RE: YJ STUFF
Firstly, welcome to Jeepz! I love this part; new jeep buying makes me happy
So... Regarding this Jeep... The I-6 is a very reliable engine, but it does have a few eccentric quirks that might normally turn someone off of buying one, but are acceptable for normal operation of the engine... And trust me, I'm not gonna pull a "me and my brother" (OMG, look at the condition of the body and interior, we have to get it... wonder if it runs...) :lol:
Oil Leak. The rear main seal in these engines are notorious for leaking; I don't personally know anyone whose is not... It would be nice for them not to, but they like to seep a little bit of oil, they're replacable, they stop leaking, but they can start up again, flawed design, I guess... They seep so little between oil changes that until mine gets bad, I'm letting it ride; don't have the cash to do that anyway...
Knocking. More of a tapping really, 2 reasons. These engines are prone to a little valve tapping, again, every I-6 I've worked with does it. If it's not a devestatingly loud clacking noise, and performance is good, I wouldn't worry about it. Also, the exhaust manifolds on those like to gently split, also making a tapping noise...
Clunk. Depending on your rear axle, it may clunk in the rear end when you put it into gear. Again, normal, I think it's the Chrysler 8.25 that's prone to this...
Jeep are very reliable vehicles. Let me put it to you this way with the three that I always have to maintain (and I'm not a mechanic by any means, all my friends and family just like to think I am :lol: )
My Jeep: 2000 XJ Sport, 93,000 miles (60,000 put on in my 3 years of ownership). Daily Driver. Mudding crazy hardcore all the time. Sucked a goodly amount of water into the engine (you could have watered the lawn with what came out the exhaust). Have not had the time or money to do an oil change yet (soon, I know, BAD BAD!!! :shock: )... But it starts and runs like a peach every day.
Ben's Jeep: 1995 XJ Sport, 140,000 miles. Daily Driver. Backcountry trails and moderate mud (no tow points). Mom incinerated the engine by driving about 30 miles home with no coolant (blown out radiator)... Cooked the block. New block installed (head and everything else are original). Starts and runs like it's right off the showroom floor.
Kyle's Jeep: 1986 AMC Grand Wagoneer (full size), 125,000 miles. Daily Driver. Recently bought, no wheeling yet. Original AMC 360 V-8. Jeep and engine are 19 years old, bought used off some little lot, knew nothing about it. Starts and fires right up every time it's asked to do so, he drove it 4 hours up north no problems...
to contrast...
Mom's Old Van: 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan, 60,000 miles. Massive oil leak, transmission slipping and grinding, hell of an engine knock, check engine light threw at least three times a day, and the air conditioning compressor was shot.
My point is that Jeep are strong, well built vehicles, for the most part. Any vehicle can and will break over time, but if you saw how I drive my Jeep, the fact that that poor beast even starts in the morning is saying something. Regular oil and filter changes are key to happy Jeep. If you wheel, yes, parts break, but on my little stocker, the only "major" repair that I have had to deal with was a new alternator because I filled and shorted out the old one with mud...
Best of luck, hope the Jeep works out for you
