Yeah the title says all. I am pretty sure I threw a rod today on my way home from work. I was at the deli but when I pulled in, I heard a pretty heavy clanking and the engine idle went low....and sputtered. I pulled into park and the engine died. I opened the hood and checked for something obvious like a fan or a pulley or whatever. Then I started her back up. Wow...it sounds like the devil is swinging metal marbles in the crankcase. So luckily my brother in law lives up the road...just for ****s and giggles I bought 2 quarts of oil but I knew she wasnt low...threw in a quart....got my sandwich....Then fired her up and drove up to my bro in law's. Incredible noise. Like rod knock on crack. and the engine will stall. Still driveable but it is now shredding metal through what is left of the engine. Luckily my my bro in law has a tow truck and is gonna bring it to me tomorrow.
I am sorry you guys but I don't think I can take any more of this. I don't have any money left to put into this thing. I tried my best, this was the second engine..guess it was crap too. I guess I have to figure out what to do next. I learned a lot. For that I am grateful. At this point I can't take any more heartbreak from this jeep. Well let me know what you think but the diagnosis is pretty solid...just kinda sad I guess.

 

Anyone know how much I should sell it for...it has so much new crap. I don't have time to part out because I work too much. It will start and run but it needs an engine.....again. (Although I bought an engine that was questionable to begin with).
List:
Well Treaded Goodyear Wrangler Tires.
Brand new street warrior front calipers and rotors.
New Led headlights with Relay Package installed and awesome.
New battery.
New High Powered LED fog lights with relay setup.
New TPS Sensor
New MAP Sensor
New Mopar Crankshaft Position Sensor
I have a whole new distributor in-box and ignition wire kit also.
Transmission is still solid. 4 high and 4 low tested and strong.
Oh yes, eliminated Cat with custom welded straight pipe and Glasspack Muffler.

I dunno what is it even worth? Who should I market it to? I know it is like a boat...I am going to lose all my money...but what is a good price. The junkyard will pay 500 for a running vehicle so be reasonable.....

 

Sorry to hear that.

Parting out is time consuming and not very lucrative, in my experience. It takes time to move stuff. As a 'parts only', don't expect to get back what you have into it. It just does not happen. I'd say put it on Craigslist for $750 OBO. If it's really,really clean, maybe go $1000. Make it clear you aren't parting it out due to your time constraints. Include pics. Lots of pics.

You can also sell it on this forum. I'd do both.

 

Thank you sir. I appreciate your input. It is not super clean....it is a rough monster. I had to pull out the ceiling(all of it) because it turned into a tent...and the foam was shot too. I was so close. I thought she would be good. I finally had her running strong. I am truly distraught. I never wanted any of this. How can you love an object? You cannot. You should not. I put her above so many other things and now all I have is pain and sadness...I know it seems overly dramatic just bear with me here...But I am not alone...we bond with our vehicles. I never turned on the radio because I wanted to hear the engine....and all other things so I knew how she was running. We care because we bleed when we work on them...we sweat and we pull muscles to fix our xj's...it is what we do. But I lost her this time...I am heartbroken. I can only hope I find a buyer who cares. That is all.

 

Id say put a JY engine in it for 100 bucks and drive it.

 

Ugh. To put prices in perspective for you, I just paid $800 for a running 96 in pretty good shape, but it needed an alternator and tires. Interior is dirty, but intact. It needs cleaning up and a few minor things, but it's roadworthy as is (now that I've replaced the alternator.) Even the headliner is in good shape.

The guy I bought it from was also selling a really, really rough one, modified for off-road only. Cut out fenders, no interior. Engine seemed fine (no ugly noises) but ran rough. The transfer case woldn't stay engaged in 4WD. Trans seemed fine. At least, as far as I could tell in the few minutes we tried to load it on my trailer. It wouldn't fit due to the large tires (which were shot).

Here's the kicker: It was originally a package deal. BOTH for the $800. I didn't want the off-roader. That was just going to be something I had to get rid of. When we couldn't get the monster on the trailer, the guy said, "Well, you don't have to take it if you don't want it." I jumped at the chance to avoid that problem and took my 96 home.

He relisted the monster at $500.


Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

Hell Yes! Don't trash a perfectly good XJ that you have a bunch of money in because the motor **** the bed! It sounds like you spun a bearing, not threw a rod. A thrown rod generally comes thru the block because the rod cap bolts break and the crank kicks it out the side of the block. You could save it with a crank, a rod, and a new set of bearings....and maybe a piston. I'd spend at least $250 on a good running engine from a yard. A steel bumper costs more than that!

 

Before I even had a chance to think my brother in law bought me a lifted 2002 wrangler 4.0 sport something I dunno. It will be here in a few minutes. One caveat. It needs a transmission. Will my 94 xj trans work in that thing? This Jeep is a Manual also. I still have to pay him back. I will post pics when I get it in which will be sometime soon today. Life is moving too fast right now....dangit.

 

I have way more pictures but the thing has no transmission at all, no differential, and no driveshafts...I was like thanks bro drop it in the back. I do like the style though...not gonna lie. Motor has 120k on it. So once again would my 94 xj automatic trans work in this thing? I loved my cherokee but a shot motor and this jeep being a 2002 with a clean electrical system...kind of a no brainer at this point.

 

there is an excellent page somewhere that shows what years AW4 will work in what year XJ, and what changes need to be made..I will find that in and edit it in later

there is output splines that can be changed over, and NSS wiring changes

a 94 has a stand alone TCM..97+ are wired up different to the PCM


do you do your own mechanical work?...what about grabbing a correct year motor for a few hundred and putting that in ?

you could try bush mechanic the old motor, if it isnt to bad, I have seen a single piston replaced, damaged piston & bore hone...yrs might be worse, as you drove it a bit

 

Wow thanks so much man...I am really overwhelmed right now but I feel this is a good direction...However stressed I may be about all this.

 

annoyingly, for some reason, I saved the text of the thread, but not its location, so to help you, and with all due respect to the OP< I will copy & paste it hear, hopefully it helps you

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"Drive - in this gearshift position, 1, 2, 3, or Overdrive may be electronically selected. See the table after this section for details. If the electronics are disconnected, this will put the transmission in overdrive.
3 - in this gearshift position, 1, 2, or 3 may be electronically selected. If the electronics are disconnected, this will put the transmission in 3rd.
1-2 - in this gearshift position, gears 1 and 2 are available via electronic control. The transmission hydraulics enable engine braking in 1st gear with the gearshift in this position. If the electronics are disconnected, this will put the transmission in 1st.

2nd gear is not available without some sort of electronics (stock, a toggle switch in the dash, whatever) powering the solenoids.

Gear selection vs solenoid power table:
1st gear - solenoid 1 ON, solenoid 2 OFF
2nd gear - solenoid 1 ON, solenoid 2 ON
3rd gear - solenoid 1 OFF, solenoid 2 ON
overdrive - solenoid 1 OFF, solenoid 2 OFF

Solenoid 3 locks the torque converter clutch (direct drive) when powered. It should only be powered in 3rd or Overdrive gear.

All solenoids should show 11 to 15 ohms when the transmission has reached running temperature.

Year splits, aka "will this transmission fit my XJ?"

1987-1990, the AW4 had a 21 spline output shaft, a 1 pulse per revolution reed switch Output Speed Sensor, no Input Speed Sensor, and a 0.705:1 OD ratio. 4.0L and 2.5L transmissions are fundamentally the same, except for the torque converter and bellhousing, which are unique for each motor.

1990.5-1996, the AW4 switched to a 23 spline output shaft and a 0.75:1 OD ratio. It was no longer available behind the 2.5L engine. Otherwise, it remained exactly the same.

1997, the AW4 is exactly the same as the 1990.5-1996 units, except the electrical connector for the wiring harness changed. A simple cut and splice will solve this problem.

1998-01, the AW4 changed electrically, but is otherwise the same as 1990.5-1997 units. The Output Speed Sensor changed from a 1pps reed switch to a 4 pulse/rev variable reluctance pickup similar to the RENIX CPS and most ABS wheel speed sensors. A 16 pulse/rev Input Speed Sensor was also added. The ISS and OSS for these years are the same part number; one may be substituted for the other for spare parts purposes.

NSS:

1987-1996 the NSS is the same. Positions for R, P/N, 1-2, and 3. No connections indicates that the shifter is in OD - OR that the NSS is dirty. The TCU can't tell, this can lead to some common transmission shifting symptoms.
1997-2001 the NSS wiring harness connector is different but the internals are the same - mostly. There is now a circuit for each gear position (1-2, 3, D) on the switch and an extra wire for the new position. This was added to improve feedback to the TCU and likely also to allow the TCU to definitively throw a DTC code if it sees no contacts shorted, which now indicates a bad NSS rather than "bad NSS or overdrive gear, we don't know."


This write-up does not attempt to cover the 2wd editions of the AW4 as thoroughly as the 4wd. The major difference is the addition of another year split - 1995 and earlier 2WD AW4s will have the old style slip yoke and output seal while 1996 and later 2WD AW4s will have the new style slip yoke and output seal, as well as dust slinger. The vehicle speed sensor is also located in the transmission tailhousing. A 2wd AW4 cannot be converted to a 4WD unit without full disassembly as the output shaft is a different length, has 27 splines (to match the slip yoke used on the rear output of 4WD XJ transfer cases) rather than 21 or 23 splines, and includes the 13 tooth worm gear for the VSS or speedo takeoff which would otherwise be in the tailcone of the transfer case.

What does this mean for swapping (4wd specific)?
If you have a 1987-1990 XJ:

1987-1990 AW4s are bolt-in.
1990.5-1996 are bolt-in as long as you swap input gears in your transfer case to a 23 spline, or swap the transfer case as well. Remember that NP231 input gear cuts changed in 94 or 95 and that the rear output of the transfer case changed from 95 to 96 when selecting a donor.
1997 are bolt-in if you follow the transfer case input gear info from 1990.5-1996 and also splice the wiring harness connector. All it takes is 5 butt-splice crimp terminals and a few minutes, so don't worry about it, if you can handle wiring some fog lights you can handle this. You may need to run a new set of wires for your transfer case indicator lamp connector if you have an NP231 (I haven't had a chance to verify this, will check next time a friend of mine drops by with his RENIX.)
1998-2001 require more work. All the transfer case input gear info from 1990.5-1997 applies, on top of that, the sensors have changed! You can either build the circuit given here by lawsoncl or swap the transmission tailhousing, sensor drive rotor, and output speed sensor as shown here by Frank Z to make this work.

If you have a 1990.5-1996 XJ:

1987-1990 AW4s are bolt-in... as long as you also swap the input gears in your transfer case, or the whole transfer case. Remember that the NP231 input gear cuts changed in 94 or 95 and that the rear output of the transfer case changed from 95 to 96 when selecting a donor. I would NOT suggest this swap unless in dire straits (need to get off the trail, need to get to work tomorrow or be fired, etc) as you are limiting yourself to a rapidly disappearing selection of 21 spline spare parts in the boneyards.
1990.5-1996 AW4s are bolt-in.
1997 AW4s are bolt-in, except you have to cut and splice the wiring harness connector. Again, 5 butt-splice crimp terminals and a few minutes and this is done. You may need to add custom wiring for the transfer case indicator lamps (see this bullet under the 87-90 section, above.)
1998-2001 AW4s require more work. All the transfer case input gear info from 1990.5-1997 applies, on top of that, the sensors have changed! You can either build the circuit given here by lawsoncl or swap the transmission tailhousing, sensor drive rotor, and output speed sensor as shown here by Frank Z to make this work. You may need to add custom wiring for the transfer case indicator lamps (see above.)

If you have a 1997 XJ:

1987-1990 AW4s are bolt-in... as long as you also swap the input gears in your transfer case, or the whole transfer case. You also have to cut and splice the wiring harness connector. Remember that the NP231 input gear cuts changed in 94 or 95 and that the rear output of the transfer case changed from 95 to 96 when selecting a donor. I would NOT suggest this swap unless in dire straits (need to get off the trail, need to get to work tomorrow or be fired, etc) as you are limiting yourself to a rapidly disappearing selection of 21 spline spare parts in the boneyards.
1990.5-1996 AW4s are bolt-in, except you have to cut and splice the wiring harness connector. Again, 5 butt-splice crimp terminals and a few minutes and this is done. You will have an EXTRA connector for the transfer case indicator lamp wiring (possibly depending on which transfer case you have) - plug the transfer case switch into the one it was previously plugged into, NOT the one built into the harness on the new AW4! You might want to cut the extra one off or tape it up to avoid confusion.
1997 AW4s are bolt-in.
1998-2001 AW4s require more work. All the transfer case input gear info from 1990.5-1997 applies, on top of that, the sensors have changed! You can either build the circuit given here by lawsoncl or swap the transmission tailhousing, sensor drive rotor, and output speed sensor as shown here by Frank Z to make this work.

If you have a 1998-2001 XJ:

1987-1997 AW4s are not going to work without significant machine work. Reason is that your TCU is expecting an input speed sensor signal, but the mounting boss for the ISS is not machined out on the donor transmission housing and the rotor needed is not installed in the geartrain. You will be fully disassembling the donor transmission, doing specialized machining on the housing, swapping some parts from your old transmission, and basically doing a massive amount of work to swap in a non-ideal part. I would not suggest this swap unless you are really, really screwed and don't care that your CEL will be going off and you will have to leave the transmission unplugged from the wiring harness and shift it manually, with no second gear available. This swap is also fine if you are going to be building a trail only rig, don't care about your CEL going off all the time, and will be installing a custom shifter setup. You could also swap in a proper-year manual transmission XJ ECU and install a custom shifter setup to avoid a CEL.
1998-2001 AW4s are bolt in.
UPDATE Mar4 2013 - user memasmuffn reports that installing a 1997 TCU (designed to work with the older 1 pulse/rev reed switch output sensor, and no input sensor) in a 98-01 XJ with a 97 and earlier AW4 swapped into it results in no codes! This is great news, any AW4 (2wd vs 4wd, 2.5L 87-90 vs 4.0L all-years, and 2wd 95- vs 2wd 96+ notwithstanding) can be bolted into any XJ/MJ with only minor wire splicing, hard-part/housing/sensor changing, and perhaps TCU swapping at the worst. Awaiting further testing from the field to make sure the code stays gone!
UPDATE Jan/Feb 2013 - a thread by Boostwerks shows that it is entirely possible to convert a 97- AW4 into a 98+ one if you're suitably motivated. First bullet point of this section is basically the procedure he used - machined out port for ISS in main trans housing, installed geartrain parts intended for a 98+ in front half of transmission, etc. Not for newbies or those without significant transmission rebuild and machining/fabrication experience.
UPDATE Jul20 2015 - user Milner reports that a 97 TCU and sensor/rotor did NOT work for him in his 98-01 recipient vehicle. Unless you have the parts around to try this and don't mind possibly having to take your transmission apart a few times and drop the transfer case just as many times, I recommend sticking with a 98-01 AW4 for these recipient vehicles.

Clear as mud?

Replacement parts -

input / torque converter seal: 8350 3752 OEM part number.
output seal on adapter housing for transfer case: 8350 4055 OEM part number.
pan gasket and filter screen kit: ATP B112 at NAPA. Should cross reference to whatever others are available at other stores.
Cooler lines: 2x 800-714 quick disconnect fittings, 1x 624-300 line, 1x 624-301 line, 1x 624-334 line (all Dorman parts.) - UPDATE MARCH 2014: I've heard complaints from multiple people about the Dorman lines, apparently they switched suppliers at some point and the flaring/crimping/quick disconnect ridge formation on them is now crap and doesn't fit well or stay together. Avoid them, or inspect carefully before purchase.

Custom shifters -
On 1996 and earlier XJs, you can install whatever custom electronic shifter you want with no fear of a CEL.
On 1997 XJs, it appears you can fake the CEL into not turning on using some basic electronics, and then install whatever custom electronic shifter you want. I have tested this but not extensively; it appears to work but you should verify this yourself before committing to this plan.
On 1998-2001 XJs, it seems the TCU is smart enough to figure out what gear it is actually in using the ISS/OSS signals, and it will require some more advanced electronics to fool it. I haven't figured this out yet. UPDATE Mar4 2013 - user memasmuffn reports that installing a 97 TCU in a 98+ XJ results in no codes when using a 97- AW4 and sensors as well, which means that custom shifters should be possible using a mix of 97 parts (tailhousing, sensor drive rotor, OSS, TCU) and all the tricks you'd need to fool a 97 XJ (see previous paragraph) - though this hasn't been fully verified. Search for posts on the subject by users raneil, rdesjardin, myself, lawsoncl, etc for more info on what's involved in fooling the electronics.
UPDATE Jul20 2015 - user Milner reports that a 97 TCU and sensor/rotor did NOT work for him in his 98-01 recipient vehicle. Unless you have the parts around to try this and don't mind possibly having to take your transmission apart a few times and drop the transfer case just as many times, I recommend sticking with a 98-01 AW4 for these recipient vehicles."

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https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1053970

 

From what I have read I dont think the 2002 wrangler can take the xj Trans.... You know I had several beers and need to read your guys posts better, I will absorb it all better after I am sober and focused. It has been a sad weekend with the death of my second xj engine. I have been broken and sad all weekend. Some of you guys helped me do so much and I finally thought I was getting there. So yeah I am all messed up right now. I bled and I tore muscles and ate oil working on my xj. So I am hurting yaknow. But that is the game we play. All we can do is move forward and keep building. Happy Mothers Day you guys and thanks for always helping me...even when I get annoying.