Cracked engine block
 

I bought a 1996 Cherokee Sport with 156k miles last week for $800 that had a bad flexplate thinking I could get it replaced pretty cheap. Maybe have a shop put it in for $700 and have a nice Jeep for $1500. The Jeep is in excellent shape for its age.
But when I took it to the shop, they found that whoever had replaced the flexplate before cracked the block trying to attach the transmission to it, so the Jeep is screwed and needs a new motor.
The owner of the shop offered to install a donor motor that had 36k miles on it for $2700. He said he had bought it from a wrecked Cherokee a year ago. He also told me he had $1400 in it himself.
Clean Cherokees in this area are going for $1800 - $2500, sometimes more, in the same condition. Rough ones usually with some problem go for less.
He told me that he would buy the Cherokee from me for $800 and install the engine and make a profit. But he has been slow to buy it.
I see engines out there that are cheap and expensive, depending on the mileage. I am good mechanically, have a good amount of tools, but have never done an engine swap.
Is it worth getting a junkyard engine or a cheap one from craigslist and installing it? Or am I taking on more than I can handle myself.

If this is your daily driver, a low mileage boneyard engine would be the quickest way to get you back on the road. If this is a spare vehicle, buy a boneyard engine and rebuild it, stroke it, or what ever when you have the time and money. Or the third option is to but an engine that has been stroked or rebuilt already for less money than you were quoted, but you would have to install it yourself to keep the cost down.

It's not my daily driver, but I have no idea how to rebuild or "stroke" an engine. I don't even know what "stroke" means.
It was just supposed to be a fun vehicle for a couple of trips up to the mountains and a vehicle to use on snow days to commute.
I don't know how I would even get the engine to my house to install it.

I think we have our answer right here. :icon_cheesygrin:

Seriously though - An engine swap is a pretty big deal. It stinks that the initial $800 investment didn't pan out the way that you wanted, but you are probably going to have to pay someone to install a new one for you or just cut bait and start over.

Cherokees are wonderful to have in CO, but they can also be a wonderful headache too.

Best of luck.

Stroking the engine means to replace the crank that has a longer stroke to increase the cubic displacement. You don't have to do that, just freshening up an engine with new rings, bearings, seals, and honing the cylinders will give you years of use. Rebuilding an engine is fun and makes you feel like a man. Go for it! A boneyard motor will be about 200 bucks, parts for a simple freshening will be about 150, the experience will be priceless.

How and where is the block cracked? I am sure it could be repaired since the trannys gonna be out anyway. Is it broke where the tranny bolts on? or is it a actual crack? Pictures would help alot.

how reliable is this "shop"? have you known them a long while?

i ask only as the 4.0 block is tough to actually crack unlees you run out of cooling or lubrication.

also go on line there are decent prices for re-manufactured engines for like 1400. and we are talkin long-block here (with head , oil pump etc).

if its a toy you want to keep then by all means explore the swap process with the motor yourself, i.e. what tools you would require, actuall parts cost outlay, and time vs expertise..

me, I am gonna swap out engine, tranny, transfer, rear end all at the same time
(oh yeah and I am gonna with the mega-millions too!). but seriously I will do this when i get the chance.

soooooo its a matter of personal preference and confidence in abilty.
plus its a great learning curve too!

good luck whatever you decide!

cpnwrench

I was kind of beating around the bush with this one, but the above poster is on the right tract. I would be leary that the owner of the shop just wants to get rid of a engine he has laying around. Does he have ANY paper work or anything for the motor?

I don't have any pictures. I've only owned it a week and I had it towed to the shop - All American 4x4. It's supposed to be a good shop. I have not seen the crack. It does not leak, just caused the flexplate to break. The previous owner went through 3 flexplates, and the current one is broken too. The shop says they tried to weld the block, but it didn't work.
The engine he has is out of a 97 Cherokee that a woman wrecked, and he bought the engine for $1400.
That is all the info I have on it. He says he will still buy the Jeep from me for $800. I know I can cut my losses, but it was a nice Jeep.

I don't understand how the cracked a block (cast iron) trying to blot a trans (aluminum) onto it. Sounds Bogus to me..

So you don't think that by cranking the transmission on in some weird way that they could break the block? He says the block is welded. I have not seen it myself.

I'm getting a feeling after talking with you all that there may be something bogus going on. I think I want to tow it home or to a Jeep dealer and let them look at it. I know the dealer is just that, but they may be honest enough to tell me the truth.

take a piece of aluminum and smash it with a hammer, now go to the junk yard and do the same with a block and see which breaks first. I would see stripping a bolt hole yeah, but not cracking a block. I have sen trans bellhousings with parts broken off from some one installing it wrong, and have seen broken blocks on imports from wrecks, never seen a block crack from putting a trans, or flexplate/ flywheel in.

Can a stripped bolt hole be repaired? He is offering to buy the whole Jeep from me. By towing it away, he may not want it anymore. I just want the truth. If I can repair it and keep it from eating flexplates, I want to keep the Jeep. He said the crankshaft end play and the thrust bearing were fine. Why would it eat flexplates?

Improper torque, not putting a load spacer back on if it had one, bad starter, wrong tq converter. A stripped bolt hole is always repairable. I believer the block may be cracked, but not from a trans, or flexplate issue, I almost say no way. Go tell 'em to show you and take pics!!!!