Hey everyone,
Im looking into buying a 1989 Jeep Wagoneer. 4.0l with 179k on it. Looks great in good condition. How long do these motors run? It will be my daily driver. Anything I should look for?

 

They run forever as long as you take care if them.

Check the floor pans. They tend to rust out.

Check every steering and suspension component for wear/play. Check for oil leaks at the valve cover and oil pan, as well as around the oil filter.

Check the color of the coolant and oil. If you can, check the color and condition of the trans fluid.

 

I just purchased a 1990 wagoneer with 134k miles on it. Engine seems to take a little too long too start (possible problem on the fuel line or with the injectors themselves). little bit of a rough idle after the engine is warm (from reading could be one of a few sensors or possibly the fuel filter). Also the oil gauge seems a little erratic infact when I first bought it, it didn't seem to work at all. Undestand also that it can be quite difficult to find replacement trim. Good luck and welcome to the forum

 

Are Motors hard to come by for these? Im sure the cost of rebuild will be high.

 

Rebuild isnt as bad as you'd think.

There are something like 2 million plus 4.0s running around.

And Jeeps made 1991 and earlier are known to have long crank times. Its just the way they are, it has to do with the crank sensor. I'm not in the mood for a long winded explanation tho.

 

If it runs good then just make sure it's not rusty

 

The AMC 242 engines are bulletproof as long as you take care of them. If you're technically incline you can just rebuild it, upgrade a few parts while you're in there too.

And yes, it's difficult to find replacement trim for Wagoneers. They're somewhat rare and lots of people like taking the entire front clips from junkyards and swapping them on their Cherokees.

 

Check out the link in my signature. Numbers 1, 3, and 4 should be done as a matter of course.

Make sure the plugs , wires, cap, and rotor are in good shape/replaced along with the fuel filter. #11 should be done, too. Enjoy your Renix Jeep.

 

thanks cruiser that link is awesome. Ya so far I have just done a oil change, new air filter and greased the steering.

 

What brand of oil filter did you use?

Shine a flashlight down into the oil filler hole and see if the valvetrain is sludgy or not.

 

napa gold filter with mobil 1 fluid (higher mileage).

 

Good. What does the flashlight reveal?

 

So is it not possible to swap a newer I6 into this Wagoneer if the motor would go?

 

Also Found Motors on Ebay remanufactured for 1280-2000 anyone know if these are any good? Just trying to get things inline if something would happen instead of alot of down time for a rebuild.

 

Yes, you can swap a newer motor in if you put all of the parts from the old motor onto the new short block.

Why are you so concerned with a motor swap?