Need Opinions On A Donor...

[87Chief]

I found this 88 cherokee on craigslist for $750.. I'm wanting a 4.0 in the comanche, but not sure what would be wrong with this one.. Seems like a head gasket though, but could be more..

 

Project Car. Turns on but overheats quickly. Can't be driven more than a few miles. My zipcode is 28210. Car has had $750 worth of work in the past 10 days just to get it running again...new hoses etc. Tires are still OK. When we turned the car off a few days ago, we just heard a loud whistling noise. There is a lot of pressure building up somewhere....the radiator fluid was just full and now empty. I am not selling this car to someone who needs a car to drive. This is a project car and should be sold to someone who wants it as a project or to break it down and sell it for parts. If someone knows what they are doing, I am sure you can get this car moving again. We have been driving it for the past 7 months

 

Any thoughts?

[Pete M]

maybe, maybe not. I sure wouldn't pay 750 for it. and the engine is only one aspect. condition of the wiring, trans, etc are all important if you're swapping them to a different rig.

[Geonovast]

You should be able to go look at it, nitpick the hell out of it, and get them down to a few hundred.

[87Chief]

Thanks guys ill probably have to pass on this one because they said they have no clue where the coolant is going in only a few miles so most likelythe engine is done

[Geonovast]

If it's going that quickly and not leaving any visible puddles under the truck or in the cab, there's really only one place for it to go.

[87Chief]

Oil pan?

[Minuit]

Coolant lost due to a failed H.G. can go into the oil and straight into the cylinders, likely both. Coolant in the exhaust has a sweet smell and produces white smoke. Coolant/exhaust in the oil ('milkshake') is one of the classic tests for a failed head gasket or a cracked cylinder head. If the head gasket is bad, it's definitely not worth 700 bucks (I'd offer about 400 if I needed parts off of it) but there's likely plenty of other good parts on it, if you need them or want to sell them. But yeah, if it's losing that much antifreeze and it's not coming out of the engine somewhere or leaving puddles, that's pretty much the only explanation.

[87Chief]

Ok well foundanother 1992.. HO 4.0 but 2wd... I would replace all the wiring and such and then find an ax15 and 231.

[Darren]

Just buy a 4.0 MJ. So much easier, cheaper too.

[87Chief]

Not cheaper around here.. I guess it might be better to find one though with 4x4.

[Darren]

So you have a four-banger two-wheel drive? But you want a 4.0l with four-wheel drive?

 

Step 1: Cut a hole in the box

Step 2: Clean up your MJ

Step 3: Sell your MJ

Step 4: Buy a 4WD 4.0

 

If you're smart and patient, you can break even maybe even come out ahead. Not to mention the time you'll save. What is your time worth to you?

 

There is no reason to swap a 4.0 into an MJ when they are so widely available for so little money. Don't give me that "they aren't available around here". That's dumb. Even if I lived in the rust belt, I would head south, or west, and get one without rust.