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Looking to buy a Commander this spring

4K views 23 replies 9 participants last post by  Wombler 
#1 ·
If it's what I'm guessing, the 2006-2010 line had valve issues. The seats would break and fall into the chamber, highly likely that the kind of catastrophic failure this would cause could damage the intake manifold when metal flies upwards into it, leaving it to be replaced as well. Mine made it to 108k before this failure, most of them start to break from this at around 75-85k. Mine lasted til 108k, then it was time for a reman. I'm looking to keep it for another ten years at least.


I'm looking to buy a Commander this spring but trying to decide between the hemi and 4.7. I've read some threads talking about power differences but longevity and repair costs are equally important to me. Are the issues you had just on the Hemi?


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#2 · (Edited)
#4 · (Edited)
That's a matter of opinion;

I can tell you that in my time here; I've seen & read about more problems with the 5.7L Hemi than all of the other power trains the Commander came with; Particularly the 06 & 07 Hemi's.

I could also easily make a case that the 4.7L is the most reliable power-train that the Commander ever came with; I'm sure there are people here that would disagree with me;

I've had my 08 4.7L for 5 years now and I'm over 100,000 miles; I've have had zero mechanical issues with it, other than replacing a bad radiator cap and a dead battery. I also replaced the actuator motor on the transfer case unnecessarily but Chrysler reimbursed me for that, so it cost me nothing.

I will say, that I'd probably shy away from the 06/07 4.7L - because of the lower HP & Torque they put out, compared the 2008 & later 4.7L;

But that being said, the 06/07 4.7L's are still an extremely reliable & dependable power train in my opinion.
 
#6 ·
I had a 4.7 in a 05 Grand Cherokee with the only problem were the broken exhaust manifold bolts. My current 06 Commander 5.7 hemi I have had since 2008. No big problems - water pump, front Diff bushings, both covered on my lifetime warranty:smile2: Gas millage is almost the same between the 3.7, 4.7 and 5.7 as the flying brick is not aerodynamic. The hemi will also run on 4 cylinders (MDS) under light load helps the gas mileage (got 21 on expressway once). The big problem of dropping valve seats which usually means a new engine on the hemi is usually connected to overheating the engine, later Commanders (08?) the problem was fixed.
 
#8 ·
I had a 4.7 in a 05 Grand Cherokee with the only problem were the broken exhaust manifold bolts. My current 06 Commander 5.7 hemi I have had since 2008. No big problems - water pump, front Diff bushings, both covered on my lifetime warranty:smile2: Gas millage is almost the same between the 3.7, 4.7 and 5.7 as the flying brick is not aerodynamic. The hemi will also run on 4 cylinders (MDS) under light load helps the gas mileage (got 21 on expressway once). The big problem of dropping valve seats which usually means a new engine on the hemi is usually connected to overheating the engine, later Commanders (08?) the problem was fixed.
I believe that issue was addressed in the '09 & beyond Hemis.
 
#9 ·
Well, I can only speak as. Short time owner. I just purchased a 07 4.7 QT2 about a week ago. Although there are other years and larger engines with more HP out there I feel that she has more than enough power for my needs. I live in East TN and have already pulled 2 cherokees out of a mud hole, and have towed a 21 foot pontoon boat about 100 miles and havent har any issues. I thought about a Hemi but what I have found either had horrible to no service records or had great records and people were asking large sums. I decided my best bet was one a friend of the family had purchased last year. If you find one with great service records in your price range I think that would be the beat place to start but so far, I love my Jeep. Just my 2c.
 
#10 ·
First, thanks for the responses and sorry I didn't get back earlier. Back went out which kept me from work or moving much at all, now that I'm back at work I haven't had a chance to slow down to think much! But I did get my first Commander and am happy to be back in the Jeep family after 19 years away!

Picked up an 06 Commander this week with the Hemi and QDII. It looks to be fully loaded. Downside is the engine is bad. The only history I can get on it is the previous owner bought it last spring (he paid $9,000 for it, I feel bad as I just picked it up for $1,500) the dealer I got it from was putting it up for auction as the engine is bad. It looks like they just put a new water pump on it. I haven't tried to turn it over yet as I'm waiting for my boroscope to show up today when I'll take a peak inside the cyclinders. Assuming the engine is bad, I'm planning on ordering one from Pro Engines.

Pro Engines requires the thermostat and intake manifold to be replaced to validate their warranty. Any suggestions on an intake manifold?

I'm looking more at reliability than high performance but will be putting a Trail Dash programmer or something similar in it for sure.

I'm also looking at what else I should upgrade or replace while the engine is out. I'll be doing the work myself.

Headers and exhaust look expensive and seem more beneficial for high rpm gains.

Thanks.
 
#11 ·
Interesting. I pulled the spark plugs on the passenger side and found coolant in the middle 2 cylinders. Hopefully I'll get to the other side later tonight and then post pictures.



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#12 · (Edited)
Interesting. I pulled the spark plugs on the passenger side and found coolant in the middle 2 cylinders. Hopefully I'll get to the other side later tonight and then post pictures.

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That tells me that the engine probably over-heated and the block is most likely cracked.
 
#13 ·
Here’s a look inside the cylinders.

Cracked block and not just a head or head gasket problem? I bought the Jeep budgeting to replace the engine but thought I might get away with putting new heads on.



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#14 · (Edited)
Here’s a look inside the cylinders.

Cracked block and not just a head or head gasket problem? I bought the Jeep budgeting to replace the engine but thought I might get away with putting new heads on.

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The smart bet would be to replace the entire block - then you know you have nothing to worry about. You should consider replacing the radiator as well.
 
#19 ·
#21 ·
If you've got the tools and skills...you can actually save a LOT of money and personally know everything about the vehicle history and condition, as if buying it new. Following SevenJay's process, he's pretty much done and gained exactly that. Pretty much everything about his Commander is is brand new now except the interior and he's only out-of-pocket what a used running Commander would cost, if not less.
I think he said he's only $7000 in right now, for a new Hemi Commander. :headbang2:
 
#23 ·
I enjoy working on cars. So an excuse to buy more tools and do something I haven't done for awhile appealed to me. But it was a long road made longer when I had to pull the reman engine back out due to no compression on the #2 cylinder. I sent it back to ProEngines and they fixed it. That process could have been a bit smoother but overall I think they have a good product.
I'm pretty sure I could pull the engine in 8 hours now, or do a complete swap in a weekend.
Can't say I would recommend the path I took but it worked for me.


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