Alright, so here's a video of it running at temperature with the cap off. I'm pretty sure I already know the answer but just wanted confirmation. Is this head cracked?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uicq...ature=youtu.be

Looks minor right now. But the head needs to go. Oil pressure is 50+ cold and about 15 hot idle. Stays above 40 while driving.

I'm thinking these are my options:

1. Buy and replace head with a Clearwater one. I would have a shop do it, I'm not good enough to do it myself. I struggle with fixing the minor things on this.
2. Get rid of it since it's 2WD and just take it as lesson learned. I don't have too much invested. Only had it for three months.
3. Drive it till it dies.

 

hmmm,, I would do option 2. If it was a 4x4 then I would think about it.. But for me,,it being two wheel its not worth the investment to fix the head,,unless you like it.

But it sounds like its just starting to show its ugly head. (pun intended lol)

 

Can somebody tell me what it is you see in that video? I own a '00 with the 0331 head. Always very careful to keep an eye on things. At 157K don't think I have any problems. 45lbs of oil pressure at startup, 23lbs at a very hot idle, no unexplained loss of anti-freeze, milk shake looking oil, or oil in my anti-freeze that I can see when I swap it out. Know for sure it is a 0331 head. Confirmed when doing a valve cover gasket. Picked up a TUPY head off a '03 Grand Cherokee awhile back for $50. Opportunity presented itself so I figured the heck with it. Could be a $50 door stop but I figured just to have it $50 was worth taking a chance.

 

What you're seeing (at least I'm pretty sure) is coolant bubbling into the oil. In person, it looks like little beads of water sliding around. I can also see a thin brown line in the same place as those little beads were running. You can kind of see that line in the video too. Seems like a crack to me but I would like others to weigh in.

 

Thanks. Eyesight is not what it used to be. Guess I can kinda make out the bubbles but the thin brown line is eluding me. Going to go start mine up in a bit and see what it looks like. Pretty sure I have done this before and didn't see anything but can't be too careful with a 0331 head.

 

I let mine idle for awhile before I checked. The head needs to heat up in order for the crack to expand.

 

I received the oil report back from Blackstone Labs and there's strong signs of coolant in the oil Oh well, I bought this Jeep knowing that could happen and I'm prepared to deal with it. I highly recommend the Blackstone analysis to anyone with a 00 or 01. They got back to me quickly and provided an excellent service. I'm going with a replacement from Clearwater Cylinder Head since I'm located fairly close to them.

I have a few questions as I've never done a head replacement before. I have a copy of the FSM and have watched a few videos..doesn't seem too difficult just very time consuming.

1. Can I reuse the push rods and rockers?
2. Do I need to replace the manifold gasket?
3. Do I need any special assembly oil/lube? I know one of the head bolts requires thread sealer.
4. Any other tips to make sure I don't F this up.

Finally, thank you to all that have provided info regarding this issue. I wouldn't have figured this out without the help from this forum.

 

I recommend replacing the manifold gasket. You may have to anyway because when I replaced the manifold, mine was stuck so it's a good idea just to buy one in advance so you're ready to go on installation day. Sorry I can't help you with the rest.

 

Gasket and thread sealer and you're good to go.

 

1. Can I reuse the push rods and rockers? all day every day, but do yourself a favor and roll the rods on a flat to see if any are out of shape... also, blow them out with compressed air.... and another thing- stick them upright in a shoe box lid or something to make sure they stay with the rocker and the lifter they came away from, and the same end is on the rocker and lifter.... rockers are easy... they;re stamped hunks of steel... make sure they are taken off the old head, dismantled and cleaned, and a touch of either builders grease or quality oil is placed at the friction points- any carbon on the tips removed, nice and clean and installed on the new head BEFORE removing the next one a doing the same
2. Do I need to replace the manifold gasket?beyond doubt use new gaskets... a matter of fact, a handy dandy little trick is to get some spray permatex in copper- stuff rags in the ports of the head and spray a nice even coat over the mating surfaces of both the head and the manifolds (after cleaning them with a blade and removing ANY debris/contaminants) let it set up for a while, and install...
3. Do I need any special assembly oil/lube? I know one of the head bolts requires thread sealer. yup- sealer on the one bolt... a small tube of builders lube (rockers) and anti-seize on the spark plugs
4. Any other tips to make sure I don't F this up.


It's kinda hard to eff it up... but you gotta play by the rules... the rules are CLEAN mating surfaces- proper torque and sequence- right gaskets- proper placement of used rockers/rods- take your time and if you get frustrated at any point walk away... Sh gets ef'd when people get frustrated or impatient...

use a piece of cardboard to properly locate the valve cover fasteners... they go back same spot... pay attention to all grounds and where they are located... take pictures before and during, not to show off to us but for reference if you can't remember something.

this is the easiest head replacement/upper gasket job I've ever done... a matter of fact, to do it again i wager would take less than four hours from popping the hood to turning the key...

now this next bit- is up to you.... but... Tired I was of wrestling with exhaust manifold so to the collector plate i proceeded with notion of unbolting and pulling head with both manifolds off as one... well, collector plate had three nubs remaining of what appeared to have started life as bolts... Mr. Sawzaw and a slice behind the upwind o2 allowed for stupid easy extraction.... parking the jeep below the gantry and the gantry having a cable lift made pulling the head/intake/exhaust and approx 4' of exhaust pipe out childs play.... then i bolted them all back together before installing... i used a 2.5 ID to a 2.5 OD slip fit and paste to marry the exhaust pipe back up on re-install.... this little game, explained < that direction, saved me several hours w/o doubt...

if you're concerned about time- and though this won't fly well with purists or those who play by the book- much if not all of the items that cling onto that head don't have to be removed- just unattached and pushed to the side. the a/c bracket is a pita because you'll hafta remove the efan to get a wrench in there... an air ratchet will run you about $30 at a box hardware store, and is worth it's weight in gold... not an impact- that is different- an air ratchet is shaped like a ratchet... just to make sure you understand what I speak of...

it's an easy job, sir- and doing it yourself will instill confidence and pride... enjoy it.


edited to add: another thing not commonly discussed- the innards of that head are going to be a mess if you've driven any amount of time with it sipping coolant... get a shop vac handy... get one of those cone funnels handy... take said cone funnel and tape it to vacuum hose.... suck all the crap you can out of the gallery and off the top of the lifters... get into cracks and crevices as best you can... open up the oil pan and let it all fall out in a catch (you'll see a quart or so of coolant in there that drained out of the head when you broke the seal)... then- (and this may hurt the feelings of some, but it works) pour a gallon or so of kerosene or diesel over the gallery into the crankcase... then vacuum some more... then, crawl underneath and use the same funnel tipped vacuum to suck out the crank case... leave it open and draining until you're done- plugging and filling with oil is one of the last things you're going to do.... have at least three filters on hand.. one for start up and the first ten minutes of operation- swap oil and filter... then for the first week or five to ten hours of operation, then drop oil swap filter again... also, if you're gong to leave your cylinders exposed overnight, no matter if it's indoors or not- cover it with something.... a flat piece of cardboard will suffice... but also, spray the cylinders with a lubricant/protectant while it's open if you're not going to immediately bolt the new head to it...

the engine/truck will smoke like mad when you first start it... don't worry too much over that.. it's builders grease from the new heads and the protectant that's placed on all machined surfaces after they're made to keep them from pitting... it smokes righteously... let it... if you sprayed the cylinders as i suggested, that will be smoking, too... not a biggy (but possibly hard on o2's).... it'll clear up after ten or so minutes, which is a good timer to swap oil as suggested ^ direction.

 

Good deal. I'm going with the FEL-PRO 9076PT1 head gasket. I'll consider other recommendations if anyone has any.

drewactual, this is fantastic advice. I look forward to the challenge. Taking pictures is automatic for me now. I did that for the drums and it saved my life!

 

Try to this if you can. All your bolts will be easily accessible so you can torque to proper specs. It will be heavy, I imagine. Otherwise have skinny arms, an assortment of extensions and swivels as well as an ample selection of cuss words.

 

i will confess- for as big a dude as i am, 6'4 nearing 300#, i am a contortionist when it comes to getting into small places (you dirty minded effers, STOP IT)....

there was zero chance I was going to get to the lower manifold bolts either from atop that thing or below, especially because of the heat shield...

the ONLY way to do it, and it's actually pretty easy- is to pop off the drivers wheel liner, remove the wheel- and have at it with a long extension... the reason i chose to remove it as one piece wasn't the issue of removing the manifolds first- it was the thought of having to put those bolts back in there- the reinstall........... eff that....... removing and reinstalling as one is the way to go by my reckoning...

 

LOL I'm sure there will be some choice words while doing this. I'm going to take pictures along the way and do a write up for newbies like myself. Disassembly will start this weekend!

 

Update for those interested. It's been about 6 months since I did this. I've been problem free since. Here are some pictures of the journey:

First progress pic. Power steering is out of the way. Thermostat+housing is gone. Air box removed.




Intake is off! Bolts are difficult to get to but not too bad. A/C compressor is unbolted. Fuel lines and electrical connections are done. Water pump is gone (not necessary but why not). Radiator removed. Coil pack+plugs removed.




Valve cover is off. Exhaust is moved over enough to be off the studs.




Getting closer. Pushrods and rockers out.




And we're off! Scraping all the old gasket took forever. Patience is key




New head is on. That thing is heavy. New head bolts are in and ready to be torqued.




Intake and exhaust are back on. Valve cover back on. Almost there!




First start. I love that sound




Things that were easy:
Hoses and connections
Belt
Coil pack and plugs
Radiator

Things that were not easy:
Reinstalling the intake and exhaust
Scraping old head gasket
Lifting the new head into place

It took me about a month to completely do this. I only worked on it on the weekends a little bit at a time. I never attempted anything close to this, so I was extremely careful. I could do it again in about 2 eight hour days since I know what I'm doing now.