'98 TJ with a blown engine; best options?

[Hhottrod]

I had been trying to buy my buddies TJ for a couple years. He had no mechanical knowledge and was paying ridiculous money to keep it on the road (tune up, exhaust, blah, blah...)...and he calls me a week ago to say the engine blew.

So I gave him$1,000 and I am starting the restoration.

1998 Wrangler Sport 4.0, soft top, manual, soft top, newer tires (29"), mild-to-concerning frame rust (Tennessee Jeep to start, ended up in Michigan for the last 12 years). 157,000 miles.

I am an engineer, logical thinker, and conservative with my money. I want this Jeep for the family 3rd car. I have a soon to be 16 year old, and two newer cars the family relies on. (More than a beater, less than a dd.)

For starters, I am putting a 4.0 liter back in this. Minus someone giving me a 350 and installing it for free, I'm keeping it original. (Some day I may want to sell it.)

My quandary is this:
My options seem to be -
$400 junkyard engine (high risk)
$400-$800 high mileage part-out (often with concerning caveats ("186,xxx, with the normal rattles and knocks"!)) (High risk)
$2,000 remanufactured (low risk)

There seems to be very little middle ground.

My questions:
Am i missing anything above on my engine purchase choices?

The AutoZone engine is $1,500+ core.
A Jasper is closer to $2,000+ core
(I may not get my core back based on the damage which is unknown at this point)

When I replace the engine, I'm also replacing the clutch, and water pump (if it isn't already included), what else should I do while I'm in there?

Also note: until I fix the broken stuff, and get it on the road, I'm not upgrading our accessorizing anything.

All your thoughts are welcome!

Thanks in advance. I appreciate the knowledge base here.

C

 

[ohiopatriot]

Your engine choices about sum it up.

Yours sounds like a good candidate for the junk yard option. Find one as low mileage as possible and drop it in. We've put in countless used engines and very rarely had an issue.

Change the (as you mentioned) clutch and waterpump as well as the hoses, belt, tuneup components, gaskets and seals while it's out.

YMMV. Good luck.

 

[Rob5589]

Before spending any money I would take a good hard look at the frame and rust issues. Engine swaps are easy, fixing a rusted out TJ, not so much

 

[59 wagon man]

just a suggestion if you go the new engine route . summit has great 0%financing for something like 18 months . this would let you pay it off for free while enjoying your brand new engine. it wont hurt so bad

 

[Flivver250]

+1 on the above rust advice. Ugly Jeeps are still a thing of beauty, rust in the wrong spots can be terminal. The inline six is a durable engine and a used one would not scare me at all, especially after a compression test and good earballing if that is possible. If the Jeep has very strong bones, a remanufactured engine is not only low risk, it could be a sound investment for a long future. My TJ is rust-free, if the engine failed I would probably build one to replace it. That would be a project you and your 16 year old could have, did one with my 17 year old on a YJ, 16 years ago. Having a kid (boy or girl) skin knuckles turns them into a responsible driver and owner. Suggest a second opinion on the logical thinking engineer notion, I didn't know such a thing exists.

 

[DaYooperTransplant]

You mentioned your friend has no mechanical knowledge, but told you the engine blew. Sounds like you're handy with the tools, have you in fact confirmed the engine is toast? Had a friend once who told me his engine blew, ended up being a bad stater. I'm guessing you've already confirmed, but thought I would throw it out there. Good luck, with whatever decision you make, it should make a decent 3rd vehicle.

 

[Chris]

I paid $2000 for a remanufactured engine with a 30k mile warranty. Ran like brand new, went right in, and I'm very, very glad I went that route since everything was new.

My advice if you plan on keeping the TJ a while would be go that route. It's more money, but it's going to last longer.

 

[Hhottrod]

Thanks for all the feedback. Here are a few answers/responses.

It's blown. The pictured hole is where the dipstick once entered the block...Is it totally ruined (no core charge)? TBD. But it's hurt really bad.

The frame rust is my first priority. And you're right, there will be no further investment if the frame is too far gone.

 

[greenliftedtj97]

Thanks for all the feedback. Here are a few answers/responses.

It's blown. The pictured hole is where the dipstick once entered the block...Is it totally ruined (no core charge)? TBD. But it's hurt really bad.

The frame rust is my first priority. And you're right, there will be no further investment if the frame is too far gone.

That's not so bad, just smear some JB weld in it and call it a day. LOL

all joking aside. I went with Powertrain Products for engine & trans and had no problems. 100k warranty. I did have a intake valve
spring break right after putting it in. Sent them the bill and they paid the bill, no questions asked. Couldn't complain. Just an option given your frame is decent.

 

[glwood]

I don't know how far you're going in checking out the frame, but if you pull the engine and transmission first, you'll get a great chance to check out the inside of the frame, and underneath the transmission skid plate. Even at that point if you decide to scrap the whole project because the frame is too much work to restore, I believe you can easily recoup your $1k investment by parting out what's left.

 

[Hhottrod]

glwood - you got it. I bought it fast because I knew I could recoup my $1,000 if frame went bad. I also knew a $1,000 shell was a decent deal.

 

[JDS123]

As others have said, check the frame out first. If it’ll work for 4 more years, I’d say swap the engine. You won’t be into the Jeep for that much and won’t have to worry about handing it over to your 16 year old. Personally, I think a TJ is a great first car to have.

Just remember that unless the frame rust is mild, your Jeep has a specific time period for which it will be useful. There isn’t much to do in terms of correcting a rotting frame. So you just have to consider how much you really want to invest in this Jeep versus what you can get back out of it when the frame gives. Though, for how much you’re into it so far, I think it would be hard to lose much money.