dandecicco
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lemoore, CA Dammit to Hell
Ok all, could use input. What are thoughts on a 1986 XJ V8? Problems, things to be aware of. Is this a good year?
Thanks,
Dan
Thanks,
Dan
Sold CJ need answers for an 86 XJ
- Thread starter dandecicco
- Start date
- Location
- Terra Firma
It's a Chevy engine, and it is horribly under-powered in an XJ. They only offered it for three years, and they were famous for sticking connecting rods through the sides of the blocks. Avoid this engine at all costs.
In 1987 they introduced the AMC/Jeep 4.0L I-6 engine, which is a MUCH better choice. Keep looking.
Personally, I'd rather have the 2.5L I-4 than the 2.8L V-6.
In 1987 they introduced the AMC/Jeep 4.0L I-6 engine, which is a MUCH better choice. Keep looking.
Personally, I'd rather have the 2.5L I-4 than the 2.8L V-6.
Yucca-Man
NAXJA Member # 683
- Location
- Castle Rock, CO
V8? No such thing in an XJ. However, the 84-86 XJs came with a 2.8L V6, and it is generally accepted that it is a serious piece of shiiiiiiiiite. I agree with Eagle - keep looking.dandecicco said:
- Location
- Antioch, CA
V6 XJ? Run, run away, far, far away.
Bryan
Bryan
dandecicco
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lemoore, CA Dammit to Hell
did I mention I could get it for 600 bucks, body perfect, engine perfect, interior perfect, jsut want it for a trail beater. Comments?
- Location
- Westminster, SoCal
dandecicco said:
Run unless you're planning to work on the engine/swap the engine. The v6 was terrible! I know, I had one.
- Location
- Camden, SC
dandecicco said:
If I got a 2.8 for $600 b4 I put it on the trails I'd swap in a 2.5L or 3.1/3.4! Unless you KNOW you are going to do a swap or WANT the hassle of a unreliable engine I'd keep looking. I passed on a 88 Limited for $600 about 6 months ago. It had tranny issues but it was probalby the dealers stupidity bc the AW-4 is very reliable!
Sarge
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- St Louis, MO
I ran a 2.8 for a long time both in a Cheby and as a stroll thru a picture album last night reminded me, in a old body style Cherokee. Not a real good mate to the Jeep. The 2.8 prefers to be reved up. But I had a blast in both and both lasted a long time. I jumped the Jeep hard enough to bend the front axle housing on the passenger side and the passenger bent my seat screaming like a girl and shoving back on the dash. LOL!!! Lots of fun. Used to run the dunes and river banks outside of MCAS Yuma. Was during my first marriage and most of those memories are blocked out.
According to a mechanic at that time the key to keeping the 2.8 alive was changing the oil often (no longer than 3000 between, 2000-2500 suggested) and always using good oil. In all honesty I stink at maintenance and abused both vehicles both in maintenance and normal use and got a lot of use out of both.
Sarge
According to a mechanic at that time the key to keeping the 2.8 alive was changing the oil often (no longer than 3000 between, 2000-2500 suggested) and always using good oil. In all honesty I stink at maintenance and abused both vehicles both in maintenance and normal use and got a lot of use out of both.
Sarge
I agree with Sarge, I had two 2.8ls and they both lasted well over 200K miles and I abused both of them. You hit the nail on the head when you said they key is a keep the oil changed. They are a little underpowered, but they are not this POS that everyone makes them out to be. Any engine that can take the abuse that I dealt mine without any issues and last as long as they did is a good engine in my book. I don't know if there is anything available anymore, but I did some bolt on upgrades that got me a lot more power out of my 2.8l.
Oh yeah, the 5 speed gives it a lot more power than the auto. I was a lot more happy with my 2.8l 5 speed than the 2.8l auto. :greensmok
Oh yeah, the 5 speed gives it a lot more power than the auto. I was a lot more happy with my 2.8l 5 speed than the 2.8l auto. :greensmok
- Location
- Terra Firma
dandecicco said:
Why would you care if the body and interior are perfect for a trail beater? Out the money into mechanicals. With a 2.8L V-6 (BTW, just noticed your original post said V-8, was that a typo?), they should pay you $600 to move it out of their driveway.
dandecicco
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lemoore, CA Dammit to Hell
The V-8 was the owner's bad, and I have let him know that it is not infact a V* (figures) I was curious about that too. He figured that since it was a V block, it must be an 8. AS for finding a 4.0 for under a $1000, does anyone know of one in California, hopefully Bay Area or Northern. I would be willing to drive to Southern OR, So. Cal, and Nevada.
Thanks for all the help!
Dan
Thanks for all the help!
Dan
- Location
- Terra Firma
dandecicco said:
I see a lot of ads around here (including from dealers, who should know better) for late-model XJs with the V-6 engine. I guess people are so accustomed to V-6s that they assume anything with a 6 must be a V-6.
Then there was the used car lot advertising a '97 XJ Sport 6-cyl a couple of years back. Price was almost too good to be true so I went to check it out. First problem -- it had idiot lights, so it wasn't a Sport. Second problem -- somehow, between the auction and his lot, some low-down, mean, sneaky, underhanded individual crawled under the hood and removed two cylinders, because it was a 4-banger. When I pointed this out to the salesperson, he spent about 5 minutes looking all over the driver's side of the engine for those other two spark plug wires. Then he said "But it was a 6 when we bought it!"
jneary
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- springfield, virginia
all the money you would spen swapping motors and trans to match, you could buy a 87 or so fuel injected one, much better choice
MassbayXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Massachusetts
Okay, I'm going to play devil's advocater and defend the poor 2.8 now. Some of you know that i am a student working at a Chevrolet dealer I can't mention In Hingham MA. we have this 86 chevy s-10 with the TBI 2.8. It is the trash truck used for hauling everything that fits in the long wood bed and we use it as a pusher for whatever fits in the doors of the shop. This truck keeps on working. The temps dipped to around zero for a while in the winter . We hardly ever change the oil (or even care for it in the least bit)and I keep on trying to find a rev limiter. So far unsuccessful. Since I'm learning at school, the poor 2.8 S-dime has become my test mule. I've bumped up the fuel pressure and experimented with alcohol injection. The only good thing we've done to the truck has been making a lincoln locker out of the rear-end. The v6/4spd/light truck combo works well for doughnuts. I just couldn't let all of you bash the 2.8 like that. I guess we got a (the) good one.
- Location
- Westminster, SoCal
MassbayXJ said:
OK, that's all good and fine. So lets suppose that there are few good 2.8's out there. But..... many have mentioned that for starters regular maintenance is a must. So even if the XJ you pick up used to have THE best 2.8, what about now? after X number of owners? who probably didn't even know where the dipstick is?? Anyways.... risk it if you want to but if you do have to replace it.... expect "told you so" from pretty much almost everyone that posted here.
- Location
- Terra Firma
Probably not ... but it may well have a better power-to-weight ratio, and that's what counts :cheers:ZmOz said:The 2.8 being a crappy motor isn't the only reason you shouldn't get it. It's also EXTREMELY underpowered for an XJ. I think my riding lawnmower has more HP.
Matthew Currie
NAXJA Member #760
- Location
- Vermont, land of big clay
Eagle said:
An interesting place to look. That would be quite an interesting V engine, with 4 on one bank and 2 on the other. Sounds like the kind of thing some Audi engineer would try, or perhaps if Laverda made car engines.
