91 XJ Engine Rebuild Vs. Replacement
#1
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: West Texas
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Year: 1991
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 L
91 XJ Engine Rebuild Vs. Replacement
Howdy folks!
So,, the time has come.......Ol' Red needs a pacemaker/transplant/bypass surgery.
Yep, 300k miles, time for a rebuild.....compression is bad, bad bad.
No cracked head or leaking coolant though,thank God. My gosh She's been a good unit! (frustrating at times, but the good times outwiegh the bad.)
Everyone says, "why don't you just get rid of it, and get a new one?"
To this I say, F%^$ off, you don't know how well built this thing is!!!!
The situation I face is thus, do I drop in a rebuild ($2200.00 no core is best I can find)? or, tear down and re-build? ( master kit $400.00, rebuilt head $300.00).
Given these options I still face all of the following
new Alternator ( its time,,, this one has over 200k on it, still works but ennnh)
new MAP sensor
new Engine gasket kit ( possibly inclusive on a MASTER engine rebuild kit)
new Fuel pressure regulator
new Water pump (already purchased $21.00 Rock Auto)
new Radiator
new Motor mounts
new Transmission mount ( 5-speed manual, AX-15)
new Hoses (ALL)
new Exhaust manifold
new Collector
new IAC
new Throttle Body
new TPS
new Distributor ( already purchased $46.00 Rock Auto)
new Fuel injectors (already purchased Bosch 4-hole 21lb $95.00 ebay)
new Harmonic balancer ( already purchased $32.00 Rock Auto)
new Clutch & Slave cyl. ( already purchased $189.00 Rock Auto)
new Flywheel
new Pilot bushing ( for transmission main spline)
new Rear yoke seal
new U-joints
Flush-fill Transfer case (fluid cost)
Flush-fill 5-speed transmission (fluid cost)
Rear-end flush fill ( completed 9/2/2015, $12.00 fluids cost)
new Spark plugs
new Spark plug wires
new Temp sensor ( on thermostat housing)
new Thermostat
Coolant ( 2 gallons cost)
Oil (7 qts, traditional or Synthetic?????)
new Serpentine Belt
new Tensioner ( already have as spare)
new Power Steering Pump
new Upper Control Arms
new Lower Control Arms
IF REBUILD:
Clean/Hone/Magnaflux/Deck Block
Clean/Magnaflux/Deck Head, grind valves/ new valve seals etc.
Clean/polish Crankshaft
Already have new fuel pump in ( last year)
new calipers and rotors and brake lines, replaced when I put 3.5" lift kit on ( early this year)
What I am considering also is a wholesale replacement of the AC system.....cuz it gets hot outside in summer ya?
Compressor
Low-side hose
High-side hose
Evaporator
Drier
Condenser
Those are the minimum accessory parts I am looking at to make this a "no-hassle" rebuild. What I mean by that is, once replacement is done (components listed above) in conjunction with the engine rebuild/replacement, no issues with operations for quite some time.
More parts I didn't list are gonna be required I am sure.
with all that, my total cost looks to be over $3k.....however, doing so, would in my mind at least allow 'ol Red to go another 300K miles
I would like to know has anyone gone through all this, and what your "actual" costs were for a "Engine Rebuild"
This is part 2, the part three is upgrade bumpers, part four is roof rack and part 5 is replace interior.
I had finished earlier this year a complete teardown of my BMW 740i, and it went EXTREMELY well! but it cost like 3 grand (more of those pesky parts you didn't think you needed to replace, but find out, yeah you need to get a new one)....
The car is running Fabulous and better than when i bought it!
So I think I can handle this project, I was just asking to see if anyone has any further insight (parts, processes, costs etc., I might have missed)
Am gonna use Excel to track costs and timeline to complete this project.
SO. REBUILD OR REPLACE?
Appreciate as always you guys and God bless!
Cheers!!!
cpnwrench
#3
Seasoned Member
Wondering the same thing. Gearhead out of Texas has a crate moor 4.0 for $1500 free shipping is the cheapest place I've found but have not done any research on them. If I do a rebuild I will get carried away and end up spending bout 3 grand I'm afraid
#4
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Join Date: May 2015
Location: Arizona
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Year: 97
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Rebuild it
Being in this business I would suggest rebuilding it yourself. Here's why, Mass engine remanufacturers tend to be a bit lax on machining precision and organization. Most do not remanufacture engines one by one and keep parts like the Crank and connecting rods matched up as a set or organized for each cylinder as they should.
Parts tend to get thrown into common "4.0" bins and then mismatched when assembled back into the next block. I have ran into all kinds of balance issues that caused problems later because of this practice. More often than not they cannot truly rebalance it correctly because of this mismatching of parts and a warranty just doesn't make up for this in the long run.
If it breaks because of this it will be shortly after the warranty is up. If you do it yourself there is some comfort in knowing exactly how precise you have had it machined and have personally assembled this engine.
Parts tend to get thrown into common "4.0" bins and then mismatched when assembled back into the next block. I have ran into all kinds of balance issues that caused problems later because of this practice. More often than not they cannot truly rebalance it correctly because of this mismatching of parts and a warranty just doesn't make up for this in the long run.
If it breaks because of this it will be shortly after the warranty is up. If you do it yourself there is some comfort in knowing exactly how precise you have had it machined and have personally assembled this engine.
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Ray Elmore (05-17-2021)
#7
Im planning ahead
My 4.0 runs great but does have 265K on it, so I went ahead and bought a 4.0 at the u-pull-it salvage yard. Tore it down and took the block to the machine shop for cleaning inspections and had the heads reworked. The plan is to take my time and build the engine myself so that when or if my 4.0 lays down on me I'll have a replacement ready to go. While I was at the salvage yard I grabbed the front and rear axles, transmission, and transfer case to build as well.
Trending Topics
#10
1993 Cherokee Sport 5 Spd W/ AC CRANK WINDOW 4.0L HO 4x4
Be the easiest way to see how rare this one actually is can anyone help out this was found at a salvage yard however the truck is clean clean clean
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Deefeatherock (01-22-2021)
#11
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,438
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Received 7 Likes
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7 Posts
Year: 99 94
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: I6
Nice find. I would buy it if the price is right. Can't go wrong with 4x4 and 5 speed rarity wise. If it was 2 door that would be even better. But you should have made your own thread.
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Ray Elmore (05-17-2021)
#12
Howdy folks!
So,, the time has come.......Ol' Red needs a pacemaker/transplant/bypass surgery.
Yep, 300k miles, time for a rebuild.....compression is bad, bad bad.
No cracked head or leaking coolant though,thank God. My gosh She's been a good unit! (frustrating at times, but the good times outwiegh the bad.)
Everyone says, "why don't you just get rid of it, and get a new one?"
To this I say, F%^$ off, you don't know how well built this thing is!!!!
The situation I face is thus, do I drop in a rebuild ($2200.00 no core is best I can find)? or, tear down and re-build? ( master kit $400.00, rebuilt head $300.00).
Given these options I still face all of the following
new Alternator ( its time,,, this one has over 200k on it, still works but ennnh)
new MAP sensor
new Engine gasket kit ( possibly inclusive on a MASTER engine rebuild kit)
new Fuel pressure regulator
new Water pump (already purchased $21.00 Rock Auto)
new Radiator
new Motor mounts
new Transmission mount ( 5-speed manual, AX-15)
new Hoses (ALL)
new Exhaust manifold
new Collector
new IAC
new Throttle Body
new TPS
new Distributor ( already purchased $46.00 Rock Auto)
new Fuel injectors (already purchased Bosch 4-hole 21lb $95.00 ebay)
new Harmonic balancer ( already purchased $32.00 Rock Auto)
new Clutch & Slave cyl. ( already purchased $189.00 Rock Auto)
new Flywheel
new Pilot bushing ( for transmission main spline)
new Rear yoke seal
new U-joints
Flush-fill Transfer case (fluid cost)
Flush-fill 5-speed transmission (fluid cost)
Rear-end flush fill ( completed 9/2/2015, $12.00 fluids cost)
new Spark plugs
new Spark plug wires
new Temp sensor ( on thermostat housing)
new Thermostat
Coolant ( 2 gallons cost)
Oil (7 qts, traditional or Synthetic?????)
new Serpentine Belt
new Tensioner ( already have as spare)
new Power Steering Pump
new Upper Control Arms
new Lower Control Arms
IF REBUILD:
Clean/Hone/Magnaflux/Deck Block
Clean/Magnaflux/Deck Head, grind valves/ new valve seals etc.
Clean/polish Crankshaft
Already have new fuel pump in ( last year)
new calipers and rotors and brake lines, replaced when I put 3.5" lift kit on ( early this year)
What I am considering also is a wholesale replacement of the AC system.....cuz it gets hot outside in summer ya?
Compressor
Low-side hose
High-side hose
Evaporator
Drier
Condenser
Those are the minimum accessory parts I am looking at to make this a "no-hassle" rebuild. What I mean by that is, once replacement is done (components listed above) in conjunction with the engine rebuild/replacement, no issues with operations for quite some time.
More parts I didn't list are gonna be required I am sure.
with all that, my total cost looks to be over $3k.....however, doing so, would in my mind at least allow 'ol Red to go another 300K miles
I would like to know has anyone gone through all this, and what your "actual" costs were for a "Engine Rebuild"
This is part 2, the part three is upgrade bumpers, part four is roof rack and part 5 is replace interior.
I had finished earlier this year a complete teardown of my BMW 740i, and it went EXTREMELY well! but it cost like 3 grand (more of those pesky parts you didn't think you needed to replace, but find out, yeah you need to get a new one)....
The car is running Fabulous and better than when i bought it!
So I think I can handle this project, I was just asking to see if anyone has any further insight (parts, processes, costs etc., I might have missed)
Am gonna use Excel to track costs and timeline to complete this project.
SO. REBUILD OR REPLACE?
Appreciate as always you guys and God bless!
Cheers!!!
cpnwrench
#13
the peace of mind knowing your vehicle from top to bottom theres lots of reward once you complete the task
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Saudade (02-15-2024)
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