Nkyshaolin

So i'm sure this topic has been explored before but i wanted to get this out there and see what you all think.

I purchased a 1999 Cherokee sport with the 4.0L in decent shape but needed some basic work (A/C, Heat, and new tires). The guy who sold it to me had a laundry list of items that he had replaced and or improved in this Jeep and i was pretty confident in the purchase after having it looked at. i bought the jeep for $2500 and i have about another $2000 to fix the things listed above. Now i'm finding out my bearings are shot in the motor and the oil pressure is crap because of this. a new motor installed (i have no time to do it myself or i would) is going to run me around $4000. now i'm $8500 in this dude and i'm wondering.....when it too much to fix and you just cut your losses? i love this truck and i want it to be my daily driver but damn man i'll never get the money i'm spending to keep it road worthy back in a lifetime. what's your limit on keeping you Cherokee upright?

EZEARL

GOOD year for an XJ. Some say the BEST year. So right now you've got $2500 in it? The prices for repairs seem awful high. BUT if you can't do it yourself.......

4WD4EVER

Welcome to CF.

Many of us don't buy an XJ on the basis of what we believe we may get out of it at a later date. We do it because we have an appreciation for them. It sounds like you may fit in this category.

If it were me, I believe I would find another XJ with a good motor, heater and possibly a/c components and start swapping parts to have one reliable unit. Otherwise, selling it at a probable loss and learning from the experience is the other alternative.

There is no easy way out.

Edit: I'm sure most, if not all, of us have been there at least once.

Nkyshaolin

Don't get me wrong I love this rig! I'm sure people have spent way more than i have to keep theirs going and/or modify their Jeeps but i just don't want to get to a point where this thing is just going to get out of hand. i guess if i put a new motor in it, then it basically becomes a new / dependable vehicle.

i've looked around for new motors and they run $2500-$2800 for a new refurb'd motor plus rebuild kits around $300-$400. I just got a quote today for $3600 for total install out the door. i thought that was pretty good but i just can't believe i'm in this thing for that much already?!! I really want to fix it and i guess i just want someone to justify my insanity for this Jeep.

on a side note would you just drive it as is with the low oil pressure and change to a 5w-40 or put a new pump on it and drive it until it fails? you all have the experience with these.....is bad bearings a death sentence that's soon to come if it's running well and not making noises?

Nkyshaolin

I am definitely one that has a great appreciation for these vehicles. i've wanted one since i watched Goonies when i was a kid!! I like the advice of finding an older one with parts to swap. that makes more sense. i did find a motor with 90k on it pretty cheap but am I moving one problem to another?

aj2494

I would think long and hard about it. How much would you lose by turning around and selling it right now? Think taxes, repairs already done, etc. How does the condition/price compare to the other for sale in your area? I think you could have strong 4.0 swapped in for a lot less than $4k. If you find a nice used one, it would cost significantly less. I'll admit that I'm not super familiar with the labor costs involved in a 4.0 swap though.

For me, I drove one XJ for a year and decided that it wasn't worth putting my lift on and picked up a cleaner one. I parted the first one out and absolutely lost my *** on it, but I wouldn't have felt comfortable selling it to someone else with what I felt it needed done. That's just my case though, and the unibody wasn't nearly as clean on the first one so I wasn't really attached to it.

4WD4EVER

"Am I moving from one problem to another?"

IDK. You will have to determine that if and when you locate a 2nd unit.

I would recommend asking a knowledgeable friend to go with you and look it over before forking over more money on another potential dud.

TBH, if you decide to move ahead and swap parts, don't expect to get your money back. It's possible, but, unlikely.

Most of us will attest that it takes a considerable investment to make them what we want them to be and maintain them. If you're considering starting a family and setting aside money for college, get out of this now. Lol!

Lastly, changes were made on the XJ's for the '99 models, so not every component from a pre-'99 will swap over. Much of it will, but not all.

I guess you need to decide for yourself what your needs and expectations are and adjust your priorities accordingly.

We're here to help you if you need it.

Nkyshaolin

The $4000 I was quoted is a refurbished motor with all new hoses, pumps, the whole nine with guarantee of 3 years 100k which to me for this vehicle would be fantastic, but dang dude that's a lot!! I haven't even got to the fun stuff yet?

You all think putting in a good used motor makes sense?

Nkyshaolin

That's exactly why I'm on this forum and I appreciate everything!! I do love these vehicles and I'd rather keep this one on the road than alternative. But like you said I'm going to have to weigh my options

aj2494

Based on your situation, I would try to sell it and get a different one. Even if you just drove this one off a cliff, it would still be cheaper in the long run to get a different clean one. 4.0's are pretty telling. Looking for drips, listening for noises, checking oil pressure, etc. will tell you most of what you need to know. You might have made a mistake on this one or maybe it took a little while for the bearings to go (no idea how long you've had it), but that doesn't mean the next one will be the same.

EZEARL

^this


How do you know the bearings are worn out? Was the oil pressure verified with a mechanical gauge? Engine noises?

4WD4EVER

"Does it make sense to put in a good used motor?"

If you want to continue to enjoy it without putting a brand new one in, yes. Look at it from a logical perspective: You're either going to lose money now in your initial investment and lose the enjoyment, or, you are going to lose money (probably) in the long run, yet still enjoy it. It's a question of which option you want. Both options have trade-offs.

Like you said: You have to weigh your options. Only you can decide.

Also, I should have been more clear. Most, but not all, the parts you will need will come from '97 and later models.

thebyus

Dang! i wish someone had told me that BEFORE (My wife and I are currently "discussing" a rear locker, now that I have the front one installed. Something about the heap having cost almost double the budget we had initially talked about seems to be irking her for some reason! )

So you are already into it for about $5K. Could you get your money out of it? Probably not. Would you feel comfortable selling someone a vehicle that you know has a worthless engine? You need to figure that out.

As has been said before:

Option A) Pony up for the new motor and have yourself a damn fine vehicle from which you can move forward on.

Option B) Find a different one with a solid engine, and swap parts over (You'll probably be into that one for roughly a similar price to a new motor in the old one)

Option C) rebuild the engine (I know this is not really popular, but maybe their is trade school nearby that would be willing to do the work for you?)

Option D) Dump it and start from scratch.

So it sounds like what you really need to do is some math - what's the difference in cost between a brand new motor with a 3 year 100K warranty, and another vehicle with an (again) unknown motor that is going to have in the high 100K miles already on it. (Some call these "broken in", others, like you, just call them "broken")

Once you know the cost difference, how much is piece of mind worth to you that the engine won't quit? Is your priority that if you trash it on the trail or your daily drive you want to be willing to walk away from it? (At which point having dropped $4k on a new engine is a tough pill to swallow!)

aj2494

My understanding is that he's only spent $2500 on it. Sounds like it's going to take $4k to get a motor in it. So he could spend $6500 on this XJ, or find a good one for $3000-$3500, which is still less than a motor swap and he can still recover maybe even the full $2500 from the one he currently has. No parts to swap over, and minimal loss.

BlvdKreeper

For $6500 you can get a pretty decent xj on Craigslist if you look around. Here in Chicago 90% all the xjs I've seen over $4k on CL are already lifted. Except they're all a lil rusty from the salt.