bad_idea

I'm headed out of town for 5 weeks in about two weeks. When I get back (early October) I'll see about tearing it down to assess the carnage. Like I said earlier, I'll throw $50-$100 at this engine. Much more than that and I'll put that money towards a SBC swap. I bought the truck with the intention of a V8 swap and slamming it - already have a lifted, capable XJ. Thanks for the help diagnosing it you all.

The smoke out of the valve cover looks white to me. After driving the Jeep about a mile I opened the radiator and found it was half a gallon low. Added water to top it back off and oil floated to the top. I think it is safe to say the head gasket is done. Can a toasted head gasket cause the smoke out of the valve cover? I am willing to throw $40 worth of head gasket and other gaskets at it with minimal R&R on the head/block. Not willing to re-ring the bottom end. Again, just looking to get another 5k-10k miles out of this engine if I can. Not too worried if I can't. Definitely not my daily driver, I have three vehicles ahead of this one before it is.

If I get lucky and it is just a valve sticking - could that explain the large amount of smoke coming from the crank case?

Hi All!I have a 90 MJ with 2.5L and a 5 speed. I paid $400 for it and drove it on the trailer. Previous owner says the truck has sat since 2016 when the radiator leaked out and overheated.I started tearing into it today. Swapped a good radiator into it. Runs a bit rough but runs, drove it up and down the road - has decent power. Blows smoke out of the valve cover. The CCV system is fully operational. Did a compression test - #1 - 120, #2 - 150, #3 - 165, #4 - 30. I did the compression test with the engine cold. I added a bit of oil to #4 cylinder and still got 30 PSI. I'm guessing something is catastrophically wrong with cylinder #4. What says you all?I would like to fix it if I can cheap. If not then I'll let the truck sit until I can find a decent SBC to swap into it.Thanks for the help.

I've seen a couple on Facebook Marketplace and CL lately in Hampton Roads area (Southeast VA).

Calipers for my 90 XJ were dirt cheap. Might as well replace them. I really like the Harbor Freight pneumatic bleeder, makes easy work of filling a dry system.

Wow. Clean. Mind telling the back story? Any rust in the undercarriage?

Good work getting it all out. I have been down that road on a couple vehicles (removing super crusty brake lines). I have a trick for you that makes it easy. Cut the brake line flush/close to the flare nut, can use a pair of dikes. Then you can put a six point socket on the flare nut to take it out. Bonus - you can ratchet it out.

Best bang for buck in descending order: WJ Brake Booster Rear disks - depending on axle you have, can pull disks setup from other models of jeeps. WJ Front Disks - bigger than stock, involved install. Comes with other benefits. Lot of work for what I consider minimal return (if you are only looking for better brakes) I swapped to the WJ booster and a 8.8 Explorer axle in my XJ ( I swapped axles for strength and the 8.8s come with disc brakes, added bonus). Was a night and day difference. Brakes feel like modern brakes as far as pedal feel. Perform much better too. Will be doing the same upgrades to my MJ, when I get there.

Am I the only one that doesn't care what the Odometer says? So, I can swap in the UK market speedo into my Renix cluster and run a electric speedo? I assume I replace the cable with a couple wires to a VSS in the transfer case? I assume I would pull the VSS and wiring from any Cherokee from 91-95 or so? I'm not in a big rush on the speedo, still building the garage that I will do the motor swap in. Build the garage, move into the garage, catch up on projects on my other vehicles, catch up on the honey-do list, then I can start on the MJ. Ugh. So I will keep an eye out for a UK market speedo at a reasonable price if I can make it work with minimal headache.

Their site doesn't mention country of origin. In my experience when a manufacturer doesn't mention COO, it's usually China. I'm sure it's a quality product, but usually USA manufacturers are proud to mention it.

You have perked my interest. Does anyone have a link to it?

Are both bulbs burned out? I've done dumber myself, sometimes it's the easy ones that get by us.

Glad you got it sorted. That's a lot of breaks in the wire insulation through out the harness. Sounds like it may not be a bad idea to swap out the harness.

Typically the all aluminum aftermarket radiators are cheaply made in China. Typically. It's usually the welds that are kind of crappy. If you can TIG aluminum or know someone that can, then they are a good deal. I have no experience with that brand, or any other. Just passing along what I have read online and word of mouth from others. Take my input for what you paid for it. Do you have a link?