Topic: 2nd engine 2nd chance at life. Am i CRAZY??

[stan98tj]

well it seems the engine has finally given out.  "Afraid the strain was more than (she)could bear." excuse the tombstone quote.
i must say she gave out in such grand manner, machine gun rattling from within the engine, the the tune of metal on metal contact growing louder and faster as the throttle opened.  And then there was silence and any attempt to start was greeted by a sickening crumpling sound, and then even that was gone. Why didnt i stop you may ask? well for one i was in a snow storm and was half way to my destination and wanted to get as close to home as possible before calling in a tow.  and the second, well i knew it was the end and figured she should have a fighting glorious death, wouldnt seem right to cut her off before she had a chance to push for every mile.

These 4 months of ownership have really tested every nerve in my body. although she only let me drive her for 2 weeks, i think we bonded.  My friends all think im crazy and some have even pleaded with me to sell her, but....i guess ive been bitten by this jeep bug im sure most of you on this forum can relate.  So after countless hours of head scratching, cursing, dismantling and reinstalling, countless parts purchased, 2 pistons, one head and ton of fuel and oil....i finally pinpointed the problem....the engine is shot lol.  (a special thanks to the a**hole who sold her to me claiming she was running STRONG and NEVER had a problem)
seriously though, i love this thing. I really do. I think 85k miles on a 98 is far to young to die...so im giving her a second chance. Long block 4cyl-though i wanted to upgrade to 6-however dont have the spare $$ for a new tranny- ordered today and will be swapped in 2 weeks.  AND THEN, ill prob repost with a replacement to my previous I HATE JEEPS post with I FREAKING LOVE THIS THING...and provide pics of any mods i may have had the cash for.  OH and ill provide some pics of the completely destroyed pistons and head for those of you who love CARNAGE.
Now if i can only secure myself some of those top of the fender diamond plate covers, all the work ive done on it and tools that ive laid on those fenders have really scratched it up.

This is a success story, i promise.

[Mozman68]

Glad to hear it....you won't regret it once the weather turns and you are riding topless with the doors off.

[95yjman]

I know I can't wait for it to get warmer out and get the hardtop off.

[oldjeep]

Unfortunate that the whole engine had to get junked rather than tracking down the reason that the piston broke the first time.  Hopefully the new engine will be the end of the problems.

[jcsanders79]

I had an issue with my 97 right after I bought it too, engine blew up nascar style, oil everywhere.  I was on my way to the mechanic because it had started  knocking.  Needless to say I rebuilt it because I didnt have the money to do  a swap (by the way there is way more involved than a new tranny).  I hope you are luckier than I am because a little over a week after getting it back from the engine rebuild the transmission went out.  All within 3 months of purchase!

[stan98tj]

oo tranny. yea, im gonna keep positive thoughts on that and pray that it lasts. so far seems good. shifts smooth, transfer case is still nice. How much does a new tranny cost by the way..just for my own mental preperation

[jcsanders79]

Mines an auto and it took a little over $900 for the rebuild.  The engine cost me either $2200 or $2500 can't remember.  Luckily I bought it from my boss who had bought it at an auction without prior approval from the wife so I actually still did pretty good.  Infact I was able to get the money for the engine from the bank they gladly added it to my loan.

[oldjeep]

Mines an auto and it took a little over $900 for the rebuild.  The engine cost me either $2200 or $2500 can't remember.  Luckily I bought it from my boss who had bought it at an auction without prior approval from the wife so I actually still did pretty good.  Infact I was able to get the money for the engine from the bank they gladly added it to my loan.

Wow - a YJ auto costs $125 for the rebuild kit, $80 for a new torque convertor, $20 for a manual and about 2 hours to rebuild.

[chardrc]

hopefully the new motor brings you good luck...

[jwalls4x4]

I sure plan to rebuild my 2.5 when it dies.  I'm hoping that will be a year or two down the road, but since its already got 177K, we'll see .  Can you go all out with these little guys?  Chrommolly crank, titanium rods, pistons, ect.  ?  Is it usefull?

[jcsanders79]

Wow - a YJ auto costs $125 for the rebuild kit, $80 for a new torque convertor, $20 for a manual and about 2 hours to rebuild.

Its a TJ if that makes a difference and I would think it would take over 2 hours to remove, rebuild and reinstall the transmission (labor was the bulk of the bill).  All I did was drop it off and they did everything. 

[stan98tj]

well mine's an auto...so im hopin it will be ok for a few more miles. only got 80k. but if i were to have to get a new one am i looking between 500-1k for a TJ auto tranny?

[oldjeep]

Its a TJ if that makes a difference and I would think it would take over 2 hours to remove, rebuild and reinstall the transmission (labor was the bulk of the bill).  All I did was drop it off and they did everything. 

Yes, 2 hours rebuild time.  Probabally another 2-3 hours for remove/reinstall.  Pays to learn how to do it yourself at those prices.

[jcsanders79]

Yes, 2 hours rebuild time.  Probabally another 2-3 hours for remove/reinstall.  Pays to learn how to do it yourself at those prices.

Know days I would probably pull it myself and have it rebuilt but this all happened right after I got it and I had no idea what I was doing.