What coolant passages? lol

That block needs flushed. Bad.

The head gasket is still on in the pic and that is why the passages look clogged. It's all clean now:
The NEW head & gaskets will be here Thursday or Friday, and in the meantime I will continue to clean and prep for install.
I still need to brave Walmart for coolant and oil in the next day or two.

When I drained the oil almost two gallons of oil/coolant mixture came out, unlike the first oil change that I did, where only 6 quarts of pure oil came out. I imagine that there is still some residual coolant in the block. How do I get that out? I figure I'd do an oil change shortly after I get the car running and assume that most of the coolant will come out with that change and the rest will burn off. Is there a better way?

For punching me in the gut I gave the jeep a black eye:

The head gasket is still on in the picture giving the appearance of clogged passages. It's all clean now:


I figure some residual coolant will still be in the crank case, how do I get that out? Extra oil change shortly after it's running?

When I drained the oil two gallons of oil/coolant mix came out. My first oil change in the Jeep, after about 300 miles of me driving it, yielded about a gallon and a half (6 quarts) of pure oil. Fairly dirty too, so it did not have the most recent oil change. This is why I was wondering if the head cracked on me. I also did a MAJOR coolant flush and I wonder if the crack was previously "fixed" by a mechanic in a bottle and that little guy was flushed out. I wont ever know....

"I wonder if the crack was previously "fixed" by a mechanic in a bottle and that little guy was flushed out. I wont ever know...."

That garbage "fixes" everything except the actual problem. lol

Once reassembled drain whatever is in the oil pan now and refill with fresh oil + a Wix or similar filter. Run it for a few hundred miles (check often to insure you're not gaining or creating a milkshake) then change it once more.

Rob, where in CA are you? I got a Jeep thats a twin to yours. Headless at the moment too. Well actually engineless at the moment cause the PO didnt catch the problem and fix it like you are doing. Get that head checked for cracks before you throw it back on. Would hate to see you have to do this all over again.

I live in San Mateo. I do have a new improved casting head coming my way tomorrow or friday. I also had to get a new heat shield that goes on the intake manifold.... I just got the jeep a few months ago and I am already sick of it as it has spent more time in pieces than on the road...... I see why they nickname them "Heep"

In fairness, you did buy a 16 year old vehicle.

My Dad had a 94 that he put 400k original miles on with virtually zero problems. The engine and tranny ran extremely well when he took it out of service. If you take care of an XJ it will last longer than most and be, to quote my Dad - "The best vehicle I ever had." (And this is a guy that drove a bunch of Toyotas before and after and always buys new and for the last few, top of the line).

Mines been sitting on jackstands for about a year now. I try not to look at it.

Pat, yeah it is an old car and I am no stranger to old cars as my 1970 Porsche 914 is currently displaced from the garage by the jeep. My jeep certainly had some deferred maintenance and I have taken care of almost all the issues it had; power window switch, rusty u-joints, worn steering, all fluids changed, coolant and heater core flush (the heat is almost too hot now), 3" lift, etc. Soon it will be a good car and I expect that it will last us many years and take us on some great trips. If all goes well it will be in Death Valley in 8 days....

It looks like a nice Jeep. It's such a shame that the 00-01's are plagued by that bad head or I'd suspect you'd already be on the road and loving it.

Any thought on replacing the lifters and push rods while I'm in there?
I have them on hand, the Melling JB-2011 lifters are a little different than the stock , as they have an extra grove near the top, larger oil inlet on the lower groove and the outlet is smaller. I double checked my p/n and it's what all the retailers sell, so I figure it's an improved version. Has anyone used these?

I've got all my parts including the head and I plan on getting it together tomorrow after work.

The Jeep is running. I only put 10 miles on it this evening. No leaks, no strange noises and no smoke. The engine sounds good and the oil pressure on the freeway was 50psi; I forgot to check it at hot idle.
The head is a new casting, I put in new lifters and push rods (both coated with assembly lube), obviously new gaskets, oil and coolant. I will change the oil after another 20 or 30 miles to get out any coolant that may have been left behind in the crank case.
All went fairly well. Exhaust manifold was a pain to put back on, but it was doable. I did not tighten the serpentine belt enough and had some squealing.
I'll post some pictures at a later time.
Thanks for all the advice.
Happy New Year,
-Rob

Sounds like you're in good shape. You'll be able to enjoy your road trip in confidence that you fixed it properly.

Happy new year and happy new Jeep!

Ok, New issue.... the Jeep is now missing on cylinder three. seems to be intermittent, rough running. check engine light on, code reads #3 as the problem. swapped injector same problem on #3, installed new coil pack, same problem, new sparkplug, still missing.

any ideas? We want to take it to Death Valley, but if this cant be fixed asap, it stays at home, really bummed out, bought the Jeep specifically for this trip.

edit: Not intermittent any more.
I put about 100 miles on the new head, and today I started it at lunch and rough idle. The car was cold, sat for 5 hours at 55*, no heat soak issue. Went to store and it popped a check engine light when leaving. P0303 misfire cyl #3.
What I have done:
I ran compression test on #3 and it was 150, #2 was 165. I did not check any others.
I put in some after market fuel injectors. Ah ha I thought. Changed all 6 back. No resolution.
I ohmed out the wire to the injector from the ECU, white plug #5 (i think) and yellow wire on injector. Less than 1 ohm & no change when wiggled The other wire was about 350 ohms, not sure where it goes. Cyl #2 had same values
Changed #3 plug. No change.
Swapped out spark rail (coil pack). Still misfiring.
Sprayed carb cleaner around intake to check for leak. No leaks detected.
I do feel like i hear some more lifter/valve train noise, like one in particular. I did not isolate it.
Removed valve cover and inspected for anything obvious. No luck. Removed cyl #3 rockers. Nothing seemed weird.
So, what do I do?
I am going to check O2 sensor wires tomorrow. Maybe cam position. Heck, I dont know and I am burnt out on this Jeep. I've gone overboard and tossed a lot of money into the Jeep and I am so disappointed. I lifted it, all new u-joint, steering, ball joint, slip yoke, steam cleaning the interior,(free, but still 4 or more hours).... the list goes on. ugh.
Good night

Thanx, and keep up the good work!