bad head gasket?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Model: Cherokee
bad head gasket?
Hey guys,i'll upload pictures when i get a chance, but it looks like i may have gotten a blown head gasket, the leak comes from under the spark plugs near the distributor cap and appears to go all the way across the block, looks like where a gasket would go.
Ive been driving like this for about 1k miles now, the oil looks fine, no milk/butter, just leaks about 200ml a week, it does not really bother me, i just notice after a bit of driving it will smoke a little bit.
Is there something i can do for now? Thicker oil? Lucas stop leak?
In b4 just change the head gasket.
backyard mechanic will do the gasket for $1000
Ive been driving like this for about 1k miles now, the oil looks fine, no milk/butter, just leaks about 200ml a week, it does not really bother me, i just notice after a bit of driving it will smoke a little bit.
Is there something i can do for now? Thicker oil? Lucas stop leak?
In b4 just change the head gasket.
backyard mechanic will do the gasket for $1000
CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,203
Likes: 154
From: Northern CT
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: Turbo 4.0
You could perform a block test for verification. It's not always a perfect test and sometimes the color change is so subtle that people don't see the positive indication.
$1000 is too much for such a simple job. Its what $100 for an mls with all gaskets and studs? Then 5 hours of work at $100 an hour.
$1000 is too much for such a simple job. Its what $100 for an mls with all gaskets and studs? Then 5 hours of work at $100 an hour.
Last edited by Cummins93; Nov 8, 2017 at 08:18 PM. Reason: Grammar issues.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 897
Likes: 12
From: Sioux Falls, SD
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: 4.0L
It's not a blown head gasket. ALL of my 4.0s "weep" oil where the head and block meet on the passenger side. There is no pressurized oil there anyway.
I just hit the manual car-wash every few months and clean it off.
There is a fix for the weeping but it involved removing the head. Just not worth the time in my book.
Now your oil-filter o-rings are probably leaking a bit and the valve-cover gasket needs to be replaced. You can do the valve cover on a Saturday afternoon. The oil filter adapter can be a bear if you have the TORX bolt. Common fix tho.
I just hit the manual car-wash every few months and clean it off.
There is a fix for the weeping but it involved removing the head. Just not worth the time in my book.
Now your oil-filter o-rings are probably leaking a bit and the valve-cover gasket needs to be replaced. You can do the valve cover on a Saturday afternoon. The oil filter adapter can be a bear if you have the TORX bolt. Common fix tho.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Model: Cherokee
Do you think cleaning it off and applying some silicone to it will slow it down? I just put 100+ miles on it today no problem just more oil
It's not a blown head gasket. ALL of my 4.0s "weep" oil where the head and block meet on the passenger side. There is no pressurized oil there anyway.
I just hit the manual car-wash every few months and clean it off.
There is a fix for the weeping but it involved removing the head. Just not worth the time in my book.
Now your oil-filter o-rings are probably leaking a bit and the valve-cover gasket needs to be replaced. You can do the valve cover on a Saturday afternoon. The oil filter adapter can be a bear if you have the TORX bolt. Common fix tho.
I just hit the manual car-wash every few months and clean it off.
There is a fix for the weeping but it involved removing the head. Just not worth the time in my book.
Now your oil-filter o-rings are probably leaking a bit and the valve-cover gasket needs to be replaced. You can do the valve cover on a Saturday afternoon. The oil filter adapter can be a bear if you have the TORX bolt. Common fix tho.
::CF Moderator::
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 3,538
Likes: 416
From: SoCal
Year: 1987
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
It's not a blown head gasket. ALL of my 4.0s "weep" oil where the head and block meet on the passenger side. There is no pressurized oil there anyway.
I just hit the manual car-wash every few months and clean it off.
There is a fix for the weeping but it involved removing the head. Just not worth the time in my book.
Now your oil-filter o-rings are probably leaking a bit and the valve-cover gasket needs to be replaced. You can do the valve cover on a Saturday afternoon. The oil filter adapter can be a bear if you have the TORX bolt. Common fix tho.
I just hit the manual car-wash every few months and clean it off.
There is a fix for the weeping but it involved removing the head. Just not worth the time in my book.
Now your oil-filter o-rings are probably leaking a bit and the valve-cover gasket needs to be replaced. You can do the valve cover on a Saturday afternoon. The oil filter adapter can be a bear if you have the TORX bolt. Common fix tho.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 897
Likes: 12
From: Sioux Falls, SD
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: 4.0L
Newp. Spray it off at the carwash every few months if it bothers you. I consider it "Active Undercoating"..
It's a Jeep thing.
Try running 10W30 in a "High Mileage" formula. It may help slow the weep down over time.