Hey all ,

I've been on the look out for a cheap runabout and found a 02 TJ Magna Advance (3.5 V6) that seems to tick pretty much all the right boxes for me so far . I'm wanting to know what to look out for and what common faults/problems these cars suffer from (electrical , cooling , engine/transmission problem . . .ect . . .) . Any advice would be greatly appreciated :cool:

Only problem I've had with my KJ since buying in February (apart from a couple of warning lights occasionally coming on until I stop & restart) is the exhaust rotting out just before it bends around the fuel tank. Check from the driver's side.
There are reports of the heater core leaking - check for damp carpet at the passenger's footwell.
There are also posts about auto problems (including a small number of sudden total failures) - check that the auto fluid isn't black & especially doesn't smell burnt.
Check when timing belt due for replacement (has both km & time limit, but I believe the kms are much more important). Changing the rear (platinum) spark plugs is a fairly big/expensive job, due around every 100-105000 km.
Coolant & brake fluid have time limits - check if possible that they have never gone too far over.

i had to change head gasket twice but apart from that its all good. 164ks odo read

I'm fairly mechanically minded but would like to know how hard it is to replace a transmission in one of these beasts maybe even a manual conversion ? The car I'm looking at has a blown trans do ya's think it's worth while doing a manual conversion ? They want $500 for the car and a guy from work can hook me up with 3.5 ltr engine and 5spd conversion (engine and box only done 140K) for $400 . Apart from the bung transmission the rest of the car seems pretty clean and tidy .

I intend on doing most of the work myself to save $$ Is it worth the trouble or should I leave it and find something better ?

Cheers

head gasket twice @ 164k how bad do you trash your car dude



manual con def the better choice imho , if its only the trans mate i would say go for it if the rest of the car is decent

the dooche who install the first one did it wrong,i look after my ride :) trust me i do

head gasket twice @ 164k how bad do you trash your car dude



manual con def the better choice imho , if its only the trans mate i would say go for it if the rest of the car is decent

see what color the radiator is!! if its black all good but if its green ish color its had it, but there only $103 with free del atm on ebay.

Well the biggest concern would be the transmission.
They're known to fail every now and then...
Listen for any weird noises and check out the colour of the fluid, should be a reddish colour even brown,if completely black might not necessarily mean the box is doomed but something to think about.

Put it this way though, failing auto transmission = excuse to do a manual conversion! You won't regret it.

Check the break lines!

see what color the radiator is!! if its black all good but if its green ish color its had it, but there only $103 with free del atm on ebay.

Does this refer to radiator or radiator fluid?.......fluid should be green.

$400 for a 3.5 and manual trans!! Got cheap! Quite a few ppl on here have done it themselves, I've got a mate swapping my auto box for me ATM, no real dramas.

I guess if you've got a new engine and gbox on the cards, there's nothing to bother checking on the existing one. Suspension, electrics and overall condition would be your main concerns.

i had to change head gasket twice but apart from that its all good. 164ks odo read

Head gasket at 164!!!??? mines done 280 and im not planning to do it until 300!! and ive had my car since i got my license :P

GrandpaSimpson:
how many k's has this car done? after about 250k my rear shocks started leaking. other then that magnas are very robust if regular services are completed... so i would convince myself the the guy has been looking after it

If you had to change the HG twice, i suspect that firstly it oveheated at some point and secondly the head wasnt skimmed flush after the first failure.

You realize he's likely talking about rocker cover gasket but is uninformed?

You realize he's likely talking about rocker cover gasket but is uninformed?

yeah... that would make a lot more sense :P

Does this refer to radiator or radiator fluid?.......fluid should be green.

nah the top tank of the radator they go an off green color when there brittil. can be as little as removing the top rad hose and snaping the fitting off!!!