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2000 Jeep Cherokee: Engine Replacement

Tim00XJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Hey all,

My Cherokee has been diagnosed with the infamous 0331 cracked head at approximately 110,000 miles, therefore I've decided to replace the engine with another 4.0L. But, here lies the question. What year Jeep engines (4.0L) are compatible with the Cherokee?
 
Any Cherokee 4.0L H.O. block and any 4.0L ZJ block is compatible.
 
I've been driving on the cracked head and the oil pressure drops to zero at idle after being warmed up. I'd rather just replace the whole engine rather than running into bearing and camshaft problems. I can have an engine replaced for the same cost of replacing the head, without the worry of problems down the road.
 
Keep researching this topic. IIRC your options are limited. The accessory mountings are different for the 2000/2001. I've been reading these threads for a while because I
have the cracked head too. Talyn has put up a lot of information on this.
 
The previous owner of my 2000 replaced the whole engine with one out of a 97. He said he didnt catch the crack soon enough and ended up with a hole in the block. It has the coil-on-plug setup, and looks stock. not entirely sure how he did it, but it runs fantastic so :dunno:
 
Keep researching this topic. IIRC your options are limited. The accessory mountings are different for the 2000/2001. I've been reading these threads for a while because I
have the cracked head too. Talyn has put up a lot of information on this.

That info is old and IIRC has proven to be false. I once thought that to be the case as well. I believe whom ever started that may have been thinking of the WJ and 00+ TJ block.

Tim: The only thing that you have to deal with on an earlier block/head is the mounting and grounding of the coil packs and the exhaust manifold. The 00+ manifold will bolt up, but won't seal entirely well on the earlier heads. I have heard that after market headers for the 00+ will work on earlier heads. If you have a federal emission package you can use a header for an earlier engine and some exhaust work.
 
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That info is old and IIRC has proven to be false. I once thought that to be the case as well. I believe whom ever started that may have been thinking of the WJ and 00+ TJ block.

Austin: The only thing that you have to deal with on an earlier block/head is the mounting of the coil packs and the exhaust manifold. The 00+ manifold will bolt up, but won't seal entirely well on the earlier heads. I have heard that after market headers for the 00+ will work on earlier heads.

hmm well im running the stock 2000+ cast iron, 2 piece manifold and the rest of the exhaust is stock except for the muffler. No leaks that I can see.
 
If replacing the engine and head in a 2000-01 the simplest swap is to use all the original intake, sensors, coil rail ignition, and exhaust with an updated and strengthened 0331 TUPY head from a 2003+ Wrangler ( or one from Alabama Cylinder Head ).

Everything will bolt onto your H.O. block.

Using an earlier head on a 00-01 has been done and the minor modifications needed have been written-up.
 
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I know I'm a bit late responding to this thread, but I bought one of these Cherokees with the 0331 head about 1 1/2 years ago. I bought it with 131,000 miles on it and currently have 143,000 miles on it. At first, it ran great, but the oil pressure gauge would bounce from 0 to 40 every now and then but eventually fixed itself. about 6 months into ownership, I started having the standard symptoms I've been reading about on here and other forums. At first, I thought it was the radiator leaking slightly, but it got progressively worse and worse with no visual signs of coolant leaking anywhere. I came to the conclusion that it was most likely a head gasket issue. I finally got the head off and took it to get machined and needless to say they found a few unrepairable cracks. FML! Thats how I come across this info on this forum.

My question is this:

Do I or Should I replace just the head? I'd prefer not to replace with another 0331 head but I want the coils to bolt on like factory and the exhaust ports to match up to the factory HO manifold and gasket.

Is there a way to tell if I will have main bearing issues before I put this all back together? After reading all this info on the forums, I'm concerned that I may have waited too long. I plan on changing the oil before I crank it up and a couple more times after that to try and get all of the sludgy buildup out of the engine. There was a lot of buildup on the springs and rockers. I changed the oil regularly since I've owned it and even ran a couple of cans of Seafoam before doing the oil changes. I've never had any knocking or tapping come from the engine.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. I'm sorry for the long post.
 
I would pull the pan and take a rod bearing off and replace them if the crank looks good, there fairly cheap to buy and not a hard job really.
I know I'm a bit late responding to this thread, but I bought one of these Cherokees with the 0331 head about 1 1/2 years ago. I bought it with 131,000 miles on it and currently have 143,000 miles on it. At first, it ran great, but the oil pressure gauge would bounce from 0 to 40 every now and then but eventually fixed itself. about 6 months into ownership, I started having the standard symptoms I've been reading about on here and other forums. At first, I thought it was the radiator leaking slightly, but it got progressively worse and worse with no visual signs of coolant leaking anywhere. I came to the conclusion that it was most likely a head gasket issue. I finally got the head off and took it to get machined and needless to say they found a few unrepairable cracks. FML! Thats how I come across this info on this forum.

My question is this:

Do I or Should I replace just the head? I'd prefer not to replace with another 0331 head but I want the coils to bolt on like factory and the exhaust ports to match up to the factory HO manifold and gasket.

Is there a way to tell if I will have main bearing issues before I put this all back together? After reading all this info on the forums, I'm concerned that I may have waited too long. I plan on changing the oil before I crank it up and a couple more times after that to try and get all of the sludgy buildup out of the engine. There was a lot of buildup on the springs and rockers. I changed the oil regularly since I've owned it and even ran a couple of cans of Seafoam before doing the oil changes. I've never had any knocking or tapping come from the engine.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. I'm sorry for the long post.
 
Hey all,

My Cherokee has been diagnosed with the infamous 0331 cracked head at approximately 110,000 miles, therefore I've decided to replace the engine with another 4.0L. But, here lies the question. What year Jeep engines (4.0L) are compatible with the Cherokee?
 
I had the same problem but my own fault. I drove back from Nevada in a snow storm with a broken water pump. I have a few ? 1. How long have you been driving with a cracked head? 2. How much coolant is going into the oil? 3.Do you notice a milky solution in your oil? 4.How many oil changes have you done since the crack and how frequent?5. Do you notice coolant on the inside of your oil filler cap? Does your motor have rod nock?
 
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