I just bought a 97 jeep grand Cherokee limited it has a 5.2 V8 and automatic transmission. 152000 miles
I bought the car yesterday from a private seller and it ran great for the drive home. I put it threw all the gears when I got it and nothing was wrong. Now it's lost reverse and SLAMs into drive.
I was told it sat for quite some time before I bought it. Any help is appreciated
Sounds like the transmission is out. The seller probably did a bandaid fix on it to unload it, but you're likely going to need a rebuild or replacement.
This is why having a mechanic check out any potential purchase is so important. Unfortunately people can do many things that are shady to mask problems temporarily. But being a 1997, it has OBD-II tech so it would not be able to hide problems from a good scan tool.
I would take it to a good independent mechanic and see what they say. But it doesn't sound good to me.
Unfortunately unlike the regular (not "Grand") Cherokee which used an AW4 Aisin/Toyota automatic transmission, those Grand Cherokees used a weak-kneed Chrysler automatic, model 42RE I think. It's an electronically controlled descendant of the legendary 727 Torqueflite but unfortunately does not have the older transmission's toughness and longevity.
Have a mechanic scan it with a fancy dealer-level scan tool for codes related to the transmission. (A simple OBD2 code reader won't show those.) Probably best to take it to a transmission specialist for evaluation. Avoid rip-off chain joints like AAMCO, find a good independent shop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHtKpC9M5Q
