KnowNothing

Hey I just bought a Grand Cherokee for cheap and the last owner said the head gasket is bad.

I changed the dead battery, and added some oil.. I turn the ignition and it tries to turn over but it wont start..

After a minute or so of trying it gets hot and the oil dipdtick shoots out..

What do you guys think? Do you think it is the headgasket?

Its trting to turn so i dont think its the timing chain, but i just want an idea on how to move forward

dave1123

Take the spark plugs out and check the compression. Without the plugs in, it should spin over fast. If not, we'll go from there.

6 or V8?

Basslicks

^^What he said, but also full the relay for the fuel pump your you'll get gas spraying everywhere. Put a piece of cardboard near the opening for the spark plugs to see what comes out. If it's gas (which you might see a residual of since you've been trying to start it) you're good, if it's oil - you need to replace your valve guide seals and maybe piston rings depending on compression, if it's water, yeah that's head gasket and/or a cracked head.

97grand4.0

Tries to turn over... or turns over but won't start?
Dipstick pops out, really? Seems like it would blowby into the air cleaner before it would pop the stick if it was rings.

dave1123

If a piston has a hole in it (or isn't there), the spark plug will light the vapors in the crankcase and blow the stick out. Extreme cases will blow the pan and valve cover off!

JCM138

Hey jhc7399 I received the harness today! Thank you for the speedy delivery time and fast response! I’ll be jumping on this project ASAP!

Cheers!!!