So my wife bought an 89 with 184k on it awhile back and we have had nothing but problems with it. I had to replace all the brake components (and beat the old stuff off with a sledge) wheel bearings, U-joints, all new vacume lines, Exhaust, Valve cover gasket, distributer, coil, fuel filter..... the list goes on.

Anyways so far I am in it about 1600-1800$

Today my wife went in to get new tires on it/ car wash. (first time we had driven it any real distance since doing work) and on the way back, one of the lines from the radiatior (where it splits three ways under the resevoir) broke clean off draining all the fluid. She saw the steam but figured it was from the car wash/snow on the ground. You would think she would look at temp gauge/ know something wasent right when steam was billowing everywhere but... anyways lol

Long story short, I just towed her up the mountain (died on her on the interstate) and there was smoke coming from the spark plug holes and under the dip-stick. Nothing caught on fire.. just alot smoke/stink. It is not leaking any oil yet (that I can see) and the oil level is fine... I am going to let it cool off and try to start it up.

My question is this
1.) Any chance the engine will be okay? lol
2.) If not, what should I look for?
3.) Is it worth it to get it fixed if it is the headgasket/head etc. Or should I just junk it.. seems like everything I look at on this thing is bad.

thanks

 

Are you sure it's smoke or could it just be steam?

 

Im not 100% it could have been steam except it stinks like burning oil. It was white though. Would steam come out of the spark plug holes?

 

How far does it usually get driven, does it always hit operating temp (210), and when was the last oil change? If a car is only driven short distances and the engine never hits it operating temp (In our case 210) for decent periods of time, the oil starts collecting water.

Other than that, if the engine still cranks up and sounds fine you're okay (Although i would get it checked anyways), Just try driving it further more often or change the oil more often.

 

Now that you mention it, It was kind of bubbling around the bottom of the dipstick.. that would be a sign of a blown head/gasket correct?

 

We have never really driven it.. when we did it never went past 210. we bought it for cheap, drove it home and started working on it. It has fresh oil, had fresh rad fluid, fresh trans everything.. I pretty much replaced it all. This was the first time we drove it for more than 5 miles (the brakes didnt work at all when we got it)

 

I just went out and tried to start it/check for leaks... its leaking quite a bit of oil now... It turns over fine and theres no clanking or anything but it wont start.. I think its shot.

 

Then yeah i would say she's dead.

And this is a reason i think people should be forced to take basic mechanics classes before driving any vehicle.

 

The guy that had it before didnt do anything to it.. there was 0 pad left in the front and the rotors were just as bad... still had original dif fluid in it, nothing had been greased... Im suprised It ran as good as it did when we bought it...

I have done alot of lift kits/ rebuilt axles/ done just about everything except dig into the engine... 2xjs ago mine had 320k on it before I got rid of it.

So I know the head gasket isnt all that hard to do on these... How do I go making sure that is the problem? Im sure I could pick up a used head somewhat cheap...

 

First things first. Find out exactly where the oil is comming from then go from there.

 

I have a new question... are the transmission/transfercases from a 89 and a 92 the same? I have a red 92 with a great running engine but it needs a transmission... could I put the auto tranny from the 89 into the red one which was a manual? I helped my dad put a manual in an automatic about 10 years ago but they were the same years...

 

The transfer cases are the same, but pretty sure you will have to swap the drive shaft and such from the donor xj

 

Thats not a problem... thanks man. Is the gearing different in the axles between man and auto?

 

NP, Not sure about the gearing. Never been lucky enough to own a manual xj.......sigh

 

I love reading stories like this. When I inherited my 2001 Sport and wife #3, it was with the understanding that her Jeep was a complete basket case. Come to think of it, so was she. I digress.

Yes, it is worth the effort and money, and yes, all will survive, even you.

My advice to you, as one who has spend the better part of 5 years restoring that which was once a nice Jeep Cherokee: take the better part of a day doing a full inspection, noting everything that needs repair/replacement, no matter how small or insignificant. Order parts, and when they arrive, tackle the worst problems first, and the cosmetic stuff later. Even if it involves a new engine, etc., do what you have to do.

I lost track of how many thousands of dollars I've spent, and how many weekends I spent working on this thing. However, in the end, it WAS worth it. Good luck!