Mcwille117

Ok. so i am new to jeeps, not to working on cars. I just bought and 87 cherokee limited 4x4 L6. It leaks oil and feels like one cylinder may be alittle out of wack like miss fire or off compression, it is hardly noticible in fact unless you know the feeling of a fresh rebuilt engine you wouldnt even notice but with 211K on it i think it may cause me a headache down the road. now i know the valve cover leaks, non issue 15 min job. i think that rear main seal may be leaking or more likely its the oil pan.

Should I pull the motor? how hard is it on a 4x4? i have never worked on on. I kinda feel like it might be worth it since i was told I could get a engine rebuild kit for this engine for around $150. but I want some expert advice, How hard is it to pull an L6 out of one of these? Is a pull, rebuild, and drop back in capable of being done in about two weekends?

Or is this too much of a hassle for an oil leak and peice of mind? any one have a parts cost of doing this? runs great now so no major stuff just seals and such.

Really looking for some advice and guidence. Or anyone in the sterling heights or ortonville MI area that would lend some help/expirence would be HUGE... beer on me

Mcwille117

advice? anyone?

00XJ

if you want your jeep around for a long long time and wanna go wheelin with out any issues i would pull the engine and tranny and rebuild them both. you can even stroke and bore it out if you wanted to go the extra mile. but the way you describe it the jeep is on its last leg and any serious driving or wheeling might cause it to die.

RedZeppelinXJ

if you have the knowledge, tools, and skills on how to do it i say pull it and rebuild it, better be safe now than sorry later when it takes a dump in the middle of traffic or the trail

i was trying to be pennywise on my '96....replaced the radiator and said "nah the water pump is fine, why fix it when its all ripped apart anyways?" 3 weeks later the water pump ****s its pants when i'm 100 miles from home

fix it now, and check out your tranny and t-case at the same time

Mcwille117

well unfortunately penny wise is kinda my situation i shouldnt have really even bought this thing. but $360 for a working 4x4 with a fairly solid body and great interior was a deal i couldnt pass up. my brother has a wrangler and i have always wanted either a Cherokee, ZR2 blazer, or an old bronco so when i came across this it was too good to be true she wanted $550 firm but my best friend can sell Ice to an eskimo and talked her down to 360. I will post some pics as soon as i can. it run great it was her daily driver for the last 2 years and said it had no problems other than the headlights and leaked 1/2 a Qt of oil a month. for the most part i really shouldnt even go wheeling with it i should just baby it to get me through the winter but why have 4x4 if you dont use it?

I just want to know if anyone could give me an estimated cost and difficulty of pulling it, i dont have a cherry picker or stand but will get one if i decide to this (they are a dime a dozen in pontiac) The only engine i ever rebuilt was a 350 chevy so this is unfamiliar territory.

captainwoot

Are you looking to completely rebuild or just freshen it up a bit and stop the leaks? you could leave the block in the jeep, pull the pan and spin some new brgs and seals into the old girl. Or you could even pull the head(have the valves checked) and re-ring it at the same time. Good luck!

Tetrylone

$360 - nice!

Mcwille117

you can drop the pan on these with out pulling the motor? ok damn that is prolly what i will do... I am going to do a compression test as soon as i get my buddys tester if they are all close enough i am just going to say screw it and just do a pan and valve cover gasket to just to stop the leak... and i have already undertaken the wiring fist ****ing that the previous, previous owner did.. i did figure out that these wires all running to the turn signals, up down and around satans anus went to some sort of after market alarm system, that has long since been hacked up half rip out, I am still trying to track down how that rats nest of a hack wiring job is causing me to not have running lights or trailer brake lights. it did solve the retarded turn signal that could only blink at 1/4 speed. not sure how it did it but just moving them around fixed it which means short..... tho looking at it as a whole i have started worse projects and had great success... 89 GTA that went from 1200 to 4500 that thing was a DIAMOND in the ROUGH. and i really do think this is too it doesnt look at all like it has 211K on it at all the fricken leather leather seats dont have a rip on them... although the lady that i bought it from said she put around 700 miles on it every week for the last 2 years she said other than pulling the battery cable every time she stopped and adding a bit of oil here and there she never had a problem. it appears to be well maintained so i am hoping i will have a great beater for a small about of money

Mcwille117

although how hard is pulling the head off an L6?? is it a b***h to set the valves? porting and polishing the head and new head gasket sounds a like great idea the more i think about it...... anyone have any info and tips on that one?

Mcwille117

Can i pull the head on the L6 with it still in the car?

KennyG

The I6 head is fairly simple and straight forward for the mechanically inclined. The rear head bolts are a bit of a squeeze. The body seam is in the way, but a bit of leverage and some taps with a persuader will get the necessary clearance. I decked mine .020 and did the basic port/polish when I got my 2000 XJ, and it really perked up the performance.

Mcwille117

So i CAN pull the head and oil pan with the engine still in the car??

96_xj

yes you can. You might have to put the vehicle on jack stands if you are not lifted to gain clearance between the axle and the pan tho.

Mcwille117

Awesome thank you guys. I will probably start this soon, any input on best place to buy a head gasket and any replacibles that i should look into? anyone have any thoughts on an MSD setup? and are there any "how to's" in here? I am mechanicly inclined, but a look into what is instore would be imensly helpful. and once again the offer deffinetly still stands any one in the Sterling Heights MI want to stop by take a look and give me some pointers.... I will supply the beer

Mcwille117

I really like that.