TucsonJeep1

I have a 2001 Jeep Cherokee 6 cylinder, 4.0 liter with 168,000 miles on it. My son recently ran it hot and overheated the engine. Upon inspection, the underlining cause appears to have been a frozen AC compressor which resulted in the failure of the crankshaft pulley. I have replaced the crankshaft pulley and had a mechanic replace the AC compressor and vacuum. Once the jeep was started, it was misfiring. I replaced the spark plugs and the plug in Cylinder 2 had oil on it. The mechanic stated it might be a bent valve causing the misfiring but now he is talking about the heads. My question is could it just be a valve and how difficult is it to replace or could it be something deeper in the engine. I just want to figure out if it is time to put the jeep out to pasture. Any help would be great. thanks.

dans98xj

You have a 2001 Cherokee. They have the 0331 head on them that has a tendency to crack. The main cracks happen between cylinders 3 and 4. If your son ran it hot there is the possibility that the head is cracked and needs to be replaced. check and see if there is any coolant in your oil, and also look under the oil fill cap on the valve cover and see if there is any coolant seeping though.

cvc944

A 2001 Jeep Cherokee with a 4.0 6 cylinder with 168,000 miles on it is definitely not something that should be put out to pasture. Fix it and enjoy it for another 15 years.

TucsonJeep1

Thanks dans98xj and cvc994. This might help with the wife... I haven't driven it since it overheated but it does spit a little oil out of the exhaust when I started it. I will check the oil for coolant. Any idea of total cost if I purchase the parts and use a side mechanic?

dans98xj

You are better off going to the Junk Yard and pulling a head from a 97-99 XJ or TJ and using that. If there is oil and coolant mixed in the crank case you should probably pull the oil pan and take a look at the main bearings and rod bearings. Just to make sure that there is not any contamination or scoring from lack of oil flow. If you have the tools and time it would be cheaper to do the work your self. A mechanic will want to toss another engine at it. You could be out a few grand for all of the labor. There are plenty of engines out there you could find one on Craigslist for a few hundred and drop it in your self.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

I've got a pasture you can send her to. Do a heart transplant and have her driving another decade or more!