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Will this engine fit?


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Technically, it will bolt in, but, unless you have a 2.8 donor to swap all parts from, or all of the 3.1 wiring harness and computer, or a carburated intake manifold, carb, etc to make it run, it would be more work than trying to really fix your 2.5. Youd be better off finding another 2.5, or get a whole cherokee 4.0 donor vehicle cheap, and swap everything over. Sorry to hear youre still having trouble, but I don't think the 3.1 will be worth the time and effort to do it correctly.

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If there are the same problems with the Comanche that there are with a Cherokee, then you may have clearance issues with a 4.0L in place of the 4 banger. Most Cherokees need extensive firewall massaging to fit the 4.0L into a 2.5L engine bay.

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Ive heard that there may be issues putting a 4.0 in an 86, but from what ive seen, its nothing a sledge hammer can't take care of. Just keep and eye out for a donor XJ 4.0, maybe even 4x4, and swap it all over. I myself am kinda woking on doing the opposite. I'm swapping all the 4x4 stuff, axles, trans transfer case from an 86 2.8 MJ into my 87 2.5. I know its not the same without doing the engine swap like you want to do, but oh well.

 

What kind of ongoing problems are you still having with the 2.5. I know of the oil leak blowby issue, but have you found other problems since the last post in the other thread?

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Its pretty bad..Went to pepboys to get a rear view mirror..came out of the store and theres coolant all under my jeep, the heater hose was cracked..so I replaced that and headed home.. coming home from pepboys I took the back way back to my house..going through another neighborhood. I came up to a large hill, was cruising in 2nd gear and got half way up the hill before it stopped moving. I tried to down shift but it just shut off on me and even if it did stay started it wouldnt even budge going up hill... I had to reverse all the way down the hill :(. It seems to be running really bad now, and it back fires now. I don't know if this is anything major...before when it was running "ok", when I turned the key off there was a delay before the engine shut down..maybe a second or 2 but now it shuts off instantly and sometimes back fires right after that. I'm thinking a cylinder isn't firing or not working. :wall:

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It might be important to at least diagnose the problem. Swapping in a whole new engine wouldn't fix, say, a fuel pump issue. It could be as simple as a bad ground on the engine block or corrosion in a wire.

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the whole truck or just the engine?

 

your gonna want an entire parts truck for the swap,just an engine isnt gonna do you much good.

 

If it is a whole truck unless its totalled i would build the 91.

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I really need the whole truck? I got the lift and everything on my 86 I don't wanna swap everything over..they have the engine and computer. I don't really have the money for the whole truck they want $650 for it.

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another 2.5L would be easier to do. Just make sure all your manifolds will fit the 97 head.

 

4.0L would be nice but its alot of work,look under the hood of one sometime the 4.0 is crammed in there. the entire cooling system would need changed,also your tranny isnt gonna work so you would need a 4.0L trans and T-case, and different drive lines. I'm sure theres more to it then that but you get the idea.

 

if transfering your lift is more then you want to tackle then a 4.0L swap is way more then you want to mess with.

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problem is you have TBI and the 97 is MPFI,your manifolds should fit but if they don't you either have to get a TBI head or convert to MPFI.

 

just try and compare them to make sure its gonna work.

 

Unless someone can verify it.

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research is good.

 

It always a good rule of thumb when doing a swap on anything to get an entire donor vehicle if possible.

 

 

i found heads on car-part.com interchanging up to 1996 so the 97 engine should work.

it would be nice though if someone could verify it.

 

I'm gonna do mine with 95 2.5L parts but I'm gonna go with the MPFI since i want to turbo it.

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:agree:

 

i would do the compression test and leak down test,

you can get a cheap leak down tester at harbor frieght for like $25.

 

this should verify if anything is wrong with the engine itself.

 

As Pete said if you throw another engine in it and the engine wasnt the issue the problem is still gonna be there.

 

I hate replacing things without knowing whats wrong with them,you don't learn much from parts swapping.

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