1996 Repair List Guidance

Hello, all. First post here.

I just inherited a stock 1996 4.0L I6 with 120,000. I took it to a garage to get it checked out and they quoted me the following… I’m trying to get a handle on the situation and figure out what needs to be done first (or at all) and what I might be able to do myself to save on labor. I’m a fairly handy individual with not too much experience (I’ve changed breaks and radiator on my 97 Wrangler). I haven’t paid anything for the car but don’t want to spend money unnecessarily. Anything here seem out of normal?

Sperentine Belt Cracked/Old
Part: $56 - Labor: $83

Oil Pan Gasket Leaking
Part: $37 - Labor: $166

Front Shocks leaking
Part: $56x2 - Labor: $83

Rear Shocks leaking
Part: $56x2 – Labor: $83

Catalytic Converter rattling
Part: $183 - Labor $125

Engine Mounts worn
Part: $41x2 – Labor: $250

Transmission Mount worn
Part: $73 - Labor: $83

Transmission Lines
Part: $60 - Labor: $125

Other concern noted by garage:
Shudders between 1st/2nd & 2nd/3rd - possible rear end gear rebuilding? = $1200-$1800

Thanks,
Jeremiah

Sperentine Belt Cracked/Old
Simple, Replace it yourself, just remember the routting

Oil Pan Gasket Leaking
$16 at Autozone for a one peice. Takes maybe 20minutes to replace.

Front Shocks leaking
Quicky, just deal with them, makes the ride a little bouncy, but you can buy new shocks all around for about $32 each. Easy to replace.

Rear Shocks leaking
Rear is a little more difficult since the upper shock mount bolts like to break, but a torch and some PB Blaster will usually break it off. And there are tutorials around that say how to replace it from inside of the Jeep.

Catalytic Converter rattling
Get a universal for $50 on summit racing, and weld it on yourself or take it to a shop and they'll do it for around $30 + additional parts($10)

Engine Mounts worn
I think the mechanic means the bushings. Ive never done these, but its just a matter of supporting the engine bracket with a jack stand or bottle jack, then replacing the bushing, slidding the bolt back in, and relieveing the pressure.

Transmission Mount worn
Never done this, but Quadratec has them, and I dont think they are to expensive.

Transmission Lines
Again never done this.

Other concern noted by garage:
Shudders between 1st/2nd & 2nd/3rd - Shudders? Can you get a better description, might just be the busings on the leaf packs thats bad, or a bad ujoint, or some loss of power in the engine translatting through the drivetrain.


Hope this helps,
Joshua

J Mo said:

Hello, all. First post here.

I just inherited a stock 1996 4.0L I6 with 120,000. I took it to a garage to get it checked out and they quoted me the following… I’m trying to get a handle on the situation and figure out what needs to be done first (or at all) and what I might be able to do myself to save on labor. I’m a fairly handy individual with not too much experience (I’ve changed breaks and radiator on my 97 Wrangler). I haven’t paid anything for the car but don’t want to spend money unnecessarily. Anything here seem out of normal?

Sperentine Belt Cracked/Old
Part: $56 - Labor: $83

Oil Pan Gasket Leaking
Part: $37 - Labor: $166

Front Shocks leaking
Part: $56x2 - Labor: $83

Rear Shocks leaking
Part: $56x2 – Labor: $83

Catalytic Converter rattling
Part: $183 - Labor $125

Engine Mounts worn
Part: $41x2 – Labor: $250

Transmission Mount worn
Part: $73 - Labor: $83

Transmission Lines
Part: $60 - Labor: $125

Other concern noted by garage:
Shudders between 1st/2nd & 2nd/3rd - possible rear end gear rebuilding? = $1200-$1800

Thanks,
Jeremiah

Click to expand...

Buy a tension tester and replace it yourself. Small cracks really don't mean much with the flat belt (they are pretty darned robust). The replacement guide says when 1/4 the width of the belt is cracked through or gone, it's time to replace. I ordered a new one and keep it in the tool box in the back of the XJ (been in there for over a year, the old crakced one hasn't failed yet).
Oil pan gasket rarley leaks, unless it has been replaced before. It's usually the rear main seal, the oil filter adaptor or the rear of the valve cover gasket that leaks and appears to be the pan gasket. Unless it gets bad, I'd ignore it for awhile. Jeeps leak, nature of the beast.
Shocks, change the fronts yourself. Take it into Sears and have them change the rears. If they screw it up, they have to fix it. Shocks can be a biggy in the winter time, those slides in the ice and snow, get bad quick when the shocks allow the XJ to roll/sway to much and too quickly.
Catalytic converter is hard to do yourself unless you have access to a torch.
I'd order a Summit universal replacement and look for a one man shop to weld it in, the local hobby shop or the Automotive section at the local colledge.
Weak mounts don't mean much, they are either broken or they aren't. Actually a little extra flex can save snapping of the motor mount bolts in the block. Mine are loose and have been for years, never seemed to be much of a problem.
The transmission lines typically leak at the connector. Either replace the "O" rings in the connector or cut off the connector and hook the hard lines together with a piece of oil line and double hose clamps (you can get thin ones). Have a look at the power steering line and the tranny cooler line where it crosses the steering box, they can rub through there (though the 96 does have an extra fastener there for the lines).
Replace the tranny fluid, then a month later replace it again. Much of the old age shudder of the auto tranny often disappears with fresh Dexron in there (new friction enhancers). If the fluid is straw colored and not red or sometimes even dark brown and sludgey, it's a sure indicator it's time for a fluid change. Search TV cable adjustment, a tight cable can cause shudder, a loose cable harsh shifts. If the tranny is actually slipping some (usuually happens in first second shift) you can back of the gas during the shift and nurse it along for years.
Rear ends most always get noisey when they have bearing problems. Unless it is really loud, I wouldn't worry about it too much (it can go on for years). U-joints are often higher priority anyway.
I'd get it running and drive it for awhile, things will likely pop up that need to be adressed, that aren't on your list and often more important anyway. Plugged radiator, sensor (or harness) problems or emission test troubles. Keep an eye on your oil pressure and notice any knocks in the motor or steering problems. Brakes, steering (front end parts and suspension) and tires are the biggies anyway, the other stuff is secondary.

maintain

I would sugest you find someone local, get the parts and have a good saturday changing those parts. Nothing on that list is a killer. Probably the rear main seal to if your going to pull the pan. If your in socal i'll give you a hand.
Good luck,

That's great. Just spoke with the dealer and the Catalytic converter is covered by the recall. While that's getting replaced, any of these other items worth having the dealership take care of?

just for ease of not getting messy, have them mess with your tranny lines.

The rest of that stuff, do it yourself with pretty basic set of tools, and some pb blaster, you have about 4 hours worth of work for someone that has minimal experence with a jeep, and maybe 6 or 7 for someone that is just getting started turning wrenches.

Doing it yourself always makes you feel better, and then you have more money for wheeling, crusing or what ever you do.

And now that you have the jeep, go to ebay or google, and find a Factory service manual for your year. The chiltons, and haynes pretty much suck, they are far to general. I have the four book set for my 97(FSM, Body Diagnostics, Powertrain, and tranny), and it really lays down alot of stuff in there.

Besides, you can use the money you save to buy some more tools, and this will allow you to save more money later doing your own mods.

All of these items are "General Mechanic" type of repairs except for the cat. and possibly the rear end/tranny problem. Get a family member or a friend who knows some general stuff and work with him on it and learn about your Jeep in the process. This is what I did nearly 30 years ago, and thats what got me started and interested in doing mechanical work, I now repair Diesel-Electric locomotives and earn a good living.

Also get a good Factory Service Manual and read first then do the repairs. Spend the $ you save on labor and spend it on better quality parts.

I just noticed your in VA, Where?

take the jeep to the dealerand get the recall done for reprograming the pcm, if it is rattling, they will replace it under the recall.

I would add a couple of things.

For the "leaking shock absorbers." Test the ride first and bounce the bumpers to see if the shock absorbers are working satisfactorily. And get under it yourself to look at them. A little seepage is no big deal as long as they still do their job, and it's pretty rare for all 4 to leak. Be suspicious.

The likelihood that it needs 1200 to 1800 bucks worth of rear end rebuilding is very slim indeed, especially for a shudder when it shifts. That sounds bogus to me. Check the universal joints and things like that first. If it does need rear end work, you can get a whole Jeep with a good rear end up in New England and drive it back to Virginia for that price anyway.

For the worn engine mounts, I'd also suggest a good hard look and no big rush. The engine mounts are rubber, and it's pretty easy to see whether or not they're in good shape. The transmission mount does tend to sag with age, but unless you have symptoms such as a clunking exhaust, you may not need any new mounts at all.

And you would do well to live with your oil leaks a while to until you're sure of the source. As 8Mud points out, it's rarely the gasket alone, and if it is, you can always just try tightening it first.