Might be the end of an era....

[Matthew Currie]

I just did an exhaust manifold swap on my 99, and when I got it all back together, it raced up to redline and wouldn't idle. No vacuum at all, it seems. I have a terrible suspicion I cracked the intake manifold. So anyway, I'm going to go out tomorrow, take it all back down and see what's the problem, but I have a feeling I'm about to leave the XJ family. This one has 266 thousand miles on it, peeling paint, very very bad floors, a cracked windshield and a few other things threatening to go wrong, and if it needs an intake manifold it's not going to get one. It's just getting to be too much. I seem to spend half my life underneath the thing.

Anyway, if this one dies, I don't see myself getting another XJ. All the used ones I've seen around are already getting old and rusty, and I'm not ready to start on another beater.

Anyone in the same boat have some wisdom on what might be a good replacement? Seats are critical. My wife and I both love the XJ seats and suffer in nearly anything else.

 

[crimsondragon]

Did you mount it correctly on the dowels? That might have cracked it.

 

[Matthew Currie]

Did you mount it correctly on the dowels? That might have cracked it.

It slipped easily onto the dowels, so I don't think that's the problem, but I won't know for sure until tomorrow when I go out and undo most of what I did today. It's possible that because the dowel fit was so free, it might have shifted out at the bottom and then caught.

 

[xcm]

Your gonna replace a jeep... over a broken intake manifold? Ive got 4 in my shed alone....

 

[Ralph]

Yeah, I feel ya. I just bought a 94 Chevy Silverado as my new daily driver and tow rig. It's a heavy half ton 4x4 with a 6.5 turbo diesel. My old 96 XJ Sport is now in the garage for some major work. I'm rebuilding the rear end and then replacing all the front steering components. After that I'll see if I can figure out why my fuel economy is so bad. (I suspect injectors) I've driven that XJ every day since 1999 putting over 225000 miles on it. It is now going to be a toy.

 

[Matthew Currie]

Your gonna replace a jeep... over a broken intake manifold? Ive got 4 in my shed alone....

Possibly. I've been thinking about replacing it for some time anyway, because of the rust and other issues. This may be the last straw.

 

[bjoehandley]

Honestly, Dad is taking his T&C into the dealer for an oil change Saturday and I'm going with to look for another vehicle, a V-6 Chrysler 200 Touring in particular. I have no intention to get rid of my XJ, it's only got 156k on it and is surprising solid compared to the XJ's Dad and little Sister had at this age, it's just that it too is going to need some work soon and will need to be taken out of service to do it plus the fuel cost is just starting to kill me to the point I should look for a second job even if I don't buy another car! I hate to say it, but if this truck were to be totalled , I wouldn't replace it with with another XJ for the OP's reason, I still see them around, but mine appears to be one of the more solid ones(don't ask me how though).

 

[crimsondragon]

Yeah I too want to put the XJ down for a bit of an overhaul. The pinion seals are leaking, the RMS is leaking, the driveline is making noises, rear axle seal is leaking. For a salt belt vehicle with almost quarter million miles, she runs cherry and has little rust. But first I gotta get my other car running.

 

[Matthew Currie]

Morning update: I can see the crack, right near the middle. I have no idea why it didn't seat, but that manifold is a goner. Unfortunately, the donor vehicle for the exhaust manifold is a 95, different intake manifold. So I guess I'm off to a boneyard to see what they can do for me, but unless it's dirt cheap, the old Jeep is going away. I was pretty well resigned to retiring it by the end of summer anyway. I'm just sorry it probably won't go away under its own power.

 

[cal]

Thats annoying that it cracked. I wonder what caused it? The 99+ manifolds go for a premium because of their believed performance potential. You should be able to find one here for 75 ish plus shipping, or shipped from car-part.com for less, without having to go into a junkyard.

 

[Matthew Currie]

So far local boneyard has one for 175 with injectors on, and might have another for 135 or so, but that seems a bit high. Anyway, I was trying to get the Jeep ready for a trip to Georgia early next week, so if I can't get it together before then, and if I decide to keep it, I'll have time to look a little more.

It's a hard choice. I like XJ's a whole lot, but if I add up all the things that either need fixing or soon will, it's a lot of hassle for a rustbucket.

 

[cal]

I don't think you'd really get any performance hit for installing the 95 intake and going. It should bolt right up.. you could always swap it out later if you decided it wasn't going to work.

 

[Matthew Currie]

I might throw the 95 intake on it just to make it movable, but the die is cast. I'm tired of stressing over what will break next and spending half my life underneath it. We went out shopping for vehicles, looking for anything with seats my wife's sore neck can tolerate. The only thing that came close to an XJ was a Liberty. So we bought an 06 Liberty with 100K miles, a warrantee, and nothing at all visibly wrong with it.

I'm sure I won't fall in love with the Liberty as I did with my series of XJ's, but it's a working vehicle that will do the job and if I don't like it enough, it's new enough and clean enough that I can just sell it again.

 

[kastein]

Will the 95 bolt up? I forget how things line up across the 95/96 serpentine belt / power steering pump mounting redesign.

Regardless, I am almost certain I have a spare sitting around here somewhere if you want it.

 

[Matthew Currie]

Will the 95 bolt up? I forget how things line up across the 95/96 serpentine belt / power steering pump mounting redesign.

Regardless, I am almost certain I have a spare sitting around here somewhere if you want it.

Thanks for the offer, but I really think I'm going to pass the whole bundle on to someone else. That Jeep doesn't owe me anything, but it's time to get on with other projects, so what I expect to do is find someone, preferably a person, who would like to tow it home. I still have the carcass of my 95 as well, now missing transmission and manifolds but still on wheels. Keep your eyes on the classifieds....

 

[H8PVMT]

I can sell you an 00 with no rust, anything to keep you and yours comfortable

 

[Matthew Currie]

I can sell you an 00 with no rust, anything to keep you and yours comfortable

Too late, I'm afraid. I just took the plates off the XJ, they go on the Flibberty tomorrow.

It's always been one of my faults that I get sentimental about old cars, and this last Jeep has been one of the best ever. But I just can't spend all my time bodging it back together, and worrying about what will break next. Time to move on.

I realized during this process that, not to detract from the greatness of the XJ, much of my attachment to this last one has been the reluctance to forsake the Naxja community!

 

[xjtrailrider]

I will get rid of my 90 XJ when they pry my dead cold fingers off the steering wheel and even then i plan on having a tight grip!

 

[mrrbby]

I wish I has seen this sooner. I have a 99 intake that I would have given you. I have no need for it, since I traded the XJ last fall. Good luck with the new ride I guess.

 

[Shorty]

Too late, I'm afraid. I just took the plates off the XJ, they go on the Flibberty tomorrow.
much of my attachment to this last one has been the reluctance to forsake the Naxja community!

:tears: we'll miss you-- don't be a stranger!

I will get rid of my 90 XJ when they pry my dead cold fingers off the steering wheel and even then i plan on having a tight grip!

well said-- my sentiments, exactly!