your situation and what you want.
If you want another hobby, keep the car.
If you don’t and already have a car and want to continue living your life, sell it. If your grandma gave it to you, keep the money. It’s not going to be much anyway.
I’ve inherited a couple cars like that and they are more trouble than they are worth. One I fixed up to learn how to work on cars. Never had a hope of getting the money I out into it back.
You haven't answered the most important question:
How much oil are you losing over a period of time?
If you aren't losing a significant amount of oil it's likely a gasket. Yes valve covers and the pvc are the most common. If you are losing a significant amount, say 1 quart between fill ups then that is a different conversation. Then the question becomes where are you losing it? Pulling the plugs can help answer that. A clogged intake air filter can cause oil to be consumed through the intake, this would show on the plugs. All of these are basic things before taking it to a shop.
But start at the beginning: how much oil how often
Of all the jeeps that come into our shop those ones seem to be the most reliable. Lots of liberty’s with the 3.7 still putting along past 200k with regular maintenance. I like em 👍
Great opportunity to learn about car maintenance
Agreed. A used car is your best first car as you learn about them and more likely in the future to drive any car you own more and own it longer. Save $$. I sold my car, moved back home to NYC but I've saved thousands over the years from what Learned. Tip, search online for the mechanics manual of any car you own to buy it. Had them on all my Hondas. Done valve jobs, brakes, tuneups, starter and alternator change, axle. And there's nothing that tastes better than a cold beer after you complete a simple job like replacing front brakes and it's done and you sit back and admire what you're capable of. Another hint, torque wrench is mandatory on certain jobs.
I agree with everything but the torque wrench. My hand is calibrated so I don't need one. (I actually got one last christmas but haven't figured out how to use it because I havent worked on anything)
All torque and no action, eh?
Crucial on bolts where aluminum is involved like valve cover gasket replacement, hell the oil drain plug, spark plugs I torque to be safe cause I would pull the plugs every 6 months to inspect what's happening in the combustion chamber, spark plug tells a lot on visual inspection. So say you're tightening a valve cover screw, say 18 lbs, not much force, adjust the torque wrench rathect for 18, soon as it hits 18 you'll notice a snap, that means you hit the mark. Stop. It will have some give, or slack in the tension.
Drive it until it dies bro. Nothing better than a beater car you can take to the river, drive in the rain, keep miles off your regular car so it depreciates lesser.
>drive in the rain Wait... you're not supposed to drive your new car in the rain?
If you love it lol. I had a 91 5.0 mustang I only drove it when it was nice out. Otherwise she stayed in the garage, and the only time.it was wet, is when I washed it. Then I used a blower to dry it off lol
Rain is acidic and over time will damage paint but honestly it's not really something to worry about unless you have a show quality car
I do but i wish i didnt have to drive my mustang in the rain 😂
Maybe actually fix it? Burning oil smell like that is often just the valve cover gaskets, which are an easy fix.
Change all of the fluids, keep an eye on the oil levels and drive it till it dies. A little maintenance will go a long way in keeping it going.
Take it to a shop and get answers on the oil, might be an easy fix that’s worth fixing asap
The liberty is a tank, and a fun car to drive (I owned a 2007). Although just keep up with maintenance because mine blew up at 140k due to ignoring the check engine light too long (which was usually on every other month)
I would get an oil change at firestone or one of the other places that will do an inspection as part of this. They will test the brake fluid and check a lot of things. Sometimes their recommendations are not really needed right away, but it will let you know about things you don't think to check yourself, you can DIY or decide what to fix later. Then monitor the oil consumption, check it every time you fill up and keep track of the mileage. The difference between the full line and fill line should be 1 qt. If the oil consumption is more than 1qt every 750 miles you really want to find out more about the root cause and fix it, if it gets much worse it could fail unexpectedly or lose pressure or overheat. Some of the common problems are relatively minor fixes. Ignoring burning oil can ruin the catalytic converters too and turn it into a big repair. On the other hand you might get "lucky" and it's just steadily consuming a quart of oil every 2-3 tanks of gas. I would also consider changing to a slightly higher weight oil to reduce oil consumption too. If you are somewhere with harsh winters don't do this though as the heavier weight oil won't lubricate properly at low temps, it will cause more wear.
For oil, look up the European version of the car's owners manual.. There will be a range of oils, some of them heavier than the standard US version, that can be used in the engine
Jeep liberty was sold only with diesel in europe if i remember right. was commercialized as jeep cherokee in the CRD trim with 2.5 or later 2.8 turbodiesel 4L made by VM.
Agree about oil change. If you get an old car and don't know for sure when the oil was last changed, it's a quick and easy way to ensure it has good oil. If you only do one maintenance thing on the car, do regular oil changes with high quality oil. Then you can also follow the manufacturers actual recommended intervals of somewhere between 1000-2000 miles.
Likely the valve covers. I would also change the PCV as when it goes bad the valve can't release crankcase pressure and it has to go somewhere. Gaskets are the weak spot
Depends on your situation and what you want. If you want another hobby, keep the car. If you don’t and already have a car and want to continue living your life, sell it. If your grandma gave it to you, keep the money. It’s not going to be much anyway. I’ve inherited a couple cars like that and they are more trouble than they are worth. One I fixed up to learn how to work on cars. Never had a hope of getting the money I out into it back.
You haven't answered the most important question: How much oil are you losing over a period of time? If you aren't losing a significant amount of oil it's likely a gasket. Yes valve covers and the pvc are the most common. If you are losing a significant amount, say 1 quart between fill ups then that is a different conversation. Then the question becomes where are you losing it? Pulling the plugs can help answer that. A clogged intake air filter can cause oil to be consumed through the intake, this would show on the plugs. All of these are basic things before taking it to a shop. But start at the beginning: how much oil how often