1990 XJ factory engine swap?

Hey guys, great forum you have here. So let me first introduce myself. I have lived in Dever, CO for about 6 years now and got a 1990 Jeep Cherokee a few years ago as a second vehicle for going camping in the mountains and getting around in the snow. Over the summer I drove the jeep low on oil and broke one of the connecting rods I believe.

I weighed the difference between a rebuild and a junkyard engine. I feel in terms of affordability and availability I want to go the route of a "new" junkyard engine.

So here is my question. We have a few local junkyards around town that have plenty of jeeps in them. What years do I look for? I was thinking the newer the better in terms of low milage and it would also be OBDII. Is there much difference between pulling an engine from a cherokee vs. a grand cherokee as long as its the 4.0? I was also thinking of pulling it with the transmission and replacing that since my jeep has 215k+ miles on it at this point.

When I'm pulling the junkyard engine and transmission, I also plan on taking the wiring harness, ecu, tcm. any other little bits and pieces I should plan on getting?

If you have to ask how to do this, you probably don't have the skills and experience to install the 1996 and newer OBD-II engine controls in your older Cherokee. It can be done, it just depends on the amount of time and effort you want to invest.

You can install any 1990-2001 XJ Cherokee or ZJ Grand Cherokee engine block in your 1990 Cherokee. Re-use and install the 1990 intake/exhaust manifolds, flywheel, distributor, and other engine sensors as needed.

If you want to install 1996 and newer OBD-II engine contrails you will need to remove the entire under-hood and dashboard wire harnesses, and the dashboard, and then replace them with your donor Cherokee parts. You will probably also need the matching AW-4 transmission and transfer case from your donor. You should also have a full Factory Service Manual for your Cherokee and for the donor Cherokee, to resolve the wiring issues that will come up. It would be best to have and keep the donor Cherokee nearby for the little parts, brackets, wire connectors, and other bits you might forget the first time you pull parts.

This^^.

First of all thank you for the quick response. Second of all I'm not too worried about my mechanical aptitude, I'm just not all that familiar with the cherokee platform.

So it sounds like a better alternative to a whole engine and wiring harness swap would be replacing the long block with my intake/exhaust manifold and accessories. Can I use the head off of the donner vehicle? I worry about how hot the head got and if its warped or not.

You have the right idea. New radiator, water pump, thermostat, radiator cap etc is in order during the swap.

Any 87-99 head will be fine. Avoid the 2000-01 0331 head.

1987-1990…… #2686 2 temp sensors
1991-1995…… #7120 2 temp sensors
1996-1999…… #0630 1 temp sensor