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Tilted/twisted motor+ after "bang" sound on '95

pwr2wt

NAXJA Forum User
How'z dat for a bizzare title? Was drivin my Country with almost 128k miles on the clock when I heard a loud "bang" from what sounded like the engine compartment. Auto trans immediately became much graunchier shifting, but XJ ran fine limping home at 45 mph after a brief roadside pullover and underhood inspection yielded no obvious culprit. Hours later, went to restart Jeep and horrific metal racket clattered out of engine compartrment: fan blades smacking the back of radiator fan shroud to the tune of shaving off metal lower passenger side corner of shroud. Conclusion: fan is no longer in normal parallel plane of rotation relative to shroud -- it's crooked because entire motor is crooked/tilted/shunted toward passenger side. Broken motor mount? Transmission mount? Anyone with similar experience of suddenly out of alignment inline six engine?
 
Broken motor mount...and I'm not talking the rubber/steel contraption, I'm talking about broken bolts in the engine block. For some reason the only ones I've seen (in person) do it are 94-96. I had a 95 that sheared off all the bolts on the passenger side. Luckily I didn't get any radiator rub or anything, mine just set itself down on the 'frame' and vibrated loudly. I didn't want to even screw with it so I took it to a reputable shop who only charged $150 to fix it. :)
 
Broken motor mount, its right next to your Oil filter on the passenger side and below the intake manifold on your drivers side. Replace them both. My '95 did the same thing.
 
Hopefully just the mounts....which aren't hard to change.

My method is to take a short 2x4, roughly 18" or so long, one end cut flat, the other cut at and angle. Put the angle up on the lip of the oil pan on the side where you want to change the motor mount (I recommend doing both, but only do one at a time). First take the nut off of the bolt that goes through the mount, then put a jack under the 2x4 and slowly start jacking up. Feel how loose the bolt gets as it's going up. When the bolt is nice and loose, pull it out. Now, unbolt the motor mount itself from the unibody. IIRC, one bolt up top, one you gotta get from underneath. Throw that new one in there and them you may have to jack the side of the motor up just a tad to get the bolt to go back through the new motor mount.

Hopefully it's the mounts themselves that failed and not where the mounting bracket attaches to the block...
 
2nd ECKSJAY's diagnosis. A broken motor mount (rubber insert) would allow the motor to rotate away from the mount but not down as it would rest on the lower part of the rubber cushion.

This is the first i'v read of particular years being an issue with this though, makes me want to replace the bolts in my 94. My luck they would snap removing them..
 
2nd ECKSJAY's diagnosis. A broken motor mount (rubber insert) would allow the motor to rotate away from the mount but not down as it would rest on the lower part of the rubber cushion.

This is the first i'v read of particular years being an issue with this though, makes me want to replace the bolts in my 94. My luck they would snap removing them..

Maybe warm up the engine first. While it's warm, squirt some good penetrating lube in there. As for the years, it's just something I've observed. I've seen guys with different years saying theirs broke, but the most I've seen are 94-96.
 
I didn't know this problem was particular to those years either, but I've only had the problem with my sons' 95. I guess I should warn the friend I sold my other 95 to.

Every one I've seen was a 4.0L/auto. My 95 was. My 96 got new ones when the brackets were swapped to the new engine.
 
Have heard stories from a friend (longtime Jeep dealership mechanic) that certain years the engine mount casting boss in the 4.0L block where the bolts screw into crack and break off.... In this case... it is time to replace the block...
 
Had both problems. Tore up the motor mounts and caused the fan to whack the shroud. Changed them all out (including trans). Then had 2 of the 3 bolts holding the bracket to the block, passenger side shear off (about a year later). 3rd bolt was loose so the whole thing flopped around. I was able to get the broken shanks out and replaced them all with grade 8 bolts. Strange they were torx head. I replaced them with hex.
 
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