Seriously much much appreciated. Lol yeah just now joining the forum should have the first time around. I've read probably every post to try and at least be somewhat knowledgeable. Not sure that's going to help though lol I get super nervous thinking I'm going to mess something else up. I see a lot of you guy's really seem to know a lot which I think is cool/admirable. I should have applied myself more when I was younger but never to late... My main concern is I've read that could be a sign of a blown head gasket which churns my stomach..!!!! But I'm not overheating, not losing or burning oil, not losing coolant so I'm praying that it's not a blown head gasket! I love XJ'S and want it as close to perfect as possible. I've got to stay away from the shops.... Would be a major savings...

 

No pheer! You only risk pain and $. You will always get more $, and being a tattooed kind of guy you should already be cool with some pain.

Wear gloves to reduce the pain and keep your tattoo hands in good shape so you can make the $ you need.

Cheers and beers not pheers...but don't drink and drive.

 

I can totally understand and respect the nervousness. I was, and to a certain degree, still the same. I took auto shop in high school (30+ years ago), but never turned a wrench since then. Made a promise to myself last year, that I would not take mine, or my my wife's vehicle, to a shop, before I tried to fix the problem myself, and since then, I've been able to accomplish every repair that needed to be done. From simple maintenance, to changing out the leaf springs, new brakes, and lots of rust repair.

The more I have worked on my XJ, the less intimidating it has become, and the folks on this forum have been extremely helpful. Just being able to use the collective knowledge from here, in diagnosing a problem, has been invaluable.

Can't offer any advice, beyond what you have already gotten, but just wanted to take a second and encourage you try turning a few wrenches yourself... just start practicing a bunch of new cuss words, because the standard ones might not suffice when you break your first bolt or smash your hand for the 100th time... but in the end, it really is a fulfilling endeavor, and will save you a ton of cash to boot.

 

Thanks everyone Crazy 8's and Heap of Jeep. Really appreciate it.!! Yeah the pain doesn't really bother me, the nerves completely different story lol. I can sit down for a 6 hour tattoo session with no struggle at all but pop the hood to the XJ and my knees buckle. I have a general knowledge of what's what but some things look intimidating and some looks like a pain to get to (bottom torx on the IAC) but was given some good tips on how to overcome that. Everyone here seems super cool/helpful. So I just came home in bumper to bumper traffic for 2 hrs and she's running rather good. Still a slight miss/rough idle but absolutely nothing major. I think at this point I would know if it was a blown head gasket. I think the sludgy residue is just 16 yrs worth of buildup. Going to do a thorough cleaning and check everything out and go from there. I mean there's no loss of power, no loss of oil or coolant, no overheating. So I would assume we're good there. If you can't tell I'm the guy who has to have every little detail perfect. If I can spend $12,000 in artwork (tattoos) I can put a couple into the Jeep. I wish I knew what it was about them that I love but can't really explain it, I just do. The guy who had it before me must have put glasspacks on it. Not sure how I feel about that one yet. It doesn't sound bad or anything. Actually sounds pretty good but just unsure of how the flow is in those things vs a high flow cat and actual muffler. Heck that might even be the roughness in the idle.

 

I finally figured out what the rough idle feels like. It almost feels like the spark timing is off or something of that sorts. (If that makes sense).!!! But it was doing this when we first got it and I replaced all the plugs, wires, cap, and button. Sometimes it's worse than others. Sometimes it's hardly even noticeable. Tomorrow when I get off work I'm going to replace the pcv valve /ccv and maybe valve cover gasket and make sure everything is tight. Oh and take off throttle body

 

Throttle body is the first priority.

 

Just pokin a little fun Tat.

Started wrenching lawn mowers back in late 60s in 7th grade. Made mistakes along the way and learned.
Only thing I've never done is auto trans or diff. Might just put them on my bucket list.

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself" (FDR?)

 

I hear ya on that one. I'm thankful and blessed that most of my issues are small. I want to remove the throttle body but don't feel 100% comfortable doing it. I've cleaned it out but really want to clean out the IAC. It's super tricky.!! I can get to the top tork but the bottom I can't seem to get to with my adapter and socket. There's a lip on my adapter and it's just enough to not give me clearance to get to it easily. I'm also debating whether or not to remove the entire valve cover to change out the pcv /ccv valves. I've seen videos where the worked it out but looked like a pain and I don't want it to break off down in there or I'll be pulling off the valve cover anyways. I don't guess I would mind if I thought almost 100% it would cure the rough idle. I would actually be thrilled lol.

 

Oh would like to know if this makes sense. With the rough idle when sitting in park or at a red light, if I give it gas and rev it up a bit it goes away for a min. Does that sound like IAC??

 

No worries on the Throttle body. It was the very first thing I did when I bought my Jeep... the first time I had done anything on vehicle in long long time, and it was so easy, I laughed at myself and how nervous I got myself before actually doing it. Scraping out all the buildup was worse than actually pulling it off. Made a huge mess on the front steps, which my wife still complains about. LOL. Have lots of rags/paper towels handy to soak up the throttle body cleaner. A good stiff tooth brush really helped get in to some of the hard to reach places.

 

Lol yeah I'm sure I'll get it from the wife too if I make a huge mess... I have a bad habit of using our good wash rags lol. But good deal! Finally off work and of course it's pouring rain so looks like I'll be going to the parent's garage so I can take my time and make a huge mess... Jk

 

Question! If I replace my throttle body gasket do I need to do anything to it? Seal it or anything? Or just slap it on there? Thanks

 

You won't need anything else on the gasket.

 

Good deal.!! Thanks Crazy 8's! Soon as I'm done with the trash route today I plan on taking care of all that while I'm cleaning the IAC.

 

Since you are chasing down what might be a vacuum leak, you might consider replacing all of the vacuum lines. At least checking their condition and if they are plugged in to the right places. There should be a diagram on the firewall right by the brake booster to refer to for all the important engine management vacuum lines.