Need a new head installed and having an issue with fuel getting into the oil. I've had bad experiences so far in Brooklyn with mechanics, anyone have a trusted or at least reliable mechanic they would recommend for work on an xj?

 

Use a search engine and look up Mechanic Advisor. They give ratings and reviews. I looked up 10 best mechanics on Brooklyn and chose Mechanic Advisor. Don't trust ones with one 1 review because that's probably someone in the family!

 

Instead of searching for "mechanics" search for "engine rebuilders".

 

Good point, Dave!

 

Ok, I was directed to a shop that looks very promising out on long island, Goonies Garage that appears to specialize in wranglers and xjs. It's about 50 miles away, is it a bad idea to put in fresh oil and drive the jeep out there...i dont see another option, other than towing it but that's going to make this all a little too expensive for me.

 

You drove it back from Pittsburgh, didn't you? Go for it!

 

Haha true, I guess I'm just worrying that soon I'm going to reach a point where it's not salvageable. How fast does this kinda thing wear on the bearings (I know that's probably case dependent)? If two months ago my psi was at 18 around town not really losing any coolant, and now after 700 miles it was idling at 10psi and drain a lot of it... how much pressure will be lost from the crack vs how damaged is this engine?

A well maintained one would be a no brainer, but I'm not convinced the previous owners treated this motor very well