2.8 V6--good engine or no?

[xravenwingsx]

I used to have a lifted XJ with a 4.0L I-6. Until that the head gasket went, it was pretty bulletproof but sucked gas like nobody's business and drove like poop on the highway. A lot of stuff broke on it about a month after the lift and the steering was never right so I sold it last spring to a local Jeep dealer who wanted it pretty bad.

I am tired of getting stuck in the snow and miss driving XJ's around town, so I am about to purchase an 87 XJ with a 2.8 V6 and a manual trans (pretty rare in my area to see a manual) for only 700 bucks. The owner is out of town this weekend so I can't get specifics until then.

What do you think of the 2.8 V6? What are some of it's strengths and weaknesses? If it ever blew, would YOU swap in a 4.0 or V8, or replace the 2.8 V6?

One side question too...it's missing one front axle but still runs and drives. What does a new or used one cost? It's very icy out and I would love to use the 4WD. Right now, I would only be able to use 2WD with sandbags in the back.

The interior is currently stripped of its carpet because the current owner was prepping it to patch a rust hole in the driver's side floor pan. Frame/unibody looks ok. Would you replace the carpet, or Rhino line it? It will NOT be a wheeling XJ--just one that I can use to get to and from work, store, etc in any weather. Will probably put a 3" lift and bigger tires at some point.

Any opinions you have about the engine and transmission will be greatly appreciated. No, I will not give you their phone number so you can buy it. :roflmao:

 

[bluejeepkid]

dont do it. the gm 2.8 is a craptastic motor.

 

[dirty d]

a lot of people will tell you what you have already heard,they are junk. that being said,back in the day when these same engines were still being produced and installed in GM "S" series vehicles,my uncle had a fleet of blazers and i even owned an s-10 truck w/ that motor myself.

so,the point of my story is,if he had 5 fleet vehicles with this motor,4 of them ran well over 200,000 miles w/ no issues. yes,they were underpowered compared to larger cubes.

i can still remember the very last 2.8 powered s-10 blazer he had in service. had about 255,000 miles on it,was setting at a red light,idling, waiting for it to change and the crankshaft broke right into!!!!

i can`t say i`d nevr buy a xj with the 2.8 but it would have to be really cheap,be in good condition,etc.

the best fix for this is the gm 3.4 liter engines. they are practically evrywhere,bulletprrof,powerful,almost a bolt in swap AND CHEAP.

 

[JeepingDan]

I would not buy it.
The 87 with a 2.8 the trans is probably the puegot BA10 both I'm not impressed with.

The 2.8 is really unpowered.
The tranny is a ticking time bomb.
And why is it missing a front axle shaft?

 

[xravenwingsx]

I'm most definitely buying it, but I wanted to have a good estimate on how long that engine will last...not concerned at all about power..it's just for work and running to the store and stuff.

thanks guys for your input, i'll give th 3.4 a look!!!

 

[birchlakeXJ]

The 2.8 is one of my least favorite engines. Not that reliable and can't get out of its own way......

Start planning for a re-power!

If there are any 87 and up with a 4.0 around, consider them. It's not too late!

Think about what you'll have into this one by the time you get done. For that money, you might be able to find a newer one that is ready to roll.

 

[xravenwingsx]

I am buying it to use for now, and will start saving for a decent one. 1000 was my budget and this came the closest.

All of the XJ's in my area are extremely overpriced, even some newer Sport and Limited models in questionable condition at best. I will own my home outright in March, so what I used to pay toward my mortgage will be going into savings for a GOOD XJ. I just needed something by Monday 1/3/2011 since my wife's car puked out--she takes the kids to school so she'll use the Nissan I have, and to get me around in the snow to work/store/fishing holes/etc. If it dies in 6 months, gives me a good reason to look for one in the 2500-3500 dollar range.

Thank you for the information on the engine and craptastic transmission--I won't expect too much out of this particular setup.

--not sure why the driveshaft is out...the female that owns it bought it like that. She has a brand new Liberty so doesn't need the XJ anymore.

 

[R.DesJardin]

Yeah, the 2.8 is not a favorite engine at all. But remember the 3.4, 3800, and various newer V8's like the Aurora and Northstar use the same bellhousing bolt pattern.
So buy it like you said use it then find an XJ with a 4.0/AW4 and build it.

 

[tbburg]

Check the info on that jeep. '86 was the last year for the V-6 option. A '87 should have the 4.0.
(disclaimer- I'm not sure when the transition was. All the manufacturers are great at radical mid-year changes. Jeep may have produced "'86 model" XJs clear up into the '87 production year.

The 2.8 was saddled with a few problems. The first generation of that motor family had some oiling issues. They weren't known for their longevity in the XJ. GM straightened out most of the problems in later generations, and a 3.4 swap is a good upgrade, especially if you go to the trouble to keep the MPI.
Just an aside: The 3800 series engines have the BOP small-block bolt pattern and are not a direct fit onto the 2.8-bell housing. The Aurora and Northstar engines aren't really swap-able into a conventional RWD vehicle due to accessory mounting locations; distributor mounted on the head, pointed to the rear, etc.

The transmission behind a 2.8 should be either a T-5 or an AX-5. Both are OK transmissions, but kind of weak for medium/hard 4-wheeling. Look at/plan on an upgrade to a later model AX-15 if you start having problems with it.
(Disclaimer-in '87, Jeep did use the BA-10 behind the 4.0. I've never heard of one behind a 2.8-6 or 2.5-4, but it could exist. Either way, the BA-10 is not a bad transmission, just under-sized. Behind a115HP engine, it should last ok To identify: The AX-5 and T-5 have a 2 piece case that splits front and rear. The BA-10 splits left/right. It has a very obvious line of bolts holding it together down the center-line of the case.)

A front drive shaft can be had for 25-50 bucks from a wrecking yard. The only reason I can think to pull it is because the rear axle was swapped out and the gears don't match, or there was some problem with the transfer case or front axle that they HAD to work-around by pulling the shaft.

For a DD, repair the hole in the floor, and re-carpet it. Be sure to put all the pad/sound-deadener back in. No carpet is a great mod for serious wheeling, but allows a lot of road/power train noise and heat to come up through the floor. Makes for a kind of cruddy on-road experience.

Good luck and welcome back into the fold.

 

[joe_peters]

I'm with tbburg, the last year of the 2.8 v6 SHOULD BE 86. Check the production date. IF you have an 87 body a 4.0 swap would be easier, even though it isn't practical without a better transmission and transfer case.


Manual Transmissions:

AX4 - 4 speed manual - manufactured by Aisin - used 84-86 with 2.5L I4 and 2.8L V6 engines

T4 & T5 - 4 & 5 speed manual - manufactured by Borg Warner - used 84-86 with 2.5L I4 and 2.8L V6 engines

AX5 - 5 speed manual - manufactured by Aisin - used with 2.8L V6 and 87+ with 2.5L I4

The Peugeot BA 10/5 SHOULD have only been used with the 4.0s.

 

[Team Willys]

The 3.8 V6 used in front wheel drive cars DOES have the same bolt pattern as the 2.8. Tbburg, the BOP bolt pattern engines were found in RWD cars of yesteryear.

Personally, I think it would bu super cool to see a supercharged 3.8 in an XJ.

 

[PhotographerMike]

Since you are buying it, just get it running reliably, change all the fluids and leave it stock.

No reason to push your luck with lift and bigger tires. Just pay off the house and save for a newer one.

 

[tbburg]

The 3.8 V6 used in front wheel drive cars DOES have the same bolt pattern as the 2.8. Tbburg, the BOP bolt pattern engines were found in RWD cars of yesteryear.

Personally, I think it would bu super cool to see a supercharged 3.8 in an XJ.

Oops! My bad. I knew the 3800 was a descendant of the 3.8L/231ci V-6. I didn't realize they changed the bell housing pattern when they updated the motor. And is mid-'80s yesteryear?

Wikipedia:
Though the pre-3800 RWD V6 uses the BOP bellhousing pattern that it inherited from its aluminum V8 ancestor, an oddity of both the FWD and RWD 3800 V6 is that although it is a 90° V6, it uses the GM 60° V6 bell housing. For use in the RWD applications, the bellhousings on both the manual and automatic transmissions are altered slightly.

I's say that opens up a whole host of easy swap possibilities, but the 3800s put out enough power that you'd have to junk the stock trans to, and at that point, so much for "easy swap". Still, it would bolt up,....

 

[WB9YZU]

GM made 2 V6s, the 60deg block and the 90deg block (like a 350). The 2.8 and 3.4L are 60deg engines.

In stock form, the V6 engine put in the 84 though 86 Cherokee models was a bit wimpy, but mostly dependable. Weak point as I saw them were the HEI ignition system (Carry a module with you), and the 3bbl Rochester. The first Jeep I got was a 85' manual with a well loved 2.8 (126K) and had a AX-5. The second one (86' 2.8L, Auto) I bought for the body. The engine still ran reasonably well, but the previous owner though he knew something about timing advance and the engine was damaged due to excessive pinging (90K). I found the problem, but it was too late, so I swapped the engine out of th 85' and put on another 40K and a bunch of Off-Road abuse on it before selling it (Still running like a top).

Have fun with it! The power comes on about 2,800 and lasts until about 5K or so. If you can get a set of 4.56's (31" tires) under it with a good exhaust, the engine becomes a screamer and the gas mileage is not affected much. You will probably never break a U-Joint either, not even the stock 260 sized ones

 

[xravenwingsx]

I'm a tard...I'm going to take another look at it. After I doublechecked the email from the owner, it's a 1994. I'll pop the hood and check the engine size. It is a 5-speed manual, so lord knows how many different engines they mated that to in 1994.

 

[souske]

in 94 it would be the 2.5 (4cyl) or 4.0 (6cyl)

 

[xravenwingsx]

I know the 4.0's reputation, how about the 4-banger? I'm sure it's pretty anemic, but fuel efficient.

 

[tbburg]

the 2.5 is a I-6 with the last 2 cylinders cut off it, and a GM 60deg. bell housing pattern grafted onto the back. It's pretty reliable, and 120-130 hp in it's injected form. Not bad for a 4-popper.

Here's a link that might help you out. Lists the stock specs (U.S.)

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/cherokee-stock-specs-26256/

 

[xravenwingsx]

Here's some images of the beater...rusty but it'll do until I can save for a DECENT one. EDIT: Thanks so much for the link!!!! I'll study it carefully. Sounds like a pretty impressive engine for its size. If it's a 4.0 I hit the jackpot for 700 bucks...if not, it'll still do!!!!

 

[casm]

I know the 4.0's reputation, how about the 4-banger? I'm sure it's pretty anemic, but fuel efficient.

It's not that it's a bad engine, but in an XJ I've never been impressed enough by its economy gain to justify the loss of power over a 4.0. Having talked to a couple of 2.5 owners, yeah, it'll get a couple more MPG on average, but it struggles on hills and can't really tow or carry anything appreciable. In low range with the right gears and driven properly, they can hold their own against 4.0s surprisingly well in the dirt - to a point.

In 2WD MJs with a manual transmission, they're OK for a compact truck - but of the couple of MJs I drove with that configuration, it ended up being the reason why I didn't buy them.

Frankly, if I were going for economy and capability in a 4-cylinder vehicle, I'd plop for a 2.2- or 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated Subaru wagon with a 5-speed. You'll end up with about the same load capacity overall, AWD, reasonable performance, and about the same if not slightly better economy than a 4-cylinder XJ. Of course, this is where the 2.5 owners come out of the woodwork to tell me how they're getting 35mpg in town. But that Subaru would also make a great DD to offset the 4.0 kept around for the weekend