Uncletruck

I decided to trade my pickup in on a new Liberty for my wife. So, I now get the wife's old blue Cherokee 4x4 4.0L for my use. It's not in too bad of shape. Has 80k miles.

I have two issues with it that I need to address right away. First, the valve cover leaks oil badly from the rear by the firewall. I looked at Autozone and it says it is a rubber gasket. It looks pretty straightforward to repair, is there anything I need to be aware of with it?

Killing two birds with one stone, I have a check engine light that deciphers to a misfire on cylinder #3. Autozone kid recommended new plugs and wires, but it doesn't look like there are any wires, just a cylindrical extension that goes between the coils and each of the plugs. Would this "tune up" replacing the plugs and those extenders likely eliminate the misfire code?

Other than that, the A/C is dead due to a hole in the evaporator that I am not going to fix as it's too much work and I don't really need A/C. The body looks great, just a couple of small rust blisters under one of the back windows that I can grind out, put some filler in, sand down and spot paint.

I'll miss my Toyota truck, but main reason I bought her the new Liberty (short of the fact Chrysler is basically giving them away right now) is I don't want to listen to her complain anymore about every squeak and rattle in the Cherokee and the lack of A/C, stuff that won't bother me.

Thanks,

Uncletruck

finneys98xj

Your 00 has Coil packs plugs may fix the problem as replcing coil pack can get expense

okcjeeper

The valve cover gasket change is easy and straight forward.

As for the misfire with #3 cylinder what code does it give? I know there have been known issues with that that has to do with a heat shield or something and there was a factory recall about something like that. Maybe someone who has experience this can help further but post the code you get.


A tuneup would definitely be a good thing.

Cobrasix

Honestly,

I wouldn't trust the Autozone guys any further than I can throw them. I remember arguing with one of them over whether or not my wife's 99 mustang had a V-8 or V-6. It has a V-6 and the guy at the counter was swearing up and down that I had a V-8. He was basing his assumption on the wheels the mustang had until I walked him out there and showed him.

These are the same people who liked my 65 GT350 Convertible...and I had to laugh to myself as I have a 6 cylinder 65 convertible.

If you go up to them and ask for a ridge cutter/grinder (used to remove the ridge on cylinders) they'll look at you with a blank stare and point out into the store.

Don't get me wrong, I like Autozone. I do buy most of my stuff from Autozone, since they have a good warranty program on most of their parts. There's only been one Autozone employee that knew what they were talking about...and she was cute to boot! Too bad that Autozone is too far away for convenience.

Plugs and wires are a standard answer.

First, clear the code and see if it even comes back. Sometimes it can be a one of event. Check your plugs. Make sure they aren't fouled. If you are cheap like me, I usually just clean them and regap them every 10k miles. Sometimes I break down and spend the $10 it takes to get new plugs. In 2000, did the jeeps even have wires? Weren't they using coil pack rail? I know they switched mid year I think. If you still have wires, it is easy to check. Start up and pull the #3 wire off. Put it close tothe plug and you should see a nice strong blue spark. If it looks weak then you may have a worn out wire.

Valve cover gaskets are pretty simple. I personally prefer cork gaskets as in my experience they tend to seal better. I don't know if they are available for the 4.0. Make sure you get a torque wrench, even a cheap one. Those bolts only take like 10-15 ft. lbs. IIRC. It doesn't take much to snap one...don't ask how I know.

01LimitedXJ

for the num 3 cyl misfire...search heat soak. This is a well known issue on the 2000 and 2001 xj's...it may be whats causing it. Also, keep an eye on your coolant level. 80,000 and on seems to be about the time when the heads most commonly crack on these. There is a ton of info out there on both of these. Hope that helps.

funkle95xj

The number 3 misfire is often cause by the #3 fuel injector. It is located very close to one of the exhuast manifold pipes and is very prone to heat soak. This can lead to fuel vaporizing inside the injectore, temporarily disrupting the normal liquid fuel flow. Making your own heat shield out of some of that heat sheild tape (probably available at autozone) can be done by simply wrapping the tape around the injectors. This can lower the temperature of the injector enough to solve the misfire issue. Do this and a set of new plugs and hopefully you will eliminate any misfire issues.

And when you do the valve cover gasket I hear the cork gaskets work fine, but you may need to recheck the bolts for torque as the gasket compresses over time. I have also heard that the FelPro Permadry+ gaskets are excellent, they are available here:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php

That's a bit cheaper than some competitors prices, but at around $32 more than the cork gasket I'll let you decide if it's worth it or not. When I do mine I'm sure gonna go with the PermaDry. Oh and the torque specs on the valve cover bolts are 55 in/lbs..

HTH!

Uncletruck

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.

I'm going to work on the engine this weekend, replacing the plugs and valve cover gasket. I'm sort of at the mercy of Autozone and Advance Auto as they have the valve cover gasket in stock and they are close by- it's a molded rubber one from Fel Pro which should be fine. I have a torque wrench so I don't go too tight with the bolts.

My engine has the coil pack ignition, no wires to the plugs. If replacing the plugs doesn't cure the #3 misfire, I'll look at the #3 injector. The Autozone kid did clear the trouble code when we checked it and the light has not come back on, at least not yet. The check engine light was coming on when my wife was still driving the Jeep, only on VERY cold days. It would go out on its own a few days later when it got warmer. Short of oil changes and air filters, (The basic stuff she had done at Jiffy Lube) it has never had any work done to the engine, so it's due for plugs and the valve cover gasket is shot, I can't stand the burning oil smell under the hood.

-UT-

bsljacques

I got to do the same thing to mine....it's not leaking bad...actually very little...but still need to be done....because I can smell the burning oil...and that does bother me. Besides...I hate leaks!

Cobrasix

UT,

The cold weather check engine light may be the heated after Cat sensor starting to go bad. The #3 misfire may just be a quirk. I hate OBDII because it is so touchy. Guess I'm just used to Carbs. My 91 explorer has OBDI and has never had a check engine light in 320k miles. My volvo with OBDII and 180K miles seems to trip the check engine light every time the weather changes. It is worth it to get the $60 OBDII scanner from Autozone IMO.

I hear you about leaks. I had an oil pan gasket leaking on my 65 mustang. Long story short, I ended up finally fixing it after 6 months of work that resulted in completely changing out the front end, steering, control arms, strut rods, drum to disc conversion, spring perches, shocks and everything. It was a bad case of "While I'm at it" since I needed to remove the centerlink of the steering to get better access to the oil pan and drop it.

01LimitedXJ

On my last jeep, and this one, the num 3 misfire would NOT set off the check engine light. There is also a TSB out there on how to 'fix' the problem. Personally i am in the process of building a cowl induction hood, which will also let the heat out faster.