WamBaLam

Well, some of you may have seen my last post. I have a XJ '01 with 198xxx on it. I want to try and keep her going but I don't have the time available to rebuild or swap an engine on my own, and don't really have the skill either which means even more time figuring it out. I was able to follow a few users advice here, dropped my oil pan to replace the pump because I was short oil pressure. Found some metal pieces the biggest one reading 53020507. SO I'll be returning that oil pump....search came back that it's piston related.

What I am asking for is any reputable online vendors and possibly a reputable installer.

My thought process is that at 198xxx I won't want to replace just part of the engine. I know it was beat on a bit before it came my way so chances are something else will go.

Other possibility, replacing the piston alone, what could I expect in parts & labor?

BIGCOOK91

I bought my 98XJ not running and going off what the PO was thinking was a blowed head gasket. Come to find out the #1 piston had a hole dead center big enough I could stick my finger straight in. The newer XJs 97 and up are known for the heads to crack so chances are your gonna need a new head along with a new piston so while your at you should go ahead and get new rings and rod bearings. I replaced my old head with one off a 93 HO and had it reworked. Its not all that bad to fix, just a lil time. If you go with a head from your local jy be sure to have it checked to make sure its not damaged. It may sound like a lot of time and work to put into it but in the long run its worth it. I hope that this helps you some what.

MonacaYankee

It's only 00-01 that are known to crack.

My advice is to just buy a known running motor from a part out. $5-600 for a whole motor. A tear down and rebuild will cost more than that if you don't do it.

BIGCOOK91

Some reason I was thinking some of the 97+ were bad about them cracking too

MonacaYankee

96-99 all had the same 0630 head. 00-01 has the 0331 which have a reputation for cracking.
91-95 7120 head

WamBaLam

Right now I got my old buick regal '96 runs like a champ other than it's loud as hell I need to bypass the AC unit..Doesnt engage and just makes mad noise. I live at home with the mom and poops. They want either the regal or my baby, I mean, Jeep, gone. I plan to store the Jeep as I am not ready to part ways yet. Is it even remotely possible to work on the Jeep at the storing grounds or is that probably not probable? Because I'd try it out I guess. Just unsure how much space Ill need to work.

MonacaYankee

I would park it at a friends house if possible. Or tell them you have to fix them to sell it for more money. That will at least buy you some time.

I can't give you an answer for being able to work on your car at a storage place. Ask the owner.

foreveryoung001

I used to store my '79 Camaro in a 10x10 storage unit. The owners were cool and let me work on it whenever I wanted to, but it was cramped and a real pain to drag my tools there and back, every time I wanted to work on it. Got real old, real fast, and ended up selling it after a few months. I'd say, stick with the privately owned storage places. Some of the corporate owned ones, I'm sure, have liability issues with working on their property.

BIGCOOK91

I rebuilt my motor with it still in the Jeep, while it was sitting in my driveway. You can do just about everything with a tool set. You will need a torque wrench for your head bolts and a 1/2 inch 12 point socket for the head bolts

Fred/N0AZZ

Why would you go down that road AGAIN with one piston and just make a few blocks.

Buy a bicycle and save some money for an engine, all your doing is throwing your money and time away for nothing. Not like you didn't just do this and then asked the board about it then turn around and do it all over. WHY ASK???

WamBaLam

My father thought it might be best to save some cash and replace the single piston but from what I've gathered it's nearly half the cost of getting an entirely new engine...Looks like she's going in a storage yard till I have the 4-5 thousand ready to go.

Fred/N0AZZ

You can get a rebuilt engine (long block) anywhere for half that amount.

Hayden98XJ

If your planning on saving up 4 or 5 grand then why not stroke it... Buy a remanufactured stroker or build it yourself for that price and have some left over to play around with. If you've found parts of a piston then that motors done for. Your going to have to tear it all down anyway.

drhoward1988

For 4-5k you must be having a shop do all the labor, still most around here would be closer to 3-4k with a jasper engine. Unless you seriously plan on keeping the jeep for 150k+ miles i would just search for a good used one for a few hundred bucks and have it put in.

skife

Replace one piston?

Waste of time, have it rebuilt or swap in a running used engine, engine swap isn't too bad to do.