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4-Cylinder XJ Engine Swap

kastein said:
'84-85 2.5L cylinder head: 8350 0675 or 8350 1411 (not sure which is which)
'86-90 2.5L cylinder head: Injected (#2403) 8350 2487 Carbed (#2405) 8350 2488
-- the TB injected head was superceded by 3300 7115 (same as '91-98 MPI) while the carbed head was superceded by 5302 0183 (same as '91-98 Carbed)
'91-98 2.5L cylinder head: Injected (unknown casting number) 3300 7115 Carbed (unknown casting number, only used on US vehicles till 93 and export till 96) 5302 0183
'99 2.5L cylinder head: Injected (unknown casting number) 3300 7115AB which indicates that it's just a revised version of the earlier 3300 7115 head

What year did the donor motor come from? Based off what I just found you should be A-OK as long as it's in the 86-99 range, I can't find any cross ref or superceded numbers for the 84-85 heads but you probably aren't looking at an engine that old anyways. There apparently weren't any 2.5L 00s or 01s so that's no concern.

EDIT - The only thing I would worry about is sensors - I know on a '90 4cyl there is no knock sensor, while on 89 (?) and earlier there is and it's mounted near the front, and I'm pretty sure 91 and later there is no knock sensor. If the hole for the knock sensor goes through the block into an oil gallery or something you should simply get the sensor with the engine and leave it disconnected as a dummy plug to fill the hole. You may also want to transfer your valve cover since the 90 and maybe later valve covers were plastic, I think the 92 was metal but I'm not sure. Also the RMS on a 2.5 is a one-piece so you should likely replace it before you install the engine just to keep from having to drop the tranny later.
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engine is coming from an '88.

oil is leaking from the valve cover...these cars have timing belts or chains? was going to change oil seals, clutch and belts before I reinstall it. whats an RMS...rear main seal, gonna change that out any way!

maybe if my 2.5l had a knock sensor, it wouldn't have knocked...then again, maybe it's broken. the guy told me i gotta go pull the motor myself, so gonna try and do that next week. hopefully the truck is still running so i can at least hear it before I commit to it. i don't have the time, money, space or patience for a motor rebuild right now, so just hoping to spend $200 on a used engine, and re-seal and drop that biatch in!

I think I'm going to take the holiday to pull my blown motor, that should at least get me started...can i do this without pulling the tranny? there seems to be plenty of space to reach the bell housing bolts...I've only pulled motors out of Mazda Miata's and have always removed them with the transmission.
 
If the donor is tbi and yours is mpfi, yeah - otherwise your injectors have nowhere to go!

I would pull it with the trans and transfer case, I would rather spend 20 minutes unplugging a few more wires, disconnecting the transfer case linkage, and dropping the driveshafts and crossmember than I would spend 45 minutes with my hands jammed between the firewall/tunnel and the trans. MUCH simpler to separate then on the hoist, ground, or stand.
 
man i would just pick up another cherokee. there like tissue paper, blow one and pick up another. Doesnt seem worth it to me to spend all that time and money when you could sell yours for around $300 and pick up another one in running condition and most likely a 4.0 for a few hundred more. Just my 2 cents. My latest cherokee that i bought a couple weeks ago for $800 is a 98 cherokee with a 4.5 lift, 106,000 miles and to fix it only cost me $25 from pandp.
 
sjstar said:
man i would just pick up another cherokee. there like tissue paper, blow one and pick up another. Doesnt seem worth it to me to spend all that time and money when you could sell yours for around $300 and pick up another one in running condition and most likely a 4.0 for a few hundred more. Just my 2 cents. My latest cherokee that i bought a couple weeks ago for $800 is a 98 cherokee with a 4.5 lift, 106,000 miles and to fix it only cost me $25 from pandp.
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a reasonable point. in the long run, i'd much rather have a 4.0l with 4wd anyway. I got this one because it was the only 2-door manual i could find under $1,000.

FYI, mine is RWD...dunno about the one with the motor in it...were there 4wd 4-cylinder cherokees?
 
Mylesofsmyles said:
a reasonable point. in the long run, i'd much rather have a 4.0l with 4wd anyway. I got this one because it was the only 2-door manual i could find under $1,000.

FYI, mine is RWD...dunno about the one with the motor in it...were there 4wd 4-cylinder cherokees?
Click to expand...

Yes. Lots of them in the early years.
 
K, so I just posted my XJ for sale on CL. Considering my constraints, SMOG, time, space and money, it's most likely in my best interest to cut my losses; sell this vehicle and find another one for a bit more. I paid $700 for this, end of February, with a known leaking water pump... immediately replaced the water pump, thermostat and belt and had a drivable XJ for under $1,000. Didn't take but the first drive around the block, after I replaced the water pump, to discover the piston slap...bummer! I did drive it for close to 700 miles before it gave out...to some extent, I got my money's worth.

2-door and manual trans FTW, but 2wd and a 2.5L has been a real bummer. I've thought about swapping in a 4.0L, but that's a hell of a lot of work for an engine swap I don't plan on sticking with. I've really got an appetite for one of these...
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SMOG requirements in CA are a bitch enough, that I'd rather save myself another engine swap, and do it proper ONCE! I think I can find another XJ that's a 4.0L 5-speed with 4wd...just really hope I can find a 2-door!

I've done alright with my '79 Volvo 242 and '90 Mazda Miata, both of which I purchased this year. I purchased both cars for under $600, with no upfront repair costs required. I got both cars in late February and have invested less than $200 into both rides, and they're both running great! I know they both could use some love, but it's a lot easier to work at them, bit by bit, while they're running, than have a car consuming a garage spot, in a state of inactivity for weeks, requiring more extensive attention.

I'm hoping I can find my XJ for a similar bargain and drive it while i revive it! Then L92/6-Speed it! :D
 
Smog requirements really arent that tough, once you have been there. Believe me, the most worrysome part of my swap was how the smog nazis would react.

You need to go see the smog referee. The ref. I went to see is also the head of the Auto dept at a community college. Heck of a nice guy, and really knew his stuff.

The requirements for an engine swap in CA are essentially: You need a complete motor and emission system from a real car(as it came from the factory) from the same year or newer than the body.

So its really all about finding an emission system you like. As long as the emission system is good and matches the rest of the engine management system, they dont care about the block. Example: Guy came in with a 350 he had swapped into a CJ, but it had the MPFI that only came on the 305. The CJ guy and the Ref go round and round about it, finally the ref tells the guy " we can either call it a 305, and you will get your sticker today, or we can call it a 350, and you can go home and change your whole emission system" Yeah the guy started calling it a 305 after that.
 
souske said:
Smog requirements really arent that tough, once you have been there. Believe me, the most worrysome part of my swap was how the smog nazis would react.

You need to go see the smog referee. The ref. I went to see is also the head of the Auto dept at a community college. Heck of a nice guy, and really knew his stuff.

The requirements for an engine swap in CA are essentially: You need a complete motor and emission system from a real car(as it came from the factory) from the same year or newer than the body.

So its really all about finding an emission system you like. As long as the emission system is good and matches the rest of the engine management system, they dont care about the block. Example: Guy came in with a 350 he had swapped into a CJ, but it had the MPFI that only came on the 305. The CJ guy and the Ref go round and round about it, finally the ref tells the guy " we can either call it a 305, and you will get your sticker today, or we can call it a 350, and you can go home and change your whole emission system" Yeah the guy started calling it a 305 after that.
Click to expand...


haha, good story.

it's not so much that i'm concerned I won't pass the Ref's inspection as much as it's a lot of work and process I don't have the time for now. I'm not diving into an LSX swap for a while, so the goal is to just have an XJ that runs. I don't want to go through the work of swapping in a 4.0L now...just want an XJ that runs.
 
just thought i'd share that i cut my losses on this one. sold the jeep, meaning i've got room to put my lil roadster inside, finally, and not deal with this mess. i'll start hunting CL for what'll be a better option from the start.

i'm just going to find a 4.0L, manual, 4wd car...really, really want a 2-door again, but i guess i shouldn't be picky.
 
If you can't find a 4.0/manual/4wd/2dr, go for a 4.0/anything/2dr. Changing from 4dr to 2dr is non trivial, swapping a transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, and a front axle in is a weekend project and you can pick up the parts at the junkyard for less than 500 dollars (at least, around here. I forget how cali prices compare)
 
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