I bought my XJ this summer. It needed a little work, but figured I would have it ready for winter. I did a lot of little things on it (battery, water pump, exhaust manifold, etc), and thought I had it ready to go, when it developed a knock. Dropped the pan: broken piston!

I'm not sure what to do with it at this point. The only decision I've made for sure is that it's going to sit til spring, cause I don't have the money for a major repair right now. It is a 98 Sport 4x4 4.0 auto. The body is pretty solid, though I think there's some rot in at least one of the rockers, since the PO sprayed them with bedliner. There was a little bubbling on the inside bottom of the doors, which I wire-wheeled and primed/painted. The interior is pretty nice. It has 181k miles, but I know of no problems with the rest of the drivetrain. The factory aluminum wheels had been powder-coated black by the PO, which looks pretty nice, but it could use a set of tires.

Rebuilding the engine would be the best option, but obviously, the most expensive. I haven't found any used engines locally. I've been looking a little, but I'm sure low-mileage ones are pretty scarce. I also know that I could drop a used engine in, and have something break in it shortly after (not likely, but possible). I've even considered throwing in the towel and parting it out, but I don't know what I would get out of it in the end, and it seems kinda wasteful, considering that it's in decent shape besides the engine.

Sorry to be so long-winded, but I wanted to give as much info as possible. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

I'd look at the cost of putting in another engine vs rebuilding vs buying another cherokee (less the money you can get for parting this one out) and figure out what is the cheapest option and go with that.

 

Which # piston?

What's the cylinder wall look like?

 

#6 cyl. I couldn't see any real damage to the cyl, but that's just looking up from the bottom with the piston still in place.

 

How much do you have in this Jeep?

 

Paid $2k for it (sounds like in some areas, this would be high, but used vehicles seem to cost more around here). I've put maybe $3-400 in parts in it.

 

Up to you. You could get by with a piston, one ringset, oil pan gasket and head gasket.

 

I would really lean towards keeping her..Most JYs let you hear the motor run and usually give a 30-90 day or more warranty. I definately would not get rid of it. you never mentioned if it was your DD, so with that said i would keep it and find a way to fix it thats right for you.

 

Thanks, Guys.