Post by lanceslambos on Dec 30, 2018 11:13:13 GMT -6
My old Craigslist special (1990 Jeep Cherokee 4x4) blew the headgaskets 2 years ago and has been running on mechanic in a can ever since. Well coming home from Utah last month changed all that. I hit a snow storm crossing the Rockies and lost coolant up a long, steep, switchbacking climb. It was cold enough that she didn't overheat and my only indication of the problem was the higher than normal idle. It has since warmed up and she overheated on me last week before Christmas. My local mechanic towed it to his shop and gave me the bad news. The heads are cracked too. This was my time to decide if it was worth keeping or selling. Considering that I've replaced the struts, shocks, tires, alighnment, battery, had the AC system updated to modern freon, and performed a recent tune up in the past 6 months I could only lose money in a gamble with a new ride. I love my XJ! After some quick research it was clear. This was my shot to upgrade to the HO version, albeit a modest 15 hp and 5 ft/lb. The fact that the AMC 4.0 is a little underpowered is my only real gripe about these old Jeeps. She has a K&N panel filter and Magnaflow exhaust. That's about all you can do without getting into some serious stuff like a GM supercharger off a Pontiac 3800. I don't really want to throw much into the Jeep but $1035.00 for a '94 HO engine and $630 for the swap sounds like a deal to me. It comes with a 6 month unlimited miles warranty.
