travs2448

So towards the end of march i bought this 01 jeep cherokee. since than ive put about 2000 miles on it. right now it only has 122000 on her. I've known of the notorious 0331 problem since before i bought it and was fairly certain when i bought it it didnt contain the crack. took of the valve cover after getting it and did a very careful look through of everything paying special attention between the area below the oil filler cap. I have payed special attention to the coolant reservoir and about two weeks i noticed i dropped about 2-3 inches below the full line that i had it filled up to. after a short drive the level was right at the full line and has remained there since. i figured something stupid must have happened but since than ive been watching it like a hawk

Anyways fast forward to yesterday after i get home from work i figured id pop the hood and check things out. since im always looking for this issue i popped the oil filler cap and found this unfortunate discovery.


You cant see it in the picture but i believe there is a small crack where these bubbles are coming from.

So obviously i need a new head however im a bit concerned and have some questions.

1. how do i know if this has caused sever engine damage yet. seeing as i just bought the vehicle im worried its been there for a while and i somehow missed it, although i checked this the same way through the cap when i first bought it after driving it two hours home, and didnt see this. also the oil was changed by the dealer and has my 1500-2000 miles on it. it has no signs of milkyness yet

2. how much should i expect to pay for a shop to replace this just in labor. i would want to supply the head so i know its a tupy cast.

3. even if i do replace the head would i be better off selling it after words as i dont know how much life is left in the engine after this ?

riftshighway

I vote 'no' on number three. Seems kind of dishonest.

RTorrez1

First thing you should do is stop running it. Then drain the oil and make sure you have no coolant in it. With a little luck you wont or at least very little. If you have a lot of coolant in it it can cause you bearing to go bad prematurely. Many have had great luck just changing out the head. So there is no reason to get rid of it.

Programbo

If you are buying the head do the job yourself. It's a lot easier than you might think. Any semi-decent home mechanic with common tools can pull it off. Or I'm sure there are a lot of nice Jeep guys in your area who would lend a guiding hand. When my head gasket went up the local shop told me $1000 to fix it. That's basically the job you'd be looking at

djb383

Checking the coolant level in the bottle after a drive (motor hot) doesn't tell u much. It's best to check the level in the bottle when the motor is cold (sat overnight). Hopefully the "cold motor" level stays the same....if it drops over several days/a week, well that's not good. The rad cap is critical to the coolant recovery system functioning correctly.

Ant.

Don't let a shop do it, Do it yourself,
It is not hard to do, and you will learn alot about your jeep..

If you run into any issues there are people here that will help you.. I would think the minimum a shop will charge is a 1000.00, You can do this job 3 times and still be under a grand..

Good Luck!!!

Ant...

md21722

Generally if your oil pressure is good (18-20 psi at hot idle, 49-55 psi on the highway) you don't have any major engine problems. Replace the cracked head with a good one and drive it like it never had a problem. Figure about $500 for acquiring a good head and machine shop work. If you're not doing the labor yourself, figure 8-12 hours of shop time probably between $600-1000.

No special tools are really required for this job. The most difficult part will be removing the manifold bolts and reinstalling the manifolds. The bolts/nuts are 9/16" but you'll be dealing with exhaust rust. You probably won't break any of the bolts, but they won't come out easily. You'll probably need some long extensions, universal, and a big ratchet. The most time consuming part may very well be cleaning the block deck and manifolds to be sure they're free of any gasket material, oil, etc. For the most part that's a gasket scraper/straight razor and patience. You'll also need a 3/8 and/or 1/2 drive torque wrench to do the 3 stage torque on the head bolts 22, 45, and then 110 (except for the front drivers side bolt, which is 100 and takes thread sealant).

If you're not mechanically inclined or none of the above makes sense to you, its probably not a good starter project, just pay the labor for a shop to do it. However you do it, be confident in the repair. There's no reason to sell it off because this occurred. Its likely to last another couple hundred thousand miles/many years. The transmission is one of the most reliable ever built by man, probably more reliable than the engine, which is also known for its long life.

travs2448

I would say i'm decently mechanically inclined. i've taken heads of small power equipment engines many times, just never done something this major on one of my vehicles. The only thing is ive never actually used a torque wrench before.

Ant.

Torque wrench is nothing to use, Very E-z. Just set it to the desired amount of torque and it will click when it reaches that amount. When installing the new head just make it in 3 passes ( 35, 70, 105 Lbs of torque). Also What ever you take off, Plugs, hoses, sensors, wires, ect.. just label it so you know where it all hooks back up to..

Ant...

Willys55

you could also take pictures before and during the tear down so you will have a reference to where things go later.

travs2448

Awesome already planned on doing that! Pictures is also a great idea ******! Last thing i'm wondering is there anything i should replace while i have this thing apart? I'm am going to replace the head gasket and head bolts.

Ant.

Here is a video thats on youtube, It will be very helpful for you..



I suggest you get a repair manual.. While you have it apart I also suggest a new water pump, and thermostat, If you have the $ I also suggest a new radiator..

Also in my previous post the torque numbers I used are just an example.. I think the #s are close but look at the manual to get correct torque #s for the head..

Ant...

md21722

The breather lines between the valve cover and the air box and manifold get hard and brittle with age. They may break when you try to remove them, so plan on replacing them. The rear elbow has a restrictor, but the front does not. I agree on the thermostat since it has to come off anyway. Make sure you have some painters tape or masking tape and a Sharpie to label the fuel injector and other wires and hoses that you'll be disconnecting but not necessarily removing from the vehicle. Label anything you're not sure of and don't think you're crazy to put different bolts, etc. in baggies with labels on them. Even the pros will do that when they're working on vehicle they haven't worked on a lot.

Tony_SS

It is dishonest, don't unload it on anyone.. it's fraud.

And you caught it in time. Do not drive it. Get a new head from J&C enterprises or Odyssesa (Clearwater). Both will work great. Use a Fel-pro HD headgasket and swap it out. It's an easy job. Look at the link in my sig for pics. Put that new head on and flush do oil changes every 500 miles for awhile to flush out any antifreeze. There might be a detergent/product just for that too.

77olds

I just dealt with this problem.

Bought a brand new (NOT refurbrished), complete head (meaning all valves and everything included) with a lifetime warranty from National Cylinder Head for $435 shipped. No up-front core charge, you have 30 days to return the old head in the same box the new one came in before they charge you for the core. They even include a shipping label!

One think you'll learn on engine jobs is that not everything actually has to be removed in order to do the job. The A/C compressor can be unbolted from the mount and then moved off to the side. Same with the power steering pump.

DEFINITELY replace the t-stat and gasket while you're at it.

Also look at your upper radiator hose - mine was getting a hole worn into it from resting on the A/C compressor mounting bolt, I never noticed until I started this job. Get a new one if needed.

The rear valve cover vent tube will probably break. If you don't want to buy a new one, it might actually be better to just cut it clean in half with a razor blade, then use a piece of rubber hose to put it back together. It's just a vent tube, you won't have a vacuum leak by using rubber hose as long as you use the right size. I did this to temporarily repair mine until I got the replacement tube and it worked just fine. I just didn't trust it to last.

Get a full gasket kit and use every bit of it. You obviously won't be removing the throttle body for this job, but it's only a few extra bolts so, why not? Replace the valve cover bolt grommets with the ones in the gasket kit. CLEAN YOUR GASKET SURFACES, this is incredibly important. Don't forget to clean the intake gasket surface.

Make sure you know proper bolt torque specs and tightening sequence, ESPECIALLY for the cylinder head. This isn't a suggestion, this is 1000000% REQUIRED.

You dno't have to unbolt the exhaust flanges, unbolting the manifold from the head and letting it hang is just fine - the exhaust hangers will flex enough that nothing will get damaged.

The rear lower exhaust manifold bolts can be reached with an extension. I put one arm under the manfold from the front to guide the socket onto the bolts. Sort of awkward but it worked.

Drain your cooling system first, it'll save the mess when you pull the head.

Wipe your cylinder walls down with engine oil, and squirt some into the lifters too. Don't worry about the smoke when it starts up, it'll burn off.

Might as well put new spark plugs in it while you're at it.

Don't forget to get that drive belt TIGHT. They don't like any slop, unlike most GM motors.