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I6 4.0 motor swap

I'm a fan of the industrial degreaser in the purple-blue jugs in the cleaning aisle of Home Depot.

That stuff means serious business, it took my fingerprints off and dissolved the hair on the backs of my hands. It also took a 1/8" thick layer of grease, grime, and engine compartment sludge off a pair of jeans and made them look almost new... It's pretty much sodium hydroxide mixed with (iirc) benzo-something alcohol. The sodium hydroxide saponifies darn near any hydrocarbon and the alcohol handles the rest.

For things I don't want to rust, I usually scrub down with gasoline and a stiff brush, then finish up with acetone or brakleen. As a bonus, acetone is miscible with water and can be used to wash water out of electrical connectors and parts.

As for the vacuum lines, you probably should just buy a new harness from NAPA... you can get the two halves of the vacuum harness for a RENIX (yours is one) there for like 25-30 bucks each.
 
Don't do that!

If there are any openings (disconnected hoses, distributor mount, etc) that can get water inside the motor which is real bad.

I'd apply carefully with a hand sprayer and scrub simultaneously, you'll want a drip pan under it. Tape off or plastic-bag all connectors and plug all open hoses/ports with wadded up shop towels or paper towels. Be really careful around the throttle position sensor (if the intake manifold is installed) and the distributor.
 
I got the motor and transmission out of my project. I got everything labeled and engine bay as clean as I think I am going to get it. Now I am on to looking for the donor jeep. A couple of notes.
First I think I am going to replace it with an automatic transmission. I pulled the standard out so it would be easier to bolt up to the engine when I get it. Having it out I thought it might be nice to have an automatic vs a stick to drive. I have found a 93 xj 4.0 l I6 with an automatic. The donor was in a front end accident on the quarter panel driver side. It looks like the front axle was pushed up into the oil pan a little but I don’t think it was punctured. I want to try and start it to listen to the motor to make sure it is running but it won’t turn over. You can hear the gas pump switch on and the doors lock but no power to the starter. Any ideas as to what it might be, and how I might get it started before I think about buying it?
What kind of transmission might this new one be? The reason I ask is I have a tera low on the current tranny that I will want to hook up to the back end of a newer one. I know that the older one has a 23 spline shaft going into it. Could it be the same for this donor trans?
How difficult will it be to hook up to the 90 Cherokee connections (Engine and Trans)? Are there going to be a lot of headaches associated with it? Sorry for the length of this post and thanks for the help!
 
Okay, the 93 will be an HO engine versus your Renix engine. Do a search as there are some differences you'll have to work around such as the intake being different, etc.

The tranny swap will have more issues. The tranny will be an AW4 which is electronically controlled. You'll have to get the wiring with it, along with the trans computer. You'll need a bit of wiring ability and track down and splice some wiring into the main wiring harness along the firewall (power, ground, etc). You can use the 93 TPS if you've got the trans computer from the 93. Other misc pieces you'll need are the shifter trim pieces, the xfer case linkage and mounting plate is longer, the rear drive shaft will be 1" shorter, the front 1" longer.
 
Give me a call tomorrow, i am more than happy to help you out, and i am only about 30-40 minutes away from you. 801 4 two 7 one 4 three 6. hopefully i can answer a bunch of your questions and if you need, i may be able to be persuaded into coming up there and helping you out for a few hours. I should be free Monday evening/day.

That being said, just like the above post mentions, the Manual to Auto swap opens up a huge can of worms. How ever, it can be done relatively easy provided you have the entire donor vehicle right there to remove parts from, with that it really is just a matter of moving every thing over. The auto the 93 has is an Aisin made AW4 and its a great unit, they handle a fair amount of abuse and work very well. It too will be a 23 spline out put and so your Tcase should work fine. I would also recommend if you were going to take the trans out of the 93 to also take the engine ans swap it entirely over as well, including the computer and all associated wiring. While everything is out you may as well upgrade to the HO and the OBD1 computer system.

-Jake
 
Thanks Everybody. I might be taking the whole donor rig so I should have everything I need to transfer over. Thanks Jake! I will call you sometime today.
Josh
 
Switching to the obd system will involve lots of electrical work or swapping a lot of the interior wiring as well, just a warning... I would do it but it is not easy.

You can install the aw4 fairly easily, you may need a new renix auto tps and possibly a renix tcu, I forget which computer they changed to match the other when they went to obd-I. A renix tcu should be easy to find at the scrapyard. If you swap the obd-I harnesses and tcu everything should just bolt up though.
 
Any suggestions on motor mounts? Type, cost, durability, etc. I also have a borla exhaust manifold from the 90 motor that was pulled. When I pulled it off the gasket had a crack. Can I put that on the 93 motor going in? And how much can I expect to pay for a new gasket?
 
Exhaust manifold will fit. Gaskets run about $20. I used the Energy Suspension poly mounts last time. Cheap and you have to clean all the old rubber crap off your old mounts to make it work. Not a bad job. Brown Dog motor mounts are going on my next project though. Great customer service and they're in my home state of Arizona. You know, the guys who will do what the feds are too wimpy to do about border security.
 
cruiser54 said:
Exhaust manifold will fit. Gaskets run about $20. I used the Energy Suspension poly mounts last time. Cheap and you have to clean all the old rubber crap off your old mounts to make it work. Not a bad job. Brown Dog motor mounts are going on my next project though. Great customer service and they're in my home state of Arizona. You know, the guys who will do what the feds are too wimpy to do about border security.
Click to expand...

LOL thats good!!!!!!!:patriot:
 
I am wrapping up this motor swap and making sure all of the sensors etc are in place. The motor is out of a 93xj OBDI. The 90xj renix has the 4.0 I6 coolant temp sensor on the driver side on the block. What tool and size do I need to get the plug out to put the renix sensor back in?
 
Another question that has popped up. I have a borla exhaust on the motor. I have tried to put the knock sensor back in the location that the original motor had it (driver side back of the block just above the oil pan.) The exhaust manifold is slightly covering it making it impossible to put the knock sensor back in that port. I noticed in front of the manifold there is a similar threaded port with nothing obstructing the hole. Could I put the nock sensor in there? So I kneed the knock sensor?
 
I'm recently new to the naxja but I have a question I'm on same boat but my xj year difference isn't only a few years, I have a complete donor xj in line it's a 2000 xj but I have an 89 xj I want to do the motor/tranny swap, I'm well aware that they won't just swap that easy so I need help
 
Tranny is gonna be a problem as they use a different type of speed sensor.

Here's my write-up on HO into Renix, but I'm unsure of the 2000 and later engines. Biggest difference would be head ports, I think. You could always compare them first using a Renix gasket up against the 2000 head.

Other option is to use your Renix head on the 2000 block since the 2000 has a questionable head anyway. Prone to cracking.


Cruiser’s HO into Renix Swap
This swap is easier than some will lead you to believe, generally those who have never done it. Those of us who have done it, like myself, will share with you the things that need to be done for a successful swap. Just think of it as swapping in a long block.
The HO and Renix have some differences but none that can’t be overcome very easily.
Any HO engine from an XJ or ZJ through 1999 can be used. One running change was that the rear of the head was no longer drilled and tapped for the temperature gauge sender beginning in the 96 model year. The sender can be relocated to the threaded hole in the thermostat housing taken from the HO engine. You’ll have to extend the wire to that location. Some brave souls even drill and tap the HO head for the sender.
You will be using the intake and exhaust manifolds from your Renix, along with all your sensors and wiring. Since the intake ports of the HO are slightly different, you use the Renix gasket. Exhaust ports are identical.
You will need to use your Renix distributor as it is different than the HO because they use different fuel management systems. The flywheel or flexplate from the Renix must be used so your CPS gets the correct signals. The valve cover from the Renix allows you to keep your CCV system intact and requires no modifications.
The HO block will have a plug in the coolant galley on the driver’s side of the block, closest to the front, which needs to be removed so your Coolant Temp Sensor can be installed in it’s place just as it is on the Renix. It requires a 5/16" square drive or a modified 3/8" drive that has been ground down to fit. Do this before installing the engine.
As for the knock sensor, which is located just above the oil pan on the driver’s side of the engine about mid way, all the blocks I’ve seen are threaded for it. If not, I’ve heard they may be drilled but not tapped. Tap the hole if that’s the case.
　
Revised 03/28/13
　
XJ Cherokee and ZJ Grand Cherokee 4.0L engine blocks interchange.

2000+ TJ Wrangler and WJ Grand Cherokee 4.0L engine blocks interchange.

XJ/ZJ blocks and 2000+ TJ/WJ blocks do not interchange without significant modifications. (1991 to 1995 YJ and 1997-1999 4.0L TJ Wrangler blocks will interchange in XJ/ZJ and visa-versa).

TJ/WJ 4.0L Engine blocks underwent clean sheet design changes effective in the 1999 WJ Grand and 2000 TJ Wrangler. These blocks are not interchangeable with XJ/ZJ engine blocks. The reason is motor mount bolt holes and belt driven accessory mounting bolt holes are in different locations, or not present at all, TJ/WJ vs. XJ/ZJ.
　
XJ: "Regular" (not Grand) Cherokees 84-01
ZJ: Grand Cherokee 93-98 (Gen1)
WJ: Grand Cherokee 99-04 (Gen2)
YJ: Wrangler 87-95 (Gen1)
TJ: Wrangler 97-06 (Gen2)



 
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