huntingman2706217

Did u really call your xj a srt8? Lol... cracked head like said above... find a 03 and newer to replace...

XtreamJ

Srt8 ) I didn't even catch that lmao... Awesome

-Dom-

lol i didint feel like typing straight i was on my phone in class
but yeah i dont think its creaked because i filled the coolant up yesterday and its dosnt look like it dropped but then again its only been a day.

-Dom-

One more thing.
It seems like its burning gas very fast. I don't know if its just my mind or what is this a sign of head gasket or has nothing to do with it?

cpnwrench

the folks here are givin you the right info,,,take the time to plan for this weekend to rip the head off and repalce the gasket, do a oil change, check gaps on plugs etc etc. new head gasket and coolant and oil cost is WAYYYYY cheaper than a new engine....

Head gasket is not that hard to accomplish,,, just take your time and follow the haynes/chilton/shop manual......


it should work out just fine...........

good luck (i been there with this situation)

cpnwrench

Gee oh Dee

STR8, not SRT-8. Goofy way of typing straight.

I'd do the oil change after the HG swap, just to be clear. And it woudln't be a bad idea to do a 2nd change 500 miles or so after the HG swap.

flyer182

As stated before I think its a cracked head. I have a 2000 and recently replaced the head. I had similar symptoms, like low idle and diapering coolant. Like you said with it only being a day you won't see very much coolant loss. If you have a small crack it will take at least a few days to see any loss. One way to to be certain if you have a cracked head or not is to take the valve cover off a visual check to see if there is a crack in the head between cylinders 3 and 4. It is very simple to take off the valve cover just be sure to replace the gasket before you put it back on. When I checked mine the crack was so small I could only see it with the cover off and the engine running. Good luck and I hope you havent been another victim of the dreaded 0331 head!

tjwalker

You need a solid diagnosis before doing anything.

I will mention this again, because I've had a fair amount of experience with this. The head cracking is far more common than a failing head gasket on the 00-01 4.0. The 0331 head is a dog.

You really need to get a definitive diagnosis.

1. Run a compression test on all cylinders. If it is a head gasket, this test WILL show this.

2. Pull the valve cover and with a good light, perform an inspection between cylinders 3-4.

Doing the above will get you on the track to figuring out what REALLY is going on.

Good data = Good decisions.

Gee oh Dee

Won't the head have to come off either way??

tjwalker

Most likely, but making the best decision on how you approach the repair depends on a solid diagnosis.

If you have only a blown head gasket, then you can get by with a trip to the parts store for the gasket.

If it is a cracked head however, you will need a replacement, which you may want to have on hand so that you can replace it as soon as you pull the other one.

And with a cracked head comes the possibility of internal damage to engine bearings because of the coolant that mixes with the oil, which always happens with an 0331 cylinder 3-4 crack. If caught soon enough, usually the engine will survive. If left too long, engine is toast.

Best to diagnose it. And it usually isn't that hard with the 0331. Pulling that valve cover is a good start.

Acesnines

Sorry to just bump an old post, but can you just unbolt the valve cover to take a quick look, or do you need to drain coolant and oil?