Mateo94XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Urbana, IL (University of Illinois)
I think my 4.0 is dying, in need of a rebuild or replacement.
It's a '94 HO in a Sport model, with the AX-15 and NP231 behind it. I go through plugs about every six months - it just loses power on the highway and can't sustain speed. I usually end up with the first five plugs on the "slightly scorched" end of the spectrum, while plug number six always ends up oil fouled big time.
Pulling the oil fill cap while the motor runs results in a choo-choo effect, smoke chugging on out. I get a decent amount of smoke out the tailpipe when getting on the gas - it's like a li'l diesel.
I also leak oil like a sieve - I drove it back from school (~150 miles) to swap out for a friend's pickup that I'm going to change the clutch on, and I had a mosquito abatement cloud following me, must have lost around 3 quarts of oil on that short trip. The entire underhood is pretty much oil splattered.
So here are my questions - it's sitting at home, and I have a primary mode of transportation. What can I do to see if this motor is going to last me until the summer without any major work? I've been through a couple of oil pressure senders, for all I know I blew another one - I didn't even know the extent I was leaking until my mom called to tell me about the puddles underneath the jeep. What leaks are likely that I can fix and drive relatively leak free until I can pull the motor and rebuild it or replace it with another?
I'd be interested in a stroker if possible, but being that I'm a poor college student, I'm not sure I could shell out more than 900 bucks on the motor - will that even get me close? I saw master rebuild kits at $450, could I pull off a bore/hone and basic prep (Cam bearing install, new valve seats) for this rate? Would it be a good idea to buy a junkyard motor and do all the work on that motor, then sell my motor to be a big ol' paperweight?
Basically I need some direction to go in to salvage this motor, recommendations on what I can keep, reuse, and restore. Please, anyone that's been through a similar situation chime in! I'd love to keep the motor going, but a life of neglect before I bought it a year and a half ago has brought it to this stage.
It's a '94 HO in a Sport model, with the AX-15 and NP231 behind it. I go through plugs about every six months - it just loses power on the highway and can't sustain speed. I usually end up with the first five plugs on the "slightly scorched" end of the spectrum, while plug number six always ends up oil fouled big time.
Pulling the oil fill cap while the motor runs results in a choo-choo effect, smoke chugging on out. I get a decent amount of smoke out the tailpipe when getting on the gas - it's like a li'l diesel.
I also leak oil like a sieve - I drove it back from school (~150 miles) to swap out for a friend's pickup that I'm going to change the clutch on, and I had a mosquito abatement cloud following me, must have lost around 3 quarts of oil on that short trip. The entire underhood is pretty much oil splattered.
So here are my questions - it's sitting at home, and I have a primary mode of transportation. What can I do to see if this motor is going to last me until the summer without any major work? I've been through a couple of oil pressure senders, for all I know I blew another one - I didn't even know the extent I was leaking until my mom called to tell me about the puddles underneath the jeep. What leaks are likely that I can fix and drive relatively leak free until I can pull the motor and rebuild it or replace it with another?
I'd be interested in a stroker if possible, but being that I'm a poor college student, I'm not sure I could shell out more than 900 bucks on the motor - will that even get me close? I saw master rebuild kits at $450, could I pull off a bore/hone and basic prep (Cam bearing install, new valve seats) for this rate? Would it be a good idea to buy a junkyard motor and do all the work on that motor, then sell my motor to be a big ol' paperweight?
Basically I need some direction to go in to salvage this motor, recommendations on what I can keep, reuse, and restore. Please, anyone that's been through a similar situation chime in! I'd love to keep the motor going, but a life of neglect before I bought it a year and a half ago has brought it to this stage.