[zeek]

Hi everyone....Im Daniel. This is my first post to the jeep forum. I just bought a 96 2dr 2wd 2.5 w/5spd xj. It's not a four wheel drive, so I dont know if I'll fit in here or not......I got this to make a dd out of it. It has a siezed engine so I'm looking for a replacement. Any ideas as where to go for the best deal on a used or rebuilt 4 banger? I only paid $400 for it and the rest of the jeep is in excellant cond. The previous owner blew a head gasket and just let it sit for about six months with all that water in the cylinders and everything. So needless to say, its pretty well shot. Thanks in advance for any input.....Daniel.

[FlybydayXJ]

go get a 4.0 and stuff that in there

[tigerpaw580]

Try calling your local salvage yards , or a local engine rebuilder to see what can be reused, it's possible some of it can be reused if it was just a blown head gasket.
The 2.5 is pretty simple as far as pulling especially with 2wd.
They can tell you if the short block can be used. I had one gone through by a local shop that had sat for almost 2 yrs, only the head could not be reused, the rest was ok.(it had blown the head gasket and was a 93 2.5.)They are pretty tough, my last one went 335 K without rebuilding.And they can clean up a lot even if water is in it , that happens a lot with blown head gaskets.

[zeek]

Originally Posted by FlybydayXJ

go get a 4.0 and stuff that in there

Would this be a bolt in? What about the computer....If its a case of just dropin in a 4.0, I'd go for it. There are a ton of these engines for sale. But what else will I need to do this swap?

[peeweeXJ]

Definitely not a drop-in swap. Youd need new mounts, electronics, radiator, and tranny.

Stick with the 2.5. Its tough and gets good mileage.

[tigerpaw580]

It doesn't have a huge amount of power but taken care of will last and will work just fine, my last one went 335K without any real problems and then was rebuilt didn't need much to bring it back in specs and with gas 3 bucks a gallon better stick with the 2.5.
Way too much trouble to convert to 4.0 if your'e going to use it as a daily driver and occasional trailrunner.

[zeek]

Originally Posted by tigerpaw580

It doesn't have a huge amount of power but taken care of will last and will work just fine, my last one went 335K without any real problems and then was rebuilt didn't need much to bring it back in specs and with gas 3 bucks a gallon better stick with the 2.5.
Way too much trouble to convert to 4.0 if your'e going to use it as a daily driver and occasional trailrunner.

Thanks for the input....Im just gonna replace it with another 2.5. I got the Cherokee partly for the gas milage, because my truck only gets 13mpg and even though my Vette gets 30mph (if I keep my foot outta it), I dont want to put the miles on it. So as long as I can get around 20mpg I'll be happy. Is this a realistic figure? My comute is mostly hwy and there's no big hurry, so the 4 banger should be fine.

[zeek]

Originally Posted by peeweeXJ

Definitely not a drop-in swap. Youd need new mounts, electronics, radiator, and tranny.

Stick with the 2.5. Its tough and gets good mileage.

Thanks for the advice....I agree...