Hey guys, just picked up a 96 Jeep Cherokee Country for 500$ with 240k miles. The guy told me it had a water leak, one freeze plug and maybe the pump.Also small fender issue from hitting a deer.

So I'm thinking about just pulling the block and rebuilding it! Is this something you would do with 240k miles? It has allot of oil leaks in the back and the starter was completely covered in oil.

Should I pull All the freeze plugs? (pulled just one plug right now in pic below)

Should I rebuild the block with new crank?

Or

Can I just go with a complete Gasket kit replacement?

 

Oh and the exhaust manifold has two small cracks. Is this something I can ignore?

And why you would loop the heating system like this? (Bottom pic)

Thanks

 

With 240k on it I'd put new water "cold" plugs and a valve cover gasket on it and drive it for awhile. I believe there is a water plug on the rear of the engine. You can check that with a light and mirror. Does the engine sound good? Are there other major issues with it?

 

Haven't checked for back plug.

Engine sounded good, had good pickup and automatic trany seemed to shift good. Body has virtually no rust, front shocks are about done, and the tires have few miles left in them.

Oh and are my pics showing up? first time on this forum.

 

Does it look like any of the oil near the filter is leaking out of the filter housing? You know how they have that O-ring in there that leaks sometimes... Maybe a good power washing would help clean everything up so you can locate the leaks. Or a can of engine cleaner and a hose. I think your heading in the right direction. I'd put a few miles on it and formulate a plan to change fluids and stop leaks after your sure it's a good ride...
Mike
Yes your pics showed up.

 

Well the water leak was a must fix, so after opening it up I thought why not replace some gaskets while im at it.

As for the filter It's covered as well, really hard to see anything under that build up.

 

yea, the first thing I do with an engine like that is clean it. I can't stand working on oily engines. I don't even get my hands dirty when I work on mine... Just a personal preference. Those water lines don't look like they are doing you any good. It looks like one is feeding back into the other. Anyway whatever they are doing isn't correct. When you think about the water path... it comes out of the longer hose near you thermostat, runs through the car heater and returns to the engine through the shorter hose. I'm not sure why anyone would do that loop? Personally I'd pick up the 2 hoses and return it to stock. What do you think about it when you look at it? Do you see the flow issue?
The red jeep in the pic has 260K on it.

 

Ya kinda wishing I did some cleaning before things got removed.

I have not a clue why you would loop the lines, it's basically shorting out the heating system for the cab.

And that is one nice engine compartment.

 

Since there seems to be no rhyme or reason for the loop, then you should plan on replacing the heater hoses. You could always save the old hoses and if for some freak of nature there was a method to the loop-madness, at least you'd still have the hoses. Chances are 1 in a million for this but if you live long enough sometimes it's better to not throw things out until you know for sure. You could flush the heater system out while your at it, capture what comes out and see how much rust and debris are in there. That would give you a better feel as to the condition of the rest of the cooling system. If it's bad you most likely need to flush it all out... Of course if your only going to replace the one freeze plug maybe you just keep it cheap and drive it to find out how it is... I think keeping it cheap until your sure is the way to go. You should be able to tell if it's worth pumping money into after 50 miles or so... Just keep the stereo off and listen! IMHO
Good Luck.

 

Pulled five of the freeze plugs on the block, all but one was rusted through. I did find one on the back of the head, does not look easy to remove or put back in so think im gona leave it for now.

checked a parts store for the freeze plug pricing and they want something like 16$ for one! Hope I can find some cheaper then this.

 

Sounds like your making good progress. Let us know how it goes.
Mike

 

Ok, I picked up some parts today from AutoZone. They didn't have any freeze plugs in the size i needed (2" inch plugs). They did have 2 rubber plugs but i didn't like them. Also did some searching for online stores, nothing comes up! Do they go by another name or what.

Thanks

 

Core Plugs, soft plugs...

 

Damn your fast on the reply, you on here all day?

hehe anyway think I found them! ( edit: had to search for brass freeze plugs)

http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/product2834.html

tell me what you think, and thanks for the help

 

Those look good.
I just logged on. I'm laid off right now from the Automotive Industry so I have to amuse myself somehow...
I just noticed they don't come with sealant...
Mike