Barry Oliver wrote:
>
> Some of you know, I am a recovering Jeeper. Jeeps, in case you diddnt
> know, are worse than Heroin. You ALWAYS want "just one more" no matter
> how bad yo uknow they are for you...
>
> ...Which brings me to my current dilema. A girl I work with "blew up"
> her jeep [her words, not mine] and is now offering it for sale for $500.
> It is a 93 Cherokee, 4.0L, auto, 4wd, 100k miles. Supposedly she had a
> mechanic charge her $500 to swap the timing chain, but he "stopped"
> because he found it needed a head gasket and had bent valves. Supposedly
> it runs, just poorly, as in 4 out of 6 cylinders poorly. All of this
> info is suspect because she is not "car people" and admits she barely
> knows where the gas goes.
>
> So obvious questions:
>
> #1 if this thing really did shuck a timing chain, is it an interference
> motor?
No it is not an interference engine, according to my research.
> #2 if the head gasket is out of it, I should see water/froth in the oil,
> right?
mmm - maybe... head gaskets are funny like that - some will cause
frothy oil some won't
> #3 It seems I can get a junkyard motor dropped in for less than a
> grand, total [$300 labor, $600 motor.].
Pretty good deal if you ask me - but as is the case with bone yard parts
- never know exactly what you are getting.
> #4 What are the odds that I just put a head gasket in it, and have that
> work?
If the valves are bad (more likely burnt or damaged valve seats, than
bent valves) then doesn't matter how many head gaskets you put on
there... still gonna run like crap
> #5 If it runs, my gut feeling is that it can't be that forked up, can
> it? Supposedly it is driveable, just not well..
Yeah you can have an engine that runs and be seriously forked up heh. I
speak from experiance several times over :)
> #6 If I do have bent valves and stuff, is it likely that I could get
> away with putting a head on it, or should I skip directly to the
> junkyard motor?
As long as the lower end isn't knocking and you have no or little oil
consumption, I would say yank the head - take a look around and see what
the insides look like. Check for burnt valves, warped head, cracks in
the head around the valves... etc... If you have any doubt, swap the
head for another one. You should have no trouble at all finding a good
used head in a bone yard. Don't let higher miles worry you too much, my
XJ had 113,000 miles on the clock and that engine was just as good as
the day it was new.
>
> ...Or should I just go looking for some Methadone....
Drop some acid
-- ------------------------------------------------------------- Rocks are for skipping... I'm all about the mud 75 Honda CL360, 89 Dakota, 89 Dakota 4x4, 95 Dakota 4x4, 96 Neon, 01 Ram 4x4 http://members.aol.com/silvereightynine/ AIM & Yahoo: SilverEightynine. . .------------------------------------------------------------------. | Make your plans NOW to attend the National DML Meet in Colorado! | | Date: July 15-23, 2006 - More info: http://meet.dakota-truck.net | `------------------------------------------------------------------'
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