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Chrysler 4.7 swap?

Polarfire

Jeep Aficionado
Lifetime Member
City
Columbia
State
MO
I have a line on a 4.7 Power Tech V8 out of a '99 Grand Cherokee. The engine is still in the Jeep and I can hear it run. I don't know the miles yet. I'm just weighing options...would this be a good engine to swap into the Scrambler? I don't have any real knowledge of that engine. I currently have a carburated GM 350 with unknown miles. The advantage would be newer motor with fuel injection. Thoughts?
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I have never had one but in general, i do not here alot of good comments on them. In Ram 1500, I hear they are underpowered, in grand cherokees i hear they have plenty of power. Might be worth swapping TBI on your current engine and/or find a low miles one and put tbi on it (unless it already has it). I think i would not spend the time and money to swap that engine in.

Sent from my SM-J320P
 
One of the off road magazines (don't remember which) had this as one of the worst engine swaps you could do. Sometimes they just write to fill pages; but looked like it's not a great swap.

Chrysler/Jeep 4.7L V-8
The candidate: The Chrysler 4.7L overhead cam first saw Jeep duty in the '99 Grand Cherokee and wormed its way into the Dodge Dakota and fullsize Ram platforms as well.

The perception: For under $3,000, I can pick up a thrashed Grand Cherokee with the 4.7L and five-speed auto tranny and put it in my trail Jeep.

The reality: Have you ever looked under the hood of a 4.7L-powered Grand Cherokee? Besides looking like a nightmare to extricate, the WJ's overhead cam 4.7L is super-wide, very complex, and only puts out around 235-265hp. And again, there's very little in the way of aftermarket harness and ECU support to make the swap easy.

The exception: We really can't think of any.

We think: If you want modern V-8 power, you'll be way better off finding a wrecked Silverado and nabbing the 5.3L Vortec engine instead.




 
I believe they are not good high milage engines, head gaskets, valve train noise and other issues make them not good with high miles. Ask Jersey he has had a bunch of them with problems.

I believe the hemi engine is regarded to be much better in high milage reliability. Still hard to be any version on the LS engine series.
 
It was just a passing thought as I could have picked it up cheap but it doesn't sound like it is worth the trouble.
 
Yeah I hear you, and although, just for the record, the three here with bad engines are all 4.7s and were only bought for parts after other people blew the engines :eek: They blew at 98k , 117k, and 133k. Not good.
 
I have experience with this engine, there are better choices.
 
Much better choices out there.

How many Grand Cherokees do you see with 150-175k miles that do not have an engine with a blown head gasket. And rebuild are $2.5-3K. The whole jeep is usually not worth that.

4.8/5.3/6.0l Chevy is a much better choice for a v-8.




Carl
 
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