Noob questions......

I just got a 98 with 132k on it. Here are a few questions for you gurus.
1. What can i do to get another 132k out of my 4.0?
2. I have a faint valve noise at low idle. Can i adjust the valves or am i asking for trouble?
3. Heater fan seems to be running strong but not much air coming out. Ductwork maybe?
4. Oil pressure runs at 40 when driving but drops to ars low as 25 at times when idling. Should i be concerned?
5. Engine light just came on tonight. Oil change 1500 miles ago and level ok.
Thanks!

flingshot said:

I just got a 98 with 132k on it. Here are a few questions for you gurus.
1. What can i do to get another 132k out of my 4.0?

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Change the oil, drive the snot out of it. The 4.0 is a tough beast.

flingshot said:

4. Oil pressure runs at 40 when driving but drops to ars low as 25 at times when idling. Should i be concerned?

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Nope, totally normal.

I'll leave the other questions to people with more expertise.

I serviced my old 87 at the recommended intervals (bad environment table) with the approved fluids, compression and other critical things were just fine. Oil pressure fell off a bit, but never really critical. Changed my transmission fluid at half the recommended intervals. It was doing fine at double your mileage until the wife chickened out with a bus on a narrow country road and rolled it.
In my experience after around 130,000 or so, some off the lesser serviced items die of old age, like tie rod ends, trac bars, hubs, rear brake cylinders and U-joints. Rust is much easier to deal with with a wire brush and spot paint, than neglecting it and having to replace whole panels. Grease is your friend, if it moves or has threads it gets a coat of Lithium grease or oiled. Even the brake line fittings get a coat of grease.
I do at least bi annual inspections, I check most everything spring and fall. A good visual inspection (and grease job), shake and twist things a bit and looking for leaks only takes a Saturday and can save a bunch of grief down the line. Besides the better you know your XJ, the less likely you'll be stranded someplace without a clue, if you abuse it a little.

Thanks guys!
Anyone feel like chiming in on the valve noise or the heater fan?

if most of the air seems to be coming out of the defroster no matter where you put the control its most likely a vacuum leak try searching for the answer on here

Based on what you've said, your experience seems to be very very similar to mine. The only difference is that I have 250K on my 97 XJ.

Keep it maintained, and it will treat you good.

flingshot said:

2. I have a faint valve noise at low idle. Can i adjust the valves or am i asking for trouble?

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Valve train is non adjustable. Could be some wear in the rocker arms. Are you sure it is coming from the valves and not the injectors?

4. Oil pressure runs at 40 when driving but drops to ars low as 25 at times when idling. Should i be concerned?

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That is good pressure

5. Engine light just came on tonight. Oil change 1500 miles ago and level ok.
Thanks!

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Get the codes pulled

flingshot said:

Thanks guys!
Anyone feel like chiming in on the valve noise or the heater fan?

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Most likely a vacuum leak. I discoverted (after reading your original post) that half my AC is blowing out the vents and the other half is blowing out the defrost. I suspect a vacuum leak and will check mine out tomorrow.

Here are some quick threads to review. I hate posting offsite links, but the last one was somewhat insightful.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=990128&highlight=vacuum+leak+defrost
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=977533&highlight=vacuum+leak+defrost
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=971198&highlight=vacuum+leak+defrost
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=976583&highlight=vacuum+leak+defrost

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4370246

I just searched for "vacuum leak defrost", and got a ton of results.

dagr8tim said:

Most likely a vacuum leak.

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Yes, this is an extremely common issue, and plays all kinds of havoc with the HVAC system. I'll bet a search would turn up eleventy thousand threads on vacuum leaks, with appropriate tests to determine the source of the leak. Most common seems to be a cracked vacuum reservoir.