04 Jeep Liberty KJ with Only 25k Miles On It

[NewJeep]

Okay, I recently inherited a the vehicle described above. I won't go into all the details, but it was actually driven nearly daily by an elderly family member who bought and shortly after found out he was very sick and never got to use it for his intended purpose. It has the 3.7 gas engine.

Anyway I'm wondering if there should be some special considerations regarding which oil I use. I've always been a huge fan of Mobil 1. However, I have a bum hand so I had to have a shop do my oil change and didn't even think of telling them which viscosity oil I wanted them to use.

Considering that it was only driven on short trips until I got it do you all have any recommendations. For engine oil. Its also 4wd so I want to have all the drive train lubricants and break fluid changed too.

 

[daves87rs]

Pretty much anything that 3.7 runs on will be fine...

Kinda like the Pennzoil route... whether it be the Yellow bottle or synthetic.....

 

[901Memphis]

5w30 or 10w30, won't matter much, should run good on anything name brand. If i was having a shop change my oil i would be more concerned about them using a junk dollar filter than the oil. If you can provide your own filter with a silicone anti drain back valve like a Fram Tough Guard or Wix.

Engine takes right at 5.0 quarts, so if you could change it yourself the jug would be cheap at Walmart.

Have you considered a mity vac pump so you can change it without draining the pan?

 

[tomcat27]

that engine is very durable - although pretty thirsty on gas. I've run 5w-30 and also 5w-40 in mine. (an 02 with 130k on it) be sure that the transmission fluid that is used is actually ATF+4. it is a good idea to change the axle lubes and transfer case lubes at least one time during the truck's life. I would also ensure that the proper coolant is used. (HOAT, I believe; I use Zerex G05 in mine)

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: tomcat27
that engine is very durable - although pretty thirsty on gas. I've run 5w-30 and also 5w-40 in mine. (an 02 with 130k on it) be sure that the transmission fluid that is used is actually ATF+4. it is a good idea to change the axle lubes and transfer case lubes at least one time during the truck's life. I would also ensure that the proper coolant is used. (HOAT, I believe; I use Zerex G05 in mine)


And on a side note, all products carrying the actual ATF+4 license are EXACTLY the same, its a very tight spec, so the Supertech, and Auto parts house brands are just as good as the name brand Pennzoil, Valvoline, Mopar, etc... Usually Supertech is the best price unless you find a good gallon sale or something.

Here is a list of the licensed brands.

http://centerforqa.com/chrysler/licensed-atf4-brands


For the gear and diff oils, i would recommend Redline fluids, which are some of the best in the business.

 

[Brian Barnhart]

Our '04 Liberty has been a very good vehicle. Couple more things:

There is a baffle under the large oil fill cap. Remove it and clean it. It gets gunked up and will need cleaning if it's been neglected. If it's gunked up, also change the PCV valve that is mounted on the side of the oil fill. Might want to change the PCV valve regardless.

The front axle calls for 75W140 gear oil. Use that. I tried 75W90 and got noticeable gear whine. You'll be surprised how dirty it will be even at 25K. It has a drain plug, so it's relatively easy to change.

The manual says to change spark plugs every 30K. They are easy to change, so I've been changing them every 30K, though you could probably go longer if platinums or iridiums are used.

The manual calls for 5W30 or 10W30 in the engine. I've always used one or the other (or a mix). Tried many different brands (both conventional and synthetic). Can't say I noticed much difference between any.

 

[caravanmike]

i have 2 of these motors and use 5w-30 in the 2006 and 5w-20 in the 2012. both vehicles get nothing but conventional oil.

do change the spark plugs early and often. usually by 20,000 miles mine are hammered. i use nothing but ngk copper core (which are oem). to many people report misfires with platinums.

cooling system maintenance is a must.

 

[Eddie]

I would use a good brand name 5w30 oil and a Fram Tough Guard oil filter. I probably would change the coolant or at least inspect it. I have no experience on differentals or transmissions in this vehicle. Ed