mikesignal

is that a giant crack in the cylinder head going across it?

I also question the oil--was it milky? and if so how many miles was it driven in that condition. If it does not look milky it can still have coolant mixed in it. I would have it tested (oil analysis) by blackstone or another reputable company.

alwaysdutch

Mikesignal - The coolant actually looks like it has very little oil mixed in, but I know that the oil on the valve springs look milky. I am draining the oil now to see how it looks.

I took the water pump off, but not before I just broke the last damn bolt that kept the pump in place....

mikesignal

is this a giant crack?

mikesignal

also how was your oil pressure before you had this problem? and how was the oil pressure the last time you had it running?

alwaysdutch

Oil pressure has been fine to my knowledge. About 45-60 when driving or cold, and about 20-35 when hot and idle.

Honestly, I don't know if that line on the head is normal or not, but I am going to put some cleaner on it and and scrub some to see it a little better.

My challenge now is how to clean out all the coolant and oil in both systems. I just changed the oil pan gasket last month and that was SOB PITA job to do. I did use Liqui Moly and an additive as oil, and as that additive looks blue, that might change the color of the oil a little.

I keep forgetting this is not an Audi (I have one as well), and probably should keep things as traditional as possible instead of hi-end fluids and such. Still learning the Jeep.....

mikesignal

if your oil pressure is good, and has been good, then I would send the oil out to get analyzed. They will tell you if there is coolant in it, as well as metals that can come from premature engine wear.....just a few tips--oil will rise to the top of coolant. So it oil gets in the coolant you should see it if you take the cap off the radiator. It should look like swirls in the coolant. Check this while vehicle is cold, but it sounds like you may have already drained the radiator......also coolant will drop to the bottom of the oil, so if you still have oil in the engine (oil pan), you would want to remove the oil pan drain plug slowly so it drips. If there is coolant in there it should come out first. I would catch a sample of the first oil that comes out and send it off to get analyzed.

alwaysdutch

I might let it analyze then. I do know that there was grudge and such in the reservoir, but when I drained the coolant, it looked nice and green, and I would say there was no oil. We might have driven it 10 miles after the temperature went up and coolant boiled, so not much chance to mix.

I did check the line that looked like a crack, but it is an even line all the way from one side to the other.

Turbo X_J

From your pictures of that rusty fluid the cooling system needed attention a long time ago, now unfortunately it's probably time for new everything. Depending on the condition of the rest of your ride you may be better off to just cut your losses and get something else.

mikesignal

If you decide to keep it and fix it, I would put a new cylinder head on it. the original 0331 heads are not worth machining and putting back on. Not even worth testing to see if it's any good. Throwing good money after bad. I just got a new cylinder head from Clearwater cylinder heads. Head gasket and bolts from Rock auto. New head, head gasket, and bolts will cost about $600.

Also with the head off you can flush the cooling side, just be careful not to get coolant/water splashing over to the other side. There is a drain plug on the side of the motor towards the bottom, but I'm not sure how to seal it back up after you remove it. I used a hand pump and used it to pump some cheap 50/50 coolant in it, and out of it until it came out clean.

alwaysdutch

Not an option for me. This XJ looks about as new can be, exception of this engine issue. From the bottom up, when I replaced the oil pan gasket last month, all looked good, no gunk was built up anywhere, including cylinder head, and the engine has been running great until this happened.

I do agree that a coolant flush had to be done earlier though, and a thermostat swap.

BlueRidgeMark

You can rebuild it now, or you can bandaid it and rebuild it later.

alwaysdutch

Yeah, I have seen those rebuild kits for $450-650, but I have never done that and i don't want to screw anything up more than what it is. I have also been looking with one eye open to a new engine for about $1,700.

BlueRidgeMark

If you have a good machine shop near you, you can rebuild it yourself. The hardest part is removing and replacing the engine.

alwaysdutch

Ok, so a few month further and the Jeep is finally running again. I had to put a stop on fixing it as I needed gallbladder surgery, and that took some time.

Moving on, I decided to take my chances and simply rebuild the engine back up with the existing head (I know, I know, I hear you thinking already). Parts I replaced were the head gasket, head bolts, water pump, thermostat, temp sensor, belt, upper and lower radiator hoses, and swapped single-hole injectors for 4-hole injectors.

The voltage is fine, idle is fine, temp is now fine (stays at 185), oil pressure sits at a little over half.

Now, here is my question:

The Jeep seems to have a hard time starting. It takes about twice to get it to run, followed by a loud noise of what I think is the starter. It looks like the fuel pressure will not stay.

Tomorrow I am planning to buy or rent a pressure gauge to see what the pressure is once I turn the engine off.

- Is this happening due to the 4-hole injectors?
- Do I need to reset the computer (battery was dead before I started fixing the engine)
- Can this be happening due to a bad valve in the fuel pump? It was starting fine before the problems.

Any ideas?