Enginer swap, need help

[gunjankakani]

Hi,

Wanted to know if anyone on the board can do engine swap in my YJ. Or can rebuild my current 258? If you know someone who can be reliable and reasonable for this job, please let me know.

I might get a cherokee 4.0HO from a friend, but if rebuilding helps, I am up for it.

Thx

[rick]

You will thank yourself in the end if you go buy a complete junkyard 4.0 MPI engine complete with harness, sensors, and ECU and get rid of the Carter carb. If it is relatively low mileage then you can forgo the rebuild and just swap them out. Buy one with a warranty.

[paulhead]

Whats up man, the leak get that bad? Or did you get bad news about it?

[gunjankakani]

Whats up man, the leak get that bad? Or did you get bad news about it?

Hi paul,

yeah within two days after we met, it started to leak oil so badly that it was impossible to drive it, got it checked at one place (address you gave me...) and he said it's something between transmission and engine, so will have to remote tranny, cost $500. Since this guy had some experience with jeeps, I trust him. Anyway, right now its sitting in the backyard, I am thinking of possible options..swap engine, rebuild..so on.

[RangerRick]

What ever became of your engine problem here? Did you get it swapped? I have an 89 YJ rolling chasis and a wrecked 92 with good powertrain. Going to swap all the drivetrain stuff off the 92 Sahara into the 89 Islander. Change VIN id and add paint.....Whalaaah, 89 becometh 92! I've done this before but remember, things that will need swap are fuel lines, gas tank with sender/fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel lines & vent lines, intake air filter box, crank angle sensor, wiring harness and some emissions tubes etc. This conversion can be smog legal in CA and will definitely make wheeling much better especially at altitudes and high angles. One can also just swap the head, intake and exhaust manifolds and the aformentioned wiring, hoses, fuel lines etc and continue the use of the 4.2L engine if it is in good shape. Aftermarket crank angle sensor and harmonic balencer can be purchased to facilitate easy conversion on a 4.2 or the use of a different transmission other than one from a 4.0L. Maybe I will take pictures of this latest swap job & post on here for the record.
Rick

[gunjankakani]

Hey,

Nice plan, but not for me anymore. I finally got hold of a guy who knew something about the jeeps. And helped me put the my old 258 back in shape. He said the compression was good and he did not see any other major problem with the engine. He did the rear main seal + intake-exhaust seal for 250 and now it runs as smooth as it used to be.

I had done the rear main seal in a wrong way, put the upper part in reverse direction. Otherwise I would have saved those 200 also. But then worth considering he did the job excellent. I already have MC2100 running which so far has given me no problems.

Now I just need to wheel around and break it to convince myself for an engine swap...

Good luck with your job.

[Comrade Andy]

Hey if everything in the 258 internally is in good shape, when you feel like a motor swap you could use the parts to build up a 4.0 block into a nice 4.6-4.7 strocker... a nice way of getting big HP and ft/lbs

[RangerRick]

If you are still looking for an affordable F.I. conversion, Howell engineering makes a "relatively" low cost TBI convesion that will bolt right on your 4.2L engine. It costs about $1300 + any labor to install said conversion. Is 50 states smog legal and will save you serious coin over engine swaps/rebuilds etc. and has the potential to give your 4.2L smog queen nightmare that new Jeep drive-ability and performance we all seek! Although it won't be quite as nice as the MPFI of an H.O. 4.0L motor, it will still be better than ANY carburetor could ever offer in the offroad realm. I have personally tested Fuel Injected Jeep engines at all angles and they run great..... Well except when greasy side up.... Engines tend to smoke & sputter a bit from oil at that point BUT they make great mosquito foggers! Food for thought.... Rick

[Ben]

If you were to take a 90 fuel injected engine from a cherokee and put it in a 90 wrangler. Would it be smog legal in Ca?

[gunjankakani]

Yep, I guess so, because the rule says the engine cannot be older then the chasis. So same year is fine.

[gunjankakani]

If you are still looking for an affordable F.I. conversion, Howell engineering makes a "relatively" low cost TBI convesion that will bolt right on your 4.2L engine. It costs about $1300 + any labor to install said conversion. Is 50 states smog legal and will save you serious coin over engine swaps/rebuilds etc. and has the potential to give your 4.2L smog queen nightmare that new Jeep drive-ability and performance we all seek! Although it won't be quite as nice as the MPFI of an H.O. 4.0L motor, it will still be better than ANY carburetor could ever offer in the offroad realm. I have personally tested Fuel Injected Jeep engines at all angles and they run great..... Well except when greasy side up.... Engines tend to smoke & sputter a bit from oil at that point BUT they make great mosquito foggers! Food for thought.... Rick

Hi,

I checked their website, and the one they have for 258 is a 300cfm TBI kit only for Manual trans. I have auto trans, I am not sure if it would work with auto?

Any idea?

[RangerRick]

More on engine Swaps, 4.0 & Fuel Injection & SMOG

Regarding TBI FI: Id have to research but last I talked to them (Howell) and they said it's a sensor issue on the Automagic tranny (maybe crank angle sensor on the bellhousing). As far as FI, Painless wiring in Texas may make a wiring harness for the 4.0L HO swap or try Street & Performance. Go to their websites to find out or give em a call. The head will need minor modification to some passages etc. dependent on head & Year of 4.2 motor like welding some passages etc. This is the biggest issue with swapping the head on a late model HO motor. There may be some members on here who have done their own conversion and know the exact details of the head modifications necissary on 4.2 blocks.

As far as a 90 4.0 engine, that is early French injection system and it is adaptable to a YJ or CJ. Yes it will be smog legal, better than TBI injection however unless the 87-90 XJ Cherokee is really cheap or next-to-free, id try to get a 91 or up HO system. OBD 1 systems manufactured from 1991 to 1996 (AKA:1995 1/2) are the easiest to modify & install Plus it is as easy as switching the ignition system on and off a few times rapidly to check trouble code diagnostics. But this is changing all the time with companies comming up with modified ECMs & aftermarket wiring harnesses that are OBD ll compliant. The unique thing about a 91 is it was the LAST YEAR of ALL mechanical gages and 1st year of OBD l so you can use any instrument cluster pack & tachometer easilly when using stock wiring harness out of a Wrangler. In 92 to the end of YJ production, Chrysler changed the instrument cluster to an all Japanese made ELECTRONIC dash, tach and speedo using a VSS (vehicle speed sensor) in the same place the speedo gear & sender went. Benefits are obvious because speedo cable is no-longer required.

Another note for you performance guys out there, If you wanna build a stroker, id get an 87-90 4.0L block with double ribs in the casting. These blocks are affection-ate-ly known as the "MEXICAN BLOCK". (perhapse forged in Chrysler's Mexico Foundry) These are the STRONGEST 4.0L blocks ever made that were commonly installed and will take abuse such as blowers, bore & stroke out to as much as 5.2L & even possibility of cross drilling custom 4 bolt main caps. Many of the pros that race the straight 6 use this motor with dual 62MM throttle bodies on a modified and ported head and intake is off of a 97+ Cherokee. Using one TPS sensor, re-programmed ECU & Hi-Flow injectors, these pump out V8 kind of Horsepower with I6 torque bands.

JP Magazine had a writeup on an ex old class 6 Cherokee that was beating ALL THE V8 CLASS 8 SUPER trucks in the desert races such as Baja 1000! Yeah, I couldn't believe it but they were getting over 300 HP out of that engine! The intake air filter was mounted in the passenger compartment dash for cleaner/cooler air intake & this thing had quite a trick suspension system under it.

As far as 4.0L HO engines are concerned, you can use a 97-99 and possibly even 2000+ because even the Distributor-less engines have the ability to run conventional distributors in them due to oil pump drive gear/cam timing sensor etc. Im not sure on the very latest engines over 2003+ yet, but I have swapped several 97+ engines into 87-96 YJ's & XJ's. There are several things that will need to be adapted such as temp sensors, pilot shaft/crank bearings locations of knock sensors etc. but it can be done with relative ease. My current 90 Cherokee 2dr sport 4WD 5spd has a late 97 early 98 engine in it with the original 1990 French injection system being used. It is FAST & gets 18-20MPG!

Finally, if you have a carbureted engine and convert it to Fuel Injection, you may have to visit the state authorities for where you reside if you wish to have street legal registration. Living here in California and having been state SMOG inspection & repair licensed from 1988 until 1997 when I got out of the business, I can assure you that doing your homework ahead of time and making sure you know ALL the details of the swap including EMISSIONS CONTROLS (AKA: SMOG EQUIPMENT) before visiting the state Smog program will save you LOTS of headaches! Rule of thumb in California as the most restrictive of the states on emissions is that the engine should be same year or newer than the vehicle although they usually won't check casting dates. Examples like if you had a 4.2 and you installed a 4.0L head with FI nobody would know block differences as long as it has the same emissions stuff that would be on the NEWER of the two engines. If you use HO fuel injection on your early 4.2, you can trash that EGR valve & thermostatic air cleaner along with any air (smog) pumps or pulse air valves but you will have to run a CATALYTIC CONVERTER, EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS CANISTER PCV orifice closed type venting tube system in the valve cover as an HO does & FUEL FILLER neck unleaded RESTRICTOR with approved type venting valve screw on gas cap.

Rick OllllllO