Need new car ideas.

[bosco01xj]

After starting my jeep yesterday it started making the loudest knocking I've ever heard in my life. There was actually oil in it and I'm going to change the oil tomorrow. This is my only form of transportation. I've been looking online for used cars but I really need something reliable with very few miles. I'm actually leaning towards buying a new car with decent gas mileage. Here are a couple of my ideas. Any other ideas are very welcome.

1. Carnival kia.
2. Scion

Both are relatively cheap and easy to get into. If changing the oil doesn't work out that knock then I'm seriously considering selling everything off. I just don't have the time to deal with it anymore. Especially if I end up having to swap a motor.

 

[thechief86]

scion, FTW for a DD, mainly because anything else in that pricerange sucks. we can swap in a motor for less than $200 from PAP, and do it in a weekend. trust me, you DON'T want to get rid of that jeep. if you decide you do, dibs on the rear axle and tailbone.

 

[Mr.Shrek]

Wow already calling dibs.

Brian I can understand wanting something with better gas milage, but I agree in it being a smart move to swap out the motor. Could be a weekend job and with what you are going to pay in car payments + gas you will most likely be better off just fixing the jeep. Just my $.02

 

[bosco01xj]

I wouldn't be able to pull the motor at my house. I don't have the tools and its my parents driveway. I would need a. a place to work on it. b. a way to get it from my house to the place to work on it. I would still need a dependable daily driver also so I've been thinking about buying a new car for a while now.

 

[kf_chris]

why not an older honda? my wife's car is a 96 and it's good, I like driving it. It's slow but it gets about 25 mpg and all the systems work just fine.
still try to keep the jeep though

 

[YJ-GENRAL]

if you can afford it, i would definitely keep the jeep. you will regret it if you sell it. but thats not to say you cant get a reliable DD if you again can afford it...

and can a knock that loud be death to the engine? excuse me while i talk out of my a$$ but what if the valve backlash was out? could that cause a really loud knock but not actually injure the engine too bad? or is it heart surgery for the old jeep and get a JY engine?

 

[shaggybob]

New cars are nice, but they are also a great way to throw away money. Cars these days last forever and buying something 5 years old or more is much cheaper to own in the long run.

Buy used, save yourself a ton and keep the jeep.

 

[Mr.Shrek]

You know you are welcome to use my place. I've got my engine hoist back, a stand, and if we wanted to knock it out we can get the compressor wired up.

 

[thechief86]

see there, i could tow it to shrek's with the waggy! he's got everything you need there, and i'd only ask for gas money for the tow, then between me, shrek, and joe, we could have you running again in a day, and you could probably just borrow your mom's car that day. i'm swapping a transmission in my buddy's jeep by myself in my driveway, and that's harder to do than a motor swap. it's ok to have more than one car, too. you could get a 3 or 4 yr old scion, or something along those lines, and not have to get rid of the jeep. everytime something messes up on your jeep, you think about selling it, think better of it, then fix the jeep. as long as i've known you, you've said you want to keep that xj forever. i said the same about my blue one, and i've regretted letting it go ever since.

 

[PacificEd]

What was you oil pressure when it was knocking?

 

[kf_chris]

Buy used, save yourself a ton and keep the jeep.

NEVER buy new! it's such a waste

 

[bosco01xj]

My oil pressure was at 40

 

[thechief86]

that's wacky for the oil pressure. i've never seen or heard a knock from a motor with good oil pressure! you might not need a motor! check the torque on your torque converter bolts!!!! i had a gnarly knockin in the waggy, and that's what it was!

 

[mbogosia]

I bought a new car once and I regretted it a couple months later. Once you buy something new you are pretty much stuck with it unless you don't mind losing your arse. Its amazing how quick the new wears off and how old the payments get.

 

[kf_chris]

that's wacky for the oil pressure. i've never seen or heard a knock from a motor with good oil pressure! you might not need a motor! check the torque on your torque converter bolts!!!! i had a gnarly knockin in the waggy, and that's what it was!

I'm pretty sure I had good oil pressure with 3 spun bearings.

 

[bosco01xj]

update: I finally had time to change the oil this morning. I put in rotella t 15w30 and a fram filter. I started my jeep and just let it run for about 5-7 minutes. The knock slowly went away after that time frame. Now there is no knock at all. I'm planning on changing the oil every 2000 miles now for the next few months. I don't want to have another loud knock. I was super stressed thinking about an engine swap or having to get another vehicle.

 

[thechief86]

dodged a bullet, my friend. you don't realize how much you love your xj until you really have to consider letting it go...

 

[PacificEd]

Wix filter and Co-op Max Pro 15W40 diesel engine oil (lots of ZDDP) semi-synthetic saved my motor.

 

[kf_chris]

have you used seafoam in the crankcase right before your oil changes? I usually do that and it's a clean motor.

 

[bosco01xj]

I've never used sea foam. The next oil change will be a wix filter and I'm only putting diesel engine oil in from now on. I bought a gallon of it last night and the guy at Autozone said, "diesel oil? for a cherokee?" I'm like... yep.