im sorry i have to bit#$and moan but im sick of this. ive had 10 jeeps and every one of the 4.0s have problems. im sure its just my luck but ive had 4 motors with rod bearing problems head cracks and just outright failure. as a mechanic ive maintained and maticulously made sure that i do everything according to spec and right. im just soo tired of taking all this time to put an engine in a car just for it to spin a rod bearing. i love all the hype that people give about the bomb proof 4.0 and 400k miles and all but in all honesty its bs. unless youve bought your jeep from the factory or it was once owned but a grandpa these things suck. go honda civics

 

I understood what you were saying up until the last three words lol

 

Hmm, sounds like bad luck to me. Ive had 2.. 1st one had for 2 years and beat the hell out of it, biggest problem i ever had was brakes.. Finally ended up totalling it by rolling in a ditch, went to the insurace company with 275000 miles on original everything. So far on my 2cd one i havnt had any major problems, just electrical flaws which im working on little by little, the owner before me screwed the transfer case to hell, so putting a new trans case on this weekend. Got 190k on this one, no other problems though, guess ive been lucky

 

I have 168,000 miles on mine and it runs like a top. I also don't take it heavy off roading, lift it, or beat the **** out of it. I just drive it everyday and use it off the road like it was built for not what I think its limits are. I've honestly never seen a 4.0 go bad because of bearings (over 12 years of salvage yard work) maybe your 4.0 past its point of survivability. Well good luck with your civic.

 

"as a mechanic"

What kind? ASE, State certified, backyard, shade tree, etc....

Do your tools consist of a $3.99 150 piece socket set and a couple of blunt twisted screwdrivers/paint can openers, or a complete set of Snap-on, Matco, Mac or Craftsman?

I have to add that if you start with a beater Jeep, chances are you will end up with a beaten one.

 

lol no comment on the rest of that inflammatory post but I was also wondering this. XJs and other vehicles with the 4.0 were (are) very common, and with that goes up the number of neglected vehicles. Nothing can last 80,000 miles with no oil change or a bad head gasket/cracked head blowing coolant into the crank case, or being beaten to **** constantly. The more days go by the more cases of total neglect and abuse I see pass by, sounds like you've had a run of crap acquisitions? The 4.0 has practically won awards for longevity and reliability.

 

X2!

 

Mine was a Forest Service plow vehicle in the mountains of sisters, Oregon for 10 years before I bought it.
Dust,clay, mud, cold, silt....the works. Slight rocker damage from sliding offroad. Whole uniframe rails were packed full of clay and silt.

I bought it in '06 at 109,600 and 6 years later all I've "HAD" to replace was the water pump, radiator and a rear carrier bearing. There's been a slight weep at the RMS since i got it but whatever. Not a drop on the driveway.
It's at 168,800 and runs like a top.
It's my daily driver so I don't beat the heck out of it but on trails I flex it out regularly and roast it up muddy hills and it's never let me down.

that's a reall bummer you have had such bad times with your XJ's. It really is hit or miss in some areas with these things.

 

Not trying to flame, just looking for info.

When I was younger and/or in altered states of consciousness I have made some attempts at "repairs" that were “questionable”. As stated, an oil change every 80k will not add to reliability or longevity. While I certainly don’t hate the Asian brands I think it’s unfair to make a blanket determination without considering all that facts.

 

Yeah,my Peep has had an endless list of problems during the 1st 594000 km; I shudder to think of all the troubleshootin and fixin I'm going to have to perform as we wheel our way to million klicks. It's never really broke, just a new learning opportunity.

 

well i can see both sides of the fence from where im sitting.. last weekend my 97's 192k motor started knockin real bad so i tore it down to find 5 pistons with severely broken off skirts and the #4 rod bearing so far burned that it was nowhere to be found, with the rod just ridin straight on the crankshaft.. which of course toasted the crankshaft. but to be fair, nobody beats the hell out of a vehicle offroad like i do. my engine stays at wide open throttle 98% of the time with a truckfull of my drunk friends thru mud, trees, water, and whatever else ive been too drunk to remember. ive replaced my entire front clip about 3 times in the last couple months, its been hydrolocked 4 times, and ive been known to fix a leaking radiator with jb weld and refill it with cooler water and beer to get her home. so i wasnt the least bit surprised or upset when it finally bit the dust after running with <5 psi oil pressure for 4 months. not many motors out there will handle that kind of abuse for more than a day or two.

the engine in my 94 with 160k was rock solid till i got rid of it despite the abuse, and the 300k+ engine in my 88 is still dependable enough to get me to work on time.

4.0 for the win! id rather push my jeep than drive a honda.

 

learn to maintain your vehicles, and stop buying junk


the 4.0 is WELL known to commonly go over 250,000 miles on OE drivetrains.


the common issue between your failures seems to be....you

 

 

I believe I speak for all of us in saying if that's your honest opinion then **** YOU!

 

Mine was purchased by my gfs dad at 10k miles, by her at 80k, and by me at 125k. Currently at 156k. I get a little" piston slap" I believe it's called, at idle. Strong runner and even with the lift last year, and with me learning how to mechanic on it, zero issues for now.

My gf did wreck it into a guardrail, but I put it back together.

I make enough money to buy a second car, but this ones been so great that I don't want another. Gas mileage sucks, but oh well. I owned a Volvo that was a nightmare. I like the utility of the jeep. It's one thing that I can always depend on.