Esmeralda

I have been having trouble with my XJ lately. It heats up and I have to refill the water every day. My dad finally said that it is the motor that is not working so well. I am not gonna get rid of my XJ. I am planning to replace the motor with a good one that I hope will last me for a very long time.

My XJ is a 2001 and everything else is in good conditions. So what do u guys think I should do? Is it a good idea to find another motor for it? Advice on where to find a good motor (south Texas area) would also be very helpful.

Diesel

Why not just find the leak and fix it?

jbetit

how many miles are on it?

Esmeralda

That's what we were trying to do (find the leak or the reason it is heating up), but he said he found water on the oil or something like that. He is gonna check it again tomorrow to see if it isn't something else.

My XJ is a 2001 and has 160,000 miles.

tj40

You have a 2001? It most likely has a cracked head. That motor has the weak head as well with the 2000. I would get a new head from a 98 or whatever and change the oil like two times.

7urtle

how long did you drive it with the current problems

bmrrwolfe

I'm going to be in the same process as you, I got a 99 that the PO overheated and the head cracked so the oil was a little milky, and when I first got it, it had a slight rod knock to it, but at the price I got it for, I do not mind getting a motor for it.

tj40

heck ya, I picked up a 98 4.0 for $270 w/ a 90 day exchange at the yard. Crazy, my brother in law blew up his 300m motor and the same yard wanted 2k. I will drive my 94 till the frame splits, so ya like a couple more years!! I HATE RUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

7urtle

300m motors are a more common swap to get rid of the garbage 2.7 motor. how many miles on your "new" motor?

Esmeralda

Thanks guys, ur advice is really helpful. I will let my dad and brother know...cause I'm not such a good mechanic...but I do care about my XJ.

I think the problems started like 2 or 3 weeks ago, but I only drive to school and back home, so that it doesn't heat up. It did heat up once before, the paint in my hood is actually chipping...well the gloss part...because of that.

7urtle

if their is water /coolant in your oil it is eating your internal

Esmeralda

Would u please let me know more about how that goes. It sounds alot like what mine is going through.

Esmeralda

^What would that mean...like, what would be the fix to that?

Esmeralda

So, my XJ is working fine right now. It's actually driving pretty good, but I know it is only temporary. My dad put in some sealant or something.

So if the sealant fixed the problem it had, what was the problem? My dad thinks we should replace the motor and many of you adviced that I should replace the head. What do u guys think?

(Oh, and the problem I had with it before this temporary fix was that the water would leak into the oil and this would cause it to heat up which would make it not start sometimes until it cooled down and the oil to look milky-ish.)

Boatanchor

Esmeralda, I too have a 2001 XJ which has started to use some coolant (at 125K miles). My XJ has a cracked cylinder head. This was confirmed by looking into the oil filler hole (with a flashlight)....and I'm betting you'll see coolant in the head under the valve cover. These 0331 heads crack between cyl 3 and 4 (directly below oil filler hole). Do a Google search on Jeep cracked 0331 head (your 2001 has a 0331 if original) and you'll find tons of info on various forums.

My oil pressure is still OK (Hot 20 at idle and 50 at speed). Thus I hope the lower end and cam bearing are still OK. I do not see any oil "milk-shake" yet. I have a new head on order from from Clearwater Let's hope it works out.