Sweet. assuming that one is good I can swap them and see if the issue goes away for free! There goes an hour of my time for tonight! thanks!

 

it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to replace it

 

Gotta test it thoroughly and not get distracted by anything else I should fix...lol

 

That's a challenge. I topped up the transaxle in my Jetta, two days later I discovered that I left the MAF sensor unplugged after checking the air filter's condition.

 

bet that ran nice...lol or did you figure it out before trying to start?

 

It was, ah, a little down on power. lol. Pretty sure the intake's clogging up.

 

Crap...v8 zj too?

 

Dose anyone know were I mite find a crush sleeve eliminator kit for a dana HP 30. I found one for the 8.25 at Ratech # 4114 22.00 .

 

One of my Jeep Cherokees was made in 2001. I need to change out the tie rod ends and possibly the ball joints. I found a seller on Ebay selling these items with a 10 year warranty and a very good price. I asked them if these parts have grease fittings and they told me NO. My concern is how can these parts function for 10 years without added grease. I know that I could drill and tap the parts but then I loose the warranty and I may also introduce some metal chips into the joint(s). I have a quotation for 3 Moog for the three tie rod ends for $91. They do have the grease fittings but no 10 year warranty. Any suggestions?

 

Got a chance to look it up on rock auto when I got back to the office. not the same as a V8...bummer

 

Warranty is a warranty but only if the company will honor it and not disappear. Amazon is great as they will one day ship you warranty items and then deal with the manufacturer themselves. Just had to replace some dorman stuff on my other Jeep that failed after a few months. Sent Amazon an email and a couple responses to theirs and had the stuff the next day. 24lbs UPS one day.$$$! But also make sure you upgrade to the ZJ tie rod..the XJ tie rod is scary thin.

 

I guess that's why you're the man around here:
Big old crack (probably made worse by me monkey-wrenching a stuck o2)

 

Newbie here. So I am driving along in my 98 XJ with 225k thinking to myself, "My this truck runs well". Took a quick glance at the gauges, oil pressure just under 40, fine, temp just under 210, normal, voltage at 14, good, all is right with the world. Then, out of nowhere, my radiator pops. Coolant everywhere. Blew right out the front with force sufficient to blow my headlight frame off.

Shut her down immediately. Pushed, that's right, pushed her to an auto repair shop that happened to be less than 1 mile away. Now I have never used these guys so I have no idea what their competency level is. I figured it was a hose or possibly a faulty radiator as i just replaced the original radiator a year ago due to a tiny leak. I was shocked at how flimsy the plastic replacement was.

Any way, i walked to work and waited for the repair shop to call. They called and said i need a new engine! They said either a cracked head or blown head gasket caused pressure to build and hence blew out the radiator. $2200 for a used 4.0 installed. "Cheaper and easier than a head gasket", he said, "Your only real option".

I am no mechanic but would the truck be purring like a kitten with a blown head gasket or cracked head? I have only seen this Jeep run hot when my electric fan relay failed. Replaced it and put on a new fan clutch too and never had problem since. Even then it was only when I ran the air conditioning on a super hot day, and it never overheated.

I checked the oil, not milky, doesn't look like coolant was getting in. Could a bad thermostat cause pressure to build? When i asked these questions the guy got all lippy and said, "oh, if you are a mechanic and think you know more than me, why did you bring it here"? I had it towed home and even now, sitting in my driveway, she will fire right up and runs perfect.

The radiator is under 3 year warranty and the guy who put that in for me is solid and will replace it free of charge even knowing that there may have been underlying circumstances that caused the failure. I figure that way i can at least pressure test it.

A mechanic friend of mine said he never or rarely heard of head gasket going bad on the straight 6 4.0 and said he would look at it for me after the radiator is replaced.

My question to those of you in the know is, does any of this sound reasonable or am i chasing my tail? I love this Jeep but can't justify a new engine as she is starting rust pretty good in the usual spots. I do not even want to go through the expense of towing to the radiator guy if it is likely that the lippy mechanic is correct. (he never did explain how he determined what he thought was the issue, he said just said that is usually what causes your radiator to blow out)

Any advice, experience or life lessons would be highly appreciated.

Sincerely,

98 Cherokee Classic (Newbie)

Sorry for the novel.

 

That's one of the rare occurrences where the novel is worthwhile. You provided good information. None of us can diagnose it from here, but statistically speaking with these motors, it's more likely that the mechanic is trying to get your money than it is that his story is true.

If the radiator cracked and you can get it replaced free, that's where you should start.

If the mechanic you trust says it's a bigger problem, maybe you rolled the dice and lost this time. But, sight unseen from sitting in my chair, I'd have it towed over.

 

Lmfao! Replacing a head gasket is much more easier than replacing the engine.


It also doesn't sound like the head gasket blew. Go ahead and have the radiator replaced. Don't use coolant, just water and run it and see if it overheats then go from there. (That's what I would do)


Also I'm willing to bet that the mechanic weren't gonna replace the engine either. Probably gonna charge you $2200 and just replace the radiator.