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Im purchasing a 2001 cherokee sport with 174000 miles. He's asking 2500. Is that too many miles for a cherokee? It starts up strong with straight six engine. Has a few cosmetic issues. Can anyone offer insight to this year jeep and problems i could expect?
Do a search about it here but here are just a couple head 0331 if it hasn't been replaced already, 4 o2 sensors, coil packs no distributor, low pinion D30.
But many have and enjoy them rust is the major issue with any XJ that can't be fixed in some areas, or very costly to do so.
Welcome to the forum! There is a wealth of information to be had here, especially on the 2000/2001 xj. Research the 0331 cylinder head problems. That is your main concern with that year.
Edit: Ah Fred ninja'd me but we're just reinforcing the 0331 concern.
Im purchasing a 2001 cherokee sport with 174000 miles. He's asking 2500. Is that too many miles for a cherokee?
It's not too many miles for '99 and older Cherokees, but it is right in the danger zone for the 0331 head crack on a 2000 or 2001. Assuming it has no bearing damage, if you buy it and swap the head with a Clearwater aftermarket 0331 (around $500 and a day's work), that motor and transmission can go 400K miles. Not all of the 0331s crack, so you can still get 400K out of it with the original head if you watch it like a hawk for signs of a crack and know what to do if it happens.
When you test drive it, make sure you drive it long enough to get the motor hot, run it at highway speed for a while and observe the oil pressure when you stop. If it drops to zero at hot idle after a highway run, assume the cam bearings are toast and wait for a better deal.
Pull the oil filler cab and dipstick and inspect carefully for any signs of coolant contamination in the oil.
If you see any signs of coolant, you be in for a head swap.
My 2000 4.0 made it up to ~300,000 miles with NO 331 head cracks.
Its a toss of the dice.
Pull the oil filler cab and dipstick and inspect carefully for any signs of coolant contamination in the oil.
If you see any signs of coolant, you be in for a head swap.
You can't always tell by looking. Mine never turned milky. The detergent packages in modern oil are much better than they used to be, and they can bond more coolant before turning milky. The only way to know for sure is to get an oil analysis.
Crack is on both sides, the white stuff is Blu* Dev*l that I used to stop leaks. It got me through a few days until I could have the head replaced. Clearwater is $455 shipped. Buy your own gaskets as the exhaust didn't fit and was shoddy the mechanic said.
You can see two white lines on the left, and one on the right, these are three cracks in the 0331 2001 Grand Cherokee Laredo. Blu* Dev*l is the fluid I put into stop the leaks temporarily. the white stuff being from the expensive 32oz bottle.
yep what they all said, I am having a head swap from a 2001 done today. Cost about $600 plus for a new head with valves/springs all together from Clearview FL. I bought the $100 gasket kit with head bolts from them too no cost involved for shipping but they do want the old head back they include the shipping for that. I bought the whole top end parts, lifter/pushrods, rocker arms for a cost of around $150 I think. The shop doing it is 6.5 hours labor plus $45 for recharging A/C, and they also flushed my power steering pump and lines which needed it for $45. The gasket didn't fit for the exhaust and they had to buy this so be wary of where you buy your gaskets, and check to see if they fit. (Overall I paid around $1400 for a new head replacement/valve lifters/rods/rockerarms/flush both engine and PS pump. Head has a 60 month warranty. I could have done this myself being a backyard mechanic and have the tools, but it is winter here in Seattle, I have an unheated garage, and needed it back asap). I asked to have them look at the exhaust header for cracks as that is another problem with this head situation. They didn't find any problems with the exhaust headers. Course I did buy this used with 62K and maybe the original owners had done this, but I didn't see any paperwork for this type of problem.
As for your car, $2500 is a decent price if they have cared for it, otherwise I would look for something a bit newer with the better head. The 2000 2001 0331 head is bad...bad I say. It took 165K for mine to finally give out, and I had just bought a new radiator, and maybe the better flow did it in? Anyway I have the Laredo not the Limited, but it is the highend one, sun roof, leather seats, CD changer etc. I love it, and have done all the necessary stuff keeping it healthy. Change out the transfer case oil, as that is something I did but those units are bullet proof. Also change that oil pan filter, you have to take it off, but this way you can clean out the gunk on the bottom, but don't drain the whole system, can screw up the tranny...good luck! Johnne in Seattle now Everett!
Last edited by Nichesound; 02-08-2017 at 01:07 PM.
Reason: Pictutes of Dead Head
Update: went ahead and purchased for 2200. Doesn't appear to have coolant leakage but sent for an oil analysis to be sure. After running on hwy oil pressure does drop to about 12psi at idle. Will be replacing the gasket as there seems to be a bit of leakage. Hopefully this is normal for the year. Will be looking into clearwater head in a few months ti be sure
The head used on them had a casting flaw that they didn't know about tell after they used it for 3 years.If the head has been replaced then its fine if its not then its more a ticking time bomb.To tell which head you go open the oil cap on the valve cover and look down in there between the rockers.If you see the word TUPY then you have the upgraded replacement head now.If you see nothing then you got the cracking head.For pictures to compare http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/t...1-head-977498/
After running on hwy oil pressure does drop to about 12psi at idle.
That's okay. It's still getting oil where it's needed.
After mine cracked, I started sending off an oil sample to Blackstone at every oil change. Unless you're planning to preemptively swap the head, I would suggest you do that also so that you'll catch it early if it does crack. And don't screw around when it comes to cooling system maintenance. All XJs need more attention to the cooling system than the service schedule says, but it's more critical in the '00 and '01 because of the head. Get in the habit of checking your overflow bottle and popping the radiator cap to look underneath periodically to watch for brown sludge.
Im purchasing a 2001 cherokee sport with 174000 miles. He's asking 2500. Is that too many miles for a cherokee? It starts up strong with straight six engine. Has a few cosmetic issues. Can anyone offer insight to this year jeep and problems i could expect?
I have a 2000. My head was cracked, but I only knew because of the oil analysis from Blackstone. I don't drive it enough to notice coolant loss, so there were not any obvious symptoms. Here's my analysis. Keep in mind, there was only about 500 miles on this oil and it was already showing problem symptoms. My Jeep ran 100% okay.
I was out about $700 with everything included in a new head. I did it myself over the period of a month on the weekends. I didn't know I was doing, so I took my sweet time. I could probably do it now in a day (8 hours).
If your oil comes back ok, I would not worry about the head, unless you want the project.
There will be other stuff to focus on first, to get the XJ sorted. Congrats on the purchase!
02-01-2017, 10:25 AM
buying 2001 cherokee
