lusidd

First, I know i'm new here, so thanks for any and all info you give me. I've been trolling a while, and have come to a roadblock with my Cherokee....so here's some info/history.

'01 Cherokee Sport, 4.0 6cyl, 180k..typical driving is done in south Texas, so it's always hot. Previous owner replaced radiator due to overheating problems. After I got it, It would overheat once in a while, so I changed hoses, tstat, and radiator cap. The A/C used to work ok, but started overheating the engine, so I stopped using it about a year ago....really hard in south Texas. Anyway, the radiator started to leak a little, so I would fill it about every month or so (i work a lot, so therefore am a procrastinator with the Jeep, totally my fault).

Recently (a few days ago), I decided to try to take a trip to the beach, so I changed oil, and decided to refill coolant in A/C. After driving about 30 miles, the temp gauge hit half way (normally cruises at a notch below half), so I turned off the A/C... but the gauge never dropped. at about 50 miles, the engine lost power, started pinging real bad, and died....the temp gauge never passed one notch above half way, but the engine was smoking real bad. I let it cool for about an hour, filled water, turned around to drive home, and only go about 1 mile...same thing, no red on the gauge, but smoke coming from the engine, pinging, no power, then it died.

After towing home and a day to rest, the engine takes a long time to start, idles real rough, and sometimes dies. There is no smoke from the tail pipe, but there are lots of bubbles in the water in my radiator. When I started a while ago, the water would spew out (cap off) as I pressed the gas. Also, there is smoke coming from the engine after running for just a minute or two (I don't understand this).

Any and all help is appreciated, as I am weary of driving to the shop for a pressure/exhaust test.

nickxj94

You blew the head gasket, the 99 to 01 are bad about it they used a crap head on some, but the reason for overheating you probably have a bad fan clutch so check it out replace it with a Zj fan clutch after you get a new head on it

lusidd

I was fearing that. My oil still looks clean, no residue after all this...wouldn't it be milky? Also, fresh water in the radiator looks dirty while bubbling...is this just confirming the blown HG?..or could it be anything else?

Turbo X_J

Oil pressure has been fine (normal) through this whole ordeal? Start with a compression test.

"I've been trolling a while"
So you probably know what the answer is you just want someone to tell you, right? Sorry, with those model years there is no way to sugar coat it.

nickxj94

Yes if the head cracked it can get water in oil or oil in radiator but it can blow between the cly. Best to pull a plug one at a time to check compression first, but does sound like a blown gasket or leaking one. You could of burt the motor up to tho driving it till it quit usually does

nickxj94

Was it pinging like under power ping going up a hill or knocking?

lusidd

Knocking...especially when trying to accelerate. Now that I think about it, the oil pressure would rise just a bit, every now and then...from one notch under half, to about 2 above.

PSUmaninSC

I have the same issue with my 98 right now. Really hoping its not the HG, although since its not my DD that's not a deal breaker, just a big headache.

Mine idles fine, but once I start driving it starts knocking. Changed the oil today, no coolant/water in the oil and enough drained to show that I don't have a significant leak.

The sound is definitely a knocking sound, not a ping combined with a loss of power. I also got the error codes read and it said cyl 1 was misfiring.

tjwalker

My bet is a cracked head. The factory 0331 cylinder head has a bad habit of cracking upon virtually any overheat.

On the 00-01 (0331 equipped), the head cracks way more often than the head gasket fails. Although both are certainly possibilities.

Anybody that owns an 00-01 needs to educate themselves about the 0331 head. Here is a good thread.

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums...d.php?t=391831

A compression test is good at snaking out a blown head gasket, but often doesn't show the cracked head.

DFlintstone

Bummer. Does sound like you probably have real trouble. Two things first. If you "power brake" it with the cap off does it spew or bubble? If compression in the cylinders passes into the water jacket it can bubble or geyser. If that's the case you might want to do a regular compression test, then add a couple oz of oil to the cyls and get a set of "wet" numbers before you pull the head.

2000 and 2001 had the infamous 0331 head. Sometimes where it cracks you can actually look down in the oil filler and see ether a line of coolant, or evidence that it has been seeping there where it cracks between 3&4.
I've seen posted that the # is on the drivers side, top edge of the head. Also I've seen posted, the "revised" heads have a "tupy" foundry mark, actually down inside under the filler cap.

With 180K that old 4.0 might still have some good miles left....???? I'm doing pretty well at 265, on my 90!... <<<(Kidding! best of luck)

Ha!, Always takes me a long time to type. TJ "knows things"! (I might have gotten some of that from him)

DFlintstone

Oh, and two things, your gauge doesn't say it's hot? The other...Exhaust. Exhaust that's white that dissipates is steam, almost the same is off white and maybe bluish could be oil, which hangs in there, and carbon from the fuel comes out black. (that's black and grey and usually that's not a tough one).

U have white that dissipates? If it bubbles and makes noises when you turn it off, and your gauge says you are "cool", you probably are not...,hope I'm way off base, good luck!

lusidd

Gauge was reading slightly above middle when the engine quit. There are a few drops of water coming out of the exhaust pipe (i have only water circulating for now, so this wouldn't say much), but no smoke, steam or really bad smells what so ever coming from exhaust. Just a bunch of bubbling in the radiator when when accelerator is pressed, smoke coming from the engine (could be oil burning off?), and a very rough start/idle....as well as knocking just before the engine quit. (what would cause the knocking?)

LYKOS

If you got any coolant in the oil you may have toasted a bearing. I've overheated my 01' way to much as of late and no indication of a cracked head, yet. SO it's not absolute that you've cracked yours. But again, it sounds like you have trouble.

I'd just go ahead and bite the bullet on this and start diagnostics as mentioned above. Compression check, oil analysis, cooling system leak test so on and so forth.

Have you pulled your plugs and inspected them? What do they look like?

Firestorm500

Sounds like you have serious trouble up in the head and down in the block, too.

lusidd

man, this is becoming a total clean up. I just flushed the whole cooling system, and found two more holes in the radiator...gonna replace that puppy on Monday. I also noticed that i'm getting oil in my water supply, and not the other way around...oil cap is clean, other than some buildup from old oil. If I can isolate it down to the HG, i'll probably end up taking on that job myself, as long as I don't have to mess with the timing in any way. (this will be my first open engine surgery) Thanks for all of the tips, as I will be getting a compression test done soon, and post all info up when I get it. Thanks!